{"id":1183,"date":"2015-04-07T15:46:09","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T22:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/?page_id=1183"},"modified":"2015-04-07T15:46:09","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T22:46:09","slug":"chapter-one","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/classes\/week-2\/april-8\/chapter-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter one"},"content":{"rendered":"

1.1
\nA Balanced Introduction to Computer Science, 3\/E
\nDavid Reed \u00a9Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011
\nChapter 1 Review Question Solutions
\n1. TRUE or FALSE? In order to be classified as a “computer,” a device must have a
\nkeyboard and display screen.
\nFALSE
\n2. TRUE or FALSE? A bus is a collection of wires that carry information as electrical
\nsignals between the hardware components of a computer.
\nTRUE
\n3. TRUE or FALSE? As computer programs can be complex and difficult to write, they
\nare known as “hardware.”
\nFALSE
\n4. TRUE or FALSE? A bit is a unit of data that correspond to one of two potential values
\n(commonly written as 0 and 1).
\nTRUE
\n5. TRUE or FALSE? A kilobyte of storage is 210 = 1,024 bytes, where a byte is a
\ncollection of eight bits.
\nTRUE
\n6. TRUE or FALSE? A hard disk is classified as volatile memory, because it requires a
\nconstant power supply in order to retain its information.
\nFALSE
\n7. TRUE or FALSE? Keyboards and mice are examples of computer input devices.
\nTRUE
\n8. TRUE or FALSE? A directory is a collection of files that are organized together and
\nlabeled with a common name.
\n1.2
\nTRUE
\n9. TRUE or FALSE? The World Wide Web was developed in the early 1970’s, shortly
\nafter the creation of the Internet.
\nFALSE
\n10. TRUE or FALSE? A Web browser is an example of applications software.
\nTRUE
\n11. Describe the difference between hardware and software and identify two examples of
\neach type.
\nThe term hardware refers to the physical components of the computer, such as the
\nmonitor, keyboard, hard drive, etc. Software refers to the programs that execute (i.e.,
\nrun) on the computer, carrying out tasks such as word processing or accessing the Web.
\n12. Describe the three essential components of a computer that make up the von Neumann
\narchitecture. How do these components work together to produce a machine that can be
\nprogrammed to complete different tasks?
\nInput\/Output devices allow the user to communicate with the computer by entering
\ncommands and then viewing the results. Memory stores information for the computer to
\nprocess, as well as programs, or instructions specifying the steps necessary to complete
\nspecific tasks. Finally, the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the component that carries
\nout programmatic steps in order to process data.
\n13. Modern computers integrate several different types of memory, such as cache, RAM,
\nhard disk, and floppy disk. Why are different types of memory used, as opposed to the
\nexclusive use of a particular technology? What would be the drawbacks, for example, of
\nusing only cache memory, or only hard disk?
\nDifferent types of memory have different characteristics with respect to cost and
\nvolatility. Main memory (cache and RAM) is fast, and so is used for data that is
\ncurrently being accessed. However, cache and RAM are too expensive for mass storage,
\nand they are volatile (requiring a constant flow of electricity to maintain stored values).
\nSecondary memory (hard disk, floppy disk, etc.) is much cheaper and permanent, but also
\nmuch slower than cache and RAM. However, it is sufficient for storing data that is not
\ncurrently needed.
\n14. Computer memory is usually grouped in bytes, which consist of 8 bits each. How many
\ndifferent values can be represented using a byte? How many different values can be
\nrepresented using two bytes?
\n1.3
\nOne byte (8 bits) can represent 28 = 256 different values. Two bytes (16 bits) can
\nrepresent 216 = 65,536 different values.
\n15. The Intel Core 2 Duo is an example of a processor, or CPU, as are the Celeron and
\nPowerPC. List the two main tasks that the CPU performs in controlling the computer\u2019s
\nworkings and provide a short explanation of each.
