MGIS 3310 Chapter 3, Chapter 3 MIS (FULL)
A bit, the smallest element of data, can have values of: A. 0 or 1 B. 0, 1, or 8 C. 0 through 7 D. 0 through 8
A
A touchpad is best described as a: A. Small, rectangular, touch-sensitive surface usually placed below the keyboard B. Stationary device containing a roller ball whose top is exposed outside its case C. Pen-shaped device with a ballpoint at the end D. Device rolled along the desktop in order to move the cursor on the screen
A
According to Moore's Law, _______________ doubles every 18 to 24 months. A. computing power B. computer prices C. computer storage capacity D. the number of functioning computers
A
According to the text, which of the following is considered by millions of computer users to be the primary function of the desktop PC? A. Allows access to the Internet B. Increases productivity through the use of software applications C. Facilitates creation of local area networks D. All of the choices are correct
A
An intelligent terminal that can perform data entry and some information processing tasks independently is called a _______________ terminal. A. transaction B. dumb C. Windows D. remote
A
Computer systems rely on which of the following components? A. Input, processing, output, storage, and control B. Input, processing, output, storage, and the Internet C. The Internet, processing, output, storage, and control D. Input, processing, output, the Internet, and control
A
Data are processed and stored in a computer system through the presence or absence of electronic or magnetic signals to the computer. This is called a "binary" representation of data, because the computer and the media can exhibit only _______________ states or conditions. A. two B. three C. five D. ten
A
Personal digital assistants most commonly use which of these technologies? A. Pen-based computing B. Optical scanning C. Jump drives D. Back-lit keyboards
A
Smart card technology: A. Allows debit cards to store a cash balance on a card and electronically transfer some of it to others to pay for items and services B. Is not yet available in the United States C. Is commonly used by banks to read and process checks D. All of the choices are correct.
A
Speaker dependent voice recognition systems: A. Compare speech patterns to a dictionary B. Allow a computer to understand a few words from a voice it has never heard before C. Require users to pause between each spoken word D. All of the choices are correct.
A
The central processing unit (CPU): A. is the main processing component of a computer system B. controls all the peripheral devices of a computer system C. is controlled by the RAID unit D. is also called a Fuzzy Logic unit
A
The output devices of a computer system include: A. printers and video displays B. the Arithmetic-logic unit C. scanners and RAID units D. the Fuzzy Logic unit
A
The third generation of computers relied on _______________. A. solid state technology and integrated circuits B. transistors C. vacuum tubes D. punch cards
A
Which of the following best describes magnetic stripe technology? A. A form of data entry that helps computers read credit cards B. A form of computing where debit and credit cards have an embedded microprocessor chip C. Technology that enables users to download full-motion video into a computer system D. Technology commonly used in banks in order to magnetically read checks and deposit slips
A
Which of the following does not apply to a personal digital assistant (PDA)? A. Supports applications with heavy mathematical computing B. A dumb terminal with limited processing capabilities C. Designed for convenient mobile communications via a touch screen D. Considered an information appliance
A
Which of the following statements about optical disks is true? A. They can be read only, recordable, or rewritable B. They can hold approximately 50 megabytes on a single disk C. They have totally replaced "3.5" diskettes D. They have totally replaced magnetic tape as secondary storage
A
Which of the following statements best describes a workstation computer? A. Supports applications with heavy mathematical computing and graphics display demands, such as computer-aided design (CAD) B. Coordinates telecommunications and resource sharing in small, local area networks (LANS) C. Allows convenient mobile communications and touch-screen computing D. All of the choices are correct.
A
Which of the following storage types is volatile? A. RAM B. ROM C. PROM D. All the choices are volatile.
A
_______________ are high-end network servers that handle large-scale processing of business applications. A. Midrange computers B. Mainframes C. Supercomputers D. All of the choices are correct.
A
_______________ are sometimes used as front-end computers in order to assist midrange computers in performing telecommunications processing and network management. A. Midrange computers B. Mainframes C. Supercomputers D. All of the choices are correct.
