0% found this document useful (0 votes)
115 views113 pages

CS Revision Guide

Uploaded by

physicswithsheel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
115 views113 pages

CS Revision Guide

Uploaded by

physicswithsheel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 113
Se Tnslelales im Computer Science David Watson Helen Williams (> HODDER Cambridge (CGS) = Computer Science STUDY AND REVISION GUIDE David Watson Helen Williams (> HODDER ? EDUCATION Hachette UK pole is to une papers that ar mtu, renewable and rcplable pict ard mae from ‘woo grown in sustainable forests The logging and manulactrig process ate expected wo confor co the Snsironmentl replitons of he country oF rin (Onlers: plea contact Bookpoiat Lx, 130 Mion Park, Abingdoa, Ouon OX14 4SB.Telephooe: (44) 01235 827720. Fax: ($4) 01235 400854, Emil educatonBboakpoint co.uk Lines ae pen fom 9 am. 3 pom, Monday to Saturday, with 32-hour mesage snwering service. You ca lio one through oa trebtesbodderedaton som, ISBN: 9781471868089 {@ IGESE the regsccred trademark of Cambridge International Examinations, This text has nr been ‘rough he endorsement proce The questions, example answers, marks awarded and/or comments that appear in this book were wren by ‘oauthor In an examination, the way rks wold he sanded to answers ike Hse aye dren. ‘© David Wat and Helen Willams 2016 it publish in 2016 by Hosier Edvcation, An Fiche UK Company Camel Fosse S0 Vitoria Embankment London ECAY ODZ wooden om Impression umber 10.9 87 654321 Yer 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 All ight reserved. Apart from any wse peri wor UK copyright aw no pao this publication maybe ‘prodaced extant i ny fon ebay mea, ceseoic or mechan, inching phowocopving a ‘Rearing. ov bed whi dnytobation tong med reece stem, with pornition ft wang horn publisher oe under fence ftom the Copyige Licetsing Agency Led. Further deal of such ences (or Fpogranhic eprediction) may he obined from the Copyright Licensing Agency Lied, Saffron Tous, (60 Kirby Sewer London ECIN STS. Gover photo © Seana Forolia stations by pars Le. ‘Typeser by Aptars, tne Pant in nin A catalogue recor for thi ide value fom the Both Libary. Contents Section 1 Section 2 Introduction Theory of computer science 1 Binary systems and hexadecimal 2 Communication and internet technologies 3 Logic gates and logic circuits 4 Operating systems and computer architecture 5 Input and output devices 6 Memory and data storage and low-level languages 8 Security and ethics Practical problem-solving and programming 9 Problem-solving and design 10 Pscudocode and flowcharts 11 Programming concepts 12 Data structures: arrays and using pre-release material 13 Databases Answers Index 12 21 31 39 49 56 60 09 77 82 87 90 94 105 REVISED a6ed sup Ado2oioyd 0% e624 511 Introduction Welcome to the Cambridge IGCSE® Computer Science Study and Revision Guide. This book has been written to help you revise everything you need to know for your Computer Science examinations, alongside the Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science Student’s Book. Following the Computer Science syllabus, it covers all the key content along with sample questions and answers, key definitions, and practice exam questions. @ Common errors “Mistakes that students often make, and how to avoid them @ How to use this book Key objectives ‘A summary of the main information @ Key definitions ———+ Definitions of the key terms you need to know Examiner's tips Tips that give you advice to help you give the perfect answer Student's answer Model student answers to see how the question might be answered | j Examiners ‘comments Feedback roman ‘examiner showing what was good, and what could be Exam questions for you to try to see what you have learned © sample question Exam-style questions for you to think about Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Exam tips @ Exam tips Know what the examiners can ask you questions about. Find a copy of the IGCSE Computer Science syllabus that you have been studying and are going to be taking the exam for and use your revision guide and textbook. ‘The list of topics will make an excellent checklist for your revision. Ifyou find something that you don’t understand or haven’t made any notes about, find out about it. Anything that is mentioned in the syllabus could be used in an examination question. Read and understand examination questions, What are you being asked to do? 1 Read the question. 2 Understand the type of instruction you are being given: Complete, Describe, Draw, Explain, Give and State all require different actions. 3 Ifthe question makes use of a specific scenario then make sure that all your answers are relevant to that scenario. For example if the question is security measures for a bank's website then suggesting taking it offiine outside banking hours would not be appropriate! 4 Decide on the information required but remember that you are sitting an IGCSE examination and most answers will require more than just a single word. If you have finished your examination well before the time allotted, you may have fallen into this trap. 5 Always use correct technical terms and avoid the use of trade names, Write about using an operating system rather than using ‘Windows’ 6 Decide how much information is required. 7 Use the instructions e.g. Describe two benefits of using USB connections... 8 ...or look at the number of marks e.g. Write an algorithm to complete Task. 2, [5 marks]: at least five statements needed here Know your subject. ‘© Make sure that you understand computer science terms and that you can spell them correctly e.g. validation, phishing, pharming etc «© Learn the definitions and be able to provide examples to show your understanding. There are certain items which need learning so that you can apply them e.g. validation checks, types of translator. ‘© Don’t ignore items in the syllabus that you don’t understand or haven"t got notes on. Do some research and ask. «© Beware of cramming facts into your brain without understanding them or being able to apply them. You need to revise but try and make it interesting rather than just reading and re-reading your notes. Practise examination questions, watch any relevant YouTube videos, use interactive revision programs ete. © Don’t try to learn too much at the last minute. Use the best revision techniques that suit you. If you understand something you can remember it far better than if you don’t «© Finally, complete the programming tasks for paper 2 and be able to explain what you have done and why you have done it, {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 e Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 INTRODUCTION Remember what an exam paper is for. ‘The examiners are trying to test your knowledge and understanding of the subject and your analytical skills. ¢ Examiners rarely put unnecessary words in exam questions so make sure that you read all of the question carefully. © Make sure that you understand the work that you have done; if you only try to remember it then you will not be able to apply it. @ Mark allocations are there to help you to decide on how to use your time sensibly — so don’t spend half an hour on a two mark question, Help the examiner and yourself, © Get a good night’s sleep or take a decent lunch break before the exam! The most important thing that goes into the exam room is your brain and it doesn’t function well if you haven’t had enough rest. ‘Think of exam preparation in the same way as preparation for taking. part ina sporting event. ¢ Stay calm! Everyone gets nervous in some way so work out how best to relax yourself before you start writing, «© Read the whole paper through first. Thisis not a waste of time. It helps you to collect your thoughts and to get an idea of how long, you can spend on each ‘question. It also helps you to sort out which questions are on which topics. @ Read each question through completely before you start to answer it. This helps you to avoid problems like writing the answer needed for part b) in part a) ofa question. # Use clear English and good handwriting, If the examiner can’t read or understand your answer then no marks! © Don’t use correction fluid, cross out neatly any answers that you don’t ‘want to include and show the examiner where your answer is e.g, answer ‘on page 10. © Don’t cramp your answers ~ the better set out that they are the easier they are to mark. «© Read through your answers iF you have time when you have finished. You just might think of something else to add in that could make the difference ofa grade. © Answer all of the questions. There is no point in leaving blank spaces. You just might get something down that is correct! Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © cs compu ince Sindy and Reson Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Binary systems and hexadecimal Key objectives Cbjectves ofthis chapter are to revs binary systems fs of nay riers /¢memonsze measurement 1 hexadecimal sem @ Key definitions fi Denary system ‘Number system based on the number 10 Binary system ‘Number system based on the number 2 Hexadecimal system Number system based on the number 6. Used for memory dumps, HTML, MAC addresses, web addresses and assembly code/machine code @ Binary system Converting binary numbers to denary numbers. Example convert 011.01 10 1 to denary ie ip Wi Yah ees Tne oe we 8 4 2 1 olti1jolt|1lols rb ka Converting denary numbers to binary numbers Example Convert 1 47 t0 binary. ‘Method 1 Place I-values in the correct positions until it adds up to 147 me oe 6 8 4 7 1 ofofiia 10/0/14 Method 2 Su ive division by 2: > [ar 27 rede 2 6) remanaee 2 Fe rane 0 2 [so mando 2 a renare 2 2_| remainder: 0 ‘ead the remainder from bottom to 2 [1 rmanaero | pte te bay ron remain | oo 0 1 4 IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 2bed sign Adonoroyd 04 1269)! 5141 1 BINARY SYSTEMS AND HEXADECIMAL Measurement of memory size Name of memory size Number of bits qulvalent denary value | obyte (KB) 20 I 1024 bytes 1 megabyte (1M) THB 576 bytes 1 oigabyte (18) [ 1073741 824 bytes 1 terabyte (178) 1099511627776 oes 1 petty (18) "r2sa90906847624 bytes NOTE: 1024 * 1024 ~ 1048576 and so on, Binary registers A register isa group of bits. A robot vacuum cleaner has three wheels, A, B and C. A can turn through 360°; B and C are fixed but have an electrie motor attached: Whee f- wneoss ana c ‘ioed) (motor ates) An 8-bit register is used to control the movement of the robot vacuum cleaner: tid tela ‘off ‘off fackads backwards MotorR Motor Stmction —C drection on on rorwatds —Torwaras IFthe register contains 10 10 1 0 1 0 this means ‘motor Bis ON and motor Cis ON and both motors are turning to produce FORWARDS motion’ Effectively, the vacuum cleaner is moving forwards. @ Common error -s used in the number base systems leading to errors ‘¢ Incorrect position val during number conve @ Sample question 1a Convert the following binary numbers into denary numbers: @ Oo1l0111 (11100110 b Convert the following denary numbers into 8-bit binary numbers: (68 Ww 240 Student answer La (i) 324+16+4+2+1=55 b (i) ©8=01000100 (ii) 128 + 64+ 5244+2=250 (i) 240=11110000 Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 04 6215191 © cs compu ince Sindy and Reson Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Sample question Examiner's comments ‘Theabeve answers are correct, bub setting out the answers ike th ‘ince not all oFthe working is shown. Ie would be better to set out as follows showhng al A couldlead to errors jetta 12a 6s 0/0 ti “ew kag t]: [Mole] hil aoe we healt » e8 mem 6 8 4 2 1 o/i[olo/ol1lolo| 0) 240 aw we 8 4 8 1)1]1]1]0]o Jojo] @ Sample question 2a (i) Convert 4096 kilobytes (KB) to megabytes (MB), (ii) Convert 0.2 terabytes (TB) to gigabytes (GB). b A chemical process is controlled by a microprocessor. The process utilises two valves, A and B, to control the chemical addition. There is also a mixer and a heater which can be turned on or off as required An 8-bit register is used to show the condition of the two valves and. heater and mixer. A L-value means the condition is true; a O-value means the condition is false. valve ‘ome cod Maer valve A ‘ven () Whatis indicated by: 101001102 Vave 8 ‘open Heater (li) Give the register contents if valve A is open, valve B is closed, and the heater and mixer are both on. (lil) What would the following register contents indicate: 01010101? IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 1 BINARY SYSTEMS AND HEXADECIMAL Student answer 2a(i) 4MB (ii) 204.8 6B 6 (i). valve A is epen, valve B is open, the heater is off and the mixer is on (i) 10012010 (iii) everything is in the OFF mode Examiner's comments Wale both answers are correct, wouldbe better to show your werkng and set-your answer cout. flows a (). 