[SHORT QUESTIONS
Q.1 What is a Computer?
Ans. Computer is an electronic device or a programmable machine that accepts data process it into useful information according to the instructions given to it and gives output. It can stores process data on secondary storage devices for later use. There are four functions in this definition:
(i) Input
(ii) Processing
(iii) Output
(iv) Storage
Q.2 What is Data?
Ans. The collection of raw facts and figures is called data. Everything we give to the computer is called input. Data is entered in the computer through input devices e.g. keyboard, mouse etc.
Q.3 Define Data Processing/Data Computing.
Ans. The system that accepts data, manipulates it in the form of output and delivers it in a useful and meaningful form is called data processing. The operations carried out on data to convert it into useful information are called data processing. CPU is a device which is used to process the data arithmetically or logically in the form of output.
Q.4 Define Information.
Ans. The organized and meaningful form of data after processing is called information. Output devices show the results or information in the shape of output.
Q5. What makes a computer powerful?
Ans. Speed, Reliability, Accuracy, Automation and Storage make a computer powerful.
Q.6 What is Storage of Data?
Ans. Storage of data is about to keep data on some storage media for future use. Storage devices are used to store data permanently. Secondary storage devices are CD's, Hard Disk, and Floppy Disk etc.
Q.7 Define Information Technology.
Ans. It is a technology that merges computing with high speed communication links carrying data in the form of text, sound, images, video etc. from place to place
over this global village (all over the world). Internet is used as source of information technology.
Q.8 Define Digital Convergence.
Ans. The digital convergence is the technological merger of the various industries/enterprises through some electronic gadgets that exchange information between them.
Q.9 Define a Program / Software.
Ans. A set of instructions given to the computer to solve any problem is called a program or software. There are two types of software: System software and Application Software.
Q.10 Define System Software.
Ans. It is used to control the usage and allocation of different hardware components and enables the other application programs to execute. This software is developed to control the hardware components. Operating system (DOS, Windows etc.), Utility programs (data backup programs etc.); Drivers are the kinds of system software.
Q.11 What is an Application Software?
Ans. It is a software that has been developed to solve the specific problems or to provide audio, video or multimedia entertainment to the users. These are specially designed to solve the problems of users. Custom-built software and packaged software are two types of application programs.
Q.12 Define Custom-built software.
Ans. This software is designed according to the requirement of a particular customer. These programs are developed by the professional team of programmers depending on the requirements. Patient information system, Inventory system, College admission system, Examination system are the examples.
Q.13 Define Packaged software with examples.
Ans. These are also known as off-the-shelf programs. These are designed for sale to the general public and potential software developers. These facilitate the users in all fields of life. Microsoft Office Package (MS-Word, MS-Excel, etc), ORACLE, Graphics software, Communication programs are the examples
Q.14 What is a Hardware?
Ans. Physical parts of the computer are called hardware. Keyboard, Mouse, camera, scanner, bar code reader Monitor, Printers, RAM, ROM, Hard disk, Floppy disk, CD, Cables, Ports, Modem , network cards, Bridge etc.
Q.15 What is an Input Devices?
Ans. The devices, which are used to enter data into the computer, are called input devices. The devices through which user can communicate with the computer. Keyboard, Pointing devices, Source data entry devices are the types of input devices.
Q.16 What are Pointing devices/Point and Draw devices?
Ans. Pointing devices control the position of the cursor or pointer on the screen. Mouse, Trackball, Pointing stick, Joystick, Touchpad, Touch screen, Light pen, Digitizing/graphic tablet, Pen-based systems are the examples.
Q.17 What are Source data entry devices?
Ans. These devices are used for direct data entry to the computer systems. Examples are: Bar-code reader, MICR, OMR, OCR, Magnetic strip cards, Smart cards, Fax machine, Video input device, Digital camera etc.
Q.18 What is audio circuit board?
Ans. Sound cards allow computers to produce sound like music and voice. It is a circuit board that converts analog signals into digital form. The older sound cards were 8 bit. Now a days 16, 32 and 64 bit cards are used. Microphones can capture sounds from the air which is good for sound effects or voices.
Q.19 What is Video Capture card?
Ans. Video-capture card is used to convert films and videos into digital form. Video cards allow computers to display video and animation. Some video cards allow computers to display television channels as well as capture frames from video. A video card with a digital video camera allows computers users to produce live video. It video capture card has two types:
1. Frame-Grabber Video Card
2. Full-Motion Video Card
Q.20 What are Output Devices?
