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Unit #1 Exam – style Questions

1. A software developer is using a microphone to collect various sounds for his new
game. He is also using a sound editing app.

When collecting sound, the software developer can decide on the sampling resolution
he wishes to use.

a) i. What is meant by sampling resolution? [1]

The number of bits per sample is known as the sampling resolution (also known as the bit depth). So, in our
example, the sampling resolution is 4 bits.

ii. Describe how sampling resolution will affect how accurate the stored digitized
sound will be. [3]

Higher Sampling Resolution (e.g., 16-bit or 24-bit):

More Precise Representation: With higher bit depth, the range of amplitude levels that can be represented
is increased. This allows for a more precise and fine-grained representation of the sound waveform,
capturing subtle nuances and dynamics of the original sound.

Reduced Quantization Noise: Quantization noise is the error introduced during analog-to-digital
conversion. Higher resolution reduces this noise, resulting in a cleaner and more accurate representation of
the original sound.

Lower Sampling Resolution (e.g., 8-bits):

Loss of Detail: Lower bit depth restricts the range of amplitude levels that can be represented. This loss of
detail can lead to a less accurate representation of the original sound, particularly for sounds with a wide
dynamic range.

Increased Quantization Noise: With fewer levels of representation, quantization noise becomes more
noticeable, leading to a grainy or distorted sound.

The software developer will include images bitmap images.

b. i. Explain the term image resolution. [1]

Image resolution refers to the number of pixels that make up an image; for example, an image
could contain 4096 × 3072 pixels (12 582 912 pixels in total). ii. The software developer is
using 16 – color bitmap images.

How many bits would be used to encode data for one pixel of his image? [1]

16 bits are used for each pixel in 16 – color bitmap images. iii. One of his

images is 16 384 pixels wide and 512 pixel high.

He decides to save it as a 256 – color bitmap image.

Calculate the size of image file is gigabytes. [3]

Number of pixels = 16 384 x 512 = 8388608 pixels

Number of bits for 256 color = 8388608 x 256 = 2147483648 bits

Number of bytes = 2147483648/8 = 268435456 bytes

Size in GiB = 268435456/(1024 x 1024 x1024) = 0.25 GiB

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iv. Describe any file compression techniques the developer may use. [3]

When a camera takes a photograph, it produces a raw bitmap file which can be very large in size. JPEG is a
lossy file compression algorithm used for bitmap images. Once the image is subjected to JPEG
compression algorithm, a new file is formed and the original file can no longer be constructed.

The JPEG file reduction process is based on two key concepts:

• Human eyes don’t detect differences in colour shades quite as well as they detect differences in
image brightness (eye is less sensitive to colour variations than variations in brightness)
• By separating pixel colour from brightness, images can be split into 8 × 8 pixel blocks, for example,
which then allows certain ‘information’ to be discarded from the image without causing any real
noticeable deterioration in quality.

2. The editor of a movie is finalizing the music score. He will send the final version of
his score to the movie producer by email attachment.

a. Describe how sampling is used to record music sound clips. [3]

• The amplitude of the sound wave is first determined at set time intervals (the sampling rate)
• This gives an approximate representation of the sound wave
• Each sample of the sound wave is then encoded as a series of binary digits.
Higher sampling rate or larger resolution will result in a more faithful representation of the original sound
source. However, the higher the sampling rate or sampling resolution, the greater the file size.

CDs have a 16-bit sampling resolution and a 44.1 kHz sample rate – that is 44 100 samples every second.
This gives high-quality sound reproduction.

b. The music sound clip needs to undergo some form of data compression before the
music editor can send them via email.

Which type of compression, lossy or lossles, should he use?

Give justification for your answer. [3]

MP3 files are used for playing music on computers or mobile phones. This compression technology will
reduce the size of a normal music file by about 90%. While MP3 music files can never match the sound
quality found on a DVD or CD, the quality is satisfactory for most general purposes.

The original music file is reduced by 90% while still retaining most of the music quality. Essentially the
algorithm removes sounds that the human ear can’t hear properly. For example:

• removal of sounds outside the human ear range

• if two sounds are played at the same time, only the louder one can be heard by the ear, so the softer
sound is eliminated. This is called perceptual music shaping.

c. One method of data compression is known as run length encoding (RLE).

i. What is meant by RLE? [3]

Run-length encoding (RLE) can be used for lossless compression of number of different file formats:

• it is a form of lossless/reversible file compression

• it reduces the size of a string of adjacent, identical data (e.g. repeated colours in an image)  a
repeating string is encoded into two values:
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• the first value represents the number of identical data items (e.g. characters) in the run
• the second value represents the code of the data item (such as ASCII code if it is a keyboard
character)
• RLE is only effective where there is a long run of repeated units/bits.

ii. The following image is being developed:

Show how RLE would be used to produce compressed file for above image. Write
down the data you would expect to see in the RLE compressed format (you may
assume that the grey squares have code value of 0 and the white squares have a
code value of 1).

