Terms and Concepts

hardware, software
RAM, ROM, CMOS, CPU (ALU, CU), bus, clock speed (mhz), SIMM, cache, pipelining
ports (serial, parallel), LCD, CRT, