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haas:fall2010:compess:assessment


Corning Community College


Computer Essentials



Take Home Assessment: A Sampling of Knowledge

~~TOC~~

Objective

To review and assess one's status with respect to essential knowledge in the class.

Procedure

Following will be numerous questions pertinent to the course topics of CSCS1200 Computer Essentials. Your task is to complete all the questions and provide any supporting information.

The aim here is not just to complete a question; the aim is to understand the material. While you can use your book to assist you, use it as an opportunity to review what you do not know.

Note

There may be questions on this assessment that may not appear incomplete or not immediately answerable. If you find yourself with such a scenario, the requested action you take is to SEND ME AN E-MAIL, where you ask me question(s).

Category 1: Un-Blankification

Figure out what best completes the statement or answers the question. If you have to reference the book or the internet, provide the page number or URL that assisted you.

  • Programs written to perform tasks or solve problems for people, groups, and organizations are called ____.
  • A(n) ____ provides commands for writing software that is translated to the detailed step-by-step instructions executed by the processor to achieve an objective or solve a problem.
  • ____ defines the permissions, rights, and restrictions provided to the person who purchases a copy of the software.
  • ____ is distributed, typically for free, with the source code so that it can be studied, changed, and improved by its users
  • ____ is a marketing method for distributing software that allows customers to use software free of charge for a limited time in order to evaluate the software and decide if they wish to purchase it.
  • One or more defects or problems that prevent the software from working as intended or working at all is a(n) ____.
  • ____ is a number system that uses only two values, 0 and 1, and is used by computers and digital devices to represent and process data.
  • The system used to interpret a message such as 01001010 is called ____.
  • 0x9D3A is an example of a(n) ____ number.
  • ____ is the trend to merge multiple digital services into one device.
  • ____ are multiple transistors integrated into a single module used to store and process bits and bytes in today's computers.
  • An electronics component composed typically of silicon; opens or closes a circuit to alter the flow of electricity to store and manipulate bits is called a(n) ____.
  • A component of the CPU that contains the circuitry to carry out instructions, such as mathematical and logical operations is the ____.
  • ____ is a type of high-speed memory that a processor can access more rapidly than RAM.
  • A concept that continuing advances in technological innovation will make it possible to reduce the size of transistors, doubling their density on a processor chip every two years is called ____.
  • A technique called ____ allows processors from different computers to work together over a network on complex problems.
  • A(n) ____ is a language translator that translates a complete program into a complete machine-language program.
  • ____ is a type of system memory used to store programs and data from the computer manufacturer, including the boot process used to start the computer.
  • Which uses properties of iron oxide particles to store bits and bytes more permanently than RAM?
  • ____ stores bits by using an optical laser to burn pits into the surface of a highly reflective disc surface.
  • Which of the following is an example of a sequential access storage medium?
  • ____ is used to indicate that a disk can be rewritten numerous times.
  • Which stores data using transistors; can be volatile (as with RAM), or nonvolatile (as with flash memory)?
  • A(n) ____ assists in capturing and entering raw data into the computer system.
  • A(n) ____ allows you to observe the results of computer processing with one or more of your senses.
  • ____ is a measure of the number of pixels on the screen.
  • A extremely thin, flat solid-state devices composed of thin films of organic molecules that create light with the application of electricity is known as ____.
  • With Google's Advanced Search features, you can look for certain file types.
  • ____ are sets of instructions or statements to the computer.
  • How would you search for .pdf files that discuss “binary conversions” on Google?
  • How many bits are required to make one dot (pixel) of true color?.
  • Placing more than one CPU on a single chip is known as ____ technology.
  • System software assists the computer hardware while ____ software assists people in their jobs.
  • A programmer writing code in binary would be using a ____ language.
  • Who invented the first compiler and also coined the term computer “bug”?
  • A ____ takes source code, a program written in a programming language, and produces object code, with an executable file and supportive files, as output.
  • The number of bits that the CPU can process at once is known as ____.
  • A(n) ____ contains the graphics memory, GPU, and other graphics hardware and is plugged into the motherboard.
  • The size of a transistor is unusually measured in ____.
  • The space between pixels is called ____.
  • The connecting path between the processor and other key components such as the memory controller hub is the ____ .
  • In ____ programming the programmer drags and drops graphical objects into an application form.
  • The speed at which the processor switches attention between multiple users makes it appear as though a single user has the computer's complete attention. This is known as ____.
  • Because changes to the ____ can dramatically alter or damage how a computer operates, manual changes by unskilled people are not advised.
  • What is the difference between a file and a folder?
  • A set of computer programs that runs or controls the computer hardware and acts as an interface with both application programs and users is known as a(n) ____.
  • A(n) ____ makes use of a keyboard and mouse to manipulate images on the display to issue commands to the computer system.
  • ____ is the ability of the OS to run several programs or tasks at the same time.
  • Software that interfaces with an operating system to control an input or output device such as a printer is a(n) ____.
  • Any system software besides the OS that assists in maintaining, managing, and protecting computer system resources is called ____.
  • Rearranging files on a disk to allow faster access is called ____.
  • ____ programs can reduce the amount of disk space required to store files and thus reduce the time it takes to transfer them over the Internet.
  • The part of the CPU that accesses and decodes program instructions, and coordinates the flow of data among various system components is the ____.
  • A primary circuit board of computing devices is the ____.
  • Temporary or volatile memory is called ____.
  • ____ refers to the science and engineering of creating computer systems that simulate human thought and behavior.
  • A(n) ____ test is designed to determine if a computer exhibits human intelligence.
  • ____ deals with reasoning that is approximate rather than precise.
  • ____ simulate(s) the functioning of the nerves in a human brain in software.
  • ____ refer(s) to a simulation in which the user becomes fully immersed in an artificial, three-dimensional world that is completely generated by a computer.
  • Order the following units from least to greatest: 1 TB, 1 kB, 1 GB, 1 byte, 999MB, 1MB, 2048kB

Category 2: Figurifying

Indicate whether the statement is correct or incorrect, and indicate why that is so.

  • An integrated development environment, or IDE, combines all the tools required for software engineering into one package.
  • The operating system performs storage-management through the use of a file system.
  • Portable operating systems may be used on devices from a variety of manufactures.
  • File compression programs and file transfer programs fall in the category known as special-purpose OS.
  • All files deleted from any device end up in the Recycle Bin.
  • Google searches are case sensitive.

Category 3: Describificationing

Expound upon what each item is indicating, and be sure to provide references to source material. These answers may be a bit longer.

  • Describe two types of loop statements.
  • What is the difference between system software and application software?
  • Why are object-oriented programming languages important? Give an example of an object-oriented programming language.
  • Describe at least four factors, in addition to drive speed, that affect computer performance.
  • What trends are occurring in the development of operating systems for personal computers?
  • Explain the difference between time-sharing, multi-tasking, and multi-threading.
  • List four functions a modern operating system manages.
  • Why do some individuals or organizations prefer to use Linux over Windows ?
  • What types of problems would benefit from being solved in a High-Performance Computing environment?
  • Describe the steps in the machine cycle. Be sure to use the proper terminology for each step.

Submission

Compile your responses onto pieces of paper that can be given to me.

haas/fall2010/compess/assessment.txt · Last modified: 2010/11/14 22:31 by 127.0.0.1