CMPSC
What is the time complexity of binary search?
logn
What is the smallest unit of data stored in memory?
Bit
What does “supervised learning” mean?
Training on labeled data (known outcomes).
What is Ohm’s Law?
V = IR.
This was the first general-purpose electronic computer, built at Penn State’s rival university.
ENIAC.
In C++, what is the difference between a struct and a class?
For a struct's data, the default is public, whereas for a class, it is private.
Name the two main types of logic used in digital design.
Combinational and sequential logic.
What is the purpose of a confusion matrix?
Evaluates classification accuracy by comparing predictions vs. actuals.
What does a capacitor store?
Electric potential energy.
In binary, what’s the decimal value of 101010?
42.
Explain the concept of “inheritance” in OOP.
Inheritance is the principle of an Object "inheriting" its parent class's behavior (methods, variables, etc.)
In a pipeline processor, what problem does forwarding solve?
It prevents data hazards by passing values between pipeline stages.
What is the bias–variance tradeoff?
Balances model complexity vs. training error.
What is the phase difference between voltage and current in a purely inductive circuit?
90° (current lags voltage).
This 20th-century scientist invented the transistor.
William Shockley.
What data structure underlies a recursive function call stack?
Call stack.
Name one advantage and one disadvantage of RISC architectures.
RISC: simple instructions, fast pipeline; Disadvantage: more instructions per task.
What is the main purpose of Principal Component Analysis (PCA)?
Dimensionality reduction by transforming correlated variables.
Derive the impedance of a capacitor in the frequency domain.
ZC=1jωCZ_C = \frac{1}{j \omega C}ZC=jωC1.
What is the primary difference between analog and digital signals
Analog = continuous; digital = discrete.
Explain how a compiler converts high-level code into machine code (major phases).
Lexical analysis → parsing → semantic analysis → optimization → code generation.
Describe how cache memory improves CPU performance, including the concept of locality.
Exploits spatial and temporal locality to reduce access time.
Compare and contrast random forests and gradient boosting.
RF = bagging of trees; GB = sequential boosting to correct errors.
What is the difference between an op-amp in open-loop and closed-loop configuration?
Open-loop has infinite gain; closed-loop uses feedback for stability.
Where the term computer bug originate?
A real moth was found in a relay of the Harvard Mark II computer.