Ans. Output devices are the devices through which computer can communicate with the user. We can view the processed information in the form of output on output devices. There are two types of output:
Soft copy: It refers to data is shown on screen or in audio or voice form. Hard copy: It refers to the printed output on paper.
Q.21 What is a Resolution?
Ans. It determines how clear and detailed the image is. Pictures on a screen are made up of tiny dots and 1 dot on screen is 1 pixel (form "picture element"). The more pixels per inch, the clearer and more detailed the picture. Therefore the number of dots or pixels per inch determines resolution.
Q.22 What are Video Display Adapter?
Ans. A display screen must have a video display adapter card attached with the computer. It is known as video graphics card and it is a circuit board that determines the resolution, colors, and speed with which images appear on the screen. There are three types of the graphics card. VGA, SVGA and XGA
Q.23 Define VGA.
Ans. It stands for video graphics array. It supports 16-256 colors depending on the resolution. At 320 x 200 pixels, it will support 16 colors. At 640 x 480 pixels, it supports 256 colors. It is called 4 bit color.
Q.24 Define SVGA -Super video graphics array?
Ans. It determines what resolutions are available and how many colors can be displayed. It supports 256 colors at higher resolution. It has two graphics modes: 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768. It is called 8 bit color.
Q.25 What is XGA -Extended graphics array?
Ans. It supports 16.7 million colors. It has resolution of 1024 x 768. XGA will support 256, 65536 or 16777216 colors depending on video adapter memory chip. It is called 24 bit color or true color.
Q.26 What are Flat Panel Displays?
Ans. The flat panel displays are much thinner, weightless and consume less power than CRT. These are used in laptops. Flat panel displays are made up of two glass plates with a substance in between them, which is activate in different ways. There are three types of flat panel display screens: LCD, Gas Plasma and EL.
Q.27 What are Impact Printers?
Ans. These printers produce printing by physically touching the paper. These printers use striking mechanism such as print hammer, or wheel against the ink ribbon to print characters and images. Dot matrix, daisy wheel and line printers are the examples of impact printers.
Q.28 What are Non-Impact Printers?
Ans. This type of printer does not involve actually striking the paper. Instead, it uses ink spray or toner powder. Laser, Inkjet and Thermal are the examples of Non-Impact Printers
Q.29 What are Plotters?
Ans. A plotter is a special output device used to produce high-quality graphics in many colors. It is used for specialized application such as for printing, architectural drawing, maps, graphs and charts. Flatbed Plotters and Drum Plotters are the kinds of plotters.
Q.30 What is a Flatbed Plotter?
Ans. Flatbed plotter plots on a paper that lies on a flat bed like surface. The bed size varies according to the requirement. One to four pens move across the paper and images are printed accordingly.
Q.31 What is a Drum Plotter?
Ans. It is similar to flatbed plotter. Paper is mounted over a drum for continuous output. Its usage is to track earthquake reading.
Q.32 Define a Bit.
Ans. It stands for Binary Digit. The binary numbers 0 or 1 are called bits. It is the basic and smallest unit of data storage in computer memory. The circuit being on or off at a time. The complexity of computer circuitry is described in terms of the number of bits that can be transmitted simultaneously. This is determined by the number of wires that run parallel to one another on the circuit-boards. Current PCs use 8, 16, 32 and 64 bit paths.
Q.33 What is a Byte?
Ans. It is a combination of 8-bits. It can store a single character of data. The storage capacity or memory capacity is expressed in terms of number of bytes it can hold.
Q.34 Define a Word.
Ans. The number of bits that constitute a common unit of data as defined by the computer system. The length of word varies from computer to computer. The power of computer depends on the size of word.
Q.35 What is a System?
Ans. A system is a combination of some related components that interact with each other to perform some specific tasks.
There are five system components.
Hardware - The physical parts required to develop a system. Software - The instructions run the system smoothly.
People/User - User uses the system and gets benefits from the system
Data/Information - Data is input provided to the system and information is output obtained from the system.
Communication Setup - The transmission of information from one location to another at right time and at right place is called communication setup.
Q.36 Define SDLC?
Ans. It stands for system development life cycle. It is an organized way to develop a successful system. Every organization requires some system in order to run smoothly; i