\nThe CPU is responsible for two key tasks: (1) fetching program instructions from
\nmemory, and (2) executing those instructions.
\n16. In what units are CPU speeds measured, and what does this measurement unit refer to?
\nIf one computer has a 2 GHz Celeron D processor and another has a 2 GHz PowerPC
\nprocessor, does that imply they will be able to execute the same program in the same
\namount of time? Explain.
\nCPU speed is generally measured in gigahertz (GHz), which indicates how many billions
\nof basic instructions a CPU can execute in a second. For example, a 2 GHz CPU can
\nexecute approximately 2 billion instructions in a second. Since different families of
\nCPUs will provide different basic operations, performance comparisons based on CPU
\nspeed are not always accurate.
\n17. Windows 7 is an example of an operating system, as are the Mac OS and Linux. List the
\nthree main tasks that the operating system performs in controlling the computer\u2019s
\nresources and behavior. Provide a short explanation of each.
\nThe most fundamental task performed by the operating system is to schedule the
\noperation of the CPU, controlling how data and instructions are loaded from memory and
\naccessed by the CPU. The operating system also manages the memory of the computer,
\norganizing storage into files and directories (or folders). Finally, the operating system
\nconnects the CPU and memory with the other hardware components of the computer,
\nallowing software applications to access memory and interact with the input\/output
\ndevices.
\n18. Describe three elements common to a Graphical User Interface (GUI)? How do these
\nelements make it easier for a user to interact with the computer.
\nA GUI utilizes intuitive, visual elements to simplify the process of viewing files and
\nexecuting programs. Programs, directories and files are represented as icons, or small
\npictures that convey some aspect of the element they symbolize. Windows represent
\nseparate workspaces that can be active at the same time, displaying files or executing
\nprograms. Most GUIs also utilize pull-down menus of commands, which allow the user
\nto identify and select common commands easily.
\n1.4
\n19. Suppose you are shopping for a personal computer that you plan to use exclusively for
\nemail and Web access. Which would be a better use of your limited funds \u2013 a faster
\nCPU or a larger hard drive? Why?
\nSince sending email and accessing the Web do not require extensive computation,
\nblazing speed is not necessary in a CPU. Most of the time, the CPU will be idle while
\nyou are typing an email, or reading a message or Web page. On the other hand, if you are
\ngoing to be storing a large number of messages and downloading files off the Web, lots
\nof hard drive space might prove useful.
\n20. It has been said that the Internet could exist without the Web, but the Web couldn’t exist
\nwithout the Internet. Why is this true?
\nThe Internet is a vast, international network of computers, which existed more than 20
\nyears before the World Wide Web. Many networking applications are supported by the
\nInternet, such as email, instant messaging, ftp (file transfer), and the Web. The Web is a
\ncollection of software that spans the Internet and enables the interlinking of documents
\nand resources.
\n21. What is a Web server, and what role does it play in the World Wide Web?
\nA Web server is an Internet-enabled computer that executes software for providing access
\nto Web documents. When the server receives a request for a particular page from a Web
\nbrowser, it locates the specified page in its directories and sends the page back to the
\nbrowser via the Internet.
\n22. Consider the following fictional URL: http:\/\/www.acme.com\/products\/info.html.
\nWhat does each part of this URL (separated by slashes) specify?
\nhttp:\/\/, specifies that the HyperText Transfer Protocol should be used in
\ncommunications between the browser and server. www.acme.com identifies the Web
\nserver that stores the page. products is a directory on that server, and info.html is the
\nname of the file stored in that directory.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1.1 A Balanced Introduction to Computer Science, 3\/E David Reed \u00a9Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011 Chapter 1 Review Question Solutions 1. TRUE or FALSE? In order to be classified as a “computer,” a device must have a keyboard and display screen. FALSE 2. TRUE or FALSE? A bus is a collection of wires that carry information […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":274,"featured_media":0,"parent":1139,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1183"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1183\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/compcog15\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}