Untitled Flashcards Set

Here are some flashcards based on the provided source excerpts:

Flashcard 1

• Front: What is an algorithm?

• Back: A finite set of unambiguous instructions to solve a problem. The term comes from the 9th century mathematician Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī.

Flashcard 2

• Front: What are punch cards?

• Back: Stiff pieces of paper with holes in predefined positions. They were used to dictate the design of cloth in Jacquard looms and later to code computer programs.

Flashcard 3

• Front: What is the significance of Boolean algebra in computing?

• Back: It laid the logical foundations of digital computing circuitry.

Flashcard 4

• Front: What are the key features of the Von Neumann Architecture?

• Back:

  • Stored program concept

  • Binary internal coding

  • CPU-Memory-I/O organization

  • Fetch-decode-execute cycle

  • Central processing unit, a memory, mass storage, and input/output components

Flashcard 5

• Front: What is the stored program concept, and why is it important?

• Back: It allows a computer to run different programs without needing to be re-wired, forming the basis for modern computers.

Flashcard 6

• Front: What were the contributions of Alan Turing?

• Back:

  • Proposed the Turing Machine, a model for defining computability

  • Devised the Turing Test for artificial intelligence

  • Contributed to electronic computing machines in the 1940s

Flashcard 7

• Front: What was ENIAC, and what were its key features?

• Back:

  • The first general-purpose electronic digital computer

  • Commissioned by the United States Army for computing ballistic firing tables

  • Noted for its massive scale and redundant design, using vacuum tubes

  • Decimal internal coding

  • Manually programmed with boards, switches, and a "function table"

  • Not based on the Von Neumann Architecture

Flashcard 8

• Front: What was a major limitation of early computer programming?

• Back: It was slow, tedious, and repetitious.

Flashcard 9

• Front: What significant development occurred in computer size during the 1950s?

• Back: Computers became smaller due to four generations of vacuum tube computer circuit advancements.

Flashcard 10

• Front: Why was Grace Hopper significant in computer programming history?

• Back: She created the first compiler, improving programming speed and efficiency.

Flashcard 11

• Front: What was the impact of the transistor and integrated circuits on computing?

• Back:

  • Transistors replaced bulky vacuum tubes.

  • Integrated circuits allowed for the placement of many transistors on a small surface, lowering costs and reducing space.

  • This enabled computers and other electronic devices to become smaller and cheaper to build and maintain.

Flashcard 12

• Front: What was the significance of the Intel 4004 microprocessor?

• Back:

  • The first commercially available microprocessor

  • Contained 2300 transistors and ran at 100 kHz

  • Made personal computers possible

Flashcard 13

• Front: What are the characteristics of desktop and portable computers from 1975 onwards?

• Back: They used microprocessors, had all-in-one designs, focused on performance/price tradeoffs, and were aimed at a mass audience. This included personal computers and workstations.

Flashcard 14

• Front: What are some examples of Moore's Law in action regarding today's computer performance and pricing?

• Back:

  • Over 3 billion operations per second cost less than $300.

  • Memory is measured in gigabytes, secondary storage in terabytes (soon to be petabytes), and communication speeds in megabits or gigabits per second.

Flashcard 15

• Front: What are some examples of spreadsheet applications?

• Back: Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets, Smartsheet, Quip, Zoho Sheet, EtherCalc, and Airtable.

Flashcard 16

• Front: What is a spreadsheet?

• Back: A computer application that allows users to tabulate and collate data for calculations, graphical representations, and analysis. It comprises a grid of cells arranged in rows and columns.

Flashcard 17

• Front: Why are spreadsheets important?

• Back:

  • They simplify calculations and data visualization.

  • They allow for easy modeling of situations (e.g., "what if interest rates increase?").

Flashcard 18

• Front: What are some caveats to using spreadsheets?

• Back:

  • Their processing speed is not the highest possible.

  • Errors are often difficult to detect.

  • Users should be cautious about trusting graphs without verifying data accuracy.

Flashcard 19

• Front: What are some key features of spreadsheet applications?

• Back:

  • Organization of tabular data in a gridded layout with formatting options.

  • Data manipulation, processing, transformation, generation, and analysis using basic operations and functions.

  • Data visualization using charts and graphs.

Flashcard 20

• Front: What are the key elements of a Microsoft Excel document?

• Back:

  • Cell: A single location that can store text, numbers, or formulas

  • Row: A horizontal line of cells referenced by numbers

  • Column: A vertical line of cells referenced by letters

  • Worksheet: A workspace with multiple rows and columns for data storage and manipulation

  • Workbook: An Excel document containing at least one worksheet

Flashcard 21

• Front: How can users work with data in Excel?