A
_______________ are the most important category of computer systems for both businesspeople and individual consumers. A. Microcomputers B. Supercomputers C. Network Servers D. Mainframes
A
sequential Access
All tape devices are accessed serially - device must be read one record at a time from the first stored datum until the desired datum is located
Banks use _______________ technologies for check processing. A. voice response B. magnetic ink character recognition C. laser printer D. optical scanner
B
Computer systems rely on all the following components except _______________. A. input B. internet C. processing D. storage
B
Offline devices: A. are directly attached to the CPU B. are not controlled by the CPU C. are controlled by the CPU D. can replace the CPU
B
Speaker independent voice recognition systems: A. Compare speech patterns to a dictionary B. Allow a computer to understand a few words from a voice it has never heard before C. Require users to pause between each spoken word D. All of the choices are correct.
B
The first electronic digital computer was completed in the _______________. A. 1870s B. 1940s C. 1950s D. 1960s
B
The mechanical loom was invented by _______________. A. Blaise Pascal B. Joseph Jacquard C. Herman Hollerith D. Keith Glennan
B
The most popular pointing device used today is the _______________. A. pointing stick B. light pen C. trackball D. electronic mouse
B
The second generation of computers relied on _______________. A. miniaturized circuits B. transistors C. vacuum tubes D. punch cards
B
What sets the RIM BlackBerry apart from other wireless PDA solutions? A. Lower price B. It is always on and connected C. Smaller size and weight D. Longer battery life
B
Which of the following would perform the required mathematical and logic operations of a central processing unit (CPU)? A. Control unit B. Arithmetic-logic unit C. RAID unit D. Fuzzy logic unit
B
_______________ are popular for process monitoring and instrumentation because these are narrow in scope and do not require demanding processing versatility. A. Workstations B. Minicomputers C. Supercomputers D. Mainframes
B
are popular as powerful network servers to help manage large Internet Websites, intranets, and extranets A. Workstations B. Minicomputers C. Supercomputers D. Mainframes
B
Computer Storage Fundamentals
Binary Representation - Two-state, on/off, +/-, 0/1 Bit - Binary digit, 0/1 Byte - Grouping of bits (typically 8 bits/byte), represents a single character ASCII - formalized code determining what byte values represent which character Storage capacities - kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB)
A gigabyte (GB) is used to express which of the following approximate measures? A. 1,000 byes of storage B. 1,000,000 bytes of storage C. 1,000,000,000 bytes of storage D. 1,000,000,000,000 bytes of storage
C
According to the text, what are the current types of RFID chips? A. Electrical and magnetic B. Positive and negative C. Active and passive D. Red and Green
C
According to the text, which of the following is not a current use of RFID chips? A. Tagging pets and personal property B. Tagging magazines and books in public locations C. Tagging spacecraft to follow their location as they orbit the earth D. Tagging human beings
C
All of the following relate to Peripherals except: A. input devices B. output devices C. CPU devices D. secondary storage devices
C
Data are processed and stored in a computer system through the presence or absence of electronic or magnetic signals to the computer. This is called a _______________ representation of data, because the computer and the media can exhibit only two states or conditions. A. Ternary B. Trinary C. Binary D. Bipolar
C
In the 1950s, _______________ were invented and quickly replaced the thousands of vacuum tubes used in electronic computers. A. microchips B. resistors C. transistors D. miniaturized circuits
C
The _______________ generation of computers was characterized by further miniaturization of circuits, increased multiprogramming, and virtual storage memory. A. second B. third C. fourth D. fifth
C
The dark, magnetic stripe on the back of credit cards can hold about _______________ of information. A. 200 gigabytes B. 200 kilobytes C. 200 bytes D. Immaterial, as this technology is not yet available in the United States
C
The first generation of computers relied on _______________. A. miniaturized circuits B. transistors C. vacuum tubes D. punch cards
C
The function of an input device is: A. to interpret computer program instructions B. to transmit directions to other components of the computer system C. to convert data into electronic form for entry into a computer system D. none of the above
C
The function of an output device is to: A. Convert data into an electronic machine-readable form for direct entry into a computer system B. Perform the arithmetic and logic functions required in computer processing C. Convert electronic information produced by the computer system into human-intelligible form for presentation to end-users D. Store the data and program instructions needed for processing
C
The primary storage (main memory) of a computer is also called: A. ROM B. RAID C. RAM D. None of the choices are correct.
