Computer Fundamental

note!Answer: A) Semiconductor Memories
Semiconductor memories are electronic and have access times in nanoseconds, far faster than mechanical or sequential media.

note!Answer: D) Both a & b
Both DRAM (dynamic) and SRAM (static) are semiconductor memories; bubble memory is magnetic.

note!Answer: B) CDROM
CD-ROM is read-only optical storage, while floppy and hard disks are read-write.

note!Answer: B) Pascal
Pascal is a programming language; Lotus and MS-Excel are software applications and Netscape is a web browser.

note!Answer: D) Assembler
An assembler translates assembly language into machine code.

note!Answer: B) A compiler converts the whole of a higher level program code into machine code in one step
A compiler translates the entire high-level program into machine code before execution, unlike an interpreter.

note!Answer: D) Specify the problem completely and clearly
Algorithms and flowcharts are tools for specifying a problem completely and clearly before writing a program.

note!Answer: D) 5 1/2"
Floppy disks came in 8-inch, 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch sizes; 5 1/2 inch is not a standard size.

note!Answer: A) Abacus
The abacus, used for counting and calculation thousands of years ago, is among the earliest calculating devices.

note!Answer: B) Thin blinking line
The cursor is a thin blinking line that marks the current position on screen.

note!Answer: D) All of the above
Tape, hard disk and floppy disk are all secondary storage devices that hold data permanently.

note!Answer: B) Optical input device
A light pen is an optical input device that detects light from the screen to select or draw on it.

note!Answer: C) Transistor
Second generation computers (1956–1963) used transistors instead of vacuum tubes.

note!Answer: C) IC
Third generation computers used integrated circuits (ICs).

note!Answer: A) Basic Input Output System
BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System, the firmware that starts the computer.

note!Answer: C) Pixel
A pixel (picture element) is the smallest single point on a screen.

note!Answer: A) By the device used in memory & processor
Computer generations are classified by the hardware technology used in memory and processors.

note!Answer: C) Charles Babbage
Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, a conceptual forerunner of the modern computer.

note!Answer: B) System Bus
The system bus is the set of pathways through which the CPU, memory and I/O components communicate.

note!Answer: C) Control unit and ALU
The CPU consists of the Control Unit and the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).