Chapter 1 Critical Thinking

1a) Describe a situation where a desktop computer might

be preferred over a notebook computer.
One situation would be in a workplace, as a desktop computer is
stronger than a notebook and you dont need to be moving
around in the workplace.
b) List three advantages of purchasing a notebook
computer instead of a desktop computer.
A notebook computer is portable, has a long battery life, and is
much easier to transport somewhere then a desktop computer is.
c) Describe a situation or user that would prefer a tablet
PC over a notebook computer.
A young kid might prefer a tablet PC over a notebook computer
d) Describe two occupations where it would be useful to
have a hand-held computer.
Auto mechanics or doctors may use wearable computers.
e) Describe how wearable computer are used in the health
care industry.
They are used monitor health problems, such as heart rate or
respiration flow.
2a) List and compare three input devices.
A keyboard is used to type, a mouse is used to navigate and a
digital camera is used for taking pictures and videos.
b) List and compare three output devices.
Monitors display data and pictures, disk drives store data, and
speakers communicate audio output.
c) List and describe two peripheral devices.
Webcams allow you to take video and upload it instantly to the
internet and microphones do the same but with audio.
d) List three types of ports.
Serial, parallel and FireWire are just three kinds of ports.
3) List and describe five components found on the
motherboard.
Expansion boards are circuit boards that allow you to add
functionality to your computer, the CPU processes data and
controls the flow of data between your computers units, a bus is
a set of circuits that connect the CPU to other components, the
address bus carries memory addresses that indicate where the
data is located and where the data should go, and integrated
circuits stores data electronically.
4) Describe the flow of data between the components of a
computer, starting with input.
Input devices are used to input data into the computer, from there
the data is stored in the storage and then processed and then
moves to the output and the results are shown on the computer.

5) What is cache memory used for?

SRAM (static random access memory or cache) is a memory used

to store frequently used data and makes applications receive that
data a lot quicker.

6a) Describe one difference between operating system

software and applications software.

Operating systems are used to do many things such as running

applications, whereas applications are used for doing a specific
task.

b) List three different operating systems.

3 Different operating systems include: Windows, Mac and Linux.

c) What does environment refer to?

The environment refers to the computers hardware and software

configuration.

d) What is another word for environment?

Another word for environment is platform.

7) What is a utility program? Give an example.

A utility program is a program with a very specific task, it

manages a lot of the computer. An example of one would be
system security, eg. a firewall

8) Why is cross-platform connectivity important to many

computer users?

Cross-platform connectivity is important for computer users

because you can share data through this.

9a) What is the difference between low and high level

programming languages?

Low level programming language is language consisting of 1s and

0s and can be used to communicate directly with the computer.
High level programming languages have English like instructions
that are easier to understand than low level programming
language.

b) List three high-level programming languages.

Three high-level programming languages are Fortran, Basic and

COBOL

c) What is the difference between a compiler and an

interpreter?

A complier is a program that converts an entire program into

machine language so the machine can understand the program.
An interpreter translates and executes instructions in the
computer.

d) List an advantage of using an object-oriented

programming language

Object-oriented programming lets programmers create and reuse

modules, this can be used to develop better programs and be
organized.

10) List four benefits of using a network.

The user can Share data over network (files, etc.), communicate
over the network (messaging, etc.), allow updates for programs
on the internet, and have security options with passwords and
restrictions.

11a) What are two common size classifications for

networks?

LAN and WAN are two common size classifications for networks.

b) What size classification is used to connect devices over

large geographical distances?

WAN (Wide-area network) is used to connect devices over large

distances.

12a) What is a network operating system?

Network operating systems are programs that allow users to

communicate over the network.

b) What does a network environment refer to?

A group of users that are connected through the network.

13) Describe two common network architecture models.

Peer-to-peer network considers every computer in the network

equal in terms of responsibilities and resource sharing.
Client/server network has a group of computers called clients and
are connected to a server. A server is a computer that is a lot
stronger than normal to keep the server up.

14a) What does physical topology refer to?

Physical topology refers to the arrangement of the nodes on the

network.

b) What is a node?

A node is a location on the network with a device capable of

processing information.

c) What topology uses a hub?