• Back:

  • Enter data by typing, pasting, or using formulas.

  • Select cells or groups of cells.

  • Format text using tools under the Home tab.

  • Add rows or columns.

  • Insert or delete cells.

  • Create series of numbers.

  • Use the fill handle to repeat entries or generate numeric series.

Flashcard 22

• Front: How can data be processed and transformed in Excel?

• Back:

  • Each cell has a unique reference (e.g., A2).

  • Cells can be given unique names.

  • Data in cells can be processed using built-in math, logical operations, or functions, preceded by an equal sign (=).

  • Formulas should not contain circular references.

  • Useful built-in functions include sum, average, count, max, min, sumif, averageif, countif, maxif, minif, lookup, and vlookup.

  • Absolute references (using $) fix column numbers, row numbers, or both.

Flashcard 23

• Front: What are the differences between analog and digital information?

• Back:

  • Analog data: Continuous representation analogous to the actual information.

  • Digital data: Discrete representation using a finite number of digits or symbols.

Flashcard 24

• Front: What are some examples of inherently continuous and discrete information?

• Back:

  • Continuous: Mass, temperature, physical quantities (body temperature, blood pressure), sound, images, video

  • Discrete: Days in a week, study terms, city names, number of steps walked, number of students on campus, text, typed symbols

Flashcard 25

• Front: How does a spirit (mercury) thermometer exemplify analog information?

• Back: The liquid level continuously rises and falls in direct proportion to the temperature.

Flashcard 26

• Front: What is the key difference between an analog and a digital display of time?

• Back: Analog displays (like a clock with hands) can provide infinite precision regarding seconds. Digital displays show time in a discrete fashion, potentially losing information about seconds.

Flashcard 27

• Front: How do different types of sphygmomanometers illustrate the concept of analog and digital information?

• Back:

  • Mercury sphygmomanometers use the height of a mercury column (analog) to represent blood pressure.

  • Aneroid sphygmomanometers use the angle of a needle (analog) for representation.

  • Digital sphygmomanometers display a number on a screen (digital).

  • All three measure pressure, but their representation methods differ.

Flashcard 28

• Front: How do questionnaire scales represent the digitization of information?

• Back: They convert a continuous property (e.g., reading frequency) into discrete categories for easier analysis, potentially losing some information.

Flashcard 29

• Front: Why do computers use digital representation, particularly binary?

• Back:

  • Computers are finite and deterministic, requiring fixed amounts and types of data.

  • Analog data needs to be discretized and quantized for computer processing.

  • Binary's use of two states (0 and 1) simplifies representation, making it cost-effective and reliable.

Flashcard 30

• Front: What are the two steps involved in converting analog data to digital data?

• Back:

  • Sampling (discretization): Converts continuous variation into discrete snapshots (e.g., video frames, pixels in an image).

  • Quantization (truncation): Converts an infinite range of values to a finite one (e.g., approximating irrational numbers, RGB color ranges).

Flashcard 31

• Front: Is information lost during analog-to-digital conversion, and if so, how is it managed?

• Back:

  • Some information loss is acceptable and determined at the beginning of the process.

  • Mechanisms like the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem help determine appropriate digitization parameters.

  • Quantization error models manage the loss of information.

Flashcard 32

• Front: What are bits and bytes?

• Back:

  • Bit: The basic unit of digital data, holding a value of 0 or 1.

  • Byte: A group of 8 bits.

Flashcard 33

• Front: What are some benefits of digital representation in signal transmission and storage?

• Back:

  • Easier processing: Digital data is easier for computers to process.

  • Reliable transmission: Digital signals, with their discrete states, are less susceptible to noise degradation.

  • Signal regeneration: Digital signals can be completely regenerated if distortions are small enough.

  • Easier storage and compression: Digital data allows for exact copies, error detection and correction, and efficient compression algorithms.

Flashcard 34

• Front: What is positional notation in number representation?

• Back: A system where the value of a digit depends on its position within the number, using powers of a base (e.g., decimal uses base 10).

Flashcard 35

• Front: How is the decimal system an example of positional notation?

• Back: Each digit's position represents a power of 10 (1, 10, 100, 1000, etc.), allowing for counting beyond 9 with only 10 digits.

Flashcard 36

• Front: How do you determine the magnitude of a number in positional notation?

• Back: Multiply each digit by its corresponding column's magnitude (base raised to its exponent) and sum the products.

Flashcard 37

• Front: What are some common non-decimal number systems used in computing?

