computer science

Hardware

The physical components of a computer

_______________ allows many users at different terminals to communicate with a single computer at the same time.

time sharing

What is a terminal?

A terminal is an input/output device with a keyboard and screen that allows the user to interact with a computer.

Give some examples of abstractions as they relate to a computer system.

A user might run an application program to solve a problem, and needonly know how that program runs. The interface to the application program masks the underlying programming statements that make up the program. That program, written in a high-level language, is itself an abstraction, hiding the details of the machine-level instructions that actually get executed when the program runs.

The computer's operating system and language translators are generally known as _______________.

systems software

John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain, and William B. Shockley won a Nobel Prize for inventing the _______________.

transistor

True or False? A systems programmer writes programs that make it easier for others to program.

true

True or False? Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace, is credited with being the first programmer.

true

True or False? An abstraction is a mental model that removes or hides complex details.

true

True or False? An assembler translates assembly-language programs into machine code.

true

Name two major events that mark the beginning of the fifth software generation.

Growing popularity of object-oriented design and programming and the development of the World Wide Web (also the rise of Microsoft).

Compare and contrast computer hardware and software.

Hardware is made up of the physical components of a computer, such as disk drives and chips. Whereas software is the collections of programs that provide instructions for the computer to carry out. Hardware is tangible, while software is intangible. Yet both are needed for a computing system to function.

What is Jacquard's loom?

Jacquard's loom was a late eighteenth century machine that used cards with holes punched in them to specify the design of woven cloth.

_______________ was the first commercially successful spreadsheet.

Lotus 1-2-3

What is Miller's law?

Miller's law states that a human being can actively manage about seven, plus or minus two, pieces of information in short-term memory at one time.

Programming

Planning, scheduling, or performing a task or an event; see also computer programming

Name three kinds of application packages that were developed in the fourth software generation.

Spreadsheets, word processors, and database management systems

Why were early predictions of the usefulness of computers very far from the mark?

The ability to perform fast calculations on large amounts of data radically changed the concept of what needed to be calculated.

What kinds of programs make up systems software?

The operating system, it's utility programs, and various language translators (assemblers and compilers).

Computer programming

The process of specifying the data types and the operations for a computer to apply to data in order to solve a problem

Computer software

The programs that provide the instructions that a computer executes

Describe the separation between the user and the computer hardware as software evolved.

The separation between the user and the computer hardware has widened as software evolved. On early computers, the user had no options but to deal directly with the hardware in very precise, error prone ways. The abstractions provided by high-level languages and application programs decreased the need for the user to understand or interact with the low-level processing at the hardware level. This evolution has allowed everyone to become a computer user.

Why did the invention of the transistor usher in a new generation of commercial computers?

The transistor replaced the vacuum tube as a core computer component, and was smaller, more reliable, faster, and cheaper.

The twelve subareas of Computer Science break into two distinct categories. What are these categories and which subareas does each contain?

The two categories are systems and applications. The systems category contains algorithms and data structures, programming languages, architecture, operating systems, software methodology and engineering, and human-computer communication. The applications category contains numerical and symbolic computation, databases and information retrieval, artificial intelligence and robotics, graphics, organizational informatics, and bioinformatics.

The most prestigious award given in computer science is called the_______________.

Turing award

Name two operating systems that were developed in the fourth software generation.

UNIX and DOS (PC-DOS or MS-DOS)

_______________ created a buffer between the programmer and the machine hardware by the end of the first generation of computer software.

assembly language

True or False? An embedded system is computing technology that has been enclosed in protective shielding for security reasons.

false

True or False? High-level languages were introduced during the fourth generation of computer software.

false

True or False? Large-scale integration is the process of using multiple input devices on a single computer.

false

True or False? The World Wide Web is as old as the Internet itself.

false

True or False? The abacus was the world's first electronic digital computer.

false

True or False? There are exactly five subareas of computer science.

false

FORTRAN and COBOL are two of the earliest _______________ programming languages.

high-level

True or False? A computer that has a parallel architecture uses multiple central processing units.

true

True or False? A high-level language is more English-like than assembly language.

true

What is a compiler?

A software tool that translates a program written in a high-level language into its equivalent machine code.

Who was Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace?

Ada was a nineteenth century mathematician who worked with Charles Babbage and his Analytical Engine, and is considered to be the first computer programmer.

In which software generation were the FORTRAN and COBOL languages developed? A. first B. second C. third D. fourth E. fifth

B

How many pieces of information can a human being actively manage in short term memory at once? A. 4, plus or minus 2 B. 6, plus or minus 3 C. 7, plus or minus 2 D. 10, plus or minus 4 E. 12, plus or minus 2

C

Computing system

Computer hardware, software, and data, which interact to solve problems

By what name are input devices, output devices, and auxiliary storage devices collectively known? A. interactive devices B. secondary memory devices C. cache D. user devices E. peripheral devices

E

Abstraction

A mental model that removes complex details

Workstation

A minicomputer or powerful microcomputer designed to be used primarily by one person at a time

What is an embedded system?