4096/1024 =4MB (eince 1024KB=1MB) () 02% 1024 =204868 (since 102468 = 118) b () Because thereis.a 1-Mt:in positions one and three, this Indicates that these two ‘conditions (GOTH valves open) are true, Poaitions akc and seven ala have 1 bits Indicating that the heater i off and the mixer ison. Such detallisnot necessary, but It Ip ncluded here to explain to the reader how the answer fo the question was arrived at. (1) Valves open means that bit position one should contain a 1-biband valve Bis _losed, which means bit postion four aloo contains 1-bit. The heater ison, which means bit position five contains a 1-bit and the miner i on meaning bit position seven must contain 1-bit. he other four bit posttions wl contaln a O-bit. Tis gives: 1001101 O.Again thiolevel of detail isnot usually needed, but ic explain tothe reader how the &-it restr is made up. ‘Examiner's tips Not writing out the position values above each digit can lead to errors in the ‘alculation (see question 1). Its always @ good idea to show all your working in any question involving 3 ‘calculation; if an error fs made in the final calculation then all your marks will be lost; but if your working is shown, marks can often still be awarded for showing how you attempted to do the calculation. @ Hexadecimal system This is based on a 16-igit number system that uses the digits 0 to 9 and the letters A to F to represent each hexadecimal digit (A = 10, B= 11, C = 12, D = 13, E~ 14,and F ~ 15). Converting binary numbers to hexadecimal numbers Example 1 Convert 1100 0011 1010 tohexade Convert each group of 4 binary digits to a hex value: co3 A imal Example 2 Convert 11 1111 1011 0000 tohexadecimal. This time we don’t have groups of four binary digits (14 bits in total), Split up into groups of four from the right going left and fill in with 0s at the very end where necessary. This gives: OO11 1111 1011 0000 Now convert each group to its hex value: 3 °F BO Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © secs compu since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Hexadecimal system Converting hexadecimal numbers to binary numbers Example Convert A 9 EB tobinary. Convert each hex digit into a 4-bit binary group to give: 1010 1001 1110 Converting hexadecimal numbers to denary numbers. Example Convert 2 AF 4 Remember the hex values of 4096, 256, 16 and 1 which gives: (2 x 4096) + (10 x 256) + (15 x 16) + (4x 1) ile, 8192 + 2560 + 240+4-10996 Converting denary numbers into hexadecimal numbers Example Convert 7079 into hex. Method 1 Place hex values in the correct positions until it adds up to 7079: 4006 5616 rielalz ‘Method 2 Successive division by 16: 16 [70 16 [42_| remainder: 7 16 [27 remainder: 10¢) seth rom bottom to Hy ‘ read the remaner from bottom t0 top 16 [1 remainoer:11 6 | to get the hexadecimal number: 0 remainder 1 rea? Uses of the hexadecimal system hexadecimal system is used for: @ Memory dumps — when developing new software, this allows the contents of the memory to be seen by the writer, thus enabling errors to be detected; also used in diagnostics when a computer malfunctions; hex is used since it is easier to use than a long string of binary values. ¢ HTML — hypertext mark-up language which is used when writing and developing web pages; uses tags in the definitions, e.g, ¢ MAC address —a media access control address is used to uniquely identify a device on the internet (NIC card used to identify device); MAC addresses can be UAA or LAA. 1@ Web addresses — ASCII code (hex values) can be used to replace the URL e.g. M77W77%77KIEKOBKOFNOANOSN7 2628%634OEK2EN7 SOB can be used to replace: www hodder.co.uk. « Assembly code/machine code — using hex makes it easier, faster to write and less error-prone than writing the code in binary. IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 i i 1 BINARY SYSTEMS AND HEXADECIMAL @ Common error ‘Incorrect position values used in the number base systems can lead to errors during number conversion. @ Sample question 3 a Convert the following binary numbers into hexadecimal numbers: @ Li1ioeo1ololl (Gi) 101011111101010 b Convert the following hexadecimal numbers into binary numbers: () AL4A GD PIAS ¢ Convert the following hexadecimal numbers into denary numbers: () 4A2F (i) 2DF5 d Convert the following, denary numbers into hexadecimal numbers: () 6940 d15120 Student answer Sali) F2B c(i) 18991 i) STEA (i) 11765 b() 1010 000101001010 4(}) 1B1C (i) 11111002101012000 — (i) 3820 Examiner’s comments 2 While the bwo answers gwen are correct, you.are strongly advised to chow that the brary rumibers are fist spit irto groups of four bits alvin: 1111 0010 «1074 @o101 0111 1110 1010 ‘You should also explain the need to add the addtional in the first 4-bit patter, since only three bcs wore alven mivaly, By doing this, you wil ndicate you understand the process of conversion from binary to hex. bb Asimpart atte good lea to mention that each hex digits equivalent to four binary gts: o the fourhex digits in both parts wil create a 16-btv binary value giving the two answers shown above. Ite worth chowing the hex headings here and each of the stops. the conversion By doing ‘this, an examiner wil be able to see your thought processes and award marks even IF the final answer is noorrect: dives (4 x 4096) + (10x 256) + (2x 16)+ (151) = 162844 25604224 15=18991 Ged siyp Adooonoyd 0 625191 © cs compu since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Sample question ® aos 256 16 2[o[F|s gues (2x 4096)+(13x256)+(15x16)+(6x1) =8192 +2826 + 24045-11765 ‘Ac with parte a to cris adveable to show your working, We use Method 2 here 16 [ead 16 [423 | cemalnder: 12 16 | 27) remanaer: 1 6 1) remainder: 14 Read the remainder from bottom to top to get te hexadecimal number | remainder: 1 Soper ® 16 [5120 16 | 945 | remainder:0 6 See Read te emaner fom bot to top & 21) eran to get the hexadecimal umber 0) remainder: 3 posneted @ Sample question 4 Describe three applications of the hexadecimal system. Student answer 1 Memory dumps Since it is much easier to work with: BS A41A FC rather than: 10111001101001000001101011121100 hexadecimal is often used when developing new software or when trying to trace errors in programs. The contents of part of the computer memory can hold the key to help solve many problems. When the memory contents are output to a printer or monitor, this is known as a memory dump. A program developer can look at each of the hexadecimal codes and determine where the error lies. The value on the far left shows the memory location so that iti possible to find out exactly where in memory the fault eceurs. Thiris clearly much more manageable using hexadecimal rather than Using binary. Its a very powerful fault tracing tool, but requires considerable knowledge of computer architecture to be able to interpret the results. 2. HyperText Mark-up Language (HTML) HIMLis used when writing and developing web pages. HTML isn'ta programming language but is simply a mark-up language. A beater lewincete Gel te heeraceeriag deter at rerettetionct ‘text (for example, to specify the colour of the text). HTML uses «tags which are used to bracket a piece of code; for example, stdo starts @ standard cell in an ATML table, and «/td> ends it: Whatever is between the two tags has been defined. IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 i i Ged si4p Adooonoyd 04 6215141 1 BINARY SYSTEMS AND HEXADECIMAL 3 Media Access Control (MAC) address MAC address refers to.a number which uniquely identifies a device on the internet: The MAC address refers to the network interface card (NIC) which is part of the device. the MAC address is rarely changed s0 that a particular device can always be identified no matter where i AMMAC address is usvally made up of 48 bits which are shown as 6 groups of hexadecimal digits (although 64-bit addresses are also known): NN=NN=NN=DD=DD=DD or — NA:NN:NN:DD:DD:DD where the first half (NN — NN ~ NN) is the identity number of the manufacturer of the device and the second half (DD ~ DD ~ DD) is the serial number of the device. 4 Web addresses Each character used on a keyboard has what is known as an ASCII code (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). These codes can be represented using hexadecimal values or decimal valves. A good example of the use of ASCII codes is the representation of a web ‘edaress (or URL) such as: www.hodder.co.vk Which becomes (using hexadecimal values): TIT WTI DE Yl YF Yb YM U5 TL ULE lS hl ULE %75 OB www. hod der .co.uwk 5 Assembly code and machine code “The computer memory can be referred to directly using machine code or ‘assembly code. This can have many advantages to program developers or when carrying out troubleshooting. Using hexadecimal makes it much easier, faster and less error prone when writing code compared with binary. Using true machine code (which uses binary) is very cumbersome and it takes along time te key in the valves. Itis ‘also very easy to mis-type the digits ina 'sea of 1s and Os? Examiner's comments ‘The anewers given here are those you might expect from. top grade A student. To obtain a grade A for this question would net really be nacessary to go into this amount of depth, Only three uses need ta be described and bebween 6 and 9 marks would be allocated to the ‘question — the highor mark indicating that each use requires three afferent points to be made. So which three points i each use would gan the mavanu marks? Memory dumps: ‘letmarkpokrt: gvea short example of binary and hex and indicate Ibis easier Lo work inh 2rd markpolnt: indicate thata memory dump shows a part of the computer's memory only ‘Srdmark point: indicate that memory dumps are used by software developers ta locate errors or by aofbware engineers when the computer malfunctions or the system become corrupted HIM: “iat mark point: used for writing and developing web pagen, 2nd mark polrt: nota pragramening language, but a mark-up language. 2rd mark point: qve sone reference to the use of tags or use in colour of for 24 BFFOOFF MAC address: ‘st mark polnt: uniquely entifes a device on the network/intornt. 2ndmarkpolit: the MAC address refers to the interface card (NIC) fn the device. ‘Seed mark point: showthe MAC address format: NN-NN-NN-DD-DD-DD © cs compu since Sindy and Resin Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Exam-style questions Web addresses: ‘stmark point: webaddresces usually written as wwwhoddercak 2ndmarkpolnt: Ibiepossible toreplace each characterin the RLbyhec x Srdmarkpoint: vakies used are taken from the ASCII cade, ‘Assembly code/machine code: ‘etmark point: machine cade and assembly cade are used by software developers, 2namarkpoint: exis used to replace a string of binary values, Sr markpoint: sincehex io much chorver than binary, Is both quicker and less error prone when entering code. ‘Thesabove answers indicate how fis posable to gain maximum marks by simply pointing out some of the key features of each use, rather than the need to go Into long descriptions \which wor't gain addtional marke, Ths le something to bear inmind when Mnalicing your revision notes. Examiner's tips \When converting from binary to hexadecimal, split the binary into groups of 4 starting from the right and working lett; fil in with Os if necessary inthe last group. Conversely, use 4 binary bits to represent each hex digit when converting from hex tobinary. ‘Always use the hex position values (4096, 256, 16 and 1) to avoid errors in the Calculation when doing number base conversions. \When writing essay-type questions, remember to only pick out the key points in Your answer, itis often 2 good idea to briefly write your main points in pencil in the margin or on additional paper to ensure you miss nothing out. Exam-style questions 1a Convert the following binary number into a hexadecimal number: 110110001111110 [2 marks] b Convert the following hexadecimal number into a binary number: A4F [2 marks] Convert the following denary number into a hexadecimal number: 6000 (2 marks) 2. a A chemical process uses two pumps (A and 8), a cooler and a heater ‘0 control the conditions for the chemical reactions. The pumps can be either on or off and the cooler or heater can also be on or off. An 8-bit register is used to show the condition of all four components. A 1-value in the register indicates that the condition is true. [ | I | | 1 [ | | | [ | { I | Pump A Pumpe Cooke Heater ‘ot on on on Pump A Pump 8 cooker Heater (What conditions do the following register contents indicate? 