A star topology is what uses a hub for its network.

d) Which topology connects each node to form a closed

loop?

A ring topology is connected to form a closed loop.

e) What is the difference between physical and logical

topology?

Physical topology is devices connected through wires and cables,

a logical topology shows the data passed between devices on the
network.

15) Which netiquette rules apply in your classroom?

Using appropriate language, respecting others, not sharing

passwords, and don't access another classmates account.

16) Explain why the binary number system was adopted

for use in computers.

Binary was adopted because it is a language that only computers

can read. This helps the computer read programs and output
things through binary code.
17a) What is the decimal equivalent of 1011 2?

The decimal equivalent is 11.

b) What is the decimal equivalent of 2A 16?

The decimal equivalent is 42.

18) What is Unicode?

Unicode is a code that changed every letter of the alphabet into a

code consisting of 16, 1s and 0s. This forms a 16-bit binary code.

19a) How many bytes of data can 2 GB of RAM store?

2 GB of RAM = 2,147,483,648 bytes.

b) How many bytes of data can a 500 GB hard drive store?

500 GB Hard drive = 536,870,912,000 bytes.

20a) When would an overflow error occur?

Integers can only be stored in four bytes, so the range of that is

-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. When the number of bits is
greater or less than this number, what is known as an overflow
occurs.

b) What are real numbers?

Real numbers, or floating point numbers, are numbers that

contain decimal points.

c) When would a roundoff error occur?

Roundoff errors occur when there is not enough bytes to store.

21a) What is the difference between a text file and a

binary file?

Text files are files that humans can read and binary files are files
that are only readable by computers.
b) Explain how an extension distinguishes file types.

An extension is used to distinguish file types such as which

program the file came from or what program it belongs to.

c) Describe how organizing your files into folders would

help keep you organized.

This keeps you organized because it has it so all your files are in
one place instead of spread out on your computer.

22) List two ways storage devices can be classified and

give an example of a store device in each category.

Internal, such as hard disk or external such as memory key HDD

or external, such as a removable USB Drive.

23) List four rules that should be followed to avoid

damaging files stored on disks or CD/DVDs.

Keep magnetic media away from magnets, handle cd's/dvd's with

care, store cd/dvd in a safe place, and keep media away from
moisture and extreme temperatures.

24a) What is the difference between an intranet and an

extranet?

Intranet is a network used by a single organization, whereas

Extranet is an Intranet but with more features such as allowing
certain accessibility to certain users.

b) Who controls the internet?

No one person controls the internet, as it is controlled by many

people.

25a) What problem is associated with using a conventional

modem?
The problem with using a conventional modem is that it uses
standard telephone lines to transmit data, making it really slow
compared to cable modems.

b) Describe the differences between a DSL modem and a

cable modem.

The cable modem is faster than the DSL modem.

26a) What is the most widely used Internet service?

The most widely used internet service is called the world wide
web, or www.

b) List one benefit of e-mail over standard mail.

Email is transferred faster than mail, and is less expensive.

c) Write you e-mail address and label the parts of the

address.

ceisler2014@gmail.com (ceisler2014 is just my name for my

email address, @ is the local part and gmail.com is the domain
part)

d) What are two requirements for sending and receiving e-

mail messages?

Having internet service, as well as an email address and software.

e) List one example of a browser-based e-mail site.

Gmail.com is a browser based e-mail site.

27a) Explain why sending an e-mail message should be

thought of the same as sending a postcard.

Emailing is basically the same as sending a postcard because in

both you are sending a message of some sort.
b) Discuss with a partner and then summarize issues that
could occur if e-mail etiquette is not followed in the
workplace.

You could lose access to your email or have it taken down.

28a) List three commonly used search engines.

Google, Yahoo and Bing.

b) Which search engine do you prefer to use, and why?

Google, because it is most commonly used, risk-free, and is

convenient, as well as being free of ads.

c) Describe the importance of using effective search

criteria.

Effective search criteria will help you find exactly what you are
looking for.

