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CSC 101 - Quiz 1

This document is a quiz for a computer science course. It contains three parts with multiple choice and short answer questions about fundamental computer science concepts. Part 1 contains 4 true/false questions about bits, memory, and the definition of a computer. Part 2 requires answering two of three short answer questions about vacuum tubes vs transistors and the von Neumann architecture. Part 3 requires answering one question about URL components or measuring CPU speed in hertz.

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Shehu Abdullahi
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92 views

CSC 101 - Quiz 1

This document is a quiz for a computer science course. It contains three parts with multiple choice and short answer questions about fundamental computer science concepts. Part 1 contains 4 true/false questions about bits, memory, and the definition of a computer. Part 2 requires answering two of three short answer questions about vacuum tubes vs transistors and the von Neumann architecture. Part 3 requires answering one question about URL components or measuring CPU speed in hertz.

Uploaded by

Shehu Abdullahi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: CSC 101 - Quiz 1

Answer all of the questions in Part 1, two of the questions in Part 2, and
one question in Part 3.

Part 1
TRUE or FALSE?
(Each question is worth 1 point.)

(a) A bit is a unit of data that corresponds to one of two potential values,
commonly written as 0 or 1.
TRUE

(b) A hard disk is classified as volatile memory because it requires a con-


stant power supply in order to retain its information.
FALSE

(c) In order to be classified as a computer, a device must have a keyboard


and display screen.
FALSE

(d) The first personal computer was the IBM PC which first hit the market
in 1980.
FALSE

Part 2
(Pick two. Each question is worth 2 points.)

(a) What advantages did vacuum tubes provide over electromagnetic re-
lays? What were the disadvantages of vacuum tubes?
Since vacuum tubes had no moving parts, they enabled the switching
of electrical signals at speeds far exceeding those of relays. However,
vacuum tubes were expensive, required significant power, and tended to
burn out frequently.
(b) What is a transistor and how did the production of transistors lead to
faster and cheaper computers?
A transistor is a piece of silicon whose conductivity can be turned on and
off using an electric current. Since transistors were smaller, cheaper,
more reliable, and more energy-efficient than vacuum tubes, they al-
lowed for the production of more powerful yet inexpensive computers.

(c) Describe the three essential components of a computer that make up the
von Neumann architecture. How do these components work together
to produce a machine that can be programmed to complete different
tasks?
Input/Output devices allow the user to communicate with the computer
by entering commands and then viewing the results. Memory stores in-
formation for the computer to process, as well as programs, or instruc-
tions specifying the steps necessary to complete specific tasks. Finally,
the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the component that carries out
programmatic steps in order to process data.

Part 3
(Pick one. Each question is worth 2 points.)

(a) Consider the following URL:

http://www.acme.com/products/info.html

What does each part of this URL represent?


http://, specifies that the HyperText Transfer Protocol should be used
in communications between the browser and server. www.acme.com
identifies the Web server that stores the page. products is a direc-
tory on that server, and info.html is the name of the file stored in
that directory.

(b) In what units is CPU speed measured and what does this measurement
unit refer to?
CPU speed is generally measured in hertz (Hz), which indicates how
many basic instructions a CPU can execute in a second. For example,
a 2 GHz CPU can execute approximately 2 billion instructions in a
second.

(c) Computer memory is grouped in bytes, which consist of 8 bits each.


How many different values can be represented using a byte? How many
different values can be represented using two bytes?
One byte (8 bits) can represent 28 = 256 different values. Two bytes
(16 bits) can represent 216 = 65536 different values.

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