• Back:

  • Binary (base 2)

  • Octal (base 8)

  • Hexadecimal (base 16)

Flashcard 38

• Front: What are the digits used in binary, octal, and hexadecimal systems?

• Back:

  • Binary: 0, 1

  • Octal: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

  • Hexadecimal: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F

Flashcard 39

• Front: What is the relationship between the number of bits and the range of representable values?

• Back: Every added bit doubles the range of values. For example, 1 bit can represent 2 values, 2 bits can represent 4 values, and so on.

Flashcard 40

• Front: What is a byte, and what is the largest decimal value representable in a single byte?

• Back:

  • A byte is 8 bits.

  • The largest decimal value representable in a byte is 255.

Flashcard 41

• Front: How does binary arithmetic work, considering carry values?

• Back:

  • 0 + 0 = 0

  • 0 + 1 = 1

  • 1 + 0 = 1

  • 1 + 1 = 0 with a carry of 1 to the next bit position

Flashcard 42

• Front: What are octal and hexadecimal used as short forms for binary?

• Back:

  • Octal: Based on 8 patterns in 3 bits

  • Hexadecimal: Based on 16 patterns in 4 bits

Flashcard 43

• Front: How do you convert binary to octal and hexadecimal?

• Back:

  • Octal: Divide the binary number into 3-bit chunks from right to left, replacing each chunk with its corresponding octal digit.

  • Hexadecimal: Divide the binary number into 4-bit chunks from right to left, replacing each chunk with its corresponding hexadecimal digit.

Flashcard 44

• Front: How do you convert binary, octal, and hexadecimal numbers to decimal?

• Back: Multiply each digit by its corresponding positional value (base raised to the exponent representing its position) and sum the products.

Flashcard 45

• Front: How do you convert decimal to binary, octal, and hexadecimal?

• Back: Use repeated division by the target base (2 for binary, 8 for octal, 16 for hexadecimal). The remainders from each division, read from bottom to top, form the converted number.

Flashcard 46

• Front: What are the maximum and minimum values representable with n bits in unsigned binary?

• Back:

  • Maximum: 2n-1

  • Minimum: 0

Flashcard 47

• Front: What is 2's complement notation?

• Back: A method for representing signed integers in binary, where the leftmost bit represents the sign and a negative positional value.

Flashcard 48

• Front: What are the maximum and minimum values representable with n bits in 2's complement?

• Back:

  • Maximum: +2n-1-1

  • Minimum: -2n-1

Flashcard 49

• Front: How do you convert from 2's complement binary to decimal?

• Back:

  • If MSB (most significant bit) is 0 (positive): Convert from binary to decimal as usual.

  • If MSB is 1 (negative): Flip the bits, add 1, and convert from binary to decimal, remembering the negative sign.

Flashcard 50

• Front: How do you convert from decimal to 2's complement binary?

• Back:

  • If decimal is positive: Convert to binary as usual.

  • If decimal is negative: Convert its absolute value to binary, flip the bits, add 1, and set the MSB to 1.

Flashcard 51

• Front: What is number overflow in binary representation?

• Back: An error that occurs when the result of an arithmetic operation exceeds the maximum representable value for a given number of bits.

Flashcard 52

• Front: How is positional notation extended to represent fractions in binary?

• Back: Digits to the right of the "binary point" represent negative powers of 2 (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc.).

Flashcard 53

• Front: What is the purpose of scientific notation?

• Back: To represent very large or very small numbers in a compact form, making it easier to compare their orders of magnitude.

Flashcard 54

• Front: What are some key features of a Word document?

• Back:

  • Contains various objects like text, pictures, drawings, tables, embedded PDFs, media objects, and math equations

  • All objects have formattable attributes (e.g., font type, size, colour for text).

Flashcard 55

• Front: What are some key components of the Word document window?

• Back:

  • Document area (workspace)

  • Tabs with ribbons containing tools and tool groups

  • Tooltips describing tool functions

  • Quick access toolbar, title bar, zoom slider, navigation pane, and rulers

Flashcard 56

• Front: How are styles used in Word documents?

• Back:

  • Styles define the formatting of elements like headings, titles, and captions.

  • They offer a consistent look and allow for easy formatting changes.

  • Users can modify default styles or create custom ones.

Flashcard 57

• Front: How do you create hyperlinks in Word?

• Back:

  • Select the text to be linked.

  • Use the Link tool in the Insert ribbon or the right-click menu.

  • Specify the target document or section.

Flashcard 58

• Front: How do you create headers and footers in Word?

