ADVANCED GCE

COMPUTING F453
Advanced Computing Theory

Thursday 23 June 2011

* F 4 3 0 3 6 0 6 1 1 *

Candidates answer on the question paper.

OCR supplied materials:

Morning
None
Duration: 2 hours
Other materials required:
None

* F 4 5 3 *

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
• Write your name, centre number and candidate number in the boxes above. Please write
clearly and in capital letters.
• Use black ink. Pencil may be used for graphs and diagrams only.
• Read each question carefully. Make sure you know what you have to do before starting
your answer.
• Write your answer to each question in the space provided. Additional paper may be
used if necessary but you must clearly show your candidate number, centre number and
question number(s).
• Answer all the questions.
• Do not write in the bar codes.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

• The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part
question.
• The total number of marks for this paper is 120.
• This document consists of 20 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

© OCR 2011 [Y/500/7958] OCR is an exempt Charity

DC (SM/SW) 20409/4 Turn over
 2
1 This question is about a typical desktop PC (personal computer) operating system.

(a) (i) State when the boot file is used.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State the purpose of the boot file.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Explain virtual memory.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(c) Explain the purpose and use of the file allocation table (FAT).

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [6]
© OCR 2011
 3
2 (a) Software is used to convert source code into object code.

(i) Name this type of software.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Explain the term source code.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [4]

(b) Complete the table with ticks to show at which stage, if any, events occur when a compiler is
used.

Lexical Syntax Code Not during

analysis analysis generation compilation
Optimisation occurs

Logical errors are detected

Tokens are created

Spaces are removed

Comments are removed

Incorrect punctuation is detected

[6]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 4
(c) When producing programs, library routines may be used.
Explain why library routines help programmers and describe how library routines are used.

(The quality of written communication will be assessed in your answer to this question.)

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

© OCR 2011
 5

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [8]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 6
3 (a) Describe the effects of the fetch-execute cycle on the program counter (PC) and the memory
address register (MAR).

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [5]

(b) (i) State three features of a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) architecture.

1. ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

2. ........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

3. ........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) Explain one disadvantage, other than cost, of a CISC architecture compared with a
Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [2]

© OCR 2011
 7
4 A real binary number may be represented in floating point binary notation using 4 bits for the
mantissa and 4 bits for the exponent, both in two’s complement binary. Numbers are normalised.

(a) (i) Convert 0110 0010 to denary.

Show all working.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [3]

(ii) Convert 1001 0001 to denary.

Show all working.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [3]

(b) Explain what happens when the denary number +5¼ (+5.25) is converted to a normalised
floating point binary number in the format described.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 8
5 (a) Describe how an insertion sort is used to arrange the following set of numbers into ascending
order.

17 2 3 26 5

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [5]

(b) State one feature of a quick sort which is not used in an insertion sort.

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(c) List the steps needed to pop a data item from a stack data structure.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [3]

© OCR 2011
 9
BLANK PAGE

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAGE

Turn over for next question

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 10
6 (a) The Universal Modelling Language (UML) class diagram is used to show registered vehicles
in this country. The diagram is incomplete.

Vehicle

Lorry

(i) State where the classes Car and Moped should be added to the diagram, and give a
reason for your answer. (You may draw on the diagram.)

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [2]

(ii) The registration numbers should be stored.

State which class should store the registration number and give a reason for your
answer.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [2]
© OCR 2011
 11
(b) A company sells used cars. Part of the class diagram for UsedCar is shown.

UsedCar X

model
engineType
Y
price
status

setPrice:
Z
changeStatus:

(i) State one method (operation) shown on the diagram.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State one attribute (property) shown on the diagram.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) State in which section of the diagram (X, Y or Z) yearOfManufacture should be shown.

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(c) The diagram shows details of a used car described in (b).

[deposit paid]
Available Being
for sale sold

(i) Give the correct name for this type of UML diagram.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) State the meaning of the symbol

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) State the meaning of the symbol

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 12
7 (a) (i) State the purpose of syntax diagrams.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Give the correct name for another notation that can be used instead of syntax diagrams.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(iii) Draw a complete set of syntax diagrams to show label:

Label is a single letter chosen from A, B, C, D or E, followed by the symbol * then any
number (including zero) of digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
For example, A*, B*3 and C*456 are labels, but F*7 and DE*8 are not labels.

© OCR 2011
 13

[5]

Turn over for next question

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 14
(b) (i) State one advantage of reverse Polish notation compared with the usual (infix) algebraic
notation.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) The binary tree shows operands p, q, r, s with operators *, +, –

+ –

p q r s

Obtain the reverse Polish form of the expression.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [4]

(iii) Give the correct name for the type of tree traversal that should be used in (ii).

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

© OCR 2011
 15
8 (a) Describe two differences between machine code and assembly language.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [4]

(b) Explain the use of an operand in an assembly language instruction.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [4]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 16
(c) Describe direct addressing and indirect addressing, making clear the difference between
them. You may use diagrams.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [6]

© OCR 2011
 17
9 A database management system (DBMS) uses a data description language (DDL) and a data
manipulation language (DML). Each statement given below may apply to a DDL, a DML or both.
Tick one box in each row to show which is correct.

DDL only DML only Both DDL &

DML

It is used to create new tables.

It defines foreign keys.

It can query data.

It can sort data into an order.

It is used to update the data.

It is a high level language.

It is used for writing the schema.

[7]

© OCR 2011 Turn over

 18
10 A school uses a relational database.

(a) Information is stored about students and subjects.

(i) State the relationship between the Student and Subject tables.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Explain the consequences of this relationship.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [3]

(b) The relationship of Student to PersonalTutor is shown on the entity-relationship (E-R) diagram.

Student PersonalTutor

(i) State the relationship shown.

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Explain the use of primary and foreign keys for Student and PersonalTutor.

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................... [5]
© OCR 2011
 19
(c) State the meaning of the term secondary key and give an example of the use of a secondary
key in the school database described.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [2]

(d) Relational databases can be used to produce reports.

Explain the term report and state two features, other than report layout, included in a report
definition.

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

...................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................. [4]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

© OCR 2011
 20

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PAGE

Copyright Information
OCR is committed to seeking permission to reproduce all third-party content that it uses in its assessment materials. OCR has attempted to identify and contact all copyright holders
whose work is used in this paper. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced in the OCR Copyright
Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations, is given to all schools that receive assessment material and is freely available to download from our public
website (www.ocr.org.uk) after the live examination series.
If OCR has unwittingly failed to correctly acknowledge or clear any third-party content in this assessment material, OCR will be happy to correct its mistake at the earliest possible
opportunity.
For queries or further information please contact the Copyright Team, First Floor, 9 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 1GE.
OCR is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group; Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a
department of the University of Cambridge.

© OCR 2011