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GCSE Computer Science OCR (My cards) > Section One - Components of a Computer System > Flashcards

Section One - Components of a Computer System Flashcards

1
Q

What is meant by hardware?

A

Physical components that make up your computer.

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2
Q

What is meant by software?

A

Programs or applications that a computer systems run.

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3
Q

What is an embedded system?

A

Computer systems built into other devices

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4
Q

Give an example of an embedded system:

A

Dishwashers,
Microwaves,
TV

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5
Q

Give a benefit of using an embedded system:

A

Dedicated to a single task therefore are easier to design, produce and more efficient

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6
Q

True or False? CPU stands for Computer Processing Unit.

A

False.

CPU stands for Central Processing Unit

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7
Q

What does the CPU do?

A

Process all the data and instructions that make a system work

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8
Q

True or False? The CPU carries out the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

A

True.

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9
Q

What factors effect CPU performance?

A

Clock Speed
Number of Cores
Cache Size

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10
Q

What is the control unit’s main job?

A

To execute program instructions by following the fetch-decode-execute cycle.

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11
Q

What does the Control Unit control?

A

Controls the flow of data inside the CPU and outside the CPU.

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12
Q

Describe the function of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).

A

Performs calculations and logical decisions

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13
Q

Explain how Cache is used by the CPU.

A

It stores regularly used data so that the CPU can access it quickly.

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14
Q

True or False? The cache is faster than the registers.

A

False.

The cache is faster than the RAM but slower than the registers.

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15
Q

Explain the purpose of CPU registers:

A

To temporarily hold tiny bits of data needed by the CPU.

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16
Q

Name all four CPU registers:

A

Program Counter
Memory Address Register (MAR)
Memory Data Register (MDR)
Accumulator

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17
Q

What is the function of the Accumulator?

A

Stores intermediate results of the calculations in the ALU

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18
Q

What is the function of the MAR?

A

Holds any memory address about to be used by the CPU.

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19
Q

What is the function of the MDR?

A

Holds the actual data or instruction.

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20
Q

What is the function of the Program Counter?

A

Holds the memory address of the instruction for each cycle

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21
Q

What will happen if the Program Counter is not incrementing with each cycle?

A

The same instruction will repeat as no new instruction will be loaded to be executed.

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22
Q

What happens in the FETCH stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle?

A

Memory address is copied from the program counter to the MAR
The instruction in the MAR is copied to the MDR
The program counter will point to the address of the next instruction, ready for the next cycle

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23
Q

What happens in the DECODE stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle?

A

The instruction in the MDR is decoded by the CU.

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24
Q

What happens in the EXECUTE stage of the fetch-decode-execute cycle?

A

The instruction is performed.

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25
Q

True or False? Volatile memory is PERMANENT memory.

A

False

Volatile memory is temporary memory as it requires power to retain data.

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26
Q

What is RAM?

A

High speed, volatile memory.

It is the main memory in a computer.

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27
Q

What does RAM stand for?

A

Random Access Memory

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28
Q

True or False? RAM can be read AND written to?

A

True

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29
Q

What is the purpose of the RAM?

A

To hold data, files and programs while they’re in use.

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30
Q

What is a reason to install more RAM on a computer?

A

Efficiency.

Data doesn’t have to be moved into Virtual Memory

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31
Q

What is Virtual Memory?

A

A storage of memory within a Secondary Storage (such as the hard-drive). When the RAM is full, data that hasn’t been used recently is moved into Virtual Memory.

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32
Q

Is ROM volatile or non-volatile?

A

Non-volatile

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33
Q

What does ROM stand for?

A

Read Only Memory

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34
Q

Physically, what is the ROM?

A

A small, factory made chip built into the motherboard

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35
Q

What does ROM contain?

A

All the instructions a computer needs to properly boot up, these instructions are called the BIOS.

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36
Q

What does BIOS stand for?

A

Basic Input Output System

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37
Q

What is Clock Speed?

A

The number of instructions a single processor can carry out per second

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38
Q

What is Clock Speed measured in?

