Exam answers

Define the terminus Computer Science!

Computer science or computing science (abbreviated CS) is the

study
of the theoretical foundations of information and computation
and of
practical techniques for their implementation and application in
computer systems.

Define the terminus Data!

Numerical or other information represented in a form

suitable for processing by computer.

What are typical operations on data?

Obtaining, acquiring, storing, processing, computing,

transmitting, presenting

Why are Computer Science and Networks for

Logistics important?
Because the flow of goods need to be controlled, and also is
needed a controlling system in a flow of data in information
processing system.

What is a Computer?
A general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a
set of arithmetic or logical operations.

Name the six Generations of Computers!

-

Zeroth Generation Mechanical Computers (1642 1945)

First Generation Vacuum Tubes (1945 1955)
Second Generation Transistors (1955 1965)
Third Generation Integrated Circuits (1965 1980)
Fourth Generation Very Large Scale Integration (1980 ?)
Fifth Generation Low-Power and Invisible Computers

 What are the parts of an von Neumann

architecture?

What is Moores law?

Over the history of computing hardware, the number
of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every
two years.

What is the purpose of Microcontrollers? Name

different
application field of these devices!
By reducing the size and cost compared to a design that uses a
separate microprocessor, memory, and input/output devices,
microcontrollers make it economical to digitally control even
more devices and processes.
-

Appliances
Communications gear
weapon systems
Computer peripherals
devices
Entertainment devices
Imaging devices

Medical devices
Military
-

Shopping

Toys

 What means CISC and RISC?

CISC Complex Instruction Set Computer

o is a computer where single instructions can execute
several low-level operations and/or are capable of multi-step
operations or addressing modes within single instructions.

RISC Reduced Instruction Set Computer

o Simplified instructions can provide higher
performance if this simplicity enables much faster
execution of each instruction.

What are the advantages of both

architectures?
CISC
Emphasis on hardware
Includes multi-clock
complex instructions
Memory-to-memory:
"LOAD" and "STORE"
incorporated in instructions
Small code sizes,
high cycles per second
Transistors used for storing
complex instructions

RISC
Emphasis on software
Single-clock,
reduced instruction only
Register to register:
"LOAD" and "STORE"
are independent instructions
Low cycles per second,
large code sizes
Spends more transistors
on memory registers

Name typical families of CISC and RISC

processors and their application fields!
RISC Alpha, ARC, ARM, AVR, MIPS, PIC, Power Architecture,
SPARC.
CISC System/360, VAX, PDP-11, Motorola 68000 family, AMD,
Intel x86.
Application field - ???

Name typical parts and peripherals of a

computer system (min. 8)!
Computer system parts are divided in: Hardware and Software
components.
Hardware components: CPU, Motherboard, Hard Drive, RAM,
Video Card, Sound Card, etc. (physical machine you run your
software {monitors, keyboard, etc}).

Software components: Notepad, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, MS

Word, games, etc. (the programs you run and the operating
system).
Peripherals are devices connected to a host computer, which are
not part of it but expands the hosts capabilities. Common
peripherals: Input, Output, Storage.
Input: Keyboard, mouse, graphic tablet, touchscreen, barcode
reader, scanner, microphone, webcam.
Output: Display devices (display, LCD projection), graphical
output device,
Printer.
Storage: External hard drive, flash drive, disk drive, smartphone,
tablet computer
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM.

Name the parts of the data path of a CPU!

-

Instruction registers
Program counter
Memory address register
Memory data register

Explain the steps of the instruction cycle of a

machine with interpreted instructions!
Used circuits during the cycle: - Program counter (PC)
- Memory address register
(MAR)
- Memory data register (MDR)
- Instruction register (IR)
- Control unit (CU)
- Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
The steps of the instruction cycle: - Fetching the instruction
- Decode the instruction
- Execute the instruction

 What are the advantages of pipelining in

computer architecture?
- Saving time while instructions are executed
- Possibility of overlapping
What is the function of the primary memory of
a
computer system?
Storing data and programs.

How is the primary memory organized?

What is the function of the cache memory?

It is used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to
reduce the average time to access memory.

Explain the memory hierarchy of a computer

system!

 What is the use of RAID systems?

Redundant Array of Independent Disks

A storage technology that combines multiple disk
drive components into a logical unit for the purposes of data
redundancy and performance improvement.

What are the advantages of HDDs and SSDs?

Advantages of HDD:

- Large storage capacity

- Stores and retrieves data much faster than a floppy disk or CDROM
- Data is not lost when you switch off the computer
- Usually fixed inside the computer so cannot get mislaid.
- Cheap on a cost per megabyte compared to other storage
media.
- Hard disks can be replaced and upgraded as necessary
- Can have two hard disks in a machine, one can act as a mirror
of the other and create a back up copy.

