CH_1_Into_To_Computers_Programming

Question 1

Program

Answer 1

A set of instructions that a computer (CPU) follows to perform a task.

Question 2

Software

Answer 2

Programs are commonly referred to as software. Software is essential to a computer because it controls everything the computer does.

Question 3

Software Developer or Programmer

Answer 3

A person with the training and skills necessary to design, create, and test computer programs.

Question 4

Hardware

Answer 4

All of the physical devices, or components, of which a computer is made.

Question 5

Component

Answer 5

A physical device that is part of a computer system.

Question 6

Typical components of a computer system

Answer 6

• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Main memory
• Secondary Storage Devices
• Input Devices
• Output Devices

Question 7

Executing

Answer 7

The process of a computer performing the tasks that a program tells it to do.

Question 8

Running

Answer 8

The process of a computer performing the tasks that a program tells it to do.

Question 9

ENIAC

Answer 9

The world’s first programmable computer. Built in 1945 to calculate artillery ballistic tables for the US Army. Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.

Question 10

Microprocessor

Answer 10

A computer chip that acts as a Central Processing Unit.

Question 11

Main Memory

Answer 11

The computer’s “work area.” Where the computer stores a program while the program is running, as well as the data the program is working with.

Also know as Random Access Memory (RAM)

Question 12

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Answer 12

A volatile type of memory that is used only for temporary storage while a program is running. RAM is stored in chips.

Question 13

Secondary Storage

Answer 13

A type of memory that can hold data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer.

Question 14

Disk Drive

Answer 14

The most common type of secondary storage.

Question 15

Traditional Disk Drives

Answer 15

Stores data by magnetically encoding it onto a spinning circular disk.

Question 16

Solid State Drive

Answer 16

Data is stored in solid-state memory. Has no moving parts and operates faster than a traditional disk drive.These are becoming increasingly popular.

Question 17

USB Device

Answer 17

Small device that plugs into the computer’s USB port and appears to the system as a disk drive. These do not contain a disk, as they store data in a special type of memory known as flash memory.

Question 18

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

Answer 18

An industry standard developed by USB Implementers Forum, that allows data exchange and delivery of power between many types of electronics.

Question 19

Flash Memory

Answer 19

An electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types are NOR and NAND. USB drives used flash memory.

Question 20

Two general categories of software

Answer 20

System Software and Application Software

Question 21

System Software

Answer 21

The programs that control and manage the basic operations of a computer. System software typically includes the following types of programs:
- Operating systems
- Utility programs
- Software development tools

Question 22

Application Software

Answer 22

Programs that make a computer useful for everyday tasks.

Question 23

Operating System

Answer 23

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

Question 24

Utility Program

Answer 24

Performs a specialized task that enhances the computer’s operation or safeguards data.

Question 25

Software Development Tools

Answer 25

Programs that programmers used to create, modify, and test software.

Question 26

Byte

Answer 26

A unit of memory that is large enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number.

Question 27

Bit

Answer 27

Binary digit. Each Byte is divided into eight smaller storage locations known as bits. In most computer systems, bits are tiny electrical components that can hold either a positive or a negative charge.

Question 28

Binary Numbering System

Answer 28

A numbering system in which all numeric values are written as sequences of 0s and 1s.

Question 29

ASCII

Answer 29

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A set of 128 numeric codes that represent the English letters, various punctuation marks, and other characters.

Question 30

UNICODE Character Set

Answer 30

Developed as a replacement to ASCII during the early 1990s. Unicode is an extensive coding scheme that is compatible with ASCII, but can also represent characters for many of the languages in the world.

Question 31

Two's Complement

Answer 31

An encoding technique used to store negative numbers as binary values.

Question 32

Floating-point Notations

Answer 32

An encoding technique used to convert real numbers to binary format.

Question 33

Digital

Answer 33

A term that can be used to describe anything that uses binary numbers.

Question 34

Digital Data

Answer 34

Data that is stored in binary format.

Question 35

Digital Device

Answer 35

Any device that works with binary data.

Question 36

Pixel

Answer 36

"Picture Element". The basic unit of a digital image, representing a single color or level of brightness.

Question 37

Sample

Answer 37

The unit of binary number storage that collectively makes up digital music.

Question 38

Machine Language

Answer 38

A set of instructions for a specific central processing unit, designed to be usable by a computer without being translated.

Question 39

CPU Instruction Set

Answer 39

The entire set of instructions that a CPU can execute.

Question 40

Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle

Answer 40

The process that a CPU uses to execute instructions.

Question 41

Assembly Language

Answer 41

A low level programming language that uses short words known as mnemonics instead of binary instructions.

Question 42

Assembler

Answer 42

A program that translates an assembly language program to a machine language program.

Question 43

Low-level Language

Answer 43

A programming language that is close in nature to machine language.

Question 44

High-level Language

Answer 44

A programming language that can be used to create programs without knowing how the CPU works and without writing large numbers of low-level instructions.

Question 45

Keywords or Reserved Word

Answer 45

Restricted words and/or phrases in programming languages that are used with operators perform various operations.

Question 46

Operators

Answer 46

A symbol or word that performs some operations on pieces of data.

Question 47

Syntax

Answer 47

A set of rules that must be strictly followed when writing a program.

Question 48

Statements

Answer 48

Individual instructions that you used to write a program in a high-level programming language. Consists of keywords, operators, punctuation, and other allowable programming elements, arranged in the proper sequence to perform an operation.

Question 49

Compiler

Answer 49

A program that translates a high-level program into a separate machine language program.

Question 50

Interpreter

Answer 50

A program that both translates and executes the instructions in a high-level program.

Question 51

Source Code

Answer 51

The statements that a programmer writes in a high-level language.

Question 52

Syntax Error

Answer 52

The error returned to the programmer that is found by the PC during compilation or interpretation.