Computing technology that is integrated into a device such as a car, intensive care monitor, or satellite.

The _______________ programming language was designed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s.

java

The eighteenth century device that used cards with holes punched in them to dictate the design of woven cloth was known as _______________.

Jacquard's loom

Describe the innermost layer of a computing system.

The information layer of a computer system deals with the way we represent information, including numbers, text, images, audio, and video, on a computer.

Describe the current state of software.

We are now in the fifth generation of computer software, marked by heavy use of the World Wide Web and an emphasis on developing software using an object-oriented approach. Microsoft remains a dominant player in software in that the Windows operating system and their office suite of tools (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) are used throughout the world on the vast majority of personal computers.

A British researcher at the CERN physics lab, Tim Berners-Lee, invented the _______________.

World Wide Web

A(n) _______________ is a mental model that removes complex details.

abstraction

In the earliest electronic computers, programmers had to write machine language code expressed as _______________ digits.

binary

A computer with a parallel architecture uses multiple _______________ to solve a problem.

central processing units

A(n) _______________uses integrated computing technology to run or regulate devices such as toasters, cars, and satellites.

embedded system

True or False? A linker puts a program's instructions into memory where they can be executed.

false

True or False? A loader puts pieces of a large program together so that it can be loaded into memory.

false

True or False? A vacuum tube was a device used in the first generation of computers to link computers together into a network.

false

Explain the onion analogy we use in this book to organize our exploration of computing systems.

A computing system is like an onion in that it is made up of layers, ranging from the information layer, which deals with how various types of information are represented on a computer, to the communication layer, which deals with the protocols used when computers communicate with each other. Just as you wouldn't bite through many layers of an onion in one step, it's best to explore a computing system one layer at a time, to see how each one contributes to the whole.

Distinguish between computing as a tool and computing as a discipline.

According to Peter Denning, computing as a discipline is the study of algorithmic processes that describe and transform information: their theory, analysis, design, efficiency, implementation, and application. Computing as a tool is the use of computers in any area except for creating tools.

Compare and contrast a personal computer and a workstation.

Both are computers introduced in the fourth generation of computer hardware. As the name implies, a personal computer was intended for individual use, whereas a workstation was generally a more powerful machine, meant for business. Personal computers were typically not connected into network at that time, whereas workstations were.

Compare and contrast magnetic tape and magnetic disk.

Both magnetic tape and magnetic disk store information by magnetizing particles. A magnetic tape must be accessed sequentially, fast forwarding or rewinding past intervening data until the required data is found. Therefore a magnetic tape is slower than a magnetic disk, which can be accessed directly.

Describe the first generation of computer hardware.

First generation computers used hot and unreliable vacuum tubes to store information in active use and magnetic drums for memory. I/O devices of the time included punched cards and eventually magnetic tapes.

Describe the programming languages used at the end of the first software generation.

Some programming was still done at the machine language level, which required the programmer to express instructions using binary codes. But by the end of the first generation more software was developed using assembly language, which used mnemonic codes to represent the underlying machine language instructions. A software translator was needed to turn assembly code into machine code, but the process of developing software using assembly was faster and less error prone.

What is the digital divide?

The digital divide is the term used to describe the disparity between the Information Age "haves" and "have-nots". The U.S. is lagging behind other developed countries in terms of the number of households with broadband Internet connectivity and technical savvy. Rural communities, low-income households, and people with disabilities do not have the same Internet availability as the more advantaged. The same problems exist in developing nations, which often lack the telecommunication infrastructure to support Internet access

In what way is driving a car an abstraction?

To drive a car, you only need to understand and focus on a set of controls that make the car perform. These include the steering wheel, gas and brake pedals, and turning signals. The user need not understand the details of how a car operates, such as how the combustion engine drives the pistons, or how the transmission works. The driving controls provide a simplified interface to an otherwise complicated machine.

Miller's Law states that a human being can actively manage about_______________ pieces of information in short-term memory at one time.

7, plus or minus 2

Charles Babbage invented which of the following early computing devices? A. analytical engine B. memory drum C. transistor D. vacuum tube E. abacus

A

In which software generation did the distinction between systems programmers and other programmers first surface? A. first B. second C. third D. fourth E. fifth

A

Who built the first mechanical machine that did addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division? A. Leibniz B. Pascal C. Babbage D. Lovelace E. Hollerith

A

What is a Turing machine?

