Deck 2: Introduction to Systems Architecture

Question 1

In classical physics, a subatomic particle, such as a photon, can be in multiple places at one time.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Mechanical computers such as the Mark One were used during World War I to compute trajectory tables for naval guns and torpedoes.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The World Wide Web is sometimes called a network of networks because it interconnects millions of other networks.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Electronic computers addressed most shortcomings of mechanical computation.

Question 5

The need or idea that motivates a request for computer processing is stated at a specific level.

Question 6

Server hardware capabilities depend on the resources being shared and the number of simultaneous users.

Question 7

The primary role of software is to translate users' needs and requests into CPU instructions that, when executed, produce a result that satisfies the need or request.

Question 8

A typical computer system must have much more secondary storage capacity than primary storage capacity.

Question 9

Optics have little advantage over electronics in most areas of computing technology.

Question 10

A URL identifies one specific WWW resource.

Question 11

The Difference Engine computed logarithms by moving gears and other mechanical components.

Question 12

Optical processors might be easier to fabricate than current processors and are better matched to optical communication technologies.

Question 13

A tablet computer is a laptop computer that emphasizes small size, reduced weight, low cost, and wireless networking and is capable of performing only light-duty tasks, such as Web browsing, e-mailing, and word processing.

Question 14

The biggest impetus for the change to electronic computing devices came during World War I.

Question 15

​Some commercial computers have used quantum physics to perform data storage and computation.

Question 16

All computers are automated computing devices, and all automated computing devices are computers.

Question 17

Light can be used as a basis for computation.

Question 18

Windows OSs tend toward an all-inclusive approach to system software, bundling most system software functions in the OS.

Question 19

Mechanical computation devices cannot perform complex calculations.

Question 20

A machine capable of adding whole numbers can multiply whole numbers by executing the addition function multiple times.

Question 21

Storage devices that hold currently executing programs are called ____

A) primary storage
B) registers
C) qubits
D) secondary storage

Question 22

Storage devices that hold data not needed by currently running programs are called ____

A) primary storage
B) registers
C) qubits
D) secondary storage

Question 23

The evolution of Microsoft OSs is a good example of how software development depends on hardware technology.

Question 24

In classical physics, a group of 3 bits can store only one of ____ possible values at a time.

A) 6
B) 8
C) 12
D) 24

Question 25

A(n) ____ is a program in which different sets of instructions are applied to different data input values.

A) system
B) problem
C) solution
D) algorithm

Question 26

Any matter that stores data in multiple simultaneous quantum states is called a ____.

A) qubit
B) bit
C) Limit
D) quantum

Question 27

Optical computation harnesses the energy of moving ____ to perform computational work.

A) muons
B) photons
C) electrons
D) positrons

Question 28

The CPU contains a few internal storage locations called ____, each capable of holding a single instruction or data item.

A) the ALU
B) registers
C) shifters
D) the compiler

Question 29

Early mechanical computation devices were built to perform ____.

A) text processing​
B) mathematical simulation
C) repetitive mathematical calculations
D) repetitive text operations

Question 30

In a modern digital computer, data is represented by groups of ____.

A) qubits
B) photons
C) bits
D) waves

Question 31

____ signals can carry more data than electrical signals.

A) Mechanical
B) Digital
C) Optical
D) Quantum

Question 32

A particle of light is called a ____.

A) muon
B) photon
C) quantum
D) meson

Question 33

​A simple definition of a computer is a device that can accept numeric inputs, perform computational functions, and ____.

A) ​communicate results
B) ​solve formulas
C) ​store data on disk or flash RAM
D) ​detect quantum storage states

Question 34

In current computer hardware, main memory is implemented with silicon-based semiconductor devices commonly called ____.

A) Flash
B) PROM
C) ROM
D) RAM

Question 35

____ physics describes the behavior of matter at a subatomic level.

A) Einsteinian
B) Newtonian
C) Relativity
D) Quantum

Question 36

Optical light pulses can be stored indirectly, such as ____.

A) on the surface of a DVD
B) on the surface of a magnetic disk
C) in the blocks of flash memory
D) the groves of a record

Question 37

The 80386 provided hardware support for running multiple programs simultaneously, simplified partitioning primary storage among programs, and provided mechanisms for preventing programs from interfering with one another.

Question 38

Quantum physics describes subatomic behavior with ____.

A) physical rules
B) mathematical rules
C) physical laws
D) a combination of physical rules and mathematical laws

Question 39

An end-user accesses a Web-based application via a URL.

Question 40

The first commercially available quantum computer was built by ____.

A) IBM
B) Sony
C) D-Wave
D) Hewlett-Packard

Question 41

____ software describes programs used to develop other programs.

A) Application development
B) Application design
C) Systems
D) Application modeling

Question 42

The term ____ can describe computers as small as midrange computers and as large as supercomputers.

A) mainframe
B) client
C) server
D) grid

Question 43

____ are typically implemented by installing software on each machine that accepts tasks from a central server and performs them when not busy doing other work.

