Computer Fundamental

note!Answer: A) RAM
RAM is volatile, meaning it loses its contents when power is switched off.

note!Answer: A) ROM
ROM is programmed by the manufacturer during fabrication with fixed contents.

note!Answer: D) PROM
PROM is non-volatile and can be programmed only once by the user.

note!Answer: C) semiconductor memories are used as mass memory medium
Semiconductor memories are used as primary memory, not as mass storage; mass storage uses magnetic or optical media.

note!Answer: B) semiconductor memory
Semiconductor memory has the fastest access time among the listed memory types.

note!Answer: B) track
Data on a magnetic disk is stored in concentric circular tracks; sectors divide each track.

note!Answer: B) the octal representation 46
Grouping 100110 into 3-bit groups gives 100 110 = 4 6 in octal. Its decimal value is 38, not 46.

note!Answer: A) A + B
A̅B + AB = B, so the expression becomes B + AB̅ = A + B by the absorption law.

note!Answer: C) -128
An 8-bit 2's complement number ranges from -128 to +127, so the most negative value is -128.

note!Answer: C) the original number
Taking the 2's complement twice restores the original number.

note!Answer: C) A
A(A+B) = AA + AB = A + AB = A by the absorption law.

note!Answer: A) OCR
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scans printed text and converts it into editable digital text.

note!Answer: B) plotter
A plotter draws continuous lines with pens, which makes it suitable for engineering and architectural drawings.

note!Answer: D) optical disk
Optical disks such as CDs and DVDs store data as tiny pits burned or pressed onto a circular disk and read with a laser.

note!Answer: D) laser printer
Laser printers use a light beam to form an electrostatic image on a drum, which attracts toner powder onto the paper.

note!Answer: A) assembler
An assembler translates assembly language source code into machine-level object code.

note!Answer: A) strike a ribbon against the paper to produce character images.
Impact printers form characters by striking a ribbon against paper, while inkjet, thermal, and laser printers are non-impact.

note!Answer: C) thick and thin lines
Barcodes encode data in patterns of thick and thin parallel lines and spaces.

note!Answer: B) slower and less expensive
Secondary storage such as tape or disk is slower than main memory but cheaper per unit of storage.

note!Answer: C) 2^n locations
With n address lines, there are 2^n distinct binary addresses, so 2^n memory locations can be addressed.