Chapter 1 Flashcards
(26 cards)
What is a Program?
A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. Ex: Microsoft Word
What is Hardware?
Physical devices or components that make a computer
List the five major components of a computer system.
CPU
Main Memory (RAM)
SSD
Input Devices
output Devices
What part of the computer actually runs programs?
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
What part of the computer serves as a work area to store a program and its data while the program is running?
Random-Access Memory (RAM)
What part of the computer holds data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer?
Secondary Storage Devices (SSD)
What part of the computer collects data from people and from other devices?
Input Devices
What part of the computer formats and presents data for people or other devices?
Output Devices
What fundamental set of programs control the internal operations of the computer’s hardware?
Operating Systems
What do you call a program that performs a specialized task, such as a virus scanner, a file compression program, or a data backup program?
Utility Programs
Word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, email programs, web browsers, and game programs below to what category of software?
Application Software
What amount of memory is enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number?
Byte
What do you call a tiny “switch” that can be set to either on or off?
Bits
In what numbering system are all numeric values written as sequences of 0s and 1s?
Binary
What is the purpose of ASCII?
It was created to translate the binary language to characters that humans and computers can both read and understand.
What encoding scheme is extensive enough to represent the characters of many of the languages in the world?
Unicode
What do the terms “digital data” and “digital devices” mean?
Digital data is data that is stored as binary, whereas digital devices is any device that works with binary data
How many bits are in a byte?
Eight bits
A CPU understands instructions that are written only in what language?
Machine language which has an underlying binary structure
A program has to be copied into what type of memory each time the CPU executes it?
RAM
When a CPU executes the instructions in a program, it is engaged in what process?
Fetch-decode-execute cycle
What is assembly language?
A low-level language that uses mnemonics to translate machine language for programmers, ex: mul = multiply
What type of programming language allows you to create powerful and complex programs without knowing how the CPU works?
High-level language
What do you call a program that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program?
A compiler
