Chapter 1

Question 1

List the five major components of a computer system.

Answer 1

CPU, Main memory, Storage device, input, and output device

Question 2

What part of the computer actually runs programs?

Answer 2

CPU

Question 3

What part of the computer holds data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer?

Answer 3

Secondary Storage Device

Question 4

What part of the computer collects data from people and from other devices?

Answer 4

Input device

Question 5

What do you call a program that performs specialized tasks, such as a virus scanner, a file compression program, or data backup program?

Answer 5

Utility program

Question 6

What part of the computer serves as a work area to store a program and its data while the program is running?

Answer 6

Main memory (RAM)

Question 7

What part of the computer formats and presents data for people or other devices?

Answer 7

Output device

Question 8

What do the terms “digital data” and “digital device” mean?

Answer 8

Digital data is data that is stored in binary numbers.

Digital device is any device that works with binary data.

Question 9

What encoding scheme is extensive enough to represent the characters of many of the language in the world?

Answer 9

Unicode

Question 10

In what numbering systems are all numeric values written as sequences fo 0’s and 1’s?

Answer 10

Binary numbers

Question 11

What do you call a tiny “switch” that can be set to either on or off?

Answer 11

Bits

Question 12

What amount of memory is enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number?

Answer 12

A byte

Question 13

What is the purpose of ASCII?

Answer 13

To represent English letters, punctuation marks, numbers, and commands into 128 numeric codes.

Question 14

How are characters stored?

Answer 14

They are typed into the keyboard, these characters then go to the control where they go through the processing unit, are converted into binary numbers, and then stored in the memory unit.

Question 15

How is ASCII code ordered?

Answer 15

Special characters, numbers, special characters, capital letters, lowercase letters.

Question 16

What number is 10011101?

Answer 16

157

Question 17

How big is a byte?

Answer 17

Big enough to hold one letter of the alphabet or a small number.

Question 18

Define hardware.

Answer 18

The physical devices that make up the computer.

Question 19

What is the CPU?

Answer 19

The central processing unit, which runs all the programs.

Question 20

What are microprocessors?

Answer 20

CPUs located on small chips that are very powerful.

Question 21

What is secondary storage?

Answer 21

It can hold data for long periods of time.

Question 22

What are different types of secondary memory?

Answer 22

Disk drive, solid state drive, flash memory, optical devices (CD, DVD).

Question 23

What is application software?

Answer 23

Programs that make the computer useful for everyday tasks.

Question 24

What is system software?

Answer 24

Programs that control and manage basic operations for a computer.

Question 25

What do you call a program that both translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language?

Answer 25

Compiler

Question 26

What type of programming language allows you to create powerful and complex programs without knowing how the CPU works?

Answer 26

High -level language.

Question 27

A CPU understands instruction that are written only in what language?

Answer 27

Machine language

Question 28

What do you call a program that both translates and executes the instruction in a high-level language program?

Answer 28

Interpreter

Question 29

Each language has a set of rules that must be strictly followed when writing a program. What is this set of rules called?

Answer 29

Syntax

Question 30

What is the process that a CPU executes a program?

Answer 30

Fetch, decode, execute

Question 31

What is assembly language?

Answer 31

Use of short words for instructions instead of binary numbers.

Question 32

What is an assembler?

Answer 32

Translates assembly language to machine language.

Question 33

What are key words?

Answer 33

Predefined words used to write a program in high-level language.

Question 34

What is an operator?

Answer 34

Perform operations on data.

Question 35

What is a statement?

Answer 35

Individual instruction used in high-level language.

Question 36

What is source code?

Answer 36

Statements written by the programmer in high-level language.

Question 37

What is the difference between a compiler and interpreter?

Answer 37

A compiler translates all the statements at once and then executes it, while an interpreter translates each statement separately executing them one at a time.

Question 38

What are words that make up high-level programming language?

Answer 38

Key words