Computer Science Final

First proposed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989

World Wide Web

Embedded Processors

Computer chips that are built into appliances and machinery to control their workings

The IEEE floating-point format reserves several bit patterns for representing special real values. For example, a 32-bit pattern that begins with 011111111 has a special meaning. Using the data.html (Links to an external site.) page, determine what 011111111 followed by all zeros represents. A) 0 B) NaN C) -Infinity D) Infinity

D

Which of the following claims about the Web is FALSE? A) Tim Berners-Lee invented the Web and developed the first Web browser and server software. B) A Web page is a text document that contains formatting information written in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). C) A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) specifies the address where a Web page can be found. D) The most popular Web browser in the world today is Mozilla Firefox.

D

Generation 0

Defined by mechanical computing devices, such as Pascal's calculator, Babbage's difference engine, and Aiken's Mark 1

Moore's Law dictates that integrated circuitry must be manufactured out of silicon, as opposed to other semiconductors such as germanium (T/F)

FALSE

The World Wide Web was developed in the early 1970s, shortly after the development of the Internet. (T/F)

FALSE

The steps of the scientific method are Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, and Algorithms. (T/F)

FALSE

Theoretical computer scientists have proven that any problem that can be stated clearly is solvable via an algorithm. (T/F)

FALSE

In a centralized computer network, the failure of a single machine or connection can isolate large portions of the network. (T/F)

TRUE

Phishing is the act of obtaining sensitive information (e.g., credit card numbers, usernames, or passwords) by masquerading as a trusted entity in an email. (T/F)

TRUE

Abstraction

ignoring irrelevant details and focusing on those features that lead to a solution

A byte, which consists of 8 bits, can represent 256 (2^8) different values. How many different values can two bytes (16 bits) represent? A) 65,536 B) 1,024 C) 16 D) 8

A

Refer to the Newton.html (Links to an external site.) page. How many successive approximations does Newton's algorithm require to compute the square root of 900? A) 11 B) 15 C) 27 D) 30

A

Which of the following best describes the role of a domain name server? A) It stores and distributes the IP addresses corresponding to domain names (e.g., www.creighton.edu). B) It breaks long messages into smaller units known as packets. C) It receives message packets, accesses routing information, and passes the packets on toward their destination. D) It manages the infrastructure of the Internet, including the high-speed backbone connections.

A

Consider Algorithm 2 for finding the oldest person in a room (which repeatedly has the people pair up, compare ages, and have the younger sit down). If it takes 20 seconds for a round (simultaneous pair comparisons), how long would it take to find the oldest person in a room of 10 people? A) 20 B) 80 C) 100 D) 200

B

Suppose you had a directory that listed each Creighton student (8,910 people), alphabetically by name. How many checks would be required to find a particular student, in the worst case, using binary search? A) 10 B) 14 C) 87 D) 4,327

B

Which of the following best describes the role of a Web crawler, or spider? A) They scan Web pages for viruses and other malevolent software. B) They traverse the Web, cataloging Web pages for use by Web searches engines. C) They serve as intermediaries between Web browsers and servers, retrieving and displaying requested pages. D) They store cookies on user computers in order to remember data between Web site visits.

B

Which of the following statements concerning the history of science is FALSE? A) Galileo pioneered the use of experimentation and is considered by many the "father of modern science." B) During the "Dark Ages," scientific advancement was virtually non-existent across the world. C) The scientific philosophy of Plato and Aristotle dominated western science for more than 1,000 years. D) The Renaissance was a period of intellectual and cultural upheaval with a greater acceptance of science over dogma.

