F4 2022-2023 UT1 ICT Revision key points

1. Information processing, IT personnel, Data type, raw data vs. information, application software and system
software, stored program, CAPTCHA

Information system: five major components: purposes, data, processes, technologies

and personnel

IT personnel

Computer • Design, build and integrate the hardware, software and

engineer network.

System Analyst • Design the system to fulfill the business needs and the
requirements provided by end users.
• Analyse the time, cost and feasibility of building the
system.
• Responsible for the research, planning, and implementation
of the information system according to the requirements
defined by end users.

Programmer • Develop the system according to the designs given by system

analysts.
• System design, developed by program code

Network manager • Develop a communication system to meet those needs

• Monitoring the availability and performance of the
communication between computer system

Technical • Assist the end users in using the information system

support • Performing the backup of the system, monitoring the resource
usages

Database • Design and manage the database

administrator

Data entry • Entering data into the system

operator

Data type
Data type Example
Text / Character Email address abc@gmail.com
Number Salary 28000
➔ Integer Age 18
➔ Real Marks / Price 45.5
Date / Time Date of birth 30/5/1996
Boolean Marital status Y/N or True/False

Example:
Field Name Example Data type
 Name Chan Yan Yan text
Class 1A text
Class Number 01 text
phone 21345555 Number
Membership ID 011203 text

** Why does the field “SID” use the text as a data type instead of number?
→ To prevent leading zero problem.

raw data vs. information,

Raw Data Information

Basic fact used for reference, calculation, Something has been processed and it's
interpretation, and drawing conclusions meaningful to people

No structure Structure

No content Having content

Meaningless Meaningful

25041994 25/04/1994

application software and system software,

**Difference between system software and application software

• System program (OS, driver, utility program)
• It is a type of computer program that is designed to run a computer's hardware and
application programs.
• It starts running when the system is powered on and runs until the system is powered
off.
• Application program (e.g word, ppt, excel, online game)
o It is used to perform specific tasks for users.
o It starts when the user begins, and it ends when the user stops it.

System program Application program

usually written by low level languages usually written by high level languages

maintain system resources for application run on the platform provided by system software
software

Interaction with application software Interaction with users

general purpose software used for operating specific purpose software used by user to
computer hardware perform specific task
• Stored programs
o set of instructions designed to accomplish particular tasks or jobs
o can do tasks automatically, repeatedly
o e.g: microwave oven, refrigerator, washing machine

microwave oven
refrigerator
washing machine
 • pencil (x Stored programs)

CAPTCHA

Click “I am not a robot” checkbox captcha

Purpose:
• To prevent a robot program to crack login name and password and access service many
times
• Ensure the client is a human user, not a robot program

Information life cycle

1. Data Collection
• Questionnaire
• Personal interview
• Telephone interview
• Experiment
2. Organization
3. Storage
4. Processing
5. Analysis
6. Transmission
7. Presentation

2. Conversion of numbering system (unsigned value, sign-and-magnitude value, 2’s complement), how to
check overflow, bit pattern [Example: 3A(16) convert to binary number _________________. ]

unsigned value, positive number, 0 → 4 bits unsigned Max: 15 / Min 0, 24=16 →

4 bits binary number MAX: 1111 / MIN: 0000
sign-and-magnitude value: positive number, negative number, 0 (+0 , -0)
8bits sign-and-magnitude value binary: MAX: 0111 1111 / Min: 1111 1111
16bits sign-and-magnitude value binary: MAX: 0111 1111 1111 1111 / Min: 1111 1111 1111 1111
8bits sign-and-magnitude value dec: MAX: 2 – 1 = +127 / Min: -2 – 1 = –127
8-1 8-1
2’s complement: positive number, negative number, 0 (only one)
+12 in 8bits binary: 00001100
-12 in 8bits binary: 1111 0100
1) +12 in 8bits binary: 0000 1100
2) One’s complement: 1111 0011
3) Two’s complement: 1111 0011 + 0000 0001 = 1111 0100 (ANS)

2’s complement 8bits: 1001 1111

1) 1 → -ve
2) 1001 1111 → one’s Comp = 0110 0000
3) 0110 0000 + 1 = 0110 0001 = 99

1001 1111 = ??? 99 / -99 / 98 /-98

B
Overflow:

(-VE) + (-VE)
(+VE) + (+VE)

C: 1100 0110 + 1000 1000 = 1 0100 1110

(ignore) (+ve)
When removing the carry bit, it is 0100 1110, it means positive value, which is impossible. It has
overflow.

D: 1111 1100 + 1000 1000 = 1 1000 0100

(ignore) (+ve)
When removing the carry bit, it is 1000 0100, it means negative value, which is possible. It is no
overflow.