C
Which of the following applies best to CD-RW optical disk technology? A. Users are unable to record their own data on the disks B. Users can record their own data, but only once C. Users are able to record and then erase the disks D. None of the choices are correct.
C
Which of the following is a secondary storage device? A. Primary memory B. Random access memory C. Magnetic disk D. The CPU
C
Which of the following would not be considered a characteristic of supercomputer systems? A. Uses parallel, interconnected microprocessors B. Can process at speeds of billions of operations per second C. Runs the same software found on most home computers, but at faster speeds D. Designed specifically for high-speed numeric computation
C
__________ are some of the more powerful microcomputers; they are used to coordinate telecommunications and resource sharing in small LANs and in Internet and intranet websites. A. Mainframes B. Supercomputers C. Network Servers D. None of the choices are correct.
C
_______________ bytes of storage are needed to represent the name "Sarah." A. Two B. Three C. Five D. Ten
C
A BlackBerry ____________________. A. performs common PDA functions B. doesn't have a visible antenna C. uses the same network as most mobile phones D. All of the choices are correct.
D
According to the text, which of the following is not true of Mainframes? A. Mainframes usage is growing. B. Mainframes are large, fast, and powerful. C. Mainframes can be used as superservers for networks. D. All of the choices are correct.
D
Continuous speech recognition systems: A. Compare speech patterns to a dictionary B. Allow a computer to understand a few words from a voice it has never heard before C. Require users to pause between each spoken word D. Recognize conversationally paced speech
D
High speed storage media _______________ than lower-speed storage media. A. cost less per byte and provide higher capacities B. cost less per byte and provide lower capacities C. cost more per byte and provide higher capacities D. cost more per byte and provide lower capacities
D
Most semiconductor memory must receive a continuous supply of electricity because most semiconductor memory is volatile. This means: A. It provides virtually unlimited online storage B. Semiconductor memory is permanent C. It provides fault-tolerant storage capacity D. If the power to the memory is interrupted the contents of the memory will be lost
D
One device used as an input device in a computer system is a pointing stick, which is best described as: A. A small gearshift lever set in a box B. A stationary device containing a roller ball whose top is exposed outside its case C. A pen-shaped device with a ballpoint at the end D. A small, button-like device, sometimes likened to the eraser head of a pencil
D
Speech recognition devices in work situations allow operators to perform all the following except: A. Enter data without using their hands. B. Input data faster. C. input data more accurately. D. Input data without using a computer
D
The central processing unit (CPU) consists of: A. the Control unit and the RAID unit B.. Arithmetic-logic unit and the RAID unit C. the RAID unit and the Fuzzy Logic unit D. the Control unit and the Arithmetic-logic unit
D
The most common output trend is _______________. A. printed reports and documents B. audio responses C. voice responses D. video displays
D
Which of the following best describes optical scanning devices? A. Hand-held wands used to read data on merchandise tags B. Photoelectric devices that scan data C. Converts reflected light patterns into electronic impulses, which are accepted as input into the computer system D. All of the choices are correct.
D
Which of the following is a common application for a midrange computer? A. Industrial process-control B. Computer-aided design (CAD) C. "Front end" telecommunications D. All of the choices are correct.
D
Which of the following is an advantage of RAID? A. It provides virtually unlimited online storage B. It provides high access speeds C. It provides fault-tolerant storage capacity D. All of the choices are advantages.
D
Which of the following is not a valid storage medium? A. Paper documents B. Optical disks C. Magnetic tape D. All of the choices are valid storage media.