30 21 40 91 40 21 10 21 20 21 10 [4]

3. An 8 – bit binary register contains the value:

0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0

a. Write down the denary value of this register.

Denary value of above register is 54

b. The contents of this register undergo a logical shift one place to the right.

i. Show the result of this right shift.

Contents of the register after logical shift one place to the right will be:
0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1

ii. Write down the denary value following this right shift.

Denary value of above register is 27

c. The contents of this register, at the start of the question, now undergo a logical
shift of two places to the left.

i. Show the contents of the register after this left shift operation. [1] Contents of
the register after logical shift two places to the left will be:
1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

ii. State, with reasons, the effect of this shift on the denary value in part a. [2]

Each shift left is equivalent to multiplying the binary number by 2. The value of the binary bits is now 54 ×
22 = 54 x 4 i.e. 216. We can see this is correct if we calculate the denary value of the new binary number
11011000 (i.e. 128 + 64 + 16+ 8 = 216).

4( a) Convert the following denary numbers into 8-bit binary numbers:

i. 123 ii. 55 iii. 180 [3]

123 = 01111011 55 = 00110111 180 = 10110100

b) Carry out the following additions using your binary values from part a:

i. 123 + 55 ii. 123 + 180 [4]

123 + 55 = 01111011 + 00110111 = 10110010

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123 + 180 = 01111011 + 10110100 = 100101111

c) i. Write down the two’s complement value of: 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 [2]

01110100

ii. Write down the binary value of −112 using two’s complement notation. [1]

Binary value of 112 = 01110000

2’s complement of 01110000 = 10010000

iii. Write down the denary value of the following binary number, which is using two’s
complement notation: [1]
1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1
Denary value of above register = - 71

d) i. Convert the following denary number into an 8-bit binary number using two’s
complement notation: 104.

Two’s complement of 104 = 01101000 ii. Use two’s complement notation to find

the 8-bit binary value of −104. [2]

Two’s complement of -104 = 10011000

5 A bitmap image has the following resolution: 1140 × 1080 pixels.

The image uses a colour depth of 24 bits.

a) Explain the term pixel. [1]

Number of pixel = 1140 x 1080 x 24 = 29548800 pixels

b)Explain the term colour depth. [1]

The number of bits used to represent each colour is called the colour depth. An 8 bit colour depth means
that each pixel can be one of 256 colours (28 = 256). Modern computers have a 24 bit colour depth, which
means over 16 million different colours can be represented with x pixels, 2x colours can be represented as a
generalization. Increasing colour depth also increases the size of file when storing an image.

c) Calculate how many of these images could be stored on a 32-GiB memory stick.
Number of pixel = 1140 x 1080 x 24 = 29548800 pixels

Number of bits = 29548800 bits

Number of bytes = 29548800/8 = 3693600 Bytes

Number of bytes in 32 GiB = 32 x 1024 x 1024 x 1024 = 34359738368 bytes

Number of images in 32 GiB = 34359738368/3693600 = 9302 [3]

d)Describe how it would be possible to increase the number of these images which
could be stored on this memory stick. [3]

To increase the number of bitmap images that can be stored on the memory stick, there are two primary
approaches: reducing the resolution and/or reducing the color depth.

Reducing Resolution:
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Lowering the image resolution would decrease the number of pixels in each image, resulting in smaller file
sizes. However, this would also lead to a loss of image detail and clarity. The trade-off between image
quality and the number of images stored needs to be considered.

Reducing Color Depth:

The image currently uses a color depth of 24 bits, which means each pixel is represented by 24 bits of color
information (8 bits each for red, green, and blue channels). Reducing the color depth would lower the
number of colors available in the image, resulting in smaller file sizes.

6 a) Nancy has captured images of her holiday with her camera.

The captured images are stored as digital photo files on her camera.

Explain how the captured images are converted to digital photo files. [4] Image

Capture: Nancy uses her camera to take photographs.

Analog-to-Digital Conversion: The electrical signals generated by the image sensor are in analog format.
To create digital files, these analog signals need to be converted into digital data.

Image Compression (Optional): If Nancy chooses to save images in JPEG format; camera may apply
lossy image compression. This compression reduces file size by discarding some less critical image data.

File Format: Processed or raw image data is saved in a specific file format, such as JPEG, PNG or others.
Different file formats offer various levels of compression and quality, suitable for different use cases.

Storage: The digital photo files are stored on the camera's memory card.

b) Nancy wants to email photos to Nadia.

Many of the photos are very large files, so Nancy needs to reduce their file size as
much as possible.