01100110 [2 marks] {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ° Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 i i i i 1 BINARY SYSTEMS AND HEXADECIMAL o (ii) What would be the contents of the 8-bit register if the following conditions occurred? * pump Aison + pump Bison + cooler is on, and the heater is off (2 marks} (iil) What binary value could be shown in the 8-bit register to show an error condition? Explain your choice of value [2 marks} ‘A.computer is used to store photographs and videos. The average size of each photograph is 8MB and the average size of each video is 400MB, ()_ How much memory is needed to store 800 photographs and 80 videos? Give the answer in MB. (2 marks} (ii) What is the value from part bi) in gigabytes (GB)? [1 mark] Which computer terms are being described here? (a number which uniquely identifies a device on the internet (Ii) when the memory contents of computer are output to a printer or monitor {lli) a mark-up language used when writing and developing web pages Aiv) items such as wwrw.example.co.uk used to locate web pages [4 marks} MAC addresses can be UAA or LAA. Explain the difference between the two terms. [4 marks} Assystem stores messages as 4-bit binary codes. Each of the 4 bits represents a hexadecimal digit. Convert each of the following 4-bit codes and indicate which message was stored 1100 1010 wat 1110 1100 0001 1010 0000 [6 marks} To increase the number of letters that can be used, a 12-bit register is, to be used. In this new system A= 1,8=2,..., Y=25 andZ = 26. The five rightmost positions are used initially to represent the letter. The letter U (21st letter) would be stored as follows: IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Exam-style questions (W) Show how the letters L (12th letter) and W (23rd letter) would be stored in a 12-bit register: & w: (2 marks) (i) Which letter is represented here? [1 mark] o}ofo}ololojol1|1}o}ojo To improve security, the 5 bits on the right are shifted 1, 2, 3 or 4 places to the left and can then occupy up to 9 bits in total: posse expansion cigs To indicate how many bits the letter was shifted, the leftmost three bits can contain the value 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4. Thus if the letter U had been shifted FOUR places to the left, the register would now contain the following: 1fofolr}ofafolr{olojolo oss epandion rains (@) Shift your contents for letter W in part b(i) THREE places LEFT. Show the contents of the register after this operation has been done: (2 marks} (li) Which letters of the alphabet are represented in the following two 12-bit registers following shift operations to the left? [4 marks] o}1frfolojaji}i}ifolojo 1}ojol1l}ofo}r}1{ojojolo 4. (1) Using the following 8-bit register, explain what happens to the stored value if the register contents are shifted THREE places to the LEFT: [2 marks] o}ofolojrfajria Using the following 8-bit register, explain what happens to the stored value if the register contents are shifted THREE places to the RIGHT: (2 marks) o}rfol}1{rjo}olo i i i & g {CSE Camper Sien Sindy and Revion Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 o Communication and internet technologies Key objectives Objectives ofthis captor ae to revise pty check simplex, half-duplex and ful-duplex sea Toeer mes Oe 1 sor and paral deta transmission Sw Susan comin OES ) @ Key definitions Term Definition: simplex Data transmission in one direction only ransmission in two directions but not at the sami ransmission in two directions at the same time Serial transmission Data is sent one bit ata time over a single wire or channel Parallel transmission Several bts of data are sent down several wires or channels at the same time (e.g. 1 byte of data sent down 8 wirevchannels) Asynchronous transmission _Data being transmitted in an agreed bit pattern Synchronous transmission by an internal clock @ Data transmission Simplex, half-duplex and full-duplex Simplex — data transmission in one direction only. Half-duplex — daca transmission in two ns but not at the same time. Full-duplex — data transmission in two directions at the same time Serial and parallel data transmission Serial — data is sent one bit at a time over a single wire or channel Parallel — several bits of data are sent down several wires or channels at the same time (e.g. | byte of data sent down 8 wires/channels), Asynchronous and synchronous data transmission Asynchronous - this refers to data being transmitted in an agreed bit pattern; data, is grouped together and sent with control bits known as the start bitand stop bit. Synchronous ~ this is a continuous stream of data which is accompanied by timing signals generated by an internal clock; the timing signals ensure the inder and receiver are synchronised with each other to ensure the bits are reassembled into the correct bit patterns at the receiving end. Universal Serial Bus (USB) USB is an asynchronous serial data transmission method which has become an industry standard, When a device is plugged into a computer using one of the USB ports: '# the device is automatically detected ‘© a known device is automatically recognised and a device driver is loaded « if new device is plugged in, the computer looks for the correct device driver or the user will be prompted to download the driver. Ged siyp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © sccs-compue ince Sindy and Resin Guide © Daid Was ad Helen Wil Sample question @ Common errors Students often confuse half-duplex and full-duplex data transmission, © Reference to cables rather than wires or channels is a very common error when referring to data transmission. @ Sample question 1a Name the direction and method of data transmission being described below: (0) data sent in one direction only, one bit at a time, along.a single wire (WD bytes of data being sent in two directions at the same time using eight channels, b Indicate which of the following are features of serial data transmission or parallel data transmission (put a tick (1) in the appropriate column): Feature ‘Serial Parallel ‘astr data raemisson of the twa methods ses one we of channel oan data works wel over ong distances ‘over ong distances, bit pattern can be skewed USB an example of ts use Works Best over short atances Student answer 1. (i) simplex, serial (ii) full-duplex, parallel [Feature Serial Parallel {aster la raramison of the two methods Z ses one wire or channel o transit data ¢ works wellover long stances Z ‘ove ong distances, it patter cn be skewed “ Us# isan ample ofits us 7 ‘works est overshot distances iz Examiner's comments a The above answers are correct: but I Is necessary to analyse the sentences carefully to pick out the two parts of the data tranemisslon data sent:in one direction only ~ this s simplex one bit at a time along a single wire ~ thie le verial data boing sent: in two directions at the same time — this is full duplex bytes of data ... using eight channels ~ thie te parallel b Questions where boxes need to be ticked should be treated with caution to avold sily errors, Read each etatement carefully and decide which category it falls into — itis unkely any patter of correct antwers will emerge. Alvays remember to place only one tick foreach anower unleoe told to do otherwise ~ if two ticks are given in any ofthe above rows, no marke would be awarded for that ro IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 2bed sign Adonoroyd 04 1269)! 5141 2 COMMUNICATION AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES @ Sample question 2 Describe the differences between asynchronousand synchronous data transmission. Student answer Asynchronous data transmirsion refers to data being transmitted in an agreed bit pattern. Data bits (Is and 05) are grouped together and sent with control bits: PP Pl conval bt conto bit ‘This means that the receiver of the data knows when the data starts and when it stops. “This prevents data becoming mixed up; without these control bits, it would be impossible to separate groups of data as they arrived, Synchronous data transmission is a continuous stream of data (unlike ‘asynchronous data which is sent in diserete groups). The data is accompanied by timing signals generated by an internal clock. This ensures that the sender and receiver are synchronised with each other. ‘The receiver counts how many bits (ts and 0s) were sent and then reassembles ‘them into bytes of data. The timing must be very accurate here since no control bits are sent in this type of data transmission. However, itis a faster data transfer method than asynchronous and is therefore used where this is an fepaton eine aor bia eormcies oe Examiner's comments “The ancwor gan fora top grade A student. o gain full marks doesnt realy require this depth of answer Ifthe question caried 4 or 5 marks then only 40r 5 ofthe key pals need tobe mentioned ‘Asynchronous: “ist: mention the use of contra bits, 2nd: give possitde dlagram (as shown above) orindcate where a start and stop bt would be situated Bnd ge some description such as control bits prevent data boing mike up by “sandching the aquired data Synchronous: st: thisisacontimous stream of data 2nd use of timing signals generated by an internal clock. Zr ensures sender and eceWver are synchronised 4th: receher counts numberof bits and reascembles thom into bytee of data, “our answer should contain 4-or5 of the above plata Examiner's tips Always remember to analyse statements carofullyto make sure you understand ‘which key points are being asked in the question. ‘When writing essay-type questions, remember to pick out only the Key points in {yur answer; fi often a good idea to bretly write your main points in penal in the margin or on additional paper to ensure you miss nothing out. Ged si4p Adooonoyd 0 625191 © vcs-compuer ince Sndyand Reson Guide © David Wason ad Helen Wil Sample question @ Error checking of data following data transmission Parity checks « Parity checks can be even (even number of I-bits) or add (odd number of L-bits); one of the bits is known as the parity bit. « Parity blocks allow an erroneous bit (following data transmission) to be identified. # IF the parity ofa byte of data hasn’t changed (bur there is stil an error following transmission), then it is impossible using this method to identify Where the error has occurred. «Alternative methods need to be mployed. Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) ‘© ARQ uses an acknowledgement to indicate data received correctly. «A timeout is used which i the time allowed to elapse before an acknowledgement is received. Checksum © Data is sent in blocks. © An additional value, called the checksum, is sent at the end of the block of data © The checksum is based on the number of bytes in the block. @ Ifthe checksum at the receiver's end doesn’t match the che end of the data block, then an error in transmission has o Echo check Data is returned to the sender. © The sender compares the data sent with the data received back. ¢ Ifdifferent, then an error has occurred somewhere in the process. @ The problem could be that the data was actually sent correctly, but it was during the process of sending the data back to the sender that the error d @ Common errors «Students often confuse odd parity with odd numbers, eg. 01100101 is an ODD number but actually has even parity. © Students often confiuse ARQ and echo check ~ carefully check the key differences above. @ Sample question 3 a What type of parity have the following bina (0 10001101 di) 11100011 b Explain why parity checking is done. numbers? IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 i ¥ i z Ged siyp Adoooroyd 0 e652) 5191 2 COMMUNICATION AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES Student answer 3a (i) even parity (ii) odd parity b To detect errors following data transmission or the copying of data from ‘one medium to another. Examiner's comments Inpart a, tis important to indicate that Ile the of the byte af data Inpart b.thekey partof the answor fs that: after the copying of data operation imber of 1-Wibethat determine the parity kis done after the data transmiscion or @ Sample question 4 Apart from using parity checks, describe three other methods for checking errors following data transmissio Student answer Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) is another method used to check whether data has been correctly transmitted. Truses an acknowledgement (a message sent by the receiver indicating that data has been received correctly) and timeout (this is the time allowed to elapse before an acknowledgements received) Tan acknowledgement isn't sent back to the sender before timeout occurs, then the message is automatically re-sent: Checksum is another way to check if data has been changed or corrupted following data transmission. Data is sent in blacks and an additional valve, the checksum, is also sent at the end of the block of data. To explain how this works, itis assumed the checksum of a block of data is 1 byte in length. This gives a maximum value of 28 ~12 (i.e-255). The value 0000 0000 is ignored in this caleulation. When. block of data is about to be transmitted, the checksum for the bytes is first of all calculated. This valve is then transmitted with the block of data. At the receiving end, the checksum is re-caleulated from the block of data received. This calevlated value is then compared with the checksum ‘transmitted. If they are the same value, then the data was transmitted without any errors, if the values are different, then a request is sent for the data to be revtransmitted. With echo check, when data is sent to another device, this data is sent back again to the sender. The sender compares the two sets of data to checkif any errors oceurred during the transmission process. ‘This isn'ta very reliable method. If the two sets of dato are different, itisn't known whether the error occurred when sending the data in the frst place, or if the error oceurred when sending the data back for checking! However, if no errors occurred then itis another way to check that the data was transmitted correctly © scse-compuer ince Sindy and Reso Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Internet technologies Examiner's comments ‘Theanewor given isfora top grade A student To gain fll marks doese't realy require this depth of answer. IF the question cared 8 marks, then only 9 key points need tobe motioned ARG: ‘et mark point: uses an acknowledgement: when message received. 2namarkpolnt: use ofthe timeout function; the time alowed to elapse before an acknowledgement is recelved Sr markpolnt: acknowledgement not received inthe allowed time, meseage is automaticaly re-sent. Checksum: ‘etmarkpoint: dataissentin blocks 2ndmarepoint: checksum|s sort: tend of data block Bra markpoiet: checkeumre-calculated at recelving end and if te doesnt match checksum ‘Serr thon an eror has occurred. Echo chedk: ‘et mark point: mecsago/data sent back to condor 2namarkpolnt: sender compares original message/data with that sent-to them from Sra markpolnt: ifthe bwo messages/data not the same, error message ts generated and ‘the meosage/dataiore-sent, Examiner's tips Always remember to analyse statements carefully to make sure you understand Which key points are being asked in the question, ‘When writing essay-type questions, remember to only pick out the key points in your answer, itis often a good idea to briefly write your main points in pencil in the margin or on additional paper to ensure you miss nothing out. @ Internet technologies Internet Service Provider (ISP) An ISP is a company that provides the user with access to the intemet; they usually charge a monthly fee. The ISP gives the user an account and email address, Internet Protocol (IP) address Fach device is given an IP addeess as soon as it connects to the internet. The IP adress will be different each time the device connects Media Access Control (MAC) address A MAC address uniquely identifies a device connected to the internet. ‘The MAC address doesn’t usually change (but refer to UAA and LAA), HTML structure and presentation Structure: this is an essential part of HTML documents; it includes semantics and structural mark-up of the documents. Presentation: this is the style of the document — how the document will appear on a user’s computer screen Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) A set of rules that must be obeyed when transferring files across the internet. IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 2 COMMUNICATION AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES Web browser Software which allows a user to display a web page on the computer screen; this software interprets/translates the HTML from the website and shows the result. @ Common errors ‘¢ IP address and ISP are offen confused by students ~ make sure you know the difference. ‘© Students often confuse MAC address with IP address. @ Sample question 5 a What is meant by a URL? b Consider: http://www.hachette.co.uk/igese_books (i) Which part of this address is the protocol? (ii) Which part of this address is the web server name? (ii) Which part of this address is the file name? Student answer 5 @ Uniform resource locator b (i) atte) (i) wmvehachette.couok figese_books Examiner's comments Inpart.a there tenoneed to gve a description since the meaning of the ferm URL is all that is require. Pare bs fairly straightforward but students need to be careful nt tance wrong parts of ‘the address in each of che three answers. part), nkyp//wwwhachetteca.uk would be @ Sample question 6 Explain the difference between an IP address and a MAC address, Student answer An IP address will change each time a device connects to the internet; the address is unique. AMAC address ely identifies a device connected to the internet Examiner's comments cia necessary tobe relly careful hereto distinguish betwcon these twa internet term. Ils importart-to stress that the IF address changes each time a device connects ta the Invern. Iemay be worth mentioning that Its the NIC nthe device that is von the MAC direc in the format: NN-NN-NN-DD-DD-DO. Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 6215191 © vcs compu since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Exam-style questions Examiner's tips Itis important to learn these definitions and be aware of the fact that itis easy to confuse many of the terms since they either have a similar name or their functions appear to be very similar Exam-style questions 1. a Describe three things that will happen when a printer is plugged into a computer via one of the USB ports. [3 marks) b What type of data transmission is used when connecting a device via a USB port? [2 marks] ¢ Explain the difference between asynchronous and synchronous data transmission. [3 marks] 2 Eleven bytes of data are transmitted to another computer. Both sender and receiver use even parity checks. A twelfth byte, known as the parity byte, is also sent at the end of this string of data The following table shows the received bytes: Tpartybit [itz nits ita brs bts bit [ons byte 1 0 0 o bytez o id bytes 2 ° bytes a tt bytes 1 Po bytes fo byte? i | bytes io byte 10 fo F 7 ° 0 ° 0 o 0 f 0 t 7 ° 1 ° 7 7 0 T ° 0 0 7 T T T t 0 0 0 0 o t 0 bytes 0 0 1 1 7 pyiett 0 0 o 1 a 1 1 @ 1 1 a (party byte [1 ° Ip ° [p [o a. One of the bits has been incorrectly transmitted. Indicate using the bit number and byte number which bit has been incorrectly transmitted. (2 marks} b Explain how you located the incorrect bit value. [3 marks} © Write down the corrected byte value. {1 mark] Describe two examples of errors, following data transmission, ‘that parity checks would not correctly identify (4 marks} Name three othar methods that could be used to identify errors following data transmission. (3 marks} IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 2 COMMUNICATION AND INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES 3 Which four internet terms are being described here? [4 marks] Description Term ‘set of rules that must be obsyed when transfering fies or data actos the internet 1 gen ba device when I connects othe intemet the ld changes each te the device connects ‘onary that prowdes the wer with acces to the nite fora monthly subscription id whic uniquely Kets a device connected to the internet ths rarely changes 4 A student made the following five statements, Explain why each is incorrect. a "When data is transmitted in both directions but not at the same time, using one wire, itis known as parallel simplex data transmission.” ‘Asynchronous data transmission is a continuous stream of data which Uses timing signals to ensute data is received correctly. < ‘When a device is plugged into a computer’ USB port, the user is always prompted to load the appropriate device driver” d_ ‘ARQ returns data to the sender; the sender compares the sent data and the received data to see if they match.’ ‘binary number that ends in a 1, e.g. 11001011, is always odd parity.” [10 marks} Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © secs compu iene Sindy and Revision Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Logic gates and logic circuits Key objectives (Objectives of ts chapter are to es: 1 ogiccrcuts lege tatrents olan algebra) NOT, AND, OR, NARD, NOR, KOR log gt eps OR lak gates © simplest of ogi creuts ) @ Key definitions Term Definition Logic gates —_Loaic gates take in binary inputs and produce a binary output Logic circuits Logic circuits are made up of several logic gates and are designed to carry out a specific function Tuth tables Truth tables check the outout ofa logic cut @ Logic gates NOT gate re + x Description: Truth table: How to write th “The output, X, is Lif Inpat [Output | X= NOTA (logic notation) the input, A, is 0 (Boolean algebra) AND gate Truth table: How to write this: ‘The output, X, is 1 if Inputs Output ‘A_AND B (logic notation) both inputs, A and B, are 1 A 8 x X=ab (Boolean algebra) 0 a 0 a 1 a 1 a 0 1 1 1 OR gate A —- Description: uth table How to write this: 3 The i ad Ca AOR B (logic notation) The output, X, is 1 if puts ouout either input, A or B, is 1 B 3 x a+b (Boolean algebra) 5 a a a g a 1 1 z [et z {GCSE Compute Siene Sy and Revion Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 °o 3 LOGIC GATES AND LOGIC CIRCUITS NAND gate [> i | Description: ‘The output, X, is 1 if. input A AND input B are NOT both 1 NOR gate Description: ‘The output, X, is 1 if neither input A nor input Bis XOR gate A x - Description: he output, X, is 1 (input Ais | AND input Bis0) OR (input A is 0 AND input Bis 1) @ Common erro 6 logic gates; ‘* Do not confuse the following: Truth table: Inputs Qutbut a e|x 0 oi ° 1 1 o 1 i 1 [o Truth table: inputs rs ‘¢ Many marks are lost by not being very clear with the symbol for each of the coy Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 625191 © secs compu ince Sindy and Resin Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil with: ‘They do not produce the same result! How to write this: X=A NAND B B How to write this: X=A NOR B ab How to write this: X=A XOR B X=(a-B)+(.0) (logic notation) (Boolean algebra) (logic notation) Boolean algebra) (logic notation) Boolean algebra) NOTE: this is sometimes written as; (a+b). @-d) is often worth writing the gate’s name inside the symbol if art is not one of your strong points. L- Sample question @ Sample question re being described here: 1 Which logic gates aatb bab (a.B)+(@.b) Student answer 1 ORgote b AND gate ¢ XOR gate Examiner's comments ‘Youned to remember that the" symbol represents AND, the'y’ symbol represents OR and 7 represents NOT. The only compound logic gate statement is for the YOR gate, which makes it acy to spo. @ Sample question 2 Show why (a .B) + (@.b) and (a+ b) , (2b) both represent an XOR gate Student answer Use of a truth table: Inputs a> Bh Gb) B+ G.b) ah) @+b).