D
Which of the following would not fit the typical classification of a computer peripheral? A. Monitors and printers B. Scanners and hard disk drives C. CD-ROM drives and backup systems D. Central processing unit
D
Understanding the computer as a system is of vital importance
Input - convert data into electronic form for entry into the system Processing - the CPU (Central Processing Unit) consists of the Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU - performs the arithmetic and logic functions) and the Control Unit (controls the rest of the computer) Output - converts electronic information into human-intelligible form Storage - store data and instructions for processing Control - the other component of the CPU manages the activities of the rest of the computer
Computer Processing Speeds
MIPS - million instructions per second Teraflops - trillion floating point operations per second
Magnetic Tape & Optical Disks
Magnetic Tape - slow speeds, but inexpensive for large amounts of backups Optical Disks - CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-R (cannot be erased or re-written); CD-RW, DVD-RW (may be erased or re-written)
Types of Computer Systems
Mainframes Midrange (obsolete due to powerful microcomputers) Microcomputers
Semiconductor Memory
RAM (Random Access Memory) - volatile, may be read and over-written ROM (Read Only Memory) - non-volatile, may be read but not over-written or erased; PROM and EPROM may be reprogrammed Flash (Jump) Drives - solid-state memory ReadyBoost - Microsoft product that uses any flash product as a cache to increase Windows access speed Solid-State Drive (SSD) - transistor device created to be accessed like a hard drive; no moving parts, non-volatile, much faster access speed
direct access
Random Access Memory (RAM) and Direct Access Storage Devices (DASD) - Direct Access and Random Access are the same concept; locate an address on the storage device and go directly to that location for access to the datum
Storage Tradeoffs
Tradeoffs are Cost vs. speed vs. capacity, but all regularly increase in speed, cost and capacity Primary Storage (Random Access Memory or RAM) - Semiconductor memory, Volatile; faster but more expensive Secondary Storage - Magnetic Disks, Optical Disks, Magnetic Tape; Non-Volatile; slower but cheaper
Information Appliances
Web-enabled devices for accessing information from anywhere - cell phones, PDAs, handheld PCs
peripheral
a generic name for all input, output, and secondary storage devices not part of the CPU but part of the system Online - electronically connected to and controlled by the CPU Offline - separate from and not controlled by the CPU
Computer Terminals
any device that allows access to a computer
According to the text, using web-enabled PDAs allows workers to realize all the following benefits except: A. Send and receive email B. Access the Web C. Exchange information with desktop PCs or Web servers D. Helps retain younger and more technologically savvy employees
c
Optical Scanning
converts text or graphics to digital input for direct entry of source documents
Supercomputers
extremely powerful, extremely high speeds and massive numeric computations
RFID
for tagging and identifying mobile objects (store merchandise, postal objects, sometimes living organisms); provides information to a reader when requested Passive - no power source, derives power from the reader signal Active - self-powered, do not need to be close to the reader RFID Privacy Issues - may be used as spychips; gathers sensitive information about an individual without consent
input devices
input devices enter data and instructions into the cpu keyboard mouse touch screen voice recognizer
Mainframe Systems
large, fast, and powerful, used for high transaction processing and complex computations; used by corporations and government agencies
storage devices
magnetic disk tape units optical disks
The Next Wave of Computing
minisupercomputers; connecting all the power of unused desktops in an organization
Microcomputer Systems (Personal Computer)
most important category for businesses and consumers, exceeds the power of many mainframes; includes Workstations Network Servers Computer Terminals Network Computers Information Appliances
Printed Output (Hardcopy)
most popular after video; still required for some legal purposes
Video Output
most popular form of output
Distributed (Grid) Computing
parallel computing over a network Advantages - purchase nodes as a commodity, economies of scale Disadvantages - untrustworthy calculations, lack of centralized control
Midrange Systems
popular as Network Servers; disappearing due to microcomputers
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
presents icons, buttons, windows, etc. for use with Pointing Devices (as opposed to a text-based interface)
Workstations
support mathematical and graphical demands
Network Computers
support telecommunications and resource sharing
Network Servers
support telecommunications and resource sharing
Computers
systems of Input, Processing, Storage, Output, and Control Components
Moore's Law 1965
the number of transistors on a chip will double every 18-24 months; more broadly interpreted - the power or speed of a computer will double every 18-24 months The Price would halve in that same time, which has also proven to be true Recent statistics indicate this time has decreased to 12 months
Source Document
the original record of the data, very important for auditing purposes; now accepted in both electronic or physical form
output devices
visual display unit printer audio response physical control devices