Advantages of SSD:
-

Low power draw

High operating system boot time
Absence of noise
Very low heat produced
Very low failure rate
High copying and writing speed
Full disk encryption
High file opening speed
Safe from any effects of magnetism

Name examples of computer bus systems!

Internal bus known as data bus, memory bus, system bus or

Front-Side-Bus (connects all the internal components)
External bus known as expansion bus (connects external
devices)

Internal busses examples (parallel) ASUS media bus,

Extended ISA, Low Pin Count LPC, Multibus, NuBus, OPTi local
bus, Parallel ATA, S-100 bus, SBus, SS-50 bus, STEbus, STD Bus,
Unibus, Q-Bus, VESA Local Bus, VMEbus, etc.
Internal busses examples (serial) 1-Wire,
HyperTransport, PCI Express, Serial ATA, UNI/O, SMBus.

External busses examples (Parallel) HIPPI, IEEE-488,

PC Card.

External busses examples (Serial) USB, RS-232, RS485, eSATA, IEEE 1394 interface, ExpressCard, Fieldbus.

Convert the decimal number 1492 to binary

using the method of successive halving!
1492

reminders

(always divide by 2)
746
373
186
93
46
23
11
5
2
1
0

0
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
1

1 0

1 11

0 =

149210

Convert the binary number 101110110111 to

decimal using the method of successive
doubling!

Convert the binary number 101110110111 in a

hexadecimal number!
101110110111

= BB7

23 + 22 + 21 + 20 |23 + 22 + 21 + 20|23 + 22 + 21 + 20
x
x
x
x |x
x
x
x |x
x
x
x
1
0
1
1 |1
0
1
1 |0
1
1
1
8+0+2+1
11 = B

8+0+2+1
11 = B

0+4+2+1
7= 7

When converting from binary into hexadecimal, from right side to the
left, combine all the numbers in groups of 4. After that, the binary number
from each group, convert in decimal numbers. At the end, find the equivalent
of each decimal result to hexadecimal (Mr. Willimowskis table).
P.s. Decimal from 0 9 have the same equivalent in hexadecimal.
10 = A
11 = B
12 = C
13 = D
14 = E
15 = F

 Convert the binary number 101110110111 in

an octal number!
101 110 110 111
= 5667
22+21+20| 22+21+20| 22+21+20| 22+21+20
x x x | x x x|x x x| x x x
1 0 1 | 1 1 0|1 1 0| 1 1 1
4+0+1|4+2+0|4+2+0|4+2+1
5

When converting from binary numbers into octal numbers, you

follow the same steps as above, when you converted from binary into
hexadecimal. The only difference is that you group the numbers in groups of
3 digits NOT OF 4. At the end you transform the result, the decimal number,
into an octal. From 1-7 numbers remain the same. From 8 it starts in octal
system with the number 10 (so the result is going to be 8 = 10; 9 = 11; 10
= 12; etc.)

Convert the 8-bit binary number 00001100 into

the according negative number using the
signed magnitude representation!
00001100
=
10001100
What we do, we simply take the last left digit 0 (also called
Most Significant Bit) and change it to an 1. 0 represents an
positive number. 1 represents an negative number.

Convert the 8-bit binary number 00001100 into

the according negative number using the 1s
complement representation!
00001100
= 11110011
In 1s complement converting, we make the number negative by
the same change of the Most Significant Bit into 1 and invert all
the digits after. By this, the last 0, from the left side became 1,
and all the rest digits are simply the opposite of the digits shown
above.

 Convert the 8-bit binary number 00001100 into

the according negative number using the 2s
complement representation!
00001100

11110010

11110011
+1
11110010
In the 2s complement converting, we follow exactly the same
steps as in the 1s complement, but at the end we add 1. (to understand
better, for all other digits remaining, simply add 0. So in our case of 8 bits,
add seven zeroes and at the end an 1, maybe is easier to understand. So it
would be 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 + 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0)

Add the two binary numbers 0011 and 1010!

Express this addition also in decimal system!
0011
+1 0 1 0
1001

11
+10

or as negative
+(-10)

21

11
1

(carry 1)

Why we need floating point numbers?

To express large and small, positive and negative numbers.

What are the parts of a floating point number?

A significant and an exponent. (In the slides: from an underflow

value, an expressible one and an overflow value)

Of how many bit consist the IEEE format for

Single Precision floating point numbers and
Double Precision floating point numbers?
Single precision 32 Bits
Double precision 64 Bits

 What means normalized floating point number?

A representation of a number with a wide range but the same
time being very precise.

What means ASCII?

American Standard Code of Information Interchange (a characterencoding scheme).

How many bits are used for ASCII

representation and how many characters can
be expressed?
It uses a 7-bit binary integer, and can represent 128 characters.

What is the application field for UTF-8?

Most of the Worlds Writing Systems and World Wide Web.

