zyBooks Chapter 1 Flashcards
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Questions and Answers

What is a bit?

  • A type of processor
  • 0s and 1s, binary digits (correct)
  • A program
  • A memory unit

    • What are processors?

    Circuits that execute a list of desired calculations (instructions).

    Where are instructions stored?

    Memory

    What is memory?

    <p>A circuit that can store 0s and 1s.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Instructions operate on _________, which is also stored in _______________ locations as 0s and 1s.

    <p>data, memory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Chef ( ) executes instructions of a recipe ( ), each instruction modifying ingredients ( ), with the recipe and ingredients kept on a nearby counter ( ).

    <p>processor, program, data, memory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a sequence of instructions?

    <p>Program, application (app)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are machine instructions?

    <p>Instructions written in binary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an executable program?

    <p>Sequence of machine instructions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do assemblers/assembly language instructions do?

    <p>Automatically converts human instructions into machine instructions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When were high-level languages created?

    <p>60s and 70s.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do high-level languages do?

    <p>Support programming using formulas or algorithms.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are compilers?

    <p>Programs that automatically translate high-level languages into executable programs (machine instructions).</p> Signup and view all the answers

    To run a program on multiple processor types: the programmer must have the compiler generate multiple ____________.

    <p>executables</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does Java run on different processor types?

    <p>The compiler generates an executable (bytecode) using the machine language of a 'program', and the real processor runs a virtual machine that executes the instructions in the bytecode.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Sometimes running things on a virtual processor makes execution __________.

    <p>slower</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What used to be a job title?

    <p>Computer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is software?

    <p>Computer's programs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is hardware?

    <p>What runs the programs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are input/output devices commonly called?

    <p>Peripherals</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a disk (hard drive) do?

    <p>Stores files and other data; non-volatile.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is non-volatile memory?

    <p>Maintain their contents even when powered off.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is flash storage?

    <p>Non-volatile, tunnels electrons into special circuits on memory's chip, then removes them with a flash of electricity.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is RAM (random-access memory)?

    <p>Holds data read from storage; more expensive than disk; RAM is volatile.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    One byte = ________.

    <p>8 bits</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the processor do?

    <p>Runs the computer's programs, reading and executing instructions from memory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does BIOS stand for?

    <p>(Basic input/output system)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the processor execute?

    <p>Operating system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are processors also known as?

    <p>CPUs (central processing unit) or microprocessors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is cache memory?

    <p>A small amount of RAM on a processor chip; helps with speed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a processor's clock do?

    <p>Ticks at a specific frequency that determines the rate of the instructions being executed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do programs actually run "simultaneously"?

    <p>They're being alternated between depending on the clock, switching off thousands of times per second.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are transistors?

    <p>Smaller switches made a long time ago which were integrated onto a single chip (integrated circuit/IC).</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is Moore's Law?

    <p>The doubling of IC capacity about every 18 months.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are cores?

    <p>The processors in IC transistors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was the first C book written?

    <ol start="1978"> <li></li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

    Who wrote the first C book and where?

    <p>Kernighan and Ritchie at AT&amp;T Bell Labs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was the dominant programming language in the 80s and 90s?

    <p>C.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was the first book about C++ written?

    <ol start="1985"> <li></li> </ol> Signup and view all the answers

    Who created C++?

    <p>Stroustrup.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was different about C++?

    <p>Supported object-oriented programming.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was Java first released to the public and from where?

    <p>1995, Sun Microsystems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Java is NOT...

    <p>JavaScript.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A computer program consists of instructions that a computer...

    <p>Executes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is code?

    <p>Textual representation of a program.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a line?

    <p>A row of text.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is main?

    <p>A program starts by executing a method called main.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a method?

    <p>A list of statements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do { and } denote in programming?

    <p>A list of statements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a statement?

    <p>A program instruction; usually appears on its own line.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Every program statement ends with...

    <p>A semicolon.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the return statement?

    <p>A statement that ends a program.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a variable?

    <p>A named location in memory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do print statements do?

    <p>Print a program's output.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does println print?

    <p>Output followed by a new line.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a compiler?

    <p>A tool that converts a program into low-level machine instructions (0s and 1s) understood by a particular computer.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a comment in programming?

    <p>Text added to code by a programmer, ignored by the compiler.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does a single-line comment use?

    <p>//</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Multi-line comment uses __________.

    <p>/**/ or /* */</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where do single-line comments commonly appear?