3. Data validation (e.g Type check, range check, format check, length check, fixed value check, check digit
etc) and data verification / primary key/ type of error / parity check

Validity check
Function Example
(有效性檢驗)

Existence check/ Ensure that all necessary fields are E.g. In Yahoo email Sign in. The
Presence check/ present. user name must be appeared.
Completeness check/
(欄位完整性檢查)

Fixed value check Ensure that the data is one of the values in The gender of a student must be
(固定數值檢查) a predefined (已預設的) list. either ‘Male’ or ‘Female’.

Type check Ensure that the data types are correct. The students’ examination marks
(類別檢查) should be numbers but not
characters, while their names
should be characters but not
numbers.
E.g. : student exam mark: 87
(Not Eighty-seven)

Field length check Ensure that the data has the correct A domestic telephone number in
(欄位長度檢查) number of characters or digits Hong Kong must have 8 digits.
E.g.Tel: 23236690

Range check Ensure that the data value is within a E.g.1: The mark of a test should
(範圍檢查) predefined (已預設的) range. range from 0 to 100.
E.g.2: The age of HK citizen
should range from 0 to 130.

Format check Ensure that the format of data follows The e-mail address must be a
(格式檢查) some known patterns. combination of a user name and a
domain name with the symbol ‘@’
in between.
E.g.: info@plkchc.edu.hk

Consistency check Ensures that the data must be reasonable The end date must come after the
(合理性檢查) when compare with other fields. start date

Uniqueness check Ensures that the data must be unique for Each user only can apply once to
(獨一性檢查) the fields. make sure no duplicate input.

Check digit It is used for self-checking. With numeric Example 1:

(檢查數位) data, a check digit is calculated using a The check digit of HK identity
mathematical formula and this is then card. The last digit (3) is a check
attached to the end of the number. When digit.
the check digit of the number matches the Z987654 (3)
digit calculated from the number, the
number is confirmed valid. Example 2:
The check digit of ISBN-13.
ISBN (International Standard Book
Number)
First 12 digits are data. The last
digit (7) is a check digit.
978-0-306-40615-7

Field Name Example Data validation

Student ID A12345Y Field length check
Name Chan Yan Yan Type check
Class 1A Fixed value check
Class Number 1 Range check
Example
A) Suggest a data validation method to check the phone number input (2m)
- Ans: Type check (1) for example, when the user input letters, it is not acceptable (1)

B) Suggest a data validation method to check the temperature of water (1m)

- Ans: Range check (0.5) for example, set the range between 0 degree to 100 degree , so that
the temperature of water out of this range is not acceptable (0.5)

Data verification
• A control used to check whether the inputted data matches that in the source document.
1. Input data twice
• Input the data twice by one operator
• Example: input the password twice → Allows the system to check the second entry
against the first one
2. Double data entry
• Two operators input the same data
• Compares two files and report any discrepancies/ differences between them
3. Confirmation
• Ask user to check manually whether the inputted data is free of errors.

Database primary key / key field → must be unique

Field Name Example

Student ID A12345Y
Name Chan Yan Yan
Class 1A
Class Number 01

/ Type of error

• Sources of error
o Data source error: provides incorrect data
o Transcription error:
▪ Molly→ M0lly
o Transposition error
▪ LAM ---->LMA
o Truncation error
▪ Will happen when some number values is ignored (e.g.: pi=3.1415….)

Example: 12/11/1999 → 21/11/1999 Transposition error

/ Parity check

2019-DSE-ICT-1A-Q10,11
10. A device is sending 8-bit data in a network where the last bit is a parity bit. One of the following
received data has an error. Which one is it? Even / odd
A. 0010 0010 2 Even
B. 1111 0000 4 Even
C. 0011 0011 4 Even
D. 1010 0111 5 odd

4. Streaming concepts: Applications, technology, advantages, vs. downloaded file

Streaming → The files are played over the Internet without being downloaded to the viewer's computer.
- Adv:
1. The start-up time is shorter because the audio or video can be instantly played on clients without
downloading the entire audio or video.
2. It can save the computer's storage space as there is no need to store the decreased entire audio
or video

- Dis:

o Audio / video cannot be downloaded for later watching.

o Cannot enjoy the audio/video offline.
o The network bandwidth/download speed would be affected

5. Concepts of video: Frame rate, frame size (resolution) , line number, the meaning of HD Ready(720p),
Full HD (1080p), 4K(2160p), progressive scan(p) and interlaced scan(i), calculation of file size. Using of
AVI and MP4
Full HD 1920 x 1080
4K 3840 x 2160

progressive scan(p) and interlaced scan(i)

Transition mode of video

• Progressive video → the video refreshes all lines in each frame line by line.
• Interlaced video → the video refreshes alternative lines of each frame one after another layer.
Calculation of video file size
Video file size=frame size × frame rate × colour depth× duration
Example 1:
Calculate the video file size in GB.
Frame size = 1920×1080 / Frame rate = 26 fps /
Colour depth = 24 bits / Duration = 2 min 26 sec

