topic: input, output, storage

Question 1

what does a GPS do

Answer 1

GPS - to determine the user’s geographical location
used in satellite navigation

Question 2

what does a Magnetometer do

Answer 2

Is a digital compass
e.g. your phone always knows which way is North so it can auto rotate your digital maps depending on your physical orientation

Question 3

what does an Accelerometer do
give examples

Answer 3

measures acceleration forces. Mobile devices can sense movement or vibrations - recognises if a user moves. Track number of steps

Question 4

what does an Altimeter do

Answer 4

shows if ascending or descending. Used in flight instruments

Question 5

what does a Gyroscope do
give examples

Answer 5

measures whether the user has turned/rotated
used in games and 360-degree photos

Question 6

what does a Thermistor do

Answer 6

A thermistor is a resistance thermometer (digital thermometer). e.g. microwave ovens use them to stop overheating, cars, rechargable batteries

Question 7

what does an Actuator do

Answer 7

takes in energy and converts it to motion. Turns a control signal into a mechanical action

Question 8

what does a Temperature control do

Answer 8

opens a ventilator

Question 9

define primary storage

Answer 9

it is memory that is made up of RAM (volatile) and ROM (non volatile). It is directly accessible by the CPU.

Question 10

define secondary storage

Answer 10

storage that is non-volatile. It is not directly accessible by the CPU.

Question 11

3 examples of magnetic storage

Answer 11

• Hard Disk Drives (HDDs): high-capacity, internal storage
• Magnetic Tape
• Floppy Disks

Question 12

define virtual storage

Answer 12

storage that appears to be local but is physically located elsewhere

Question 13

3 examples of solid state devices

Answer 13

• Solid State Drives (SSDs): used in PCs
• USB Flash Drives (Memory Sticks): Portable storage
• Memory Cards: Used in cameras and mobile devices.

Question 14

3 examples optical storage devices

Answer 14

• CD-R / CD-RW used for small audio files
• DVD-R / DVD-RW: used for larger data files
• Blu-ray Disc: used for movies