    <p>After a statement on the same line.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Is a multi-line comment allowed on a single line?

    <p>But don't do it lol.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a multi-line comment also known as?

    <p>Block comment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is whitespace?

    <p>Blank spaces between items within a statement, blank lines between statements; compilers ignore most whitespace.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the good practice with whitespace?

    <p>Use is to make a program more readable.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do programmers usually follow?

    <p>Conventions defined by their company, team, instructor, etc.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a style guide?

    <p>A programming team's style for writing code.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    _______ style for braces and indents is named after C language creators.

    <p>K&amp;R</p> Signup and view all the answers

    __________ style for braces and indents is named after C++ language creator.

    <p>Stroustrup</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a syntax error?

    <p>Violate a programming language's rules on how symbols can be combined to create a program.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Are misleading error messages common?

    <p>Yes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is good practice for error messages?

    <p>Focus on fixing just the first error reported by the compiler, then re-compiling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is good practice while coding?

    <p>Compiling after writing only a few lines of code.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Where might the actual error be in a program?

    <p>Lines previous to the one being reported as having an error.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are compile-time errors?

    <p>Errors detected by the compiler, like syntax errors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A program can successfully compile, meaning there's no ___________________________________ but it may not run because of _____________________.

    <p>compile-time errors, logic errors</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What are logic errors?

    <p>Errors that occur while a program runs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a warning in programming?

    <p>A compiler will sometimes report a warning; doesn't stop the compiler from creating an executable program, but it indicates a possible logic error.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do only errors do?

    <p>Prevent a program from being created, not warnings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is better: writing code that generates no warnings?

    <p>Yes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What do default settings commonly do?

    <p>Do NOT report all important issues.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is good practice in configuring a compiler?

    <p>Good practice is to explicitly configure the compiler to report most warnings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Computer Basics

    • A bit represents the smallest unit of data, consisting of 0s or 1s.
    • Processors are circuits that execute a series of calculations and instructions.
    • Instructions are stored in memory, which is a circuit capable of storing bits.

    Memory and Data

    • Memory stores data as binary digits (0s and 1s).
    • Instructions act on data, which is also stored in memory.
    • A program is a sequence of instructions, analogous to a recipe executed by a processor.

    Instruction Formats

    • Machine instructions are encoded in binary format.
    • An executable program is a set sequence of machine instructions ready for execution.
    • Assemblers convert human-readable instructions into machine instructions.

    Programming Languages

    • High-level programming languages emerged in the 1960s and 70s, designed to enhance programming efficiency through formulas and algorithms.
    • Compilers convert high-level language code into executable machine instructions.

    Java and Portability

    • Java enables the creation of applications that can run across different processor types using bytecode.
    • The Java compiler generates an executable version of a program as bytecode, which runs on a virtual machine.

    Hardware Overview

    • Hardware includes all physical components that run programs, while software refers to the programs themselves.
    • I/O devices such as monitors and mice are part of peripherals that facilitate user interaction.

    Storage Types

    • Disk drives are non-volatile storage devices that retain data when powered off.
    • Flash storage transfers electrons through circuits to maintain data non-volatile.
    • RAM (random-access memory) temporarily holds data and is volatile, losing contents when powered off.

    Processing and Execution

    • A processor executes the operating system, allowing for the running of applications and interfacing with peripherals.
    • Cache memory enhances processing speed by storing frequently used data on the processor chip.

    Programming Fundamentals

    • Programming utilizes variables, which are named memory locations storing data.
    • A program runs by starting with a main method, where execution begins.
    • Each program statement must end with a semicolon.

    Comments and Code Readability

    • Comments help programmers document their code and are ignored by compilers.
    • Whitespace is used to separate code elements and improve readability, but compilers generally ignore it.

    Good Coding Practices

    • Following conventions and a style guide enhances code clarity and maintainability.
    • Syntax errors arise from violations of programming rules, whereas logic errors occur during program execution.

    Compiler Feedback

    • Compilers report compile-time errors, preventing the creation of executable programs, whereas warnings indicate potential issues but do not halt compilation.
    • It is advised to configure compilers to report most warnings to improve code quality.

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    Description

    Test your understanding of key terms in Chapter 1 of zyBooks. This set of flashcards covers essential concepts including bits, processors, and memory, crucial for grasping the fundamentals of computer science. Boost your learning by reviewing these terms and their definitions.

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