The file size = 1920×1080 × 26 × 24 × (2×60+26) / (8×1024×1024×1024)

= 21.99 GB

Example 2:
Calculate the compressed video file size in MB.
Frame size = 1280×720 / Frame rate = 24 fps /
Colour depth = High colour / Duration = 1 min 36 sec
Compression ratio = 8.2:1

The file size = 1280×720 × 16 × 24 × (60+36) / (8×1024×1024×8.2)

= 493.9 MB

Using of AVI and MP4

Q1:
Compare AVI and MP4. Give a benefit of using each format to store the
videos.
AVI:
Ans 1→ it is no compression (XXXX it is not correct!!!)
Ans 2 → it has a better video quality

MP4: it has a smaller file size (benefit) as it is lossy compression(feature)

Q2: Give a difference between AVI and MP4. (1m)

Ans 1→ AVI is no compression (XXXX it is not correct!!!) (0.5)

➔ AVI is no compression (0.5) while MP4 is lossy compression (0.5)

 AVI cannot support streaming (0.5) while MP4 supports streaming (0.5)

1. suggest two methods to reduce the video file size, without adjusting the
duration of the video
o reduce frame size / reduce frame rate / reduce colour depth

MP4 file format → reduce the video file size → increase compression ratio

6. Concepts of graphic: bitmap graphic vs. vector graphic, resolution, colour depth, calculation of file size.
Using of BMP/JPG/GIF/RAW/PNG
• bitmap graphic
o The saw-teeth / zig-zag shape will be shown when enlarging the bitmap graphic
o It is a collection of colour dots called pixels (像素) arranged in rows and columns.

• vector graphic
o There is no saw-teeth / zig-zag shape when enlarging the graphic.
o It is presented by mathematical formulae,

Calculation of bitmap graphic file size

Bitmap graphic file size=colour depth × resolution

Example 1:
The resolution of bitmap image is 1200×750 and the colour depth is 24 bits, calculate the file size of
the image (in MB).
The file size = 1200×750×24 / (8×1024×1024)
= 2.57 MB

Using of BMP/JPG/GIF/RAW/PNG

Example: Give a difference between BMP and JPG.

BMP is no compression while JPG is lossy compression

Example: Compared with JPG and PNG, give a benefit of using each format
to store the graphic.
JPG: lossy compression → file size is smaller
 PNG: lossless compression → reduce file size but it can keep the quality
of the image/ support transparent

2. suggest two methods to reduce the bitmap graphic file size

o Reduce colour depth, reduce resolution

Example: Give a difference between bitmap graphic and vector graphic

o The saw-teeth / zig-zag shape will be shown when enlarging the bitmap graphic but there is
no saw-teeth / zig-zag shape when enlarging the vector graphic

7. Concepts of audio: sampling rate, sampling size, number of channels, calculation of file size. Using of
WAV/FLAC/MP3

Audio file size=sampling size × sampling rate × number of channels × duration

Example 1:
Calculate the audio file size in MB.
Sampling size = 16 bits / Sampling rate = 44.1kHz /
Number of channels = Mono / Duration = 1 minute

The file size = 16 × 44.1×10 × 1 × 60 / (8 × 1024 × 1024)

3

= 5.04 MB

WAV (better quality because no compression) /FLAC (Lossless compression, high quality, relatively
larger file size, support streaming) / MP3 (lossy compression → smaller file size)

8. Character coding system: ASCII, Big-5, GB code, Unicode/UTF-8

ASCII (8 bits)
Big-5 (16 bits)
GB code (16 bits)
Unicode/UTF-8 (8-32 bits)

2017-1B-Q4(c)

c) (i) John cannot use ASCII to represent the data in STUDENT. Why not?
Ans: ASCII code does not include codes of Chinese characters. (1)
王小鳳

(ii) John needs to use Unicode instead of Big-5 code to represent the data in STUDENT. Why?
Ans: Unicode includes characters of different languages. While big5 cannot(1) /
The simplified Chinese characters can be represented by Unicode however Big-5 code
cannot (1)

(iii) Compare the storage size requirements of Unicode and Big-5 code.

Unicode can store more characters of different languages (0.5), more storage capacity should be
required in Unicode than that is big-5 code (0.5)

9. Concepts of digitalization, application and merits of converting analogue data to digital data.
Question
1. Which of the following actions involves the conversion of analog to digital data?
(1) Using software to convert a spreadsheet into a PDF file.
(2) Using software to convert speech to text.
(3) Using a digital camera to take photos.
A. (1) and (2) only
B. (1) and (3) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3) only

application and merits (ref WS 5 Section B Q1)

School can keep the receipt with ease. / School can search specific receipt with ease. / Many copies can be sent and
duplicated easily.

10. Using of bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB [Example: 1867424bits = __________MB]

8 bit = 1 bytes
1024 bytes = 1 KB
1024 KB = 1 MB
1024 MB = 1GB
Payment / add contact