Questions and Answers
What is a computer?
A machine that stores and manipulates information under the control of a changeable program.
What is software?
Computer programs.
What is hardware?
The physical components of a computing system.
What is programming?
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What is an algorithm?
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What does intractable mean?
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What is a central processing unit (CPU)?
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What is main memory (RAM)?
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What is the fetch-execute cycle?
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What are programming languages?
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What is syntax?
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What is semantics?
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What is coding?
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What is machine language?
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What is binary?
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What is a compiler?
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What is an interpreter?
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What is source code?
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What is machine code?
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What is portability?
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What is a prompt?
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What is a statement in programming?
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What is a function?
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What does invoke mean in programming?
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What are parameters in programming?
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What is a module in programming?
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What is a script?
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What is a programming environment?
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What is an import statement?
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What does it mean to execute a program?
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What is byte code?
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What is a comment in programming?
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What is a variable?
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What is a loop in programming?
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What is the body of a control structure?
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What is an assignment statement?
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Study Notes
Computer Basics
- A computer is a machine that stores and manipulates information controlled by a changeable program.
- Hardware refers to the physical components of a computing system, while software encompasses the computer programs that run on it.
Programming Fundamentals
- Programming is the process of creating computer programs to solve problems, employing algorithms as detailed sequences of steps akin to recipes.
- The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the computer's "brain" responsible for performing numeric and logical operations.
Memory and Execution
- Main memory (RAM) is where data and program instructions are temporarily stored and accessed by the CPU during computations.
- The fetch-execute cycle describes how a computer processes machine code by fetching lines of code and executing them sequentially.
Languages and Code
- Programming languages are notations used for writing software, with high-level languages like Python being prevalent due to their ease of use.
- Syntax pertains to the structure of a programming language, while semantics refers to its meanings.
Coding Processes
- Coding turns algorithms into executables and machine language is the low-level binary language understood by CPUs.
- A compiler translates high-level language into machine language in a single batch, while an interpreter executes high-level language line by line (Python is an interpreted language).
Programs and Portability
- Source code represents the written code in a high-level language, while machine code is its low-level counterpart.
- Portability allows programs to operate unmodified across different systems.
User Interaction
- A prompt signals the user that input is needed, and a statement is a single command within a programming language.
- Functions are subprograms that take input parameters and return values (e.g.,
def sing(animal, sound)
).
Modular Programming
- Invoking a function involves calling it with specific parameters (e.g.,
sing("cat","meow")
). - A module is an independent part of a program, which can be a file containing reusable code.
Environment and Execution
- A programming environment provides tools to facilitate coding (e.g., Wingware).
- The import statement includes external library modules for use within a program (e.g.,
import say
).
Running Programs
- Executing means running a program or part of it, while byte code is an intermediate representation of high-level language sometimes generated during compilation.
- Comments are added for readability, ignored by the compiler, and are marked with
#
or triple quotes ("""
).
Control Structures
- Variables are identifiers that store values and can change through assignment (e.g.,
term1 = 1
). - A loop is a control mechanism for executing blocks of code multiple times, and the body contains statements inside control structures.
Assignments and Statements
- An assignment statement assigns a value to a variable using the
=
operator.
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Description
This quiz covers fundamental concepts of computer systems, including hardware, software, and programming basics. Learn about the CPU, memory, and the fetch-execute cycle, as well as different programming languages. Test your understanding of how computers store and manipulate information.