Show the symbol and the truth table for a NOT

with 1 input!

Show the symbol and the truth table for a AND

with 2 inputs!

 Show the symbol and the truth table for a

NAND with 2 inputs!

Show the symbol and the truth table for a OR

with 2 inputs!

Show the symbol and the truth table for a NOR

with 2 inputs!

Show the symbol and the truth table for a XOR

with 2 inputs!

 Draw the truth table for a majority function

with 3 inputs!

Derive the circuitry from the truth table for a

majority function with 3 inputs and draw it!
M

Draw the circuitry for a four-input multiplexer!

 What is the typical application field for

multiplexers?
Multiplexers are mainly used to increase the amount of data that
can be sent over the network within a certain amount of time
and bandwidth.

Derive the truth table an draw the circuitry for

a 2-to-4 decoder!

What is the typical application field for

decoders?
Decoders are used to analyze data streams for a certain data
code and give an output if the data is present like an address to a
peripheral unit that needs service.

What is the typical application field for

comparators?
They are commonly used in devices that measure and digitize
analog signals, such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), as
well as relaxation oscillators.

Derive the truth table an draw the circuitry for

a half adder!

 Derive the truth table an draw the circuitry for

a full adder!

What are typical building blocks of an ALU?

What is a Latch?
A flip-flop or latch is a circuit that has two stable states and
can be used to store state information.

 What is a Flip-Flop?

A flip-flop is a bistable multivibrator.

What is the application field of Latches and

Flip-Flops?
Flip-flops and latches are used as data storage elements.

What are the advantages of asynchronous and

of synchronous busses?
Asynchronous Simple, doesnt require synchronization of both
communication sides.
Cheap, because Asynchronous transmission require
less hardware.
Set-up is faster, so well suited for applications
where messages are generated at irregular intervals.
Synchronous lower overhead and thus, greater throughput.

Why we do need bus arbitration?

A process by which the current bus master accesses the bus and
then leaves the control of bus and passes it to another busrequesting processor unit.

What is the BIOS and why do we need it?

BIOS Basic Input Output System

We need it to: - to initialize and test the system hardware

components
- to load a bootloader or an operating system
- to provide abstraction layer for the hardware

What is a operating system and why do we

need it?
Is a collection of software that manages computer hardware
resources and provides common services for computer programs.
We need it to run applications, because most programs require
an operating system to function.

 Name examples of operating systems!

Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, OSX, QNX, Microsoft Windows, Windows

Phone, and IBM z/OS.

What are the roles of operation systems?

Abstraction of hardware
Multitasking
Having standard interface
Security
Performance

What is the difference between Kernel and User

Space?
The user space, which is a set of locations where normal user
processes run. The role of the kernel is to manage applications
running in this space from messing with each other, and the
machine.
The kernel space, which is the location where the code of the
kernel is stored, and executes under.

What are System Calls and what are their

essential components?
System calls are how userspace programs interact with the
kernel.
Eseential components are arguments. (not suredont have an
clear answer)

What is Virtual Memory and why is it used?

Virtual memory is all about making use of address space.

We use it because: - its an abstraction between the address

space and physical memory.
- when an address is used, this address does
not refer to the bits in actual physical location of memory.
- operating system keeps track of virtual
addresses and how they are allocated to physical addresses in
the system memory chips.

What are Pages and Frames?

The page is the smallest unit of memory that the operating

system and
hardware can deal with.
A frame is a hunk of physical memory the same size as the
system page size.
Pages + Frames = Page Tables

What means Virtualization (hint: use a drawing)

and what are the advantages of this concept?
Hardware virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run
simultaneously on the same host hardware.

What is multitasking and how it is organized?

Multitasking is a method where multiple tasks, also known
as processes, are performed during the same period of time.
I works by scheduling which task is the one running and when
another task gets turn

What is a process and the parts of a process?

It is a bundle of elements kept by the kernel to keep track of all
these running tasks.
Parts: Memory, Code and Data, the Stack, Files descriptors,
Registers, Kernel State.

What is the difference between a process and a

thread?
Threads can only communicate with each other via other system
calls and they share the same memory. Also, separate processes
can not see each others memory.

 Which scheduling algorithm exists and how do

they work?
Co-operative scheduling: currently running process voluntarily
gives up
executing to allow another process to run.
Preemptive scheduling: process is interrupted to stop it and
allow another process to run. Each process gets a time slice to
run in; at the point of each context switch a timer will be reset
and will deliver and interrupt when the time slice is over.

What is an Interrupt?
Is a signal to the processor emitted by hardware or software
indicating an event that needs immediate attention.

What is a Shell?

Is the standard interface to handling processes on your system.

(the gateway to interacting with the operating system.)

Explain the file concept in UNIX for different I/O

devices!

The principal UNIX file system calls.

The principal UNIX directory-management calls