29) Write search criteria to locate web pages that contain

the following information:

a) restaurants in Miami

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/miami

b) art museums in Montreal, Canada

www.macm.org/MAC/Exhibition

c) clothing stores in your city

www.yellowpages.ca Canada British Columbia Surrey

d) alligators, but not crocodiles

animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/american-
alligator/

e) the author James Patterson

www.jamespatterson.com

f) the phrase garbage in garbage out

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out

g) George Washington and John Adams, but not Thomas

Jefferson

http://poptropica.answers.wikia.com/wiki/George_Washington,_an
d_Thomas_Jefferson_but_not_John_Adams

h) travel to Florida, but not Orlando

www.flightcentre.ca/Vacations/Florida

30) Why should files only be downloaded from authentic

sites?

Only download files from authentic sites, as you can easily get a
virus from other sites.

31a) List four questions to answer when evaluating a

website source.

Is it virus or malware-free? Is it age friendly? Is it legitimate? Is

the info on the site reliable?

b) Why is it necessary to cite sources?

Citing a source can find out if it is reliable and safe.

32a) What is online profiling?

It is a marketing technique that collects data for the purpose of

targeted advertising.

b) What is a cookie?

A packet of data sent by an internet server to a browser, used to

store your settings.
c) What is a web beacon?

A web beacon is a tiny graphic located on a web page to collect

data about the web page user.

d) Who usually monitors the information collected by web

beacons?

The owner of the server or whomever they employ.

33) Locate a websites privacy policy and document its

contents.

https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ - Our Privacy Policy

explains: What information we collect and why we collect it, how
we use that information, and the choices we offer, including how
to access and update information.

34) Name and briefly describe one law that helps protect
the privacy of an individual.

The Privacy Act of 1974 restrict the way that personal data can be
used by federal agencies, meaning that individuals must be
permitted access to the information that is stored about them.

35) List three reasons why many schools have developed

an Acceptable Use Policy.

Many schools have adopted this policy because of internet

content, unproductive use, and copyright.

36) What can you do if you are turned down for credit at a
bank and believe that the data used to deny credit is
inaccurate?

They are allowed by law to see the files that are used to make the
credit determination.

37a) What is necessary for a federal government authority

to access and individuals financial records?
The federal government must have some form of a search
warrant to access an individuals financial records.

b) What must a financial institution do after releasing an

individuals records?

The financial institute must notify the individual who has had
access to them.

38a) What is copyright infringement?

Copyright infringement is the illegal use, or reproduction of data,

eg. Pictures, music, video, etc.

b) Why is computer piracy such a concern to software

developers?

Computer piracy is such a big concern because developing,

testing and marketing are all an expensive process and, without
rightful compensation, the future development of that company
may be jeopardized.

c) What is a computer virus?

A virus is malware that is a series of instructions that can

replicate without the users knowledge.

d) Describe phishing.

Phishing is the scam of sending an e-mail to a user, falsely

claiming to be a legitimate business in an attempt to trick the
user into revealing personal information that could be used for
crimes.

39) What ethical responsibilities does an I.T. professional

have?

An I.T. professionals responsibilities include system reliability

(appropriate software, keeping hardware working and up to date,
maintaining databases), must take responsibility for ethical
aspects of the career choice, and must consider the impact they
have on computer users.

40) Determine if each of the following are true or false. If

false, explain why.

a) Software refers to the physical components of the

computer.

False, Hardware refers to the physical components of the

computer.

b) Linux is an operating system.

True.

c) A utility program has one clearly defined task.

False, Utility programs are run by the operating system to

manage input and output, read and write to memory, manage the
processor, maintain system security and manage files and disks.

d) Assembly language is a high-level programming

language.

False, Assembly Language is a low-leveled programming

language.

e) A WAN connects devices over large geographical

distances.

True.

f) A peer-to-peer network has a server.

False, on a peer-to-peer network, each computer is equal in terms

of responsibility and resource sharing. A server is a computer that
is more beefy that is used to manage network functions.

g) The binary number system uses only 1s and 0s

True.

h) A conventional modem transmits data faster than a

cable modem.

False, a Cable modem transmits data much faster than a

conventional modem.

i) An e-mail address is required to send e-mail messages.

True.

j) The present time is referred to as the industrial age.

False, the current time is referred to as the Information Age.

k) Ergonomics is the science that studies safe work

environments.

True.