Computer Science > 1.2 - Memory & Storage > Flashcards

1.2 - Memory & Storage Flashcards

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1
Q

What is RAM?

A

High speed, volatile memory

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2
Q

What is the Operating system?

A

The software that manages the hardware and software resources in a computer system

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3
Q

What does OS stand for?

A

Operating system

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4
Q

Give an example of some programs that is stored in the RAM:

A
  • Programs that is currently in use
  • Open documents
  • OS
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5
Q

What does RAM stand for?

A

Random access memory

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6
Q

What is ROM?

A
  • Non-volatile, memory
  • Stores instructions & data that are needed for the computer to run
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7
Q

Give an example of a program that is stored in the ROM:

A

BIOS

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8
Q

What is the purpose of the BIOS?

A
  • Checks if hardware is functioning correctly
  • Then, runs bootstrap program that loads the computer’s OS from the hard drive into the RAM
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9
Q

What does ROM stand for?

A

Read only memory

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10
Q

Where is the ROM located in the computer?

A

Built into the motherboard

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11
Q

What is Volatile memory?

A
  • Temporary memory
  • Requires power to retain data
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12
Q

What is Non-volatile memory?

A
  • Permanent memory
    —> Keeps its contents even when it has no data
  • Primary memory
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13
Q

What is Primary storage?

A

Holds data, programs and instructions that are currently in use

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14
Q

What does primary storage include?

A
  • RAM
  • ROM
  • Cache
  • Flash memory
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15
Q

What is Primary storage also known as?

A

Main memory

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16
Q

What is Virtual memory?

A

A section of a computer storage drive (HDD) which is temporarily used as RAM

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17
Q

When is Virtual memory needed?

A

When you need to run applications on the computer than its physical memory (RAM) can support
—> It lets more memory to be used than there is in the system.

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18
Q

What is Swapping?

A

The process of moving data between RAM and secondary storage when using virtual memory

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19
Q

What are the disadvantages of using Virtual memory?

A
  • Makes a computer slow to respond when switching applications
  • Excessive use can cause disk thrashing
    —> which decreases performance
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20
Q

Why is Virtual memory slower to respond when switching applications?

A

In the VM, the data would still need to be moved to RAM before it could be accessed
—> This is what slows down the access speed

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21
Q

How can the processing performance be improved of a computer that frequently uses virtual memory?

A

INCREASING the size of the RAM
—> reduces the need for virtual memory

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22
Q

What is secondary storage?

A

Non-volatile memory external to the CPU and used for long-term storage of programs and data

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23
Q

Name some common types of secondary storage:

A
  • Optical
  • Magnetic
  • Solid State
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24
Q

Name some examples of Optical storage devices:

