CPU
This is the name of the cycle the CPU repeats continuously to process instructions.
What is the fetch-decode-execute cycle?
This type of storage loses its data when the power is switched off.
What is volatile storage?
Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android are all examples of this type of software.
What is an operating system?
In this sort, adjacent items are repeatedly compared and swapped if they are in the wrong order. This process continues until no more swaps are needed.
What is bubble sort?
The datatype that can only hold one of two values: True or False.
What is a Boolean?
The name of the CPU component that temporarily holds data, instructions, and results currently being used by the processor.
What are registers?
Unlike RAM, this type of storage is non-volatile, permanent, and used to store the OS and files long-term.
What is secondary storage?
The OS uses this technique to give each process a fair share of CPU time, preventing any single program from monopolising the processor.
What is scheduling?
After one full pass of bubble sort on the list [5, 3, 8, 1], this is the resulting order.
What is [3, 5, 1, 8]?
This type of loop repeats a block of code a set number of times, using a counter variable.
What is a for loop?
The part of the CPU that carries out arithmetic and logical operations.
What is the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)?
An SSD uses this technology to store data, meaning it has no moving parts unlike a traditional hard disk drive.
What is flash memory?
The OS manages this, allocating portions of it to running programs and frees it up when programs close.
What is memory management?
This algorithm checks every item in a list one by one from the start until the target is found or the list ends.
What is linear search?
A named block of reusable code that performs a specific task and and does not a value back to the main program.
What is a procedure?
These are methods of improving CPU performance.
What is increasing clock speed, adding more cores, and increasing cache size?
These are some factors that are used to compare secondary storage types. List 3.
What is capacity, speed, cost per GB, and durability?
The OS uses this system to control which programs and users can access files, preventing unauthorised changes.
What is user management?
Merge sort uses this technique, it splits the list in half repeatedly, sorts each half, then combines them back together.
What is divide and conquer?
In Python, this built-in function returns the number of characters in a string.
What is len()?
This small but fast type of memory sits inside the CPU and stores frequently used data and instructions to reduce the number of times the CPU must access RAM.
What is cache memory?
This type of optical storage can hold up to 25 GB per layer and is commonly used for HD video, unlike a standard DVD.
What is a Blu-ray disc?
List what WIMP stands for
What is Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointers?
List one advantage and one disadvantage of using bubble sort over merge sort.
Advantages:
Easier to code, no extra memory needed.
Disadvantages:
Slower to execute
This programming concept allows a subroutine to call itself, and is often used to implement merge sort or traverse tree structures.
What is recursion?