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Introduction To IT > Section 3: Computer Hardware And History > Flashcards

Section 3: Computer Hardware And History Flashcards

1
Q

When did the idea of communicating instructions with punched cards originate?

A

1801

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2
Q

When were punch cards used to calculate the US census for the first time?

A

1890

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3
Q

What is ENIAC?

A

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator

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4
Q

What was the Colossus?

A

A machine/computer built in England to decode German messages during the latter part of WW2

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5
Q

Name a semiconductor material used in computers?

A

Silicon

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6
Q

When was Apple Computer Inc. Created?

A

1976

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7
Q

Who created the PC and when?

A

IBM in 1981

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8
Q

What were mainframes?

A

Some of the first computers which occupied the size of a room. Consumed a lot of power, created a lot of heat and was pretty unreliable.

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9
Q

What years were Vacuum Tubes used?

A

1946–1959

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10
Q

What are transistors?

A
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11
Q

What did first generation computers use for circuitry and memory?

A

They used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drinks for memory what generation of computers?

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12
Q

What does EDVAC stand for?

A

Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer

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13
Q

What does UNIVAC stand for?

A

Universal Automatic Computer

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14
Q

IBM-701 and IBM-650 are notable computers of what generation

A

First generation computers

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15
Q

What technology did transistors replace?

A

Vacuum tubes replaced what?

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16
Q

What years were Transistors used?

A

1959–1965

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17
Q

What states could transistors maintain? How were they represented?

A

Off and On; Represented as 0 and 1.

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18
Q

What did second-generation computers rely on for input?

A

printouts, still

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19
Q

What was used for storage in second generation computers?

A

tapes and disks

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20
Q

What generation was the Honeywell 400 a part of?

A

second-generation

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21
Q

What generation was the IBM 7094 a part of?

A

Second-Generation

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22
Q

What generation was the CDC 1604 a part of?

A

second generation

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23
Q

What generation was the CDC 3600 a part of?

A

second-generation

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24
Q

What generation was the UNIVAC 1108 a part of?

A

Second-Generation

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25
Q

What were the first computers of the second generation of computers built for?

A

Atomic energy industry?

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26
Q

How many computer programming languages were invented to work with second generation computers?

A

over 100

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27
Q

Name two early high-level programming languages?

A

FORTRAN and COBOL

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28
Q

What does FORTRAN stand for and what is it?

A

FORmula TRANslation

Early High-level computer programming language

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29
Q

What is COBOL and what does it stand for?

A

COmmon Buisness-Oriented Language

Early High-level programming language

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30
Q

What technology did integrated circuits replace?

A

Transistors. They miniaturized them.

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31
Q

What are semiconductors?

A

A silicon chip that miniaturized transistors.

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32
Q

What input devices did third generation computers use?

A

Keyboards and monitors

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33
Q

What technology did third generation computers use and from what years?

A

1965–1971

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34
Q

What generation of computers did it become possible to run multiple programs at the same time?

A

Third generation of computers

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35
Q

What was the computational time in third generation computers?

A

nanoseconds

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36
Q

What did integrated circuits do for computers?

A

they increased computing power

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37
Q

What generation of computers did the PDP—8 belong to?

A

Third-Generation

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38
Q

What generation of computers did the PDP—11 belong to?

A

third-generation

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39
Q

What generation of computers did ICL 2900 belong to?

A

third-generation

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40
Q

What generation of computers did IBM 360 belong to?

A

Third generation

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41
Q

What generation of computers did IBM 370 belong to?

A

third generation

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42
Q

What was the technology used in fourth-generation computers and what years was it used from?

A

Microprocessors and 1971—Present)

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43
Q

What are microprocessors?

A

Microprocessors include thousands of integrated circuits on a single silicon strip.

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44
Q

What is the fourth generation of computers characterized by?

A

A significant reduction in processor size (microprocessors) and a significant increase in capabilities.

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45
Q

What was the first microprocessor chip that changed everything? When was it developed?

A

Intel 4004, developed in 1971

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46
Q

When was the first IBM computer for home use released?

A

1981.

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47
Q

Name four developments in the fourth generation of computers.

A
  1. Microprocessors
  2. Graphical user interfaces
  3. Mouse
  4. handheld devices
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48
Q

Name two operating systems developed during the fourth generation of computers. (There are more than two.)

A
  1. MS-DOs
  2. Microsoft Windows.
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49
Q

What is the calculation speed of fourth generation computers?

A

Picoseconds (one trillionth of a second)

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50
Q

What are computer generations defined by?

A

Major technological developments that fundamentally changed the way computers operated.

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51
Q

How fast could first generation computers compute?

A

Computed in milliseconds

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52
Q

Why were second generation computers less prone to crashing?

A

Because the transistors generated less heat than vacuum tubes which made overheating less of a concern. This translated to components lasting longer and the system crashed less often

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53
Q

What four innovations in technology are used to define the four generations of computers?