A) Grids
B) Clouds
C) Clusters
D) Blades

Question 44

A ____ is a program that translates instructions in a programming language into CPU instructions.

A) compiler
B) linker
C) program translator
D) parser

Question 45

The complexity of modern networks arises from the huge quantity of ____.

A) centralized resources
B) local resources
C) distributed resources
D) cloud services

Question 46

A ____ is designed for one purpose-computational speed with large problems.

A) supercomputer
B) mainframe
C) microcomputer
D) server

Question 47

A ____ consists of hardware, software, and transmission media that enable computer systems to share information, software, and hardware resources.

A) computer system
B) computer network
C) computer environment
D) computer platform

Question 48

____ is targeted to general-purpose tasks that support many application programs and users.

A) Application software
B) System software
C) Niche software
D) Commodity software

Question 49

A(n) ____ is a stored set of instructions for responding to a specific request, much as you might look up a recipe to prepare a particular dish.

A) operating system
B) computer system
C) compiler
D) application program

Question 50

A ____ is a set of computing resources with front-end interfaces and back-end resources.

A) grid
B) cluster
C) cloud
D) blade

Question 51

A ____ is a circuit board that contains most of a server.

A) grid
B) cloud
C) cluster
D) blade

Question 52

Most application software is used by ____.

A) end users
B) programmers
C) engineers
D) administrators

Question 53

____ is typically the cheapest component of current information systems.

A) System software
B) Hardware
C) Middleware
D) Application software

Question 54

In the "layered approach," knowledge of the machine's physical details is embedded into system software and hidden from users and application programmers.This is commonly referred to as ____.

A) machine dependence
B) virtualization
C) machine independence
D) abstraction

Question 55

A ____ is a group of similar or identical computers, connected by a high-speed network, that cooperate to provide services or run a single application.

A) cloud
B) cluster
C) blade
D) grid

Question 56

The ____ chip provided integrated memory caches, enhanced computational capabilities, and increased raw CPU speed.Windows 95 was developed to take better advantage of this chip's capabilities.

A) 8088
B) 80286
C) 80386
D) 80486

Question 57

A ____ is a computer system designed to meet a single user's information-processing needs.

A) personal computer
B) mainframe
C) supercomputer
D) minicomputer

Question 58

A specific shared resources within the World Wide Web is identified by a(n) ____.

A) URL
B) ALU
C) CPU
D) WWW

Question 59

The ____ software layer has utility programs used by end users and system administrators to manage and control computer resources.

A) system services
B) machine independent
C) machine dependent
D) system management

Question 60

"____" is the concept that the per-unit cost of producing goods or providing services decreases as the organization size increases.

A) Economies of scale
B) Economies of measure
C) Economies of balance
D) Economies of growth

Question 61

____________________ data communication is common in computer networks that cover large distances.

Question 62

The most famous of the mechanical computation devices is the ____________________, built by Charles Babbage in 1821.

Question 63

A(n) ____________________ is a device that performs data manipulation and transformation functions including computation, comparison, and data movement.

Question 64

A moving photon's ____________________ can be harnessed to perform computational work.

Question 65

The phrase ____________________ is the concept that the per-unit cost of producing goods or services decreases as the size of the producing or delivering organization increases..

Question 66

A(n) ____________________ is a computer or group of computers that manages shared resources and enables users and other computer to access those resources over a network.

Question 67

Current computer technology is based on principles of ____________________ physics developed during the 17th through 20th centuries, including electronics, magnetism, and optics.

Question 68

A(n) ____________________ is a stored set of instructions for performing a specific task.

Question 69

____________________ typically make use of both multicomputer configuration and virtualization.

Question 70

For computer components such as processors, ____________________ are expected to gradually supplant electronics during the 21st Century.

Question 71

____________________ offers flexibility in server configuration and deployment, including the ability to "resize" virtual machines easily to match changing requirements.

Question 72

​A simple definition of a(n) ____________________ is any device that can accept numeric inputs, perform computational functions, such as addition and subtraction, and communicate results.

Question 73

____________________'s law is the mathematical formula that describes belief that the large and powerful computers will always be more cost effective than smaller ones.

Question 74

A(n) ____________________ configuration is any arrangement of multiple computers used to support specific services or applications.

Question 75

____ improved memory access and raw CPU speeds and added features such as support for higher-speed system buses, pipelined instruction execution, and multimedia processing instructions.

A) Pentium processors
B) Multiple-core CPUs
C) 80x86 processors
D) PowerPC processors

Question 76

A(n) ____________________ identifies a specific web resources.

Question 77

The ____________________ is a general-purpose processor that executes all instructions and controls all data movement in the computer system.

Question 78

In contrast to a formula, a program that implements an algorithm must include comparison and ____________________ instructions.

Question 79

In a(n) ____________________ device, the movement of electrons performs essentially the same functions as gears and wheels in mechanical computers.

Question 80

A(n) ____________________ is a group of dissimilar computers, connected by a high-speed network, that cooperate to provide services or run a shared application.