Computer Systems and Java Programming Fundamentals Flashcards

Flashcards covering basic computer processing, hardware components, memory types, binary representations, network architecture, Java program structure, and object-oriented concepts from Chapter 1.

What are the physical, tangible components of a computer system called?

Computer hardware

What constitutes computer software?

Programs and the data those programs use

What are the four core hardware components of a computer system?

Central processing unit (CPU), input/output (I/O) devices, main memory, and secondary memory devices

What is the primary role of the Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

To execute the individual commands and program instructions one after another

How do main memory and secondary memory differ regarding data persistence?

Main memory is volatile (loses stored information when electric power is removed), whereas secondary memory is nonvolatile (retains information when power is turned off)

What is a memory address?

A unique numeric identifier associated with a specific memory location used when storing and retrieving data

How does writing data to a memory location affect its previous contents compared to reading data?

Writing data overwrites and destroys any previously stored information, while reading data leaves the stored value unaffected

What is the key difference between direct (random) access memory devices and sequential access devices?

Direct access devices (like RAM or hard disks) reach information directly, while sequential access devices (like magnetic tapes) must pass through intervening data in linear order

How many bytes are in a kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), and terabyte (TB)?

Kilobyte = $2^{10} = 1024$ bytes; Megabyte = $2^{20}$ bytes; Gigabyte = $2^{30}$ bytes; Terabyte = $2^{40}$ bytes

How does analog information differ from digital information?

Analog information is continuous and directly proportional to the source, whereas digital information breaks data into discrete pieces represented as numbers

What is the sampling rate in audio digitization?

The number of discrete voltage measurements taken per second from an analog signal

How many unique items can be represented by $N$ bits?

$2^N$ unique items

What formula calculates the minimum number of bits needed to represent $K$ unique items?

Find the smallest integer $N$ such that 2^N \n\ngeq K

What three main components form the Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

The control unit, registers, and arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)

What are the three steps in the fetch-decode-execute cycle?

1. Fetch an instruction from main memory. 2. Decode the instruction and increment the program counter. 3. Execute the instruction

What component on the main circuit board generates electronic pulses to synchronize CPU operations?

The system clock

What is the primary difference between a Local-Area Network (LAN) and a Wide-Area Network (WAN)?

A LAN spans short distances (such as a single room or building), while a WAN connects two or more LANs across long distances

What are the roles of IP and TCP in the TCP/IP protocol suite?

IP (Internet Protocol) defines how information is formatted and transferred, while TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) handles message reassembly and manages lost data

What is the function of the Domain Name System (DNS)?

To translate human-readable Internet domain names into their corresponding numeric IP addresses

What three main components compose a typical Uniform Resource Locator (URL)?

The protocol (e.g., http), the Internet domain address, and the specific file name/path

What is Java bytecode?

A low-level, architecture-neutral representation of a Java program produced by the Java compiler

What component executes Java bytecode on a specific hardware platform?

The Java Virtual Machine (JVM) or Java interpreter

What stage in this Java translation and execution workflow converts Java Source Code into Java Bytecode?

Java Compiler

Why is Java considered an architecture-neutral language?

Because the Java compiler generates bytecode rather than machine code for a specific CPU, allowing bytecode to run on any machine with a compatible JVM

What are the syntax and semantics of a programming language?

Syntax rules dictate the precise form and structure of valid statements, whereas semantics define the meaning and execution result of those statements

What are the three categories of errors encountered during program development?

Compile-time errors, runtime errors, and logical errors

What rules govern valid Java identifiers?

Identifiers can contain letters, digits, underscores (_), and dollar signs ($), but cannot begin with a digit or be a reserved word. Java is case sensitive

What exact signature must the main method have in a standalone Java application?

public static void main(String[] args)

In Object-Oriented Programming, how are classes and objects related?

A class is a blueprint or concept definition, while an object is a concrete instance or realization created from that class

What two primary characteristics define an object in Object-Oriented Programming?

State (descriptive characteristics) and behaviors (actions it can perform or that can be done to it)

How is color represented digitally using the RGB color model?

Each pixel color is specified using three numbers (ranging from 0 to 255) that represent the relative intensity contributions of Red, Green, and Blue