A

Hertz (Hz)

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39
Q

Complete the sentence:

The higher the clock speed, the…

A

…greater the number of instructions that can be carried out per second

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40
Q

What is overclocking?

A

Forces computers to run at a higher clock speed than the factory-set rate.

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41
Q

What happens if overclocking is not executed properly?

A

It can make the CPU overheat, causing crashes or permanent damage.

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42
Q

Why does a CPU with a large cache capacity have an increased performance?

A

A larger CPU cache gives the CPU faster access to more data it needs to process.

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43
Q

Complete the sentence:

The more cores a CPU has, the…

A

…more instructions it can carry out at once, so the faster it can process a batch of data

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44
Q

“I upgraded my RAM size, but there was no increase the my computer’s performance! Is it working properly?”

A

If the computer already has plenty of RAM, increasing may make no difference to the performance.

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45
Q

What does GPU stand for?

A

Graphics Processing Unit

46
Q

What is a GPU?

A

A specialised circuit for handling graphics and image processing.

47
Q

What is an advantage of having a GPU along with a CPU?

A

They relieve processing load on the CPU, increasing performance.

48
Q

What does ‘Primary Storage’ refer to?

A

Memory areas that the CPU can access very quickly.

49
Q

Give examples of ‘Primary Storage’:

A

CPU registers
Cache
ROM and RAM

50
Q

Is ‘Secondary Storage’ volatile?

A

No, it’s non-volatile - it’s where all data is stored when not in use.

51
Q

True or False? Read/Write speeds are much slower compared to Primary Storage.

A

True.

52
Q

What is the purpose of ‘Tertiary Storage’?

A

To store data long-term, mainly used for archives and backups of large amounts of data.

53
Q

What are three characteristics to consider when choosing a suitable type of secondary storage?

A

Cost
Durability
Capacity

54
Q

What is a hard disk drive made up of?

A

A stack of magnetised metal disks spinning at a rate between 5400 and 15000 rpm (revolutions per minute)

55
Q

How is data stored on a hard disk drive?

A

Magnetically in small areas called sectors within circular tracks

56
Q

What is an advantage of an SSD (solid state drive) over a HDD (hard-disk drive)?

A

No moving parts

57
Q

What do Solid State Drives use?

A

Flash memory

58
Q

Which has a faster read/write time, SSD or HDD?

A

SSD

59
Q

What are types of Flash Memory?

A

Pen drives and memory cards.

60
Q

Which is cheaper, SSD or HDD?

A

HDD

61
Q

Which is faster in general, SSD or HDD?

A

SSD

62
Q

Which doesn’t need fragmenting, SSD or HDD?

A

SSD

63
Q

Which has a higher capacity, SSD or HDD?

A

HDD

64
Q

Which is more shock-proof, SSD or HDD?

A

SSD

65
Q

Which has a longer read/write life, SSD or HDD?

A

HDD

66
Q

Which is silent, SSD or HDD?

A

SSD

67
Q

What are Optical Discs?

A

Cheap and Robust Secondary Storage

68
Q

Give examples of Optical Discs:

A

CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

69
Q

Which holds the most data, CDs, DVDs or Blu-Ray discs?

A

Blu-Ray discs. They can hold around 25GB of data.

70
Q

How much data can a CD hold?

A

700MB

71
Q

How much data can a DVD hold?

A

4.7GB

72
Q

Why aren’t Optical Discs not as common?

A

Internet Speeds have increasing, popularising media streaming and downloading services which provide on-demand content.

73
Q

What type of storage is used for archiving?

A

Magnetic Tapes

74
Q

Why are Magnetic Tapes used over HDDs for Archiving?

A

Greater storage capacity for a lower cost.

75
Q

Order types of Secondary Storage by average READ/WRITE SPEED (slowest first):

A 
Optical Disc
Memory Card
Magnetic Tape
HDD
SSD
76
Q

Order types of Secondary Storage by average COST (cheapest first):

A 
Magnetic Tape
Optical Disc
HDD
Memory Card
SSD
77
Q

Order types of Secondary Storage by average CAPACITY (lowest first):

A 
Optical Disc
Memory Card
SSD
HDD
Magnetic Tape
78
Q

Fill in the gaps:

Operating Systems manage (1) and run (2).