• Back:

  • Use the Header & Footer group in the Insert ribbon.

  • Choose built-in styles or create custom headers/footers.

Flashcard 59

• Front: How do you insert page numbers in Word?

• Back:

  • Use the Header & Footer group in the Insert ribbon.

  • Choose position and format using the Format Page Numbers option.

Flashcard 60

• Front: How do you insert an Excel spreadsheet into a Word document?

• Back:

  • Choose the Excel Spreadsheet option from the Insert Table dialogue box.

  • You can insert an empty spreadsheet or import data from an existing workbook.

Flashcard 61

• Front: How do you insert pictures into a Word document?

• Back:

  • Copy and paste images from various sources (computer, web pages, screenshots).

  • Insert image files directly.

  • Use built-in shapes, models, icons, and charts from the Illustrations tool group.

Flashcard 62

• Front: How do you insert captions for tables, figures, and equations in Word?

• Back:

  • Select the illustration, go to the References ribbon, and choose Insert Caption.

  • Add a description after the automatically generated caption number.

Flashcard 63

• Front: How do you insert citations and create a bibliography in Word?

• Back:

  • Use the Citations and Bibliography group in the References ribbon.

  • Choose a citation style (e.g., Harvard).

  • Use the Insert Citation tool to add source information.

  • Use the Bibliography tool to insert the list of sources.

Flashcard 64

• Front: How do you create a Table of Contents (TOC) in Word?

• Back:

  • Use heading styles to structure the document.

  • Choose the Table of Contents tool in the References ribbon.

  • Select a built-in format or create a custom TOC.

Flashcard 65

• Front: How do you create a list of captioned illustrations in Word?

• Back:

  • Ensure illustrations have captions.

  • Choose the Insert Table of Figures tool in the References ribbon.

  • Select the appropriate Caption Label (e.g., Figure, Table).

Flashcard 66

• Front: What is a character set in text representation?

• Back: A list of characters and their corresponding codes for digital representation.

Flashcard 67

• Front: What is ASCII, and what are its limitations?

• Back:

  • ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character set originally using 7 bits, later expanded to 8 bits.

  • Limitations: Limited character support, including missing symbols and support for only a few languages.

Flashcard 68

• Front: What is Unicode, and how does it address the limitations of ASCII?

• Back:

  • A superset of ASCII using 16+ bits per character, enabling representation of over a million characters.

  • Supports multiple languages and a vast range of symbols.

Flashcard 69

• Front: What are emojis, and how are they represented in Unicode?

• Back:

  • Symbols or "smileys" used in digital communication.

  • Defined in various Unicode blocks with specific code points and optional appearance and meaning descriptions.

Flashcard 70

• Front: What is data compression, and what are the two main types?

• Back:

  • Data compression: Reducing the space needed to store data.

  • Lossless: Preserves all original information, allowing for perfect data retrieval.

  • Lossy: Accepts some information loss for greater compression.

Flashcard 71

• Front: What is keyword encoding, and what are its limitations?

• Back:

  • Replaces frequently used words with single characters.

  • Limitations: Limited compression ratio, and encoding characters cannot be part of the original text.

Flashcard 72

• Front: What is run-length encoding (RLE), and when is it effective?

• Back:

  • Replaces sequences of repeated characters with a flag, the character, and a repetition count.

  • Effective for data with many repetitions (e.g., whitespace in faxes, slowly changing data).

Flashcard 73

• Front: What is Huffman encoding, and what key property ensures unambiguous decoding?

• Back:

  • Uses variable-length bit strings to represent characters based on their frequency.

  • Prefix-property: No code is a prefix of another code, preventing ambiguity in decoding.

Flashcard 74

• Front: How does the prefix-property in Huffman encoding work?

• Back: It ensures that no code can be mistaken for the beginning of another code, allowing for unique identification of each encoded character.

Flashcard 75

• Front: How does Huffman encoding achieve compression?

• Back: By using shorter codes for frequent characters and longer codes for infrequent ones, it reduces the overall number of bits needed to represent the text.

Flashcard 76

• Front: What are some key aspects of Huffman's algorithm?

• Back:

  • Takes symbols and their frequency counts as input.

  • Generates a binary tree based on frequency, assigning codes to each symbol along root-to-leaf paths.

  • Guarantees optimal compression with the prefix-property.

Flashcard 77

• Front: What is the relative effectiveness of different lossless compression techniques?

• Back:

  • Keyword encoding is the least effective.

  • Huffman encoding is the most effective.

  • Run-length encoding is suitable for data with lots of repetition.

Please let me know if you need further clarification or have more questions!