Chapter 2: Hardware Basics: Inside the Box

Instructor’s Manual Materials to Accompany

tomorrow’s technology and you

Chapter 2

hardware basics: inside the box

ChAPTER REVIEW/Answers to End of Chapter Questions

Interactive Activities

1. The Tomorrow’s Technology and You Web site, www.prenhall.com/beekman, contains self-test exercises related to this chapter. Follow the instructions for taking a quiz. After you’ve completed your quiz, you can email the results to your instructor.

2. The Web site also contains open-ended discussion questions called Internet Explorations. Discuss one or more of the Internet Exploration questions at the section for this chapter.

True or False

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Chapter 2: Hardware Basics: Inside the Box

  1. In order for a computer to add two numbers, the numbers first must be converted to ASCII code.

True

  1. A simple on/off switch can store exactly one bit of information.

True

  1. The data processed by digital computers is made up of discrete units, or digits.

True

  1. The contents of ROM cannot be changed.

True

  1. If a processor is backward compatible with another, older processor, it can run older programs written for that processor.

True

  1. A megabyte (MB) is 10 times as big as a gigabyte (GB).

False

  1. The information stored in RAM is nothing more than a pattern of electrical current flowing through microscopic circuits in silicon chips.

True

  1. If two different CPUs have exactly the same clock speed, they take exactly the same amount of time to accomplish identical tasks.

False

  1. Slots and ports make it possible for the CPU to communicate with the outside world through peripherals.

True

  1. The access time for most memory is slower than the access time for a typical hard disk.

False

Multiple Choice

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Copyright © 2009 Prentice-Hall. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2: Hardware Basics: Inside the Box

1.  Why will software written for the Core CPU generally run on the Core 2 Duo CPU?

  1. Microsoft uses special encoding techniques that work only with Core CPUs.
  2. The Core 2 Duo has special compatibility registers in RAM.
  3. The Core 2 Duo is designed to be backward compatible with earlier Core chips.
  4. Every CPU is, by definition, compatible with the Core processor.
  5. All software written for the Core 2 Duo is compiled on Core processors.

Answer: c

2.  Express cards are

  1. cards that are designed to be inserted into expansion slots on desktop PCs.
  2. high-speed cards that are designed to work with workstations.
  3. compact cards that are designed to work with notebook computers.
  4. cards that attach directly to the PC motherboard.
  5. None of the above

Answer: a

3.  One megabyte equals approximately

  1. 1,000 bits.
  2. 1,000 bytes.
  3. 1 million bytes.
  4. 1 million bits.
  5. 2,000 megabits.

Answer: c

4.  How many values can be represented by a single byte?

  1. 2
  2. 8
  3. 16
  4. 64
  5. 256

Answer: e

5.  Transformation of input into output is performed by

  1. peripherals.
  2. memory.
  3. storage.
  4. the CPU.
  5. the ALU.

Answer: d

6.  A coding scheme that supports 100,000 unique characters has the name

  1. ASCII.
  2. EBCDIC.
  3. Esperanto.
  4. Unicode.
  5. URL.

Answer: d

7.  What does the speed of the computer depend on?

  1. The architecture of the processor
  2. The clock speed of the processor
  3. The word size of the processor
  4. The number of processors
  5. All of the above

Answer: e

8.  Why are program instructions represented in binary notation within the computer?

  1. Binary notation is more compact than other representations.
  2. Computer memory is made out of binary digits (bits).
  3. There are only two different directions for electricity to move along a wire.
  4. Computer programmers prefer to think in binary.
  5. A CPU can execute no more than two instructions at one time.

Answer: c

9.  A computer’s internal bus can be connected to an external bus through

  1. a depot
  2. a CPU
  3. a port
  4. a flash
  5. a megabit

Answer: c

10.  When you first turn on a computer, the CPU is preset to execute instructions stored in

  1. RAM.
  2. ROM.
  3. flash memory.
  4. the CD–ROM.
  5. the ALU.

Answer: c

11.  When you are working on an unsaved document on a PC, where is the document temporarily stored?

  1. RAM
  2. ROM
  3. The CPU
  4. The Internet
  5. The CD–ROM

Answer: a

12.  Information travels between components on the motherboard through

  1. flash memory.
  2. CMOS.
  3. bays.
  4. buses.
  5. peripherals.

