Year 9

Computing
revision
booklet
Name:
Class:
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Contents
Chapter 1: Types and components of a computer system....................................................................5
Hardware and software.....................................................................................................................5
Internal hardware components.....................................................................................................5
External hardware components....................................................................................................5
Software........................................................................................................................................5
Components of a computer system...................................................................................................6
CPU................................................................................................................................................6
Main Memory................................................................................................................................6
The difference between RAM and ROM........................................................................................7
Secondary and backup storage......................................................................................................7
Types of a computer..........................................................................................................................7
Chapter 2: Input and output devices.....................................................................................................9
input devices and their uses..............................................................................................................9
Direct data entry (DDE devices).......................................................................................................11
Output devices and their uses.........................................................................................................12
Chapter 3: Storage device and media..................................................................................................14
Backing up of data...........................................................................................................................14
Optical Storage Media.....................................................................................................................14
Chapter 4: Networks and the effects of using them............................................................................17
Network devices..............................................................................................................................17
Routers........................................................................................................................................17
Network interface cards..............................................................................................................18
Hubs.............................................................................................................................................18
Switches.......................................................................................................................................18
Bridges.........................................................................................................................................19
Modems.......................................................................................................................................19
Network communication.................................................................................................................19
Faxes and emails..........................................................................................................................19
Physical fax machines..................................................................................................................19
Electronic faxing..........................................................................................................................20
Difference between online faxing and email...............................................................................20
Comparison of traditional faxes and emails.................................................................................20
Chapter 5: The effects of using ICT......................................................................................................21
Microprocessor-controlled devices in the home.............................................................................21
Advantages of microprocessor-controlled labour-saving devices...............................................21

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 Disadvantages of microprocessor-controlled labour-saving devices...........................................21
Advantages of other microprocessor-controlled devices............................................................21
Disadvantages of other microprocessor-controlled devices........................................................22
Chapter 6: ICT applications..................................................................................................................23
Communication applications...........................................................................................................23
Advantages of using a website....................................................................................................23
Disadvantages of using a website................................................................................................23
Microprocessor in control applications...........................................................................................24
Burglar alarms..............................................................................................................................24
Computer controlled heating systems.........................................................................................24
Expert systems.................................................................................................................................25
Advantages..................................................................................................................................25
Disadvantages..............................................................................................................................25
Using expert systems to diagnose patients.................................................................................26
Chapter 7: System Life Cycle................................................................................................................27
The stages in the System Life Cycle.................................................................................................27
Analysis............................................................................................................................................27
Design..............................................................................................................................................28
Implementation...............................................................................................................................28
Direct changeover........................................................................................................................28
Parallel changeover.....................................................................................................................28
Pilot changeover..........................................................................................................................29
Phased changeover......................................................................................................................29
Documentation................................................................................................................................30
User documentation....................................................................................................................30
Technical documentation............................................................................................................30
User and technical documentation similarities............................................................................31
Evaluation........................................................................................................................................31
Evaluation against the requirements specification......................................................................32
Limitations and improvements....................................................................................................32
Maintenance................................................................................................................................32
Chapter 11: File Management.............................................................................................................33
What is a generic file type?.............................................................................................................33
Common generic text files include:.............................................................................................33
Common generic image files includes:........................................................................................33
Manage files effectively...................................................................................................................33

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 File compression..........................................................................................................................34
Lossless compression...................................................................................................................34
Lossy compression.......................................................................................................................34

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Chapter 1: Types and components of a computer system
Hardware and software
 Hardware forms the physical components of a computer system. Hardware can be either
external or internal.

Internal hardware components

External hardware components

Software
 Computer software is the opposite you cannot touch it. Software is a set of instructions for a
computer to make it perform certain specific operations. There are two types of software:
application and system.

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System software
 Systems software is essential to keep the computer working. Programs that allow the
hardware to run properly and allow the user to communicate with the computer.

Application software
 Application software lets you do your day-to-day tasks on the computer. Application
software needs the operating system to be able to work.
 Applications software: programs that carry out operations for specific applications such as
word processing, spreadsheets, or presentations. Applications software cannot run on its
own without systems software.

Components of a computer system

CPU
• The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is a single integrated at the centre of a system,
interpreting and executing commands from the computers hardware and software.

• The CPU Is made up of a control unit, which controls the input and output devices; an
arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), which carries out calculations and makes logical decisions;
and the immediate access store (RAM)

• The CPU can be referred to as a microprocessor. This is because it is a single integrated

circuit which is at the heart of most PCs and household items.

Main Memory
The main memory of a computer is connected directly to the CPU and is often referred to as central
memory. There are two types of central memory:

• Random Access Memory (RAM): Loses its contents when power is turned off. It is read/write
memory and data is temporarily stored here when applications are running. Computers have
increasingly large RAM capacity to speed up processing times.

• Read Only Memory (ROM): is permanent memory used to store instructions that the
computer needs to go through when power is switched on such as BIOS, the Basic Input and
Output System, which checks all attached hardware devices are working properly and copies
the operating system into RAM.

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The difference between RAM and ROM

Secondary and backup storage

• A storage device is used to store programs and data when the processor is turned off. The
programs and data must be put into the processor’s memory when needed for use.

• Storage devices are sometimes called backing store, secondary storage or external storage.

• Backing store: a secondary storage device for data

• External storage device: data storage that is separate from the computer, it usually
plugs into a USB port on the computer

• Secondary storage device: non-volatile memory

Types of a computer

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Chapter 2: Input and output devices
input devices and their uses

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Direct data entry (DDE devices)

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Output devices and their uses

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Chapter 3: Storage device and media
Backing up of data
There are three different types of storage device, an each type stores the data in a different way:

• Magnetic storage media: stores data magnetically.

