SOLUTIONS
Computer Components
1.
What is Flash Memory?
A kind of memory that retains data in the absence of a power supply. Some
examples are: memory cards for cameras and cell phones or the popular USB
flash drives.
2.
Describe CPU’s with two or more cores (i.e., dual-core and quad-core). How do
these differ from traditional CPU’s?
Taken from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2406293,00.asp
Having a multicore CPU means that the processor can work on more than one
problem at a time, or it can work on a large problem more efficiently if the
program is built that way. Multitasking is easy to explain: If you're browsing the web,
checking email constantly, and calculating the 20,000 cells in your latest spreadsheet all at
the same time, having multiple cores means that core 1 can be working on the email, core
2 on the Flash webpage you're viewing, and cores 3 and 4 on the spreadsheet. When you
have a single task that needs to be done right away, multiple cores can help you by
breaking the task into smaller chunks, working on each chunk in parallel, and thus you'll
get your work done quicker.
3.
4.
Find a computer retailer that sells peripheral devices (e.g. Canada Computers,
Tiger Direct, etc.). For the following devices, find the cheapest and most
expensive product. What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? Is the extra
cost worth it in your opinion? Explain.
a.
b.
c.
LCD Monitor
Gaming Mouse
Graphic Tablet
a.
What are other units of computer storage beyond the terabyte? List their
values with respect to bytes.
Taken from http://www.wu.ece.ufl.edu/links/dataRate/DataMeasurementChart.html
Data Measurement Chart
Data Measurement Size
Bit
Single Binary Digit (1 or 0)
Byte
8 bits
Kilobyte (KB)
1,024 Bytes
Megabyte (MB)
1,024 Kilobytes
Gigabyte (GB)
1,024 Megabytes
Terabyte (TB)
1,024 Gigabytes
Petabyte (PB)
1,024 Terabytes
Exabyte (EB)
1,024 Petabytes
SOLUTIONS
b.
How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?
1024 megabytes in a gigabyte
c.
How many megabytes are in a terabyte?
1024*1024 = 1048576 megabytes in a terabyte
d.
An iPod Nano hold 4GB of information. An song averages 6MB. How
many songs will the iPod hold? How many songs will a 30GB iPod hold?
4 GB = 4*1024 = 4096 MB
4096/6 = 682.7 or 683 songs
30GB = 30*1024 = 30720 MB
30720/6 = 5120 songs
5.
Find out the approximate amount of computer storage needed for the following
files. State the type of files as well:
a.
A two page Word document file
30KB
b.
A five minute song (CD Quality)
7MB
c.
A twenty minute episode of a television show (DVD Quality)
500MB
d.
A two hour movie (DVD Quality)
3GB
6.
Find a computer retailer that sells computers (e.g. Canada Computers,
Tiger Direct, BestBuy, etc.) and choose one computer to study. Identify the
following specifications for your computer:
a.
CPU and processor speed
b.
RAM
c.
Hard drive capacity and speed
d.
Graphics card and video memory
e.
Sound card
f.
Number of USB ports
g.
Processer Cache