B

A grayscale image is one in which each pixel can be white, or black, or various shades of gray in between. Assuming that there are 256 discernible shades of gray, how many bits would a bitmap require to represent a pixel in a grayscale image? A) 1 B) 4 C) 8 D) 256

C

Consider Algorithm 1 for finding the oldest person in a room (which lines up the people and asks each person their birthday in order). If it takes 20 seconds to ask and write down a person's name and age, how long would it take to find the oldest person in a room of 10 people? A) 20 seconds B) 30 seconds C) 200 seconds D) 300 seconds

C

Suppose Adam conducts three different experiments with coin flips, flipping a fair coin 10 times each experiment. He obtains 8, 4, and 3 heads, respectively. Similarly, Bev conducts three experiments but flips the fair coin 20 times each experiment. She obtains 9, 11, and 14 heads, respectively. Using the same measures for consistency (the relative difference between lowest and highest value) and accuracy (closeness of average to expected) as in Lab 3, which of the following is TRUE? A) Adam's results are more consistent and more accurate than Bev's. B) Bev's results are more consistent and more accurate than Adam's. C) Bev's results are more consistent but Adam's are more accurate. D) Adam's results are more consistent, but Bev's are more accurate

C

Suppose that you have been given an O(N) algorithm that processes student grades, where N is the number of grades. If it takes 1 minute to process 1,000 grades using the algorithm, how long would you expect it to take to process 4,000 grades? A) 1 minute B) 2 minutes C) 4 minutes D) 8 minutes

C

The history of computers can be divided into generations based on advances in technology. Which of the following sequences correctly lists the technologies that defined generations 0 through 3 in chronological order? A) vacuum tubes --> transistors --> electromagnetic relays --> integrated circuits B) integrated circuits --> vacuum tubes --> electromagnetic relays --> transistors C) electromagnetic relays --> vacuum tubes --> transistors --> integrated circuits D) electromagnetic relays --> transistors --> vacuum tubes --> integrated circuits

C

What decimal value is represented by the binary number 1101v2 A) 3 B) 7 C) 13 D) 27

C

Which of the following is NOT a task carried out by an operating system? A) control the CPU's operation, controlling how data and instructions are loaded from memory and accessed by the CPU B) manage the file system, organizing storage into files and directories C) control the circuitry of the CPU in order to execute program instructions D) provide a graphical user interface to make using the computer easier

C

Which of the following statements about transmitting messages on the Internet is FALSE? A) Each computer on the Internet is assigned an IP address. The message is broken into packets using the Transmission B) Control Protocol (TCP). Packets are labeled with source and destination addresses using the Internet Protocol (IP). C) Each packet follows the same preset path from the source computer to its destination. D) When the packets arrive at the destination, they are reassembled to yield the desired message.

C

Which of the following would NOT provide evidence that information on the Web was reliable. A) the article has been edited or reviewed by other parties B) the author is well-known and respected in his/her field C) the author's is funded by the industry that the article supports D) information cited in the article is relevant and timely

C

Consider the following chain letter scheme. In round 1, the person initiating the chain letter sends a copy to 2 people (resulting in 3 people now having a copy). In round 2, the 2 people receiving the letter each send copies to 2 other people (resulting in 7 people now having a copy). This process continues in subsequent rounds, that is: in round N, each person who received the letter in round (N-1) sends a copy to 2 new people. How many rounds would it take before 200 people have a copy of the chain letter? A) 50 B) 200 C) 10 D) 100 E) 7

E

Suppose a text span with ID creditSpan contains a number. Which of the following JavaScript statements would increase the number in the span by 20? A) creditSpan.innerHTML = creditSpan + 20; B) creditSpan.innerHTML = creditSpan.innerHTML + 20; C) creditSpan = creditSpan + 20; D) creditSpan.innerHTML = 20; E) creditSpan.innerHTML = parseFloat(creditSpan.innerHTML) + 20;

E

A microprocessor is a special-purpose computer that is used to control scientific machinery. (T/F)

FALSE

A sequence of instructions for assembling a bookcase does not qualify as an "algorithm," as the instructions are not written in formal, mathematical notation. (T/F)

FALSE

Commercial software systems are thoroughly tested so that all programming errors are identified and fixed before the system is marketed. (T/F)

FALSE

For a precise, clearly stated problem, there can be only one algorithm that provides a solution.