A

(1) - Hardware

(2) - Software

79
Q

Name three main functions of an operating system:

A

Communicate with internal and external hardware.
Provide a user interface.
Deal with file and disk management

80
Q

What is the purpose of the Device Driver?

A

To allow the operating system to communicate with internal hardware or peripherals

81
Q

What does GUI stand for?

A

Graphical User Interface

82
Q

What is the name of the text-based user interface?

A

Command-Line Interface

83
Q

How do Command-Line Interfaces differ to GUIs?

A

They are less resource-heavy

84
Q

How does the OS help the CPU carry out multi-tasking?

A

By managing memory and CPU processing time

85
Q

How does the OS help manage memory?

A

The OS organises the movement of data to-and-from virtual memory

86
Q

How does the OS organise data?

A

It organises data into a usable hierarchical structure

87
Q

How does the OS manage the hard disk?

A

Splits the physical disk into storage sectors
Decides which sector to write data to
Keeps track of free space

88
Q

Where are Multi-User OSs most used?

A

On Mainframes

89
Q

What is the purpose of utility system software on a computer?

A

Helps maintain or configure a computer

90
Q

Fill in the gaps:

(1) utilities put (2) files back together

A

(1) Defragmentation

(2) broken up

91
Q

How do gaps appear on the disk?

A

Files being moved, deleted and changed in size.

92
Q

What is the purpose of defragmentation software?

A

To reorganise data on the hard drive to put fragmented files back together

93
Q

What is a backup?

A

A copy of a computer system’s files and settings stored externally

94
Q

What does a backup allow?

A

Data to be recovered in the event of data loss

95
Q

What is a backup utility?

A

A software with facilities such as scheduling of regular backups, creating rescue disks, etc.

96
Q

What is the difference between a FULL backup and an INCREMENTAL backup?

A

A full backup is where a copy is taken of every file on the system whereas an incremental backup is only where the files created or edited since the last backup are copied.

97
Q

What is the purpose of Compression Software?

A

To reduce the size of files so they take up less disk space.

98
Q

Where is compression software often used?

A

On the internet to make files quicker to download

99
Q

What file formats are compressed files?

A

.zip or .rar

100
Q

True or False? Compressed files DON’T need to be extracted before they can be used.

A

False.

Compressed files MUST be extracted before they can be used.

101
Q

What is the purpose of Encryption Software?

A

To encrypt data to stop third parties from accessing it

102
Q

True or False? Open Source software is given away with its source code.

A

True.

Open Source Software is where the source code is made freely available

103
Q

What does Open Source Software allow users to do?

A

Users to legally modify the source code to make their own spin-off software, which can be shared under the same licence and terms of the original

104
Q

Name five advantages of Open Source Software:

A

It’s usually free
Made for the greater good, not for profit
Can be adapted by users to fit needs
Wide pool of collaborators - more creativity
Problems often solved quickly

105
Q

Name five disadvantages of Open Source Software:

A

Small projects get less regular updates, could be buggy or have unpatched security holes
Limited user documentation
No warranties
No customer support
Companies may not want competitors to see their source code but they have to

106
Q

What is the proper name for ‘Closed Source’ Software?

A

Proprietary Software

107
Q

How does Proprietary Software differ from Open Source Software?

A

Only the compiled code is released.

108
Q

What do Proprietary Software licences often restrict?

A

Modification, copying and redistribution

109
Q

Name three advantages of Proprietary Software:

A

Comes with warranties, documentation and customer support
Well-tested and reliable
Cheaper for companies

110
Q

Name three disadvantages of Proprietary Software:

A

Can be expensive
Software may not fit user’s needs
Software companies may not maintain older software after warranties expire

GCSE Computer Science OCR (My cards) (7 decks)

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