1. What are the components of a contemporary computer system?
1. Distinguish between a bit and a byte, and describe how information is stored in primary memory.
Cycle speed—
Data bus width—
5. Distinguish between serial, parallel, and massively parallel processing.
Serial processing
Parallel processing
With parallel processing, small numbers of powerful but expensive specialized chips are linked together, whereas massively parallel machines chain hundreds or even thousands of inexpensive, commonly used chips to attack large computing problems, attaining supercomputer speeds
6. List the most important secondary storage media. What are the strengths and limitations of each?
The main secondary storage devices are magnetic tape, magnetic disk, and optical disk.
7. List and describe the major computer input and output devices.
The major computer input devices are:
Keyboard—
computer mouse—
Touch screens-
Source data automation-
Digital scanners-
Audio input-
Pen-based input-
Sensors-
The major computer output devices are:
Printers-
Cathode ray tube (CRT)-
Microfilm and microfiche-
Audio output-
8. What is the difference between batch and on-line processing?
9. What is multimedia? What technologies are involved?
10. What is the difference between a mainframe, a midrange computer, a server, and a PC? Between a PC and a workstation?
11. Compare the client/server, network computer, and peer-to-peer
models of computing.
12. What are the major types of software? How do they differ in terms of users and uses?