A Turing machine is an abstract mathematical model developed by Alan Turing that laid the foundation for theoretical computing.

What is a protocol, as applied in computing?

A protocol is the specification of the correct etiquette for computers to use when communicating with one another.

Peripheral device

An input, output, or auxiliary storage device attached to a computer

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started the _______________ company in the fourth generation of computing hardware.

Apple Computer

To which hardware generation does core memory belong? A. first B. second C. third D. fourth

B

What device replaced the vacuum tube? A. disk drive B. transistor C. magnetic drum D. terminal E. punch card

B

What is the purpose of a compiler? A. translate machine language into assembly language B. translate high-level language into machine language C. translate FORTRAN into COBOL D. translate machine language into FORTRAN E. translate application programs into system programs

B

Which language is built into the electrical circuitry of a computer? A. assembly language B. machine language C. compiled language D. high-level language E. interpreted language

B

Which of the following phrases best describes a Turing machine? A. a device for integrating many chips on one circuit board B. an abstract mathematical model of computing C. the first electronic digital computer D. the first successful memory storage device E. the first computer capable of network communication

B

Which of the following terms best describes circuit boards, keyboards, and disk drives? A. computing system B. computer hardware C. computer software D. stored memory E. native system tools

B

Who built the first gear-driven mechanical machine that did addition and subtraction? A. Leibniz B. Pascal C. Babbage D. Lovelace E. Hollerith

B

In which decade were the first generation of computers developed? A. 1930s B. 1940s C. 1950s D. 1960s E. 1970s

C

In which hardware generation were integrated circuits introduced? A. first B. second C. third D. fourth

C

What is the name of a solid piece of silicon that contains transistors, other components, and their connections? A. workstation B. server C. integrated circuit D. motherboard E. magnetic disk

C

Which of the following statements best describes the purpose of an Ethernet? A. connecting mainframe computers over the Internet B. connecting small computers to share resources C. connecting peripheral devices to a personal computer D. connecting secondary memory to a personal computer E. connecting input devices to a mainframe computer

C

Who designed the first mechanical machine that included memory? A. Leibniz B. Pascal C. Babbage D. Lovelace E. Hollerith

C

Software

Computer programs; the set of all programs available on a computer

Which of the following terms best describes the concept of abstraction? A. exposing difficulty B. hiding quantity C. exposing distance D. hiding details E. exposing representation

D

Who was the first programmer? A. Leibniz B. Pascal C. Babbage D. Lovelace E. Hollerith

D

code

Data type specifications and instructions for a computer that are written in a programming language

Which of the following is an application package? A. FORTRAN B. assembly language C. C++ D. object-oriented program E. word processor

E

Who proposed that a punched card be used for counting the census? A. Leibniz B. Pascal C. Babbage D. Lovelace E. Hollerith

E

In 1973, Robert Metcalfe and David Boggs invented the _______________,which used a cheap coaxial cable to connect computers into a network.

Ethernet

Name two of the earliest high-level languages.

FORTRAN and COBOL (also Lisp)

Logging off

Informing a computer—usually through a simple command—that no further commands follow

What is Moore's law?

Moore's law states that computers will either double in power at the same price or halve in cost for the same power every 18 months.

What was Mosaic?

Mosaic was the first graphics-capable Web browser, which evolved into Netscape Navigator.

Logging on

Taking the preliminary steps necessary to identify yourself to a computer so that it accepts your commands

What is the focus of the application layer of a computer system?

The application layer focuses on the programs that allow users to solve real-world problems.

crash

The cessation of a computer's operations as a result of the failure of one of its components; cessation of program execution due to an error

Computer hardware

The physical elements of a computing system

What is time sharing?

The process of many users, each at a terminal, using a single computer at the same time.

The set of instructions that each type of computer is designed to understand is called _______________.

machine language

Second generation computers had memory made from _______________,tiny doughnut-shaped devices that could each store one bit of information.

magnetic cores

Computer _______________ is the collection of programs that provide the instructions that a computer carries out.

software

_______________ has been considered an astronomical calendar, a temple, and a predictor of lunar eclipses.

stonehenge

True or False? Computer software is the collection of programs that provide the instructions that a computer carries out.

true

True or False? Magnetic disks were introduced in the second generation of computer hardware.

true

True or False? Object-oriented design is currently the dominant approach for large programming projects.

true

True or False? Spreadsheets and word processors are known as software applications.

true

True or False? The Internet is descended from a U.S. government-sponsored network called the ARPANET.

true

True or False? The fourth generation of computer hardware was characterized by large-scale integration.

true

True or False? The personal computer was introduced in the fourth generation of computer hardware.

true

True or False? The transistor ushered in the second generation of commercial computers.

true

First generation computers were built using _______________ to store information.

vacuum tubes