@8) o 0 ° ° ° 1 ° ot oo 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 4 ° 1 1 1 1 toto ° ° 1 o ° Columns 5 and 8 are the same which proves that the two expressions are the same and the output values correspond with an XOR gate. Examiner's comments When trying to prove that two loge statements or logic citoults represent the same syst, ive always best to use a truth table and compare the-bwo outputs. they are the same, thon this proves both exprescions are the same, Tels advisable to spit up the exprescions into smaller parts (as shown above) to avod errors and make the tank considerably eapier. Examiner's tips Using Boolean algebra Is much easier than trying to write the logic statoment in another format such as: (NOT A AND B) OR (B OR ©). ‘When trying to prove two logic expressions or logic circuits carry out the same task, ‘make use of truth tables to make the task much easier; the truth table can also help if you are asked to simplify an expression or circuit. {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ° Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 3 LOGIC GATES AND LOGIC CIRCUITS @ Logic circuits Truth tables Producing the truth table for: A e \ > inputs Wirking ‘Output ey e | ae x o @ a 3 [o o ° ° ih ° it 1 ° 1 0 ° a ° ° a 1 ° [0 ° 1 ° 0 ° a ° 1 ° 1 ° i Hi 1 1 0 1 a 1 t a 7 io t (Values for d and e are intermediate values to help simplify the solution.) Logic statements Producing the logic statement for 2 _ —) > aan X= (A OR NOT B) OR (B AND NOT ©) or using Boolean algebra: (a+b) +(b.<) Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © vcs Compaen Sindy and Resin Guide © Dad Wason ad Helen Will Sample question Logic circuits Producing the logi (NOT P AND NOT Q) AND R) OR (NOT QORR) Boolean expression: ((P.@) -) + (@ +r) [5 res “DP @ Common errors © Many marks are lost by not being very clear with the symbol for each of the 6 logic gates, itis often worth writing the gate’s name inside the symbol if artis not one of your strong points « Rather than writing NOT A, students often lose marks by writing A = 0; logic expressions are based on the value 1 and NOT A must be used rather than @ Sample question 3. Draw the logic circuit for the Following logic statement: (L.M+T).(M4N) b Complete the truth table for the above logie statement. Student answer be = Ged syn Adonoroud 0} 1269 {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 o Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 3 LOGIC GATES AND LOGIC CIRCUITS b Inputs ‘Working | ‘Output L ” N a iD « x CC oo fo ee ee ee of et tee CC i hh hr hr hr rr Examiner's comments “The student has correctly labelled the Intermediate stages as a, band c and these vahios have been shown n the three'workng columns'in the truth table When producing the lag crus much easier to pl into four stages: © L.M (Jam ana M with an AND gat) Token joins on to the above using an OR gata (9 M+ (jolt MandN with an OR gate) ‘© expressions 1 and 2 then ink into the til expression with an AND gate @ Sample question oo D> Inputs Working ‘output | x Saya=TaSy Sea 8 0 0 a 1 0 ° 1 1 b Redraw the above logic circuit using AND and OR gates only. © secs compu since Sindy and Revision Guide © Dosis Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Sample question Student answer Examiner's comments Inparta, the atudent hae correctly labelled the intermediate stages 2s def g hand ‘These values have been shown inthe sh working columns’ nthe truth table, Whilst ths looks. lke a lo of extra work It does reduce the posatlity of errors but iealso makestt easier vo backorackin case oFany mistakes made. In'part the ctudentchas correctly recagnised which group of NAND gates make up an AND ‘att and which group of NAND gates make up an OR gate: Repeating group 2 Repeating group 1 >= sameas an ‘OR ate aa SP sae san Bone [> |P the above NAND 'blldng blacks had not been recognised, then applying a truth tableto ‘each repeating group could be used to find the appropriate single logic gate pute Ropeatng roup Repeating rope x z | 1 outpur 2 ostput o ° ° 1 o o o 1 LB 7 ‘This chows repeating group 1 tobe an OR gate and repeating group 2 to be an AND gate, which then allows you to redraw the logic circu with AND and OR gates only E Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Examiner's tips ‘When completing truth tables from logic drcults always break up the logic clreuft Into smaller, more manageable steps. Its worth remembering ‘the ‘bullding blocks’ used by logic circurt designers since this can save a lot of time when answering questions such as that shown in part b, 2bed sign Adonoroyd 04 269)! 5141 3 LOGIC GATES AND LOGIC CIRCUITS Exam-style questions 1. a Write the logic statement which represents the following logic circuit. [3 marks} [)-« —4—D b Complete the truth table for the above system. [4 marks] Inputs Working output ¢ By checking the truth table, or otherwise, show how the bottom half of the logic circuit in part a could be reduced to two gates only. Explain all your reasoning, (3 marks} Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © ccs compu ince Sndyand Resin Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Exam-style questions 2 a Complete the truth table for the following logic circuit [2 marks] <> i}>o— —_f Inputs working ouput a ® x ° 0 ° 1 I 1 ‘ 1 1 b_ Which single logic gate can replace the entire logic circuit shown in part a? [1 mark] © (@) Which logic gate is often used as the building block for more complex logic circuits? [1 marie (i) Why do companies use ‘off-the-shelt” logic units to build more complex logic circuits? [2 marks} 3a Draw the logic circuit which is represented by the following logic statement. (P.4).p+q + 1) {6 marks} b (Draw the logic drcult for: X=(A AND B) OR ((B OR C) AND(B AND ©) {5 marks} (ii) Complete the truth table for this logic circuit. [4 marks] Inputs Working Output A e c x ° a ° ° a 1 ° 1 ° ° 1 1 1 a ° 1 a 1 1 1 ° 1 1 1 {i) Look at the logic circuit you drew in part b(i) very carefully. Also look at the truth table you completed in part bii). é Now produce a simplified logic circuit which does the same & task as the one you drew in part bi). (3 marks} z (iv) Prove that the logic circuits drawn in parts b(i) and bill) g are the same. [2 marks] & & z {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ° Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 3 LOGIC GATES AND LOGIC CIRCUITS 4A chemical process is monitored by a logic circuit. There are three inputs to the logic circuit which represent key parameters in the chemical process. Analatm, X, will give a value of 1 depending on certain conditions. ‘The following table summarises these conditions, ameter description Parameter Description of concition temperature pI ° temperature >= 140°C 1 “temperature < 140° sme speed u ° | ive speed >= 500%pm 1 iver speed < 500rpm cy a ° xity>= 6 moles 1 | scity <6 rates Analarm, X, will generate the value 1 if: either: temperature >= 140°C and mixer speed < 5001pm of: temperature < 140°C and acidity >= 6 moles or: mixer speed >= 500rpm and acidity < 6 moles ‘a Write the logic statement to represent the alarm, X, above. [3 marks} b_ Draw the logic circuit to represent the above monitoring system. [7 marks} © Complete the truth table for the above system. [4 marks] r Inputs r Working Output T ™ A x (0 ° ‘0 ° ° 1 o 1 ° ° 1 1 a o a ° 1 1 1 1 1 © cs compu Since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Operating systems and computer architecture ‘computer architecture (Von Neumann concept) Key objectives eta riteereee et ee opera stems oe eo © the ecrerecute le @ Key definitions Term Definition Operating system The software running in the Background ofa computer system. Kf manages many of Interrupt Buffer the basic functions ‘An interrupt i a signal sent from a device (ar from some software) to the processor ‘A buffer is a temporary memory area in a device Computer architecture How a computer system is designed Buses Buses move data around the computer and also send out control signals to| synchronise the internal operations “Register High-speed storage areas within the computer ‘Memory unit Made up of addresses and contents Control unit Controls the operation of the memory, processor and input/output devices @ Ope rating systems, interrupts and buffers Operating systems “The basic operations tasks caried out by an operating.system include © human-computer interface (HCI) © multi-tasking © multiprogramming @ batch processing error handling/reporting @ load/run applications ‘© management of user accounts « file urilities (such as save, copy, delete) @ processor management © memory m: # real-time pr « interrupt h: # security (e yanagement rocessing, wandling, ig. log on, passwords, username, ete.) ¢ input/output control. Some houschold devices, such as ovens or washing machines, do not require an operating. system. This is because they carry out simple, unch: sing, tasks which are initiated by the user pressing a button or selecting from a touch sereen, IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 2bed sign Adonoroyd 04 1269)! 5141 4 OPERATING SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE Interrupts and buffers An interrupt is a signal sent from a device (or from some software) to the processor requesting its attention. The interrupt will cause the processor to temporarily stop what it is doing to service the interrupt. Examples include: paper jam in a printer, pressing keys on a keyboard or software trying to divide by zero. A buffer is a temporary memory area in a device. It is often used to compensate for the slower operating speed of peripherals when compared to a processor. Buffers allow a processor to carry on with other tasks whilst, for example, a print job is being carried out in the background. They are also used when streaming music or videos from the internet to ensure that playback doesn’t keep pausing waiting for the data transfer/download to take place. @ Common errors ‘© Students often claim that a message or data (rather than a signal) is sent to. processor as a definition of an interrupt; such answers always lose marks. (¢ Many students think that tis only hardware that can send interrupts, in fact, software interrupts are far more common (these can cither be faults in the software itself or errors found during running, €.g. a missing .cxe file). @ Sample question 1a Name two devices that do not need an operating system. b Exphin why an operating system is not required. Student answer 1.9 Washing machine and a fridge/freezer b They carry out single tasks that do not vary. Inputisa press of a button or an option from a touch screen. ‘This activates a simple hardware function which doesn’t need (en OS to control it Examiner's comments Inparta, mary houscheld devices with amcroprocecsor could be chosen, such as microwave oven, dishwasher, taster, and soon. Inpart tbs probably only nscescary to make bwovald pots to gain the full marks. Hr would beacceptable to explain why an operating sytem ie used ac an alternative way of anowertng ‘the question @ Sample question 2 Explain the role of buffers and interrupts when a document is sent to a printer to be printed out Ged siyp Adooonoyd 0 625141 © scse-compue ince Sndyand Reson Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Computer architecture Student answer + Aninterruptis a signal sent in this case, from the printer to the processor. + The interrupt could be a request for more data or an error report (e.g. out of paper or out of ink). + Once serviced, the processor can carry on with other tasks that were temporarily suspended. + The (printer) buffer is a temporary memory area. + Dota is sent to the (printer) buffer waiting to be printed / waiting to be sent ‘tothe printer. + Once the bufferis emptied of data, an interrupt ir sent requesting more data tobe sent: + Buffers allow the processor to carry on with other tasks whilst printing takes place in the background ... + seethis means the processor is not held up by the relatively slow printing process. Examiner's comments Questions of ths type probably cary a maxdmum of 3 or 4 marks, This means you only need tocover the key marking poi: @ rolecfaninterrupt: used torequent more data orc @ role of abutfor used to temporarily hold printing data (how an interrupt is usedsignal sent to procensor requesting attention how abutforisused —stores-data until needed: allows micropracescor-to do ‘ther tacks, eve. Examiner's tips ‘When iting essay-type questions, remember to pick out the main points; itis ‘often a good idea to note down key points (in the margin or on one of the blank sheets) to ensure you don’t miss any of these points in your final answer. @ Computer architecture Von Neumann architecture This concept holds programs and data in memory. Data moves between the memory unit and the processor. A number of different diagrams exist to show the links and flow of data between the processor (control unit), memory unit and input/output devices. Buses Buses move data around the computer and also send out control signals to synchronise the internal operations. There are three different buses used: # Address bus: this carries signals relating to addresses between the processor and memory; itis uni-directional ‘© Data bus: this sends data between the processor, memory unit and the input/output devices; it is bi-directional © Control bus: signals relating, to control and coordination of all activities within the computer; it can be uni-directional or bi-directional due to internal connections. {GCSE Camper Sien Sindy and Revion Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ° Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 4 OPERATING SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE Registers These are high-speed storage areas within the computer; all data must be represented in a register before it can be processed. ‘There are five different registers in this type of architecture: ‘© Memory Address Register (MAR) ‘© Memory Data Register (MDR) © Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) ‘© Program Counter (PC) ‘© Current Instruction Register (CIR), Memory unit This is made up of addresses and contents. Each address will uniquely identify every location within the memory map. Control unit This controls the operation of the memory, processor and input/output devices; the control unit reads instructions, interprets them and sends out signals along the control bus to synchronise all computer components, @ Common errors ‘¢ Students often confuse the role ofthe MAR and MDR in, for example, the READ and WRITE operation from/to the memory unit. ‘@ Many students suggest that the ALU can ‘make decisions’; this is not the case — the ALU allows arithmetic and logical operations to be carried out and makes no decisions on what happens following these operations @ Sample question 3 a The location in a memory unit contains the address 1 10 110.00 and the contents 00011000. Describe a READ operation on location 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 indicating the role of the MAR, MDR and buses. b ifthe value 1 110.11 1 0 is to be stored in location 11110111, describe the WRITE operation indicating the role of the MAR, MDR, and buses. Student answer 3 a MARwill contain21021000 MR will contain 00011000 A read signal ir sentto the computer memory along the control bus. b MARwill contain21110112 MDR will contain21101110 A write signal is sent to the computer memory along the control bus. Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © cs compu ince Sndyand Resin Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Fetch-execute cycle Examiner's comments While the student has answered the question correctly in bath part, bs often a good idea ‘to show a memory map to ald br the description 8.55 Contant ToT 000 | “Boor ToT ToT TOTS, ‘Thiswilholp greatly in the description of the READ and WRITE operation. The location contains the address and contents: ts important: to dlotinguish between locaton and adress. @ Sample question 4 Describe the role of buses and addresses in the von Neumann architecture Student answer Buses move data (the data bus) around the computer and also send signals. (address bus and control bus) to synchronise all operations. Buses can be uni directional or bi-directional. ‘An address is part of a memory location that uniquely describes where data can be found in the memory map. Examiner's comments Whilst the incision of a dlagram to help expan the rol of buses would be useful. t wouldn't really help in a question asking for a straightforward description of the two terms. Ibis very important: nat to confuse registers with addresses. Examiner's tips ‘A basic understanding of how to draw a diagram linking together all the ‘components in the von Neumann computer architecture is very useful in questions Of this type. The two diagrams shown in the Student’s Book are fairly simple to understand, but other diagrams exist which prove to be more usoful to some, students, @ Fetch-execute cycle Fetch: the next instruction is fetched from the memory address currently stored in the Program Counter (PC) and is then stored in the Current Instruction Register (CIR); the PC is then incremented so that the next instruction can be processed, Execute: the decoded instruction is then passed as a set of control signals to the appropriate components of the computer system. IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Bed si4p Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 4 OPERATING SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE In diagrammatic form: 19 contains the aaaess ofthe next insuction to Sete 2 The ates cole feqmenerecasay fommere one eee thease Ste tones + t 5 Value inPC then 3 Te struction tine i memory aan aR eee ites Beep imo MOR fraction oe etched 44 The instruction in MOR copied nto CR @ Sample question 5 Describe three of the registers used in the fetch-execute cycle including, their function. Student answer Program counter (PC) ~ this is used to keep track of the address of the next instruction to be fetched. Memory address register (MAR) — this stores the address of the instruction to be processed. Memory data register — this stores the instruction to be processed. Current instruction register ~ this temporarily stores the instruction currently being processed. Examiner's comments AA thats raqured isa brief description of the function of each register Just naming the registers would not be enough for more than half the marks in a quostion of this type. Oly ‘three registers wereneeded, @ Sample question 6 Describe the function of: a the FETCH operation b the EXECUTE operation in the fetch-execute ¢) Ged siyp Adooanoyd 04 6215141 © cs compu Sicnce Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians 2016 Exam-style questions Student answer Ga Next instruction fetched ... from memory address currently stored in PC ‘then stored in the CIR PC is incremented s0 next instruction can be fetched. b Decoded instruction is passed ... on to appropriate components of the computer system in the form of contrel signals. Examiner's comments This type of question can be answered in bo ways: elther by ving a brief description (as shown in the Student ancwer above) or by alving the 6 stages Inthe fetch-exocute cycle. Whilst the second option ic more comprehensive bce realy necescary when ancworing questions of this type Examiner's tips It ls good Idea to learn the rudimentary diagram showing the von Neumann computer and also to try to apply the fetch-execute cycle to your diagram, this will greatly help in questions involving computer architecture and how Instructions are processed. Exam-style questions 1 a What is meant by the two terms: (0 butter (interrupt? [4 marks) bb Look at the flowchart which shows what happens when a document is sent to a printer and is printed out. ‘hry data torent to es Co a + The ianupt sonal Issent to request more data tobe sent to the pier 1 {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 o [ Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 Ged si4p Adooonoyd 0 6215141 4 OPERATING SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE Seven statements are missing from the flowchart By writing the statement numbers ONLY, complete the flowchart, using the statements from the following list. [7 marks} Statement number Statement ‘onto of the bute are emptied othe pinta and data fom the document printed Curent processor tasks suspended whist the interrupt i being serviced ata rom the document to be printed is sent to the burr ftom the computer memory Proceso continues with is asks Processors able to cary out othe asks whe the burr I beng emptied 2 a 4 asl the data been sent fo the pier? 5 6 Z hen all the data is printed, the buter becomes empty an interrupt signals then sent to the processor 2 a Astudent made the following statements. Explain the statements, (0) "Windows is an example of a single-user multi-tasking operating system.” (ii) ‘Many operating systems support error handling” [4 marks] b Name three other features of an operating system. [3 marks} 3. a Name and explain the function of the three main buses used in a typical computer system, [6 marks} Look at this memory map. ‘diese Contents (0 The contents at address 1000.00.11 —yanrpnse Tene ore. are to be read. What values would be —jon0 0010) Tro intr stored in the MAR and MDR? 10000011 | —o107 O77 ooo 0100 —[ FTTH (ii) if the value 1110011 Tisto be written at memory location 11111110, what values would be stored in the MAR and MDR? (iii) Complete the memory map showing ahi the value from part (i) after the WRITE. | fririiio function has been done. [5 marks] awry 4a (V) Describe the function of the ALU. i) Describe the function of the Control Unit. [4 marks} The following table shows the stages in the fetch-execute cycle. They are not written in the correct order. Place the numbers 1 to 6 in the right-hand column to show each stage in its correct order. The first one has been done for you. (5 marks} | Stage Order _ades is copied fom PC to MAR, this s done using the acres bus ‘contents at memory locaton contained in WAR are copied temporaniy into MOR contents of MOR are coped and placed in CR Instruction & finaly decoded and then executed by sending ou signa (va the conto bus) Yo various components ofthe compute system rogram counte (PC) contains adress of memory location of pet irstuctin wo be fetched 7 ‘vale n PC cemented by 1 so tat it now potns tothe next instruction to be fetched © vcs compu sien Sindy and Reson Guide © David Was ad Helen Wilians2016 Input and output devices Key objectives Objective ofthis chapter are to revs: 6 the operation and applications of the folowing Input devices: @ the operation and applications of the allowing scanners including barcode readers) utput dence: © QR code readers © Printers (nk. aser and dot mati) dla cameras 30 printers keyboardskeypads 20/30 cuters prnting dewces (e.. mouse) actuators ‘microphones «© lous speakers touchscreens # LCDILED monitors sensors © (imutimedia) projectors interactive whiteboards J @ Key definitions Term Input device ‘Any device that allows a computer to receive data from the outside world Output device ‘Any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by a computer @ Input devices [An input device is hardware that allows a computer to receive data from the outside world 2D scanners convert hard-copy documents into an electronic form which can be stored in a computer memory. Scanners operate by usi in head which ‘moves across the document producing an image which is sent to a lens via a series of mirrors, The focused image falls onto a charge-coupled device (CCD) which consists of a number of integrated circuits (made up of thousands of light-sensitive elements that turn light into an electric charge). Consequently, the original document is turned into a format which can be stored in a computer's memory. One application of 2D scanners is at an airport where they can read passport pages and allow, for example, a photographic image of a person’s face to be compared to an image just taken by a digital camera ‘This involves the use of face-recognition technology to identify passengers. 