Answer: d

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Chapter 2: Hardware Basics: Inside the Box

13.  Nonvolatile memory

  1. can be thrown in a fire without exploding.
  2. cannot be used to store programs.
  3. can keep its contents without a flow of electricity.
  4. loses its contents without a flow of electricity.
  5. dissolves in water.

Answer: c

14.  A collection of bits in the computer’s memory might be treated as

  1. binary numbers that can be added and subtracted.
  2. ASCII codes representing letters and other characters.
  3. program instructions that tell the computer what to do.
  4. Any of the above
  5. None of the above

Answer: d

15.  Storage devices can be connected to the CPU and memory via

  1. expansion slots.
  2. ports.
  3. bays.
  4. All of the above
  5. None of the above

Answer: d

Review Questions

  1. Provide a working definition of each of the keywords listed in the “Key Terms” section. Check your answers in the glossary.

All words are defined under the Key Terms section in this Instructors Manual.

  1. What is the main hardware obstacle to running Sony PlayStation software on a PC?

The processors are different.

  1. Draw a block diagram showing the major components of a computer and their relationship. Briefly describe the function of each component.

Diagrams will vary by student. The Web site at http://www.howstuffworks.com has an excellent example of a diagram.

  1. Why is the international computing industry shifting from ASCII to Unicode for representing text?

ASCII is too limited to accommodate Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, and other languages.

  1. Why is information stored in some type of binary format in computers?

Students should discuss how computers work using electrical circuits.

  1. Clock speed is only one factor in determining a CPU’s processing speed. What is another?

Students should discuss either the architecture, word size, or number of processors.

  1. Explain how symmetrical multiprocessing can increase a computer’s performance; use an example or a comparison with the way people work if you like.

Students should talk about high-end computing and the need for increased productivity and/or speed.

  1. Why do computer manufacturers typically make their new processors backward compatible with earlier processors?

Backward compatibility is necessary so the new processors can run most software written for older CPUs.

  1. What is the main architectural difference between the Intel Core 2 Duo and the Core and Pentium processors that preceded it?

The Intel Core 2 Duo has multiple processors on a single chip.

  1. Describe several ways you can minimize your negative impact on the environment when you purchase and use a computer.

Students should discuss the section in the chapter on Green Computing. They should include discussion on purchasing hardware that uses less energy and taking advantage of other energy-saving features.

Discussion Questions

  1. How is human memory similar to computer memory? How is it different?

Human memory is relayed in the same way as computer memory. However, human memory can reason without instructions but computer memory cannot.

  1. Why are computer manufacturers constantly releasing faster computers? How do computer users benefit from the increased speed?

Reponses will vary. However, the need for increased processing in an information society should be touched on.

  1. Does information always have value? Explain your answer.

Responses will vary. Students should discuss the first two paragraphs under the section A Bit About Bits.

  1. Do you think the computer industry has more of a positive or negative effect on preserving global ecosystems?

Responses will vary. The computer industry is relatively easy on the environment. However, the manufacture and use of computer hardware and software does have a significant environmental impact, especially now that so many of us are using the technology.

Projects

  1. Collect computer advertisements from newspapers, magazines, and other sources. Compare how the ads handle discussions of speed. Evaluate the usefulness of the information in the ads from a consumer’s point of view.

Answers will vary. Students should discuss specific differences between the ads in the way speed was explained. Inclusion of which computer they would have chosen and how the way speed was marketed affected that decision should be included.

  1. Use the World Wide Web to window shop for a computer. Try to determine how the choice of CPU and memory affect price and performance.

Answers will vary. Students should include discussion of specific central processing units in their comparison such as AMD, Centrino, and Intel. A table comparing the advantages or disadvantages of each as well as the price comparison may be included. Another table reviewing advantages and disadvantages of different memory sizes also may be included with a comparison of price.

  1. Interview a salesperson in a computer store. Find out what kinds of questions people ask when buying a computer. Develop profiles for the most common buyers. What kinds of computers do these customers buy, and why?

Answers will vary. Students should prepare their interview prior to going to the computer store by reviewing the questions they will ask as well as how they intend to organize the information.

  1. Systems supporting the keyboard input of Chinese can be put into three types, depending on whether they rely on encoding, pronunciation, or the structure of the characters. Research these systems, and report on the relative strengths and weaknesses of each system type.

Answers will vary. Students should, as a minimum, discuss strengths and weaknesses of 3 of the following: Full Pinyin, Double Pinyin, Wubi, handwriting recognition, OCR or voice recognition methods.

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