Ch. 1.2: Computer Systems: Hardware and Software

Question 1

What is hardware?

Answer 1

Refers to the physical components of which a computer is made.

Question 2

What does it mean when a computer is running/executing?

Answer 2

Performing the tasks that a program tells it to do.

Question 3

What is the central processing unit/CPU?

Answer 3

The part of a computer that runs programs.

Question 4

What is a microprocessor?

Answer 4

Today’s CPU’s are known as microprocessors.

Question 5

What is the control unit?

Answer 5

Part of the CPU that coordinates all of the computer’s operations.

Question 6

What is the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU)?

Answer 6

Part of the CPU that performs mathematical operations.

Question 7

What is the fetch/decode/execute cycle?

Answer 7

The process of a computer when running a program.

Question 8

What is the fetch cycle?

Answer 8

When the CPU’s control unit fetches, from main memory, the next instruction in the sequence of program instructions.

Question 9

What is the decode cycle?

Answer 9

The instruction is encoded in the form of a number. The control unit decodes the instruction and generates an electronic signal.

Question 10

What is the execute cycle?

Answer 10

The signal is routed to the appropriate component of the computer such as the ALU, a disk drive, or some other device. The signal causes the component to perform an operation.

Question 11

What is random-access memory?

Answer 11

The CPU’s main memory which is able to quickly access data stored at any random location in RAM. Usually temporary storage.

Question 12

What is a byte?

Answer 12

One byte is enough memory to store only a letter of the alphabet or small number.

Question 13

What is a bit or binary digit?

Answer 13

Tiny electrical components that can hold either a positive or negative charge. Positive is on, and negative is off.

Question 14

What is an address?

Answer 14

Each byte is assigned a unique number known as an address.

Question 15

What is secondary storage?

Answer 15

A type of memory that can hold data for long periods of time even when there is no power to the computer, such as a disk drive, solid-state drive, memory card, or external drive.

Question 16

What is an input device?

Answer 16

The device that collects the information and sends it to a computer such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, scanner, digital camera, and/or microphone.

Question 17

What is an output device?

Answer 17

A device that sends, formats, and presents information to the outside world such as screens, printers, speakers, or storage devices.

Question 18

What is an operating system?

Answer 18

The fundamental set of programs on a computer that controls the internal operations of the computer’s hardware, manages all the devices connected to the computer and allows data to be saved to a retrieved from storage devices.

Question 19

What is a utility program?

Answer 19

Performs a specialized task that enhances the computer’s operation or safeguards data, such as virus scanners, file compression programs, and data backup programs.

Question 20

What is a software development tool?

Answer 20

Tools that programmers use to create, modify and test software such as compilers and integrated development environments.

Question 21

What is application software?

Answer 21

The programs people normally spend most of their time running on their computers, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or web browsers, email programs, and games.