Year 8 End of Year Test Revision

1. How Computers Work

What is a computer system? A computer is a device that has been designed to process data given some input
data and a program to run. A computer is a device that is able to take in data - called an input. It then acts
upon that data - called processing, the result of which is the output of the machine.
Input,
Used for? (Find a different answer for each
Device What is it? Output or
device.)
Storage?
Monitor/Screen Output It receives signals from the computer and displays that
information for the user to view.

Mouse Input A mouse usually has between 1 to 3 buttons which users

'click' in order to point and select objects on the screen. The
data from the mouse is transmitted to the computer.

Keyboard Input
lets the user to enter characters (letters, numbers and
symbols) into a computer.

Printer Output Users can print text and pictures on to paper. A printer can
also work with digital cameras to print directly without the
use of a computer.

Speaker Output takes audio electrical signals and converts them into actual
sound that people can hear.

Scanner Input used to transfer images or text from paper into

a digital format that the computer can use.
 Web cam Input can send video pictures when attached to a computer
with the right software.

Headphones Output Like speakers, connected to the computer's sound card so

you can listen to a sound file.

a. Fetch Decode Execute Cycle –

i. Fetch is one part of the fundamental Fetch Decode Execute cycle that all computers use where
the next instruction is fetched from memory.
ii. Decode is one part of the fundamental Fetch Decode Execute cycle that all computers use.
The decode part examines the instruction just fetched and checks if it is a valid part of the
CPU instruction set. If it is then the instruction is executed.
iii. You 'execute' a program when you load it into computer volatile memory (RAM) and tell the
CPU to begin running the instructions within the program.
b. Primary memory/storage
i. Memory tends to store the files that you are working on right now and also modules from the
applications that you are using or have open. These are stored in RAM (Random Access
Memory). This data is usually lost if the computer crashes or is switched off.
ii. Storage is where your files and computer programs are kept permanently so that you can get
hold of them at any time. They won't be lost when the computer is switched off.
iii. The other type of memory that you will hear about is ROM or Read Only Memory. This holds
the instructions needed to start the computer up - it doesn't get wiped when the computer is
turned off. You can't save anything to this type of memory.
c. Secondary storage
i. Data and programs that are not running on a CPU are stored in secondary storage.
ii. Hard disks, DVD and magnetic tape are examples of secondary storage.
d. Types of storage
Internal storage – magnetic hard disk drive, solid state drive
Removable storage – portable hardware device used to store digital data away from the
main computer system (e.g. memory stick, USB thumb drive, portable drive, CD, DVD).
Cloud storage - a data-intensive service is being provided by another company on your behalf via the
internet. This service may be for your own use or it may be for your customers.

e. Binary his is a digital coding system which uses two values to represent data, 0 and 1.
f. Bits - A bit that is the smallest amount of information that a computer can store. It can be
set to 0 (false) or 1 (true), this is called binary.
g. Four bits make a nibble.
h. Eight bits make a byte.

Images
Define the term image - This is another name for a picture. There are many types of image file formats, each with
their advantages and disadvantages. But they can all be broken down into either bitmap images or vector images.

i. Bitmap - A bitmap is made up of a large number of dots (called pixels) arranged in a set of horizontal rows
and columns For example a 600 by 800 pixel bitmap has 600 rows and 800 columns forming a rectangular
image.
ii. Pixel- Pixel is short for Picture Element. A pixel is the smallest individual dot that can be displayed on a
computer monitor. Each pixel is given a colour and brightness value.
iii. Vector A vector graphic is not made up of pixels like a bitmap, but is made up of a set of instructions to the
computer of how to draw the image from scratch. For example, the vector image might contain the
command
"Draw a line from position A to position B on the computer screen". When this 'vector image' is loaded into
a program that understands how to deal with it, a line gets drawn from A to B. The nice thing about vector
images is that they can be scaled without losing any quality unlike a bitmap which pixelates.
2. File format (e.g. jpg, animated gif)
a. Jpg is used for photographs and other bitmap images.
b. Animated gif is used for a moving image
3. How to manipulate images
i. Image editing software (Photo Plus)
ii. Snipping tool
iii. Filter gallery
iv. Layers
b. Why do companies manipulate images?
Programming
4. Telling a computer what to do
a. Python Programming
i. Order matters
5. A program is created to show how many minutes are in a given number of seconds. Consider the
three lines of code below.

1 print(secs,"seconds is",mins,"whole minutes")

2 mins = secs // 60
3 secs = 2567

The programmer made a mistake when writing this program.

Question - Identify the reason why this program will not work correctly as it is written.
Answer- Line 3 should be in the first position, line 1 should be in the third position.
___________________________________________________________________________
Question - What does the key word, print, in line 1 accomplish?
Answer- Displays the sentence to the screen, 120 seconds is 2 whole minutes.
Question - List the variables in this program.
Answer -The variables used are secs and mins.
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Question - What does the symbol, //, accomplish in line 2?
Answer- It divides the two numbers and results in the integer only, it does not show the remainder.
Consider the three lines of code above, and indicate which line number accomplishes
the following:
Line number _3_____ assigns a value to the secs variable
Line number __2___ assigns a value to the mins variable

Line number ___1_and 2__ refers to the value of the secs variable

Line number _1_____ refers to the value of the mins variable

1 print("Year of birth?")
2 birth_year = int(input())
3 birth_year = int(input())
4 age = 2022 - birth_year
5 print("You are", age, "years old")

Consider the 5 lines of Python code above.

What do these words mean?
1. Variables = a location in memory where data can be stored
2. Assignment = giving a value to a variable (e.g. age = 14)
3. Count controlled loop = a loop that runs for a determined number of times.
4. Condition controlled loop = a loop that runs as long as the condition is true
5. Selection = a way to change directions in a program, if true you go one way, if false you go another
(e.g. if x > o, then x is positive, else x is negative)
6. Iteration = to repeat

Networks
What do these terms mean below?
Router = allows connections between networks. A type of computer that forwards data across a network. A router
only shares a single IP address and accepts data packets from the network and works out where they need to go after
that . Routers move traffic to where it needs to go. They do this by choosing the shortest path between the computers.
WAP = Wireless access point
Hub = A network hub is a hardware device that connects multiple computers in a network. A network hub is a
node that broadcasts data to every computer or every device connected to it. A hub is less sophisticated than
a switch, the latter of which can isolate data transmissions to specific devices.

Switch = Connect computers devices within a network. A switch has a number of ports and it stores the addresses
of all network devices that are directly or indirectly connected to it on each port. As a data packet comes into the
switch, its destination address is examined and a direct connection is made between the sending and receiving
machines.

A network switch connects devices (such as computers, printers, wireless access points) in a network to each other,
and allows them to 'talk' by exchanging data packets.
NIC = Network Interface Card
Server = A server is a networked computer that is providing a specific service to other computers on the network
Node = any device that connects to a network. the connection point among network devices such as
routers, printers, or switches that can receive and send data from one endpoint to the other.

Bandwidth = Bandwidth is the measure of capacity of a communications channel.

It measures the amount of data which can be uploaded or downloaded in a specific measure of time.

How many computers does it take to form a network? 2 or more.