A
  • CD
  • DVD
  • Blu-ray discs
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25
Name some examples of *Magnetic* storage devices:
* Hard disk drives * Magnetic tape
26
Name some examples of *Solid state* storage devices:
* Solid state drives * USB memory sticks
27
What does **HDD** stand for
Hard disk drive
28
Describe the structure of *HDD*:
Made up of a stack of magnetised metal disks ---> Spins 1000 times / sec
29
How is data stored in a *HDD*?
Magnetically ---> In small areas on the disks circular tracks
30
What is **Flash memory**?
Non-volatile memory that can be read from and written to ---> It is suitable for secondary storage
31
What are the *advantages* of **HDDs**?
* Cheap * High capacity * Fast read/write speed
32
What are the *disadvantages* of **HDDs**?
* Not portable * Not durable - due to moving parts
33
What are the *advantages* of **SSD**?
* Durable * Portable * Fast * Don't need defragmenting
34
What are the *disadvantages* of **SSD**?
* Expensive
35
What are the *disadvantages* of **Flash storage**?
* Small capacity * Slower than SSDs * Shorter read/write life
36
What are the *advantages* of **Optical discs**?
* Cheap * Very easily portable * Takes up little space physically * Won't be damaged by water or shocks
37
What are the *disadvantages* of **Optical discs**?
* Less storage capacity compared to other types * Easily scratched * Requires a CD reader * Slow write speeds
38
Where are *Magnetic tapes* often used?
* Personal computers * Large organisations * To sore HUGE amounts of data
39
What are the uses of *Optical storage*?
* Songs, videos and other multi-media storage * Backup and archiving of data
40
What are the uses of *Optical storage*?
* Higher end computers * Laptops * Smartphones and tablets
41
Name some characteristics
* Capacity * Speed * Portability * Durability * Reliability * Cost
42
What are **Bits**?
The smallest measurement of data
43
What are the units in computing, from smallest to largest?
* Bit * Nibble * Byte * Kilobyte * Megabyte * Gigabyte * Terabyte * Petabyte
44
How do *computers* represent the **Flow of electricity**?
By using 1s and 0s
45
What *number* system do we use?
Decimal number system
46
How many digits does the **decimal number system** have?
10 digits (base 10)
47
What **base** is *binary*?
2
48
How do you convert from **denary** to **binary**?
49
How do you convert from **binary** to **denary**?
50
# Binary addition 0 + 0 = ?
0
51
# Binary addition 1 + 0 = ?
1
52
# Binary addition 1 + 1 = ?
0 carry 1
53
# Binary addition 1 + 1 + 1 = ?
1 carry 1
54
When does an **overflow** error occur?
When the result of a calculation requires more bits (place values) than are in the available range
55
How do you convert **hex** to **denary**?
56
How do you convert **denary** to **hex**?
Or divide the denary number by 16. Convert that first number into hex (if needed). Take the remainder and convert it into hex (if needed)
57
What *base* is **hexadecimal**?
16
58
Why might *programmers* use **hex** instead of **binary**?
Hex is easier to understand than binary. Programmers often use hex to represent binary values as they are simpler to write and check than when using binary.
59
How are **binary numbers** multiplied and divided?
By shifting
60
How do you **multiply** a *binary* number?
Move the binary digits along to the left
61
How do you **multiply** a *binary* number by **2**?
All digits shift **one place** to the left
62
How do you **multiply** a *binary* number by **4**?
All digits shift **two places** to the left
63
How do you **multiply** a *binary* number by **8**?
All digits shift **three places** to the left
64
How do you **divide** a *binary* number?
Move the binary digits along to the right
65
How do you **divide** a *binary* number by **2**?
All digits shift **one place** to the right
66
How do you **divide** a *binary* number by **4**?
All digits shift **two places** to the right
67
How do you **divide** a *binary* number by **8**?
All digits shift **three places** to the right
68
What is a **character set**?
A table of data that links a character to a number. This allows the computer system to convert text into binary.
69
Give some *examples* of some **character sets**
* ASCII * Unicode * Extended ASCII
70
What is **ASCII**?
A 7-bit character set used for representing English keyboard characters.
71
How many **characters** does **ASCII** have?
128
72
What does **ASCII** stand for?
American Standard Code for Information Interchange
73
What is **Extended ASCII**?
Extended ASCII uses eight bits. ---> Allows for special characters such as those with accents in languages such as French and Spanish
74
How many **characters** does **Extended ASCII** have?
256
75
What is **Unicode**?
Unicode uses 16 bits, giving a range of over 65,000 characters. Represents languages such as Arabic or Chinese
76
How many **characters** does **Unicode** have?
Over 65,000
77
How do you *calculate* the **file size** of a **text file**?
number of bits per character x number of characters
78
What are the *types* of **images**?
* Bitmap * Vector
79
What is a **pixel**?
Picture element - a single dot of colour in a digital bitmap image or on a computer screen
80
What are **bitmap images** made of?
Pixels arranged on a grid
81
How do **pixels** show colour?
Each pixel is assigned a binary value which represents the colour of that pixel
82
What does the *quality* of a **bitmap** image depend on?
