30 Questions
What is the primary function of the microprocessor in a computer system?
Perform arithmetic and logical operations
What is the purpose of flash memory in a computer system?
Contains startup information and handles keyboard input
What is the function of expansion slots in a computer system?
Provide expansion capabilities for the computer
What is the significance of bus width in a computer system?
It determines the number of bits that can travel simultaneously down a bus
What is the role of standard ports in a computer system?
Connect keyboards, mice, printers, and storage devices
Which marked the beginning of widespread commercial use of mainframe computers?
The introduction of the IBM 1401 and 7090 transistorized machines
During which era did mainframe computers become powerful enough to support thousands of online remote terminals?
General-Purpose Mainframe and Minicomputer Era
What launched a spate of personal desktop productivity software tools such as word processors and spreadsheets?
Proliferation of PCs in the 1980s and early 1990s
Which era saw the introduction of the IBM 360 series?
General-Purpose Mainframe and Minicomputer Era
What type of machines marked the beginning of widespread commercial use of mainframe computers?
Transistorized machines - IBM 1401 and 7090
What type of device accepts pointing gestures and converts them into machine-readable input?
Touch screen
Which type of mouse has no moving parts and can be used on any surface?
Optical mouse
What type of scanner converts scanned data into a form that the system unit can process?
Flatbed scanner
Which device contains photo-electric cells that scan or read bar codes printed on product containers?
Wand reader
What type of device recognizes special characters and marks, such as magnetic-ink characters on checks?
Optical-character recognition (OCR)
What describes the client/server computing model?
Desktop computers are networked to powerful server computers, with processing work split between the two types of machines.
What is a characteristic of cloud computing?
It allows access to a shared pool of computing resources over a network, often the Internet.
What is the purpose of enterprise-wide infrastructure in the context of networking standards and software tools?
To integrate disparate networks into a single enterprise-wide network.
What is a defining feature of the system unit in desktop computers?
The system unit is in a separate case from other components.
How does cloud computing differ from traditional client/server computing?
Cloud computing provides access to shared computing resources over a network, often the Internet, while client/server computing requires direct connections between clients and servers.
What is the primary characteristic of secondary storage?
Nonvolatile storage
Which type of printer uses a laser light beam to produce images and is known for fast, excellent quality?
Laser printer
In which type of storage do charges on a disk surface store data by altering the magnetic charges of the disk's surface to represent 1s and 0s?
Hard disks
What happens in a head crash in relation to hard disks?
Read-write head makes contact with the hard disk's surface
What is the primary difference between internal and external hard disks?
Internal hard disks are located inside the system unit, while external hard disks are removable
Which of the following is a characteristic of solid-state drives (SSDs)?
Faster and more durable than hard disks
What is the function of lands and pits on optical discs?
Represent 1s and 0s on the disc
What is a key advantage of cloud storage services?
File sharing and collaboration
What type of devices are included in a Storage Area Network (SAN)?
RAID systems
According to the text, what technology will cause a tectonic shift in architectures and software as a replacement for DRAM?
Universal Memory
Test your knowledge about input and output devices in computer hardware. Learn about keyboards, pointing devices, scanning devices, and more.
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