Identify which type of file compression would be most suitable for Nancy to use.
Explain your choice. [4]

For reducing the file size of the photos before emailing them to Nadia, Nancy should use Lossy
Compression. Lossy compression is the most suitable type of compression when the primary goal is to
significantly reduce file size while accepting a minor loss of image quality.

Here's why Lossy Compression is the best choice:

Significant File Size Reduction: Lossy compression algorithms can achieve much higher levels of
compression compared to Lossless Compression.

Suitable for Photographs: Lossy compression is well-suited for photographs because images often
contain redundant or less critical information that can be discarded without significantly affecting
the overall visual quality.

Balanced Quality: In Lossy Compression, modern compression algorithms are designed to maintain a
good balance between file size reduction and acceptable image quality.

Email-Friendly: By compressing the images using lossy compression, Nancy can ensure that the files
meet the email service's attachment size restrictions.

7 A stopwatch uses six digits to store hours, minutes and seconds.

The stopwatch stopped at: 2 : 31 : 58

Hours minutes seconds
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An 8-bit register is used to store each pair of digits.

a) Write 8-bit binary numbers that are currently stored for Hours, Minutes and
Seconds.
Hours 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

Minutes 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1

Seconds 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0

b)The stopwatch is started again and then stopped. When the watch is stopped, the
8-
bit binary registers show: [3]

Hours: 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

Minutes: 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0

Seconds: 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1

Write the denary values that will now be shown on the stopwatch.

5 : 26 : 55
8 A memory stick is advertised as having a capacity of 64 GiB.

a) How many photographs of size 10 KiB could be stored on memory stick? [2]

1 GiB (Gibibyte) = 1024 MiB (Mebibyte) 1

MiB (Mebibyte) = 1024 KiB (Kibibyte)

First, we need to convert the memory stick's capacity from GiB to KiB:

64 GiB * 1024 MiB/GiB * 1024 KiB/MiB = 67,108,864 KiB

Now, we can determine how many photographs of size 10 KiB can be stored:

Number of photographs = Memory stick capacity / Size of each photograph

Number of photographs = 67,108,864 KiB / 10 KiB ≈ 6,710,886.4

Therefore, approximately 6,710,886 photographs of size 10 KiB can be stored on the memory stick.

b) John wants to store 400 photographs in a folder on his solid state drive (SSD).
Each photograph is 10 KiB in size.

i. Name one way of reducing the size of this file. [1]

JPEG (Lossy compression) ii. Give two advantages of reducing the size of his

photography files. [2]

Increased Storage Capacity: By reducing the size of photography files, John can store more photographs
on his SSD or any other storage medium.

Faster File Transfer and Sharing: Small photograph files are quicker and easier to transfer over internet
or share with others. When he wants to send his photographs via email, upload them to a cloud storage
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service, or share on social media platforms, reduced file sizes ensure faster upload and download. iii.
Give one disadvantage of reducing files using method named in part b i. [1]

One disadvantage of using JPEG (lossy) compression is the potential loss of image quality, especially in
areas with fine details, textures, and color gradients.

c) The original photographs were stored as bitmap images.

i. Explain why 3 bytes of data would be needed to store each pixel in the bitmap
image.
[2]

Color Depth: Bitmap images often use the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model to represent colors. In this
scenario, the color depth is 24 bits, which means 8 bits are allocated to each color channel (3 channels x 8
bits each = 24 bits).

Bytes Conversion: Since 1 byte consists of 8 bits, 24 bits can be divided by 8 to get the number of bytes
needed to represent each pixel: 24 bits / 8 bits per byte = 3 bytes.

ii. Calculate how many different pixel colours could be formed. If one of the bytes
gives the intensity of the red colour, one of the bytes gives the intensity of the
green colour and one of the bytes gives the intensity of the blue colour. [3]

In a bitmap image with a color depth of 24 bits (3 bytes), each byte is responsible for storing the intensity
value of one of the primary colors (Red, Green, or Blue). Since each byte has 8 bits, it can represent 2 8 =
256 different intensity levels (0 to 255).

Since each color channel can have 256 different intensity levels, the total number of different pixel colors
(combinations) is given by:

Number of different colors = Number of red levels * Number of green levels * Number of blue levels

Number of different colors = 256 * 256 * 256 = 16,777,216 colors

9 Six calculations are shown on left and eleven denary values are shown on the right.

By drawing arrows, connect each calculation to its correct denary value.

An 8-bit register uses two’s 10

complement notation. What is the
denary value of:
16
00101101?

Convert the following into GiB: 20

59 055 800 320 bytes

28
If 2x = 1 048 576 bytes

What is the value of x?

45
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Give the denary equivalent of the

following hexadecimal number: 46

3F

What is the denary result of the

following binary addition?

00010011

+00011011

60
Find the hexadecimal value of
the following denary number:
40

Find the hexadecimal value of the

following denary number: 80

40