A
  1. Vacuum Tubes
  2. Transistors
  3. Integrated Circuits
  4. Microprocessors
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54
Q

What technology will define the fifth generation of computers?

A

Artificial Intelligence

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55
Q

When did the fifth generation of computers first emerge?

A

1980’s

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56
Q

What developments will fifth generation computers support?

A

Artificial intelligence and natural language processing while using principles of robotics, neural networks, expert systems and natural language understanding and generation

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57
Q

What does ULSI stand for?

A

Ultra-Large-Scale Integration

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58
Q

What is parallel processing?

A

Multiple programs running concurrently

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59
Q

Name 3 emerging technologies that are expected to significantly contribute to the abilities of fifth-generation computers?

A
  1. Quantum computing
  2. Molecular technology
  3. Nanotechnology
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60
Q

What is quantum computing?

A

The study of a non-classical model of computation.

61
Q

Why are quantum computers more efficient than modern computing?

A

Quantum tunneling

62
Q

How much are quantum computers expected to reduce power consumption?

A

Expected to reduce power consumption from 100 to 1,000 times what is currently available.

63
Q

What is Nanotechnology and Molecular Manufacturing?

A

Involves the use of nanoscale (extremely small) tools and nonbiological processes to build structures, devices, and systems at the molecular level.

Technology based on the ability to build structures to complex, atomic specifications by means of mechanism thesis or reaction outcomes determined by the use of mechanical constraints.

64
Q

What does a CPU do?

A

Processes all information from programs run by the computer.

65
Q

How is processor speed measured?

A

gigahertz (GHz)

66
Q

Where is RAM found in a computer?

A

In the memory slots on the motherboard

67
Q

What does RAM do?

A

To temporarily store information created by programs and to do so in a way that makes the dad immediately accessible.

68
Q

Name 4 tasks that require RAM

A
  1. Rendering images
  2. Editing video
  3. Editing photographs
  4. Multitasking with multiple applications open.
69
Q

What does a hard drive do?

A

Stores permanent and temporary data.

70
Q

What are the two different types of storage devices?

A
  1. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
  2. SSD (Solid-State Drives)
71
Q

How do Hard Disks Work?

A

Storage that works by writing binary data onto spinning magnetic discs called platters that rotate at high speeds.

72
Q

How do SSD work?

A

Stores data by using static flash memory chips

73
Q

What is the difference between on-board graphic capabilities and dedicated graphics cards?

A

Graphics cards interface with the motherboard via an expansion slow to work almost exclusively on graphic rendering.

Modern GPU’s fulfill broad computational workloads beyond just rendering making them an extension of the CPU.

74
Q

What is an Expansion Card?

A

It’s a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an electrical connector or expansion slot on a computer motherboard, backplane, or riser card to add functionality to a computer system via the expansion bus.

75
Q

What is an expansion bus?

A

A computer bus that moves information between the internal hardware of a computer system (including the CPU and RAM) and peripheral devices.

It is a collection of wires and protocols that allows for the expansion of a computer.

76
Q

What are other names for Expansion cards?

A

Expansion board
Adapter Card
Accessory Card

77
Q

USB Stands for?

A

Universal Serial Bus

78
Q

What are the three major components of computer hardware?

A
  1. CPU
  2. Storage
  3. Peripheral Devices
79
Q

What are peripheral devices and what do they support?

A

peripheral devices support input and output operations of the system. (Monitors, mouse, keyboard, printers etc.)

80
Q

What piece of hardware often has a fan mounted to the top of it?

A

CPU

81
Q

What is the primary hardware component in a computer

A

motherboard. All other parts including the CPU, Storage, RAM, Etc are plugged into the motherboard

82
Q

What is the smallest form of memory your computer has and where is it stored?

A

Cache is the smallest unit of memory in the computer and it’s stored in the CPU

83
Q

SRAM

A

Static Random Access Memory

84
Q

DRAM

A

Dynamic Random Access Memory

85
Q

BIOS

A

Basic input output system

86
Q

UEFI

A

Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

87
Q

What tech replaced BIOS

A

UEFI

88
Q

PCIE

A

Peripheral Component Interconnect Express

89
Q

ISA

A

Industry Standard Architecture

90
Q

EISA

A

Extended Industry standard architecture

91
Q

What is the difference between ports and slots?

A

Slots are internal
Ports are external

92
Q

What are the 3 parts of a CPU?

A
  1. The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which contains circuitry that performs operations on data, such as addition and subtraction.
  2. The control unit, which contains the circuitry coordinating the machine’s activities
  3. the processor register which contains data storage cells called registers
93
Q

What are registers?

A

high speed storage areas in the CPU.

94
Q

Where must all data be stored before it can be processed?

A

in the CPU register

95
Q

ALU

A

arithmetic logic unit

96
Q

To perform an operation on data stored in the main memory, the control unit (4)

A
  1. transfers data from main memory into the registers.
  2. informs the ALU which registers hold the data
  3. activates the ALU
  4. tells the ALU which register should receive the results.
97
Q

MAR

A

Memory address register

98
Q

What does the MAR do?