3D scanners 8D scanners scan solid objects and produce an electronic 3D image. They make use of, for example, lasers, magnetic resonance, white light or X-rays CT (computed tomography) scanners are used to produce a 3D image of a solid object. Tomography technology splits up the object into a number of very thin ‘slices’. ‘They tend to use X-rays, radio waves or gamma imaging methods. The resuttant image allows a solid object to be stored asa series of digital values representing each “slice” © X-rays: CT (computed tomography) scanners. # Radio waves; MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanners. © Gamma rays: SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ° i i 5 INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES Barcode readers Barcodes consist ofa series of dark and light lines of varying thickness Bach digit or character is represented by a number of lines. Whilst barcodes which use digits only are the most common in supermarkets, many can also display other characters Each dark and light line can be represented by the binary values of I (dark line) 00 (light line); e.g. LDL D DD D, which represents the light and dark lines for the digit ‘6’ in one system, can be represented as 01.0 1 1 1 Lin the computer. Barcodes are used in supermarkets to find prices of goods and to enable automatic stock control. They are also used extensively in library systems to track the whereabouts of books. The advantages to managers include ‘© easier and faster to alter prices ‘© give instantancous and comprehensive sales trends ‘© no need to price each item (saves time and money) «allows automatic stock control ‘© can check customer's buying, habits more easily. Advantages to customers include: ‘faster checkouts «less chance of errors ‘© get an itemised bill ‘© cost savings can be passed on to customer # better tracking of ‘sell by dates’ QR (quick response) codes QReodes are a type of barcode. However, they ean hold considerably more data. QR codes are usually read by built-in cameras in smart phones or tablets using an installed app. Once the QR code has been scanned, it will send information back to the phone or tablet, e.g. a website link or general information (e.g. a phone number or ‘special offer’). Digital cameras Digital cameras contain a microprocessor which automatically © adjusts shutter speed # focuses ‘© operates the flash ‘© adjusts the aperture ‘© removes ‘red eye” ‘© reduces hand shake, and so on. Images are captured when light passes through the lens onto a light-sensitive cell, which is made up of thousands of tiny elements called pixels. ‘The {number of pixels determines the size of the file needed to store the image. Keyboards/keypads Keyboards are the most common input device; keys are pressed by the operator to enter data directly into the computer. When a key is pressed, it completes a circuit and a signal is sent to the microprocessor which interprets which key has been pressed. Since entering data by keyboard is a relatively slow process, most computer systems use a keyboard buffer which prevents the microprocessor waiting for keys to be pressed. Although little training is needed to use a keyboard, they do pose a health risk to operators who do a lot of continuous typing — the health risk is known as RSI (repetitive strain injury), Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 © secs compu iene Sindy and Reson Guide © Dai Wason ad Helen Wil Input devices Pointing devices “The most common pointing devices are the mouse and the trackerball. "They are used to control a cursor on screen or to select options from menus. The mouse usually has two buttons (used for selection and other functions) together with a scroll up/down wheel. “Trackerballs use a ball on the top or side of the device which enables control of a cursor or selecting options from a menu. They are often the preferred device in control rooms since they don’t require as much desk space asa mouse and are also less likely to cause such problems as RSI (caused by repeated clicking of a mouse button). Microphones Microphones are used to input sound into a computer. When the microphone picks up sound, a diaphragm vibrates producing an electric signal. A sound card in the computer converts the signal into digital values which can be stored in its memory, ‘Voice recognition uses microphones. It is used to identify ifa ‘known’ person is speaking in, for example, a security system. The software compares wave patterns from the person’s voice with wave patterns stored in memory. If the wave patterns match, then the correct person is identified Speech recognition also uses microphones but is very different to voice recognition. This works by first converting speech patterns into a digital form. "The digital image is broken up into phonemes which are then compared with words stored in the built-in dictionary. The spoken words can then be recognised. Touchscreens Touchscreens allow selections to be made by simply touching an icon or menu option on a screen. They are also used in many devices to allow input via a ‘virtual keyboar Mobile phones and tablets are some of the biggest users of touchscreen technology. The most common systems are capacitive, infra-red oF resistive. Capacitive Infraved Resistive Technology | + uss yas of ols tat acts a ‘+ uses gas and can either detactheat_| + uses uppar ayer of polestr and apactor (Or uses infa-ed sensor to detect | bottom layer of lass ‘wen the top layers touche, the | touen ‘when top layer touched, t completes fect curent ranges + miroprocesor ors out where the | Bercut + microprocessor works out the Screen wos touched based on Sensor! | # mkropracesso works out coordinates Coontnates of where the steen wa | est cata Of where the screen was touched touched Benefits | this'samedum-cost technology | «allows mult-touch capably + relatively Inewpershe technology + good silty nstong sunlight’ | + can usebare fingers, owed hand or | « can use bare finger, gloved hand or + allows muttouch apabity sys sty + veryaurable + good screen dui Drawbacks |» can only use bare fingers ore + lave pensive echnsiogy or visit in strong suriight conducive sys ‘+ neatsenstve systems ony alow bare | + doesnt alow muft-iouch capaiy Anges tobe used «screen is winerabe to scratches Sensors Sensors send data from the real world to a computer. They often require an analogue to digital converter (ADC) to change the data into a format that the computer (or microprocessor) can understand. Sensors form part of many monitoring or control systems. Monitoring simply reports the status of a system via a computer/microprocessor. Control involves altering devices (c.g. open/close valve, switch on off a heater or turn {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 ] Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 5 INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES a pump on/off) so that effectively the output affects the next input to the computer. Many sensors exist depending on the application being monitored or controlled, for example, temperature, moisture /humidity, light, infra-red / motion, pressure, acoustic/sound, gas, pH or magnetic fie ‘Monitoring systems include: monitoring a patient's vital signs in a hospital, bburglarintruder alarm systems, checking key data in a car engine or ‘monitoring pollution levels in a river or the air. ‘ontrol systems include: traffic light control, greenhouse environment, ct lighting, anti-lock braking system on a vehicle or control of a chemical or nuclear process. Interactive whiteboards Interactive whiteboards allow computer images to be displayed using a digital projector. They allow users to write on the whiteboard and the text i created can then be stored in a computer memory: Any image projected onto the screen can be annotated or even changed and the annotated version can then be saved for later use @ Common errors ‘© Students often confuse voice recognition systems and speech recognition systems. ‘® Many students are unable to distinguish between monitoring and control; it important to read and understand the key differences highlighted above. tudents often claim that sensors control devices rather than just send data to a computer or microprocessor. ‘© Students also often claim that sensors only send data once something happens — sensors continuously send data to computers and @ Sample question 1a What is the binary value of the section of barcode shown below? b (i) What is a QR code? (ii) Describe two applications that use QR codes, Student answer 1 @ 0111102/0001101/0110001 bila) Quieremeare code: — made up of a matrix of filled in dark squares on a light background read by a camera on a smart phone or tablet and uses an app to interpret the data. i) Two applications include: a taxi company uses QR codes on business cards; when scanned the taxi company are automatically contacted and/or advertises their services ~arestaurant uses QR codes on advertising hoardings and/or magazines or flyers; when scanned, the QR code gives sample menus, links to websites, functions, and s0 on. Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 Output devices Examiner's comments inparta, the three answers are correct omay be nacescary tomake these B-et: cada which cace an aaitiona zero needs to be put n FRONT ofeach baary val inpartb(), the question ackedis alte vague ving adationalinformation ac chown nthe ‘Student anower above good practice, especaly the question caries more than one mark. inpart (i) the fwo-appications can have the same purpose (eq lik'toa website) br the actual applications themseWesnead tobe clearly diferent (as they arein the answers ale). @ Sample question 2 An airport perimeter is being monitored for pollution levels. NO, and CO) ors are being used and the collected data is sent to a computer, Describe how the sensors and computer are used to warn environmentalists of higher than acceptable pollution levels. Student answer + NO, and CO; sensors continuously send data to the computer. + The data is first sentte.an ADC. + The computer has the maximum NO, and CO; levels pre-stored. + The computer has data from previous monitoring stored in memory. + The incoming sensor data is compared with the pre-stored valves. + Hf any of the stored levels are exceeded by sensor readings then the computer automatically prints out graphs and/or a report for the scientists. + Flevels are dangerously exceeded, then the computer may also generate an audible warning. + The computer uses previous data to predict trends in pollution levels and can indicate which pollution levels (or where pollution levels) are predicted fo tise and can suggest action. Examiner’s comments These questions usualy carry 4marks or more and raqure the stdent-tounderstand the role of the sencors andthe computer: Tey alo require the student Yo show an understanding of ow incoming data checked and wat action (any) Is taken. Since overy ppcation \s diferent, students need Yo be abe to adapt ther answers to aut the question Examiner's tips ‘Most questions of this type have a generic format. Ifa control application s given, itis necessary to remember that the computer will send signals to actuators to ‘operate valves (for example) and it may be necessary to use a DACso that the devices can be controlled, @ Output devices An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by a computer; the device converts the computer’s digital information into a human-readable form Printers The three most common types of printer are: laser, inkjet and dot matrix. ‘The following table compares the features of all three printers. IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Ged si4p Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 Ged s1yp Adooonoyd 0 e621 5191 5._INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES “ype of printer | Advantages Disadvantages Laser printer ‘very high qaliy of panting * canbe expensive to maa (9. se) featvely expensive to buy printer «produce heath hazards such as ozone or toner Jorge tone cartidges an large paper trays particles inthe ar + ver fat ping of multiple documents Inkjet printer * high quality of pnting + inks expensive to buy and quickly rus out ona large * vary suitable for printing photos paint un + inpensie to buy printer + tually have small paper ways + canbe nosy in operation compared to ase printer Dot matrx printer» not adversely affected by damp or yausty * relatively expensive to buy print atmospheres * poor pent gusty + Blow: use of mul-part stationery (.e. carbon copies) | + very noiy and very slow at printing + lows use of continousTar-olded stationery ‘The full description of how these printers work can be found in the Student’s Book. However, to summarise: ‘© Laser printers rely on positive and negative charges on the print drum and paper; (dry powder) toner sticks to the paper in only certain areas and is permanently fixed using a fuser. ‘¢ Inkjet printers rely on a liquid ink system which sprays ink onto the paper line by line as the paper advances; the ink system uses either thermal bubble or piezoelectric technologies ‘© Dot matrix printers use a matrix of pins which strike an inked ribbon (either black or up to 4 coloured) to produce characters ina matrix on the paper, €.