Fundamentals of Computer Systems

Question 1

Emulation

Answer 1

Software that provides an environment that’s the same as a different processor so that an operating system can run a program designed for a different processor

Question 2

How does the kernel manage program execution?

Answer 2

Loads software, allocates resources, runs the program, terminates

Question 3

How does the kernel manage memory management?

Answer 3

Allocates RAM to running programs and reuses RAM when programs end

Question 4

How does the kernel aid in multitasking?

Answer 4

Allocates enough CPU and peripheral time to every running program so that they can run concurrently

Question 5

Clock speed

Answer 5

How many instructions can be executed in a second - a typical processor can be rated at 4GHz, meaning it can execute 4,000 million instruction cycles every second

Question 6

CPU core

Answer 6

The part of the CPU that runs code

Question 7

Paging

Answer 7

A technique where a PC or laptop uses backing storage as an overflow area for excess RAM

Question 8

Bitmap/Raster

Answer 8

Images made up of pixels, each of which is represented by a binary number

Question 9

Simplex communication channel

Answer 9

Data can only be transmit between systems in one direction

Question 10

Half-duplex communication channel

Answer 10

Data can be transmit between systems in two directions, but only one at a time

Question 11

Full-Duplex communication channel

Answer 11

Data can be transmit between systems in two directions at once

Question 12

Point-To-Point Communication

Answer 12

Direct communication between two systems

Question 13

Multi-Drop Communication

Answer 13

Communication from one system to multiple

Question 14

Synchronous Data Transmission

Answer 14

Data is sent at regular intervals in a continuous stream, using a shared clock signal

Question 15

Asynchronous Data Transmission

Answer 15

Data is sent one byte at a time using start and stop signals

Question 16

Serial Transmission

Answer 16

Data is sent one bit at a time along a single wire or channel

Question 17

Parallel Transmission

Answer 17

Multiple bits of data are sent at once, sending one bit down its own wire or channel, usually using 8, 16 or 32 wires

Question 18

Parity Scheme

Answer 18

Adds a parity bit to data bits to make the amount of 1s odd or even. The reciever checks the amount of 1s to see if it’s been corrupted.

Question 19

Checksum

Answer 19

A value calculated from a block of data and sent alongside it so, if the value doesn’t match the total value of the data, it’s been corrupted

Question 20

Refresh Rate

Answer 20

How often the complete screen is displayed - higher means less flicker and more smooth

Question 21

Response Time

Answer 21

Speed the pixels can change from one state to another

Question 22

User Experience in Choice of Hardware

Answer 22

• Device must meet users needs
• Ease of use
• Accessibility
• Level of performance depends on intended use (personal, business, etc)

Question 23

Factors Affecting Choice of Hardware

Answer 23

• User Experience
• User Needs
• Specifications
• Compatibility
• Cost
• Efficiancy
• Security

Question 24

RAID 0 (Striping)

Answer 24

Spreads data out across two or more drives

Question 25

RAID 1 (Mirroring)

Answer 25

Duplicates data onto all drives

Question 26

Features and Uses of Utility Software

Answer 26

- Security checks - Identifying and removing viruses - Cleaning up files - Software updates - Backing up data - Managing peripheral devices

Question 27

Factors Affecting Execution Speeds

Answer 27

- Clock speed - Design of the CPU & motherboard - Cache Memory - Number of cores - Cooling - Amount of RAM