A

holds the memory location of data that needs to be accessed.

99
Q

MDR

A

Memory Data Register

100
Q

What does the MDR do?

A

Holds data that is being transferred to or from memory

101
Q

AC

A

Accumulator

102
Q

What does the AC do?

A

holds the ALU results

103
Q

PC (not personal computer)

A

Program Counter

104
Q

What does the program counter do?

A

holds the address of the next program instruction to be executed.

105
Q

CIR

A

Current Instruction Register

106
Q

What does the CIR do?

A

Holds the current instruction during processing.

107
Q

What are 5 types of registers?

A
  1. MAR
  2. MDR
  3. AC
  4. PC
  5. CIR
108
Q

What is RAM also sometimes referred to?

A

Primary or main memory

109
Q

What are hard drives sometimes referred to?

A

permanent memory, secondary memory

110
Q

What is the differences between RAM and Hard Drive memory?

A

RAM is fast and is directly accessible by the CPU. Loading data from the secondary to primary memory allows the CPU to operate faster.

111
Q

Define Ephemeral

A

data is lost when the computer is powered off.

112
Q

What does each RAM partition consist of?

what form does it take?

A

and address and it’s contents.

Found in binary form

113
Q

ROM

A

Read only memory

114
Q

What is ROM used for?

A

booting up the system and initializing different computer components.

115
Q

What are busses?

A

wires that serve as electrical roadways, transmitting information between the CPU and other components.

116
Q

What are 3 kinds of buses?

A
  1. Address buses
  2. Data buses
  3. Control buses
117
Q

What does the address bus do?

A

Carries the destination address of where the data is assigned to be processed

118
Q

What is the Data bus?

A

Carries data between the processor, the memory unit, and the input/output devices

119
Q

What is the control bus?

A

Carries control signals (commands) from the CPU (and status signals from devices); controls and coordinates all activities within the computer system.

120
Q

What is the tower of chassis?

A

The system unit

121
Q

What is the system unit?

A

encases various components such as the motherboard, CPU, RAM, power supply and any other internally installed components.

often used to differentiate between the computer and it’s peripheral devices.

122
Q

What are the components of the motherboard?

A

Holds the CPU, RAM and ROM chips, as well as other hardware components.

123
Q

What is the difference between RAM and ROM?

A

RAM is volatile meaning its contents are lost when the computer is shut off

ROM is nonvolatile memory, it keeps its contents whether the computer is on or off and generally contains instructions for starting up the computer.

124
Q

What is the system clock and what does it do?

A

The system clock sends out a pulse of electricity at regular intervals. The electronic components of the computer need these pulses in order to operate. The more pulses sent out by the system clock, the faster the computer.

125
Q

How is the system clock speed commonly measured?

A

megahertz (MHz) which converts to millions of pulses per second

gigahertz (GHz) which converts to billions of pulses per second.

126
Q

Name 3 common types of expansion cards

A
  1. graphics
  2. sound
  3. network cards
127
Q

What are ports? name 3 examples.

A

sockets that allow cables to be plugged in without opening the system unit.

  1. Serial
  2. parallel
  3. USB
128
Q

Name 5 types of secondary storage

A
  1. floppy
  2. hard drive
  3. flash drive
  4. magnetic tape
  5. optical discs (CDs and DVDs)
129
Q

What is the smallest unit of storage and what is it set to?

A

bit is the smallest unit of storage

bits are set to a 0 or a 1

130
Q

what is a byte?

A

a byte contains 8 bits.

131
Q

how much information is contained in a single byte?

A

enough information to store a single character such as the letter “M”

132
Q

How many bytes are in 1 KB

A

1024x1024

133
Q

How many KB is in one MB

A

1,024

134
Q

How many MB is in one GB

A

1024

135
Q

How many GB in one TB

A

1024

136
Q

How many TB in one PB

A

1024

137
Q

PB

A

petabyte

138
Q

What are communication devices and what do they do?

A

communication devices allow a computer to send and receive data to and from other computers

139
Q

What is an example of communication devices?

A

modems.
network cards
satellite
wireless
bluetooth

140
Q

How do modems send information?

A

over a phone line or a coaxial cable.

141
Q

How do network cards send information?

A

over dedicated network cables.

142
Q

how do satellite communicate

A

using radio signals and orbiting satellites to receive and send data from one system to another.

143
Q

What are supercomputers?

A

they are the biggest and fastest computers designed to process huge amounts of data.

144
Q

How are supercomputers built?

A

as a system of thousands of interconnected processors.

145
Q

What are supercomputers useful for? (4)

A
  1. Scientific and engineering applications such as
  2. weather forecasting
  3. scientific simulations
  4. nuclear energy research
146
Q

What are mainframe computers?

A

designed to support hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.

147
Q

What is a workstation

A

a single-user computer designed for technical or scientific applications.

148
Q

What is a microcomputer?

A

commonly known as a personal computer. general-purpose computer for individual use.

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