- THE QUICK BROWN FOX BUMPED OVER THE LAZY 906, THE QUICK BROW FH JUNPED OVER THE LAZY DOG, euEsHEE7E9 3D printers 3D printers produce actual solid objects witich work; they are built up in the printer ina number of very thin layers of varying materials, such as: powdered resin, powdered metal, ceramic powder or even paper. Some 3D printers use binder technology which involves the use of a binder (a type of glue’) to form the solid layers. Since they build up objects layer by layer, they are often referred to as additive. Some of the present applications include: making prosthetic limbs, assisting, precision reconstructive surgery, manufacture of aerospace parts, fashion and art, and making parts no longer in production by conventional manufacturing 2D/3D cutters ‘These are used to cut into materials to form 3D objects and are controlled by computers and software (such as CAD/CAM), Common materials include: glass, crystal, metal, polymers and wood. Actuators See section on sensors on page 41. Loudspeakers Loudspeakers convert analogue voltages into sound. Ifthe output is from a computer, the digital signals ae frst converted into analogue voltages using a DAC. © cs compu since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Wason ad len Wilians 2016 Sample question e rate at which the DAG can translate digital output into analogue voltages is called the sampling rate — usually 44 100 samples/second for a typical 16-bit system. LCD and LED monitors Modern liquid crystal display/diode (LCD) monitors and televisios are back-lit using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) rather than cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCELs). LCD monitors and televisions need to be back lit since LED does not produce its own light. The advantages of using LEDs (rather than CCFLs) to back-light the display are: © they reach maximum brightness much faster they give a whiter light making the image more vi ¢ the brighter light improves colour definition «the displays can be much thinner and lighter in weight # LEDs last almost indefinitely « they consume much less power and therefore also run much cooler. sver monitors and televisions use organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) hese produce their own light and therefore don’t need any form of back- lighting, The advantages of using OLED when compared to older LED. technology include: «© they allow for very thin and very flexible screens which are very light weight @ they produce a much brighter light than LEDs. @ they don’t require any form of back-lighting they allow for a much larger field of view. Light projectors ‘There are two common types: digital light projectors (DLP) and LCD projectors. DLP relies on millions of micro mirrors which can switch on or off several thousand times a second creating various shades of grey. Colour filters allow the shades of grey fo be converted into colours which are projected onto a large sereen thus representing the ourput from the computer. LCD projectors use chromatic-coated mirrors which reflect light at different wavelengths. The light components pass through three LCD sereens which are then recombined using a prism to produce the colour image which is projected onto large screen. @ Common errors «¢ The statement: ‘laser printers do not use ink’ is incorrect since they do use ink but it isin a dry powdered fe inkjet printers which use liquid ink fe Statements such as ‘laser ster” or ‘dot matrix printers are a lower quality’ are never worth any marks since they don’t say what they are = faster at or what is a lower quality. It is necessary to be clear and state x ‘example: ‘laser printers print out pages faster than ...”. q @ Sample question 3a Give one advantage and one disadvantage of laser printers, inkjet printers and dot matrix printers when compared to each other, Different advantages and disadvantages are needed in each case. 'b Give one application of each of these three types of printer. Give a different application in each case i i {GCSE Camper Siena Sony and Reon Guide © Davi Watson an een Willams 2016 °o 5 INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES Student answer 30 Laser: + advantage — larger toner cartridges/paper trays + disadvantage ~ maintenance can be expensive Inkjet: + advantage ~ inexpensive to buy the printer + disadvantage — can quickly run out of ink or paper Dot matrix: y, + advantage — can workin damp or dirty/dusty atmospheres overdo eae) Bey a b Laser: printing out 1000s of leaflets or flyers in colour Tnkjet: one-off high quality photographs on glassy paper Dot matrix: printing labels on the factory floor Examiner's comments Inparta, ts important to malice that three afferent advantages ard disadvantages must be avon - many marks are lost for nat doing this: the quastion is quite specific. The answers can be essentially generic extra marks would not be gained by alving applications in part a since these marks have been allocated to part b. Inparc, although i docont say s0in this question lack out for questions that require applications to match the advantages ard dlcadvanages gen in an earerpartoF the question. @ Sample question 4a Describe three differences between LCD monitors back-lit using LEDs or with CCFLs. b Describe two applications which make use of the unique features of OLED technology. Student answer 4 @ LEDs reach brightness faster. LEDs give off a whiter light LEDs last almostindefinitely. b Use of smart watches that can bend easily around the wrist Curved thin sheets used as advertiing posters on curved surfaces such as underground stations Examiner's comments Inparta tts necessary to geile more depth to the answers since a description was aoked for For example, LEDs reach rightness faster so there fs no nee for them te warm up firot before reaching full effectivencos, LEDs gh a whiter light which sharpens the image and makes the colours more vivid LEDS last indefinitely which makes the technology more relable and more consistent operation. Inparb is mportant to ge two diferent aplcations. rou be worth adding the foloning tothe answers'nboth appicatens.. de Yo the Rene nature of OLED tis possible tomako smart watches (curved screens) Examiner's tips “Always remember to give additional information to support your answer in ‘questions where a description is required Look carefully at the number of marks allocated to determine how many ‘points need to be made when giving descriptions or explaining a given topic. Ged siyp Adooonoyd 04 695191 © scs-compuce since Sindy and Reson Guide © David Wason ad Helen Wilians 2016 Exam-style questions Exam-style questions 1. Which computer terms are being described here? 2. ‘splitting up of a solid object into a number of very thin slices’ b ‘machine readable code made up of an array of dark and light squares; often used to store URLS or other important advertising information’ ¢ ‘device which converts sound into electrical signals’ 4 “technology that is used to identity f a known person is speaking’ ‘device that sends data from the real world to a computer; it often requires ‘the use of an ADC for the computer to process this data’ {5 marks] 2 a Complete the following diagram to show the barcode for the three binary numbers: 0100011/0101111/0111011 [3 marks] b Name and describe one application that uses barcode technology. [3 marks} 3. a Whatis meant by the term ‘sampling rate’ when referring to DACs? [2 marks} b A music CD is produced where each piece of music is sampled 44100 times a second. Each sample is 32-bits and the music is stored in stereo (two separate tracks) format. Calculate: (D how many bytes per second are sampled (ii)how many KB/Second are sampled (3 marks} © (V) Calculate how much memory is needed to store a 4-minute music track using your answer to part bi. [2 marks} (ii)Calculate how many 4-minute music tracks could be stored on a CD with an 800MB storage capacity. {1 mark] 4 a Indicate with a tick (7) which of the following statements about OLEDs are correct. [5 marks] Statements Te Beane fp cnc ers OLE: we ech icant | than coremional COED formats ‘OLEDs ge a bigter ight than LEDS leading to more vid clOUS ‘OLEDs produce a much lager field of view than LCDALED formats ‘GLEDS equte some form of backlighting so that he screen can bet up | ‘LEDs consume more power than LCOAED fomats and ts produce | more nest b Describe how OLEDs generate the screen images on monitors and televisions. [3 marks) IGCSE Computer Science Study and Revision Guide © David Watson and Helen Williams 2016 Ged syn Adoporoud 0} 69)! 5191 bed sip Ado>ovo4d oF ye6ai 51 O :. 5._INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES 5 a Acar engine management system uses temperature and carbon monoxide sensors which feed data to an on-board microprocessor. Water is used to cool the engine and valves can be opened or closed to control the flow of water in the engine. The amount of air entering the engine is used to control the levels of carbon monoxide — again valves ‘an be opened or closed to contol the air entering the engine Describe in detail how the sensors and microprocessor are used to control the temperature and carbon monoxide levels in the engine. [5 marks] b Name a suitable sensor for each of the following applications. A different sensor needs to be given for each application. [5 marks] ‘Application Suitable sensor ‘measie/conto the dampoes of the aia pant spray booth in a tactoy automaticaly switch ona carsheadiahts when it becomes dark elect intruders enferng buiding ina burolavinruder alarm system measure the aid poluton avin a ter at a number of pints measure the speed of rotation of whees ona carn an atiock baking wen 6 a Alaser printer is used to print out a document. The table shows all the stages in printing out the document. But they are not in the correct ‘order. By writing the numbers 1 to 11 in the right-hand column, put each stage in the correct order. The first one has been done for you. [10 marks} Stage Order ata fo te documents sent to a prntr deer 1 ata sent tothe printers stored in the printer buter ‘cae lamp removes ai electric charge tom the printer aru ate end ofthe printing process egately charged sheet of paper is roled over printer drum ape goe through a fuser which fags ink petmanety fo the paper printer driver ensures data being sent to rite sin the comect format inter drums coated in postvely charged toner Printer drums gen a postive charge toner on printer drum now sticks to the paper to produce text and images to prevent paper sticking tothe printer drum, the electric charge on the papers removed ater one rotation ofthe drum when printer cru rotates, lar beam scans across remawng the posite charge, eaing a negatvey

You might also like