Image resolution (total amount of pixels)
83
What is the *result* of scaling *up* a **bitmap image**?
It will result in visible loss of quality
84
Give some *examples* of **bitmap images**
Most images on computers (e.g. photos and screenshots)
85
What are **vector images**?
Drawn by the computer following precise mathematical instructions to create lines and objects
86
What is the *file size* of **vector images** compared to **bitmaps**?
Vector files are smaller compared to bitmaps
87
Why are **vector files** *smaller* than **bitmap images**?
As each pixel in a bitmap is stored as an individual binary value
88
What is the *result* of scaling *up* a **vector image**?
Scaled up without any loss of quality
89
What are **vector** images typically used for?
Logos and animations
90
What is **colour depth**?
The amount of bits available for colours in an image
91
What is **image size**?
The number of pixels that an image contains. It is expressed as height and width | e.g. 1024 x 764
92
What is the **resolution** of an image?
The concentration of pixels within a certain area
93
How can you make a **greater range** of *shades & colours*?
By increasing the number of bits for each pixel
94
How do you work out **number of possible colours**?
Total num of colours = 2^n n = numb of bits per pixel
95
How many *colours* does **one bit** represent?
2 colours
96
How many *colours* does **two bits** represent?
4 colours
97
How many *colours* does **three bits** represent?
8 colours
98
How many *colours* does **eight bits** represent?
256 colours
99
How many *colours* does the **RGB** model use?
3 bytes altogether: 1 byte of 256 colours each
100
How do you *calculate* the **file size** of an **image file**?
Image resolution x colour depth
101
What is **metadata**?
Additional data about a file
102
Give some *examples* of **metadata**
* Author details * Colour depth * Geolocation * Date created
103
How do you convert **analogue sound** to **digital (binary)**?
Using an ADC. The amplitude of the analogue sound wave is measured and recorded in binary at specific intervals
104
What is a **sample**?
A digitally recorded fragment of sound, taken from an existing track or sound environment
105
What is **Sample rate**?
The number of times (per sec) the amplitude of the sound wave is measured
106
What is **sample rate** measured in?
Kilohertz (kHz)
107
Why will *increasing* the **sample rate** improve *audio quality*?
The digital data more closely resembles an analogue wave
108
What will **higher sample rates** result in?
Larger files
109
Why will **higher sample rates** result in **larger file sizes**?
As much more data is stored for each individual sample
110
How do you *improve* the quality of an **audio**?
* Increasing sample rate * Increasing bit depth
111
What is **bit depth**?
Number of bits available to represent each sample
112
Why will *increasing* the **bit depth** improve *audio quality*?
The more bits available to be used for each sample. ---> Therefore quality is higher as the wave resembles more closely to an analogue wave
113
What will a **higher bit depth** result in?
Larger file size
114
Why will a **higher bit depth** result in **larger file sizes**?
As each sample stores additional bits
115
How do you *calculate* the **file size** of a **sound file**?
Sound file size = Sample rate (in Hz) x duration (s)
116
What is **compression**?
A method of reducing file sizes, particularly in digital media such as photos, audio and video
117
What are the **benefits** of **compression**?
* Files take up less storage space * Files can be transferred quicker * Files can be read from or written to quicker
118
What are the *methods* to **compress** a file?
* Lossy * Lossless
119
How does **lossy compression** work?
Uses an algorithm that analyses and permanently removes data from the file which cannot be seen or heard by humans ---> This reduces file size ---> File can't return to its original form
120
What *type* of files would you often use **lossy compression** on?
* Images * Audio * Videos
121
What are some **advantages** of **lossy compression**?
* Greatly reduced file size * Lossy files take up less bandwidth * Commonly used
122
How does **lossy compression** positively impact **bandwidth**?
Can be downloaded more quickly
123
What are some **disadvantages** of **lossy compression**?
* Loses data that can't be brought back * Can't be used on text or software files * Worse quality than the original (but loss in quality is usually unnoticeable)
124
Give some examples of some *file types* that use **lossy compression**
* MP3 * JPEC * AAC
125
How does **lossless compression** work?
Makes the file smaller by temporarily removing data to store the file. It returns to its original state when opened
126
What *type* of files would you often use **lossless compression** on?
* Word documents * Programs * Games
127
What are some **advantages** of **lossless compression**?
* No reduction in quality - data is temporarily removed * Can be decompressed (turned back into the original) * Can be used on text and software files
128
What are some **disadvantages** of **lossless compression**?
Only a SLIGHT reduction in file size - so it can still take up quite a bit of space
129
Give some examples of some *file types* that use **lossless compression**
* WAV * PNG * TIFF
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