FALSE

In most Web browsers, cookies are used to save local copies of downloaded pages and files in order to save time when they are accessed again. (T/F)

FALSE

In order to be classified as a "computer", a device must have a keyboard and display screen. (T/F)

FALSE

JPEG is a lossless format for representing images, since it loses no information when compressing the image content. (T/F)

FALSE

a web page is a text document that contains additional formatting information in a language called

HTML

Which of the following kinds of memory is volatile (i.e., requires a constant power supply to maintain its contents)? - flash drive - RAM - DVD disk - hard drive

RAM

Greek natural philosophy is often referred to as "pre-scientific," since it relied on contemplation and/or observations, but not experimentation. (T/F)

TRUE

A semiconductor is a metal that can be manipulated to be either a good or a bad conductor of electricity. (T/F)

TRUE

Ada Lovelace is generally acknowledged as the world's first programmer, because of her work on Babbage's Analytical Engine. (T/F)

TRUE

Any bit pattern starting with a 1 means it will be negative (T/F)

TRUE

Binary search is an example of an O(log N) algorithm, where the number of items in the list to be searched is N. (T/F)

TRUE

Digital sampling is the process of converting an analog sound wave into digital values. (T/F)

TRUE

Suppose you have been given a sorted list of 100 names and need to find a particular name in that list. Using sequential search, it is possible that you might have to look at every location in the list before finding the desired name (T/F)

TRUE

The "digital divide" refers to the fact that the disadvantaged in society (e.g., minorities, the poor, and uneducated citizens) are less likely to have access to the Internet. (T/F)

TRUE

The ARPANET, the precursor to today's Internet, was funded primarily by the U.S. Department of Defense. (T/F)

TRUE

The Transmission Control Protocol controls the method by which messages are broken down into packets then reassembled when they reach their final destination. (T/F)

TRUE

The Turing Test was proposed by Alan Turing as a means of determining whether an artificially intelligent machine has been constructed. (T/F)

TRUE

The protocol that defines how Web browsers and server communicate with each other is the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). (T/F)

TRUE

The three recurring themes that define the discipline of computer science are hardware, software, and theory. (T/F)

TRUE

There are currently more devices connected to the Internet (of Things) than there are people in the world. (T/F)

TRUE

To produce the incredibly small and precise circuitry on microchips, hardware manufacturers use light-sensitive chemicals to etch circuitry into layers of semiconductor materials. (T/F)

TRUE

Using public-key encryption, the sender and recipient of a message do NOT need to agree on a shared secret key before initiating secure communications. (T/F)

TRUE

Vacuum tubes, as they have no moving parts, enable the switching of electrical signals at speeds far exceeding those of relays. (T/F)

TRUE

When a Web page is loaded into a Web browser, JavaScript code in that page is executed by a JavaScript interpreter that is embedded in the browser. (T/F)

TRUE

Interpretation

Where statements in a language are translated and then executed in order.

Compilation

Where the entire language program is translated into its machine-language instructions (0s and 1s)

Web browser

allows you to locate and display web pages on a computer screen

Decomposition

breaking a complex system down into smaller, more manageable problems

Von Neumann Architecture

consists of I/O devices, memory, and the central processing unit (CPU)

Generation 3

defined by integrated circuits

Generation 4

defined by the development of the microprocessor

Generation 5

defined by the ultra large scale integration of millions of transistors on a chip

Generation 2

defined by transistors - pieces of silicon whose inductivity can be turned on and off using an electric current.

Generation 1

defined by vacuum tubes - small glass tubes from which most or all of the gas has been removed

Turing machines

demonstrates that there exist problems whose solutions cannot be computed

Pattern Recognition

recognizing how solutions to similar problems can be adapted to solve new ones

Digital Divide

refers to the fact that the benefits associated with computers are not shared equally by all.

Cookies

small data files that are stored by the browser at the request of a web server, enabling that server to subsequently access the files when the user returns to the site.

Web server

stores and delivers requested webpages to a computer that wants them