Software Development Foundations

Question 1

What does ASCII stand for and how many characters does it represent?

Answer 1

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), Uses 7 bits to represent 128 characters such as letters, digits, and symbols.

Boot Story: Think of ASCII as the early “alphabet” of computers—just enough for English text.

Question 2

How is Unicode different from ASCII?

Answer 2

A global system for representing text that supports over 136,000 characters across 139 languages.

Boot Story: While ASCII is like a local dictionary, Unicode is like a world dictionary—covering almost every written language.

Question 3

What is the binary system?

Answer 3

Base-2 number system using only 1s (on) and 0s (off).

Boot Story: Every digital device speaks binary—it’s the heartbeat of computers.

Question 4

What is decimal notation?

Answer 4

Base-10 number system (0–9) that humans use daily.

Boot Story: It’s the same math system you use at the grocery store.

Question 5

What is hexadecimal notation?

Answer 5

Base-16 system using numbers 0–9 and letters A–F.

Boot Story: Developers use hex to simplify binary—it’s like a shorthand for computer memory values.

Question 6

How do you convert binary into decimal?

Answer 6

Add values of binary positions (2^n) where 1s are located.

Boot Story: Like flipping light switches—add up the ones that are “on.”

Question 7

What are integers and floats?

Answer 7

Integers are whole numbers; floats are numbers with decimals.

Boot Story: Integers are like steps on a staircase, floats are like ramps with smooth values.

Question 8

What is a string in programming?

Answer 8

A group of characters treated as text

Boot Story: Strings are like sentences typed in quotes—e.g., “Hello World.”

Question 9

What is a char in programming?

Answer 9

A single character, like “A” or “1”.

Boot Story: Char is the smallest building block of strings.

Question 10

What is a Boolean data type?

Answer 10

Data type that stores only true/false or yes/no values.

Boot Story: Like a light switch—only two choices, on or off.

Question 11

What is assembly language?

Answer 11

Low-level programming language close to machine code.

Boot Story: Think of it as direct communication with the CPU—powerful but tough to learn.

Question 12

Give one advantage and one disadvantage of assembly language.

Answer 12

Advantage: Faster and great for hardware-level tasks.
Disadvantage: Steep learning curve.

Boot Story: Like driving a manual car—more control, but harder to master.

Question 13

What are compiled languages?

Answer 13

Source code converted once into machine code for repeated execution.

Boot Story: Like baking a cake—you prep once, then serve it many times.

Question 14

Name two advantages of compiled languages.

Answer 14

Advantages: Run faster and more efficient; allow more hardware control.

Boot Story: They’re like pre-packed meals—fast and ready to go.

Question 15

What is a disadvantage of compiled languages?

Answer 15

Disadvantages: Harder to debug and often not cross-platform.

Boot Story: Like a device charger that only works with one type of phone.

Question 16

What are interpreted languages?

Answer 16

Languages that run line by line through an interpreter every time the program executes.

Boot Story: Like a live translator speaking while you talk.

Question 17

Give an example of a markup language and a scripting language.

Answer 17

Markup: HTML. Scripting: Python.

Definition: Markup structures content; scripting executes tasks.
Boot Story: Markup is like formatting a document, scripting is like giving it instructions.

Question 18

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What are query languages used for?

Answer 18

Retrieve or manipulate data in databases (e.g., SQL, LDAP).

Boot Story: Like asking a librarian to fetch the exact book you need.

Question 19

What are identifiers in programming?

Answer 19

Names given to constants or variables.

Boot Story: Like name tags—constants never change, variables can.

Question 20

What are conditional statements?

Answer 20

rules that tell a computer what to do only when something is true.

Boot Story: Like choosing an outfit depending on the weather.

Question 21

What are loops used for?

Answer 21

Repeat a block of code until a condition is met.

Boot Story: Like a washing machine cycle that keeps spinning until the timer ends.

Question 22

What’s the difference between a for loop and a do while loop?

Answer 22

For Loop: Runs a set number of times. Do While Loop: Runs until a condition changes.

Boot Story: For loop is like a countdown timer, do while is like “keep going until the job is done.”

Question 23

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What is an instruction set in programming?

Answer 23

A collection of functions and methods that perform tasks.

Boot Story: Like tools in a toolbox—some standard, some custom-made.

Question 24

What is pseudocode?

Answer 24

Human-readable code written to outline logic, not executed by a computer.

Boot Story: Like sketching a blueprint before building a house.

Question 25

What are arrays and vectors?

Answer 25

Arrays: Fixed-size list of values. Vectors: Dynamic-size list of values. ## Footnote Boot Story: Arrays are like egg cartons (fixed slots), vectors are like expandable folders.

Question 26

What is an object in programming?

Answer 26

A collection of attributes, properties, and methods. ## Footnote Boot Story: Like a real-world object (dog) that has properties (color, weight) and actions (bark, sit).