• Optical storage media: store data on their surface.

• Solid state storage: storage media with no moving parts, based on electronic circuits and
using flash memory.

Optical Storage Media

• CDs and DVDs are described as optical storage devices. Laser light is used to read data and to
write data on the surface of the disk. Both CDs and DVDs use a thin layer of metal alloy or
light-sensitive organic dye to store the data.

• The data is stored in ‘pits’ and ‘bumps’ on the spiral track. A red laser is used to read and
write the data. CDs and DVDs can be designated as follows:

• R – write once only

• ROM - can only be read

• RW – can be written to or read from many times

• DVD technology is slightly different to that used in CDs. One of the main differences Is the
use of dual-layering, which considerably increases the storage capacity.

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Chapter 4: Networks and the effects of using them
• The types of network that you will have come across most frequently are Local Area Network
(LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN) and Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).

• A LAN enables a group of computers that are in close proximity to each other to be
networked. Typically, a LAN would be used in a school, in an office or at home. A LAN is
useful because it allows resources such as files, printers, games and other software
applications to be shared by the computers on the LAN.

• A WAN normally connects LANs together to cover a larger geographic areas. Typically, a
WAN will connect cities, a country, or many countries. The internet is an example of a
WAN; it joins local area networks across most of the world. Imagine an organisation that
has offices in more than one town; they would probably each have a LAN set up in each
building and then connect them all together into a WAN.

• A WLAN cover short distances, like a LAN. It connects wirelessly using radio or infrared
signals instead of the traditional method of network cabling.

Network devices
Routers
• A router provides a link between two or more networks; routers work together to direct
data packets to their correct destination. It is said that they provide this ink intelligently
because all routers can:
• Make decisions about whether a message should be passed between the networks
• Make the format of the message suitable for the new network
• Read the information about the message and decide not only where the message
should be going but also decide the best route that can be taken for it to get there
• A router is often used to provide a connection between a network and the internet because
of its ability to join together two dissimilar networks

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Network interface cards
• Each computer on a network needs a network interface controller (NIC) to provide the
hardware interface between the computer and the network, which can be wired or wireless.
• This can be provided by a separate network interface card, though newer computers come
with an Ethernet NIC already built into the motherboard of a computer. For wireless
networks, the NIC provides the radio communication to the network access point.
Hubs
• If a computer needs to send a signal to another computer on the network, the signal is sent
to the hub or switch. A hub will then broadcast the data to all the connected devices.
• This creates a lot of needless network traffic. If the hub can have 16 devices connected to it
the amount of traffic will be 16 times greater than it needs to be. The message will be sent
to all the devices on the network, but only the device for which it was intended will accept it.

Switches
• A switch handles messages more intelligently than a hub, by inspecting the address of the
device to which they should be sent. The switch knows the addresses of the different devices
on the network and only sends the message to the correct device.
• A switch is a better choice than a hub because it reduces the number of packets that are
needlessly transmitted within the network, thereby increasing the performance of the
network. One disadvantage is that switches are more expensive than hubs.

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Bridges
• Sometimes, different networks need to be joined together. For example, if office workers
using a star network need to access information from a different office where the computers
are arranged in a bus network, this becomes a situation where two different types of
network need to be joined together.
• The device which allows two dissimilar networks to send messages from one to the other is
called a bridge.
• A bridge can only connect networks that use the same rules for handling the messages. They
can change the form of a message so that is it suitable for a different physical type of
network like the star and bus networks.
• If the star network uses a hub at its centre then all messages will be sent to all the devices
connected to it. This will include the bridge, so the bridge will have to be able to decide
which messages should be passed on to the bus network and which should not.

Modems
• A modem is used to connect a computer or a network to the internet. A modem changes the
digital signal from the computer into an analogue one that can be transmitted down
telephone lines.
• When the message reaches the other end of the telephone line, another modem changes
the signal back to a digital one for the computer at the other end to understand.

Network communication
Faxes and emails
• There are two basic ways of sending a fax (abbreviation for facsimile – a copy):

• A physical fax (a dedicated machine connected to a telephone line; it requires the number of
the recipient to be dialled before the document is copied and then sent electronically)

• Electronic faxing (this requires a network, such as the internet, for the fax to be sent)

Physical fax machines

• Fax machines have been used for many years to send and receive paper documents.

• A standard fax machine allows documents to be sent to another fax machine using a normal
telephone line.

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 • The user places the document in the fax machine tray, lifts the receiver and dials the fax
number of the recipient and then presses <send>.

• At the receiving end, the document is printed on another fax machine.

• It can be quite a slow way to send a document if the fax line is busy or if there are several
pages to send.

Electronic faxing
• A more modern way is electronic faxing (or online faxing) which makes use of computer
technology on the internet. Electronic faxing has the following advantages over the more
traditional method:

• Costs are reduced as there is no need to buy a fax machine, ink/toner or paper

• Transfers using electronic methods are encrypted, improving security

• Transmissions are sent to an email account, which is password protected

• There is no issue of ‘busy signal’ preventing the fax being sent

Difference between online faxing and email

• The only real difference is that online faxing is always associated with an email address and a
fax number.

• The fax number is similar to the traditional fax number and needs to be known by the
sender. Having this number allows a user to send fax messages to the recipient.

• Once a fax is received, the online fax service provider sends an email with the fax message
attached in a pdf format.

• The sender of the fax can either use an email account or log into any online account to send
the fax

• It is important to realise that is possible to send a fax from your computer to another device
connected to the internet or to a traditional fax machine, where the document will be
printed out in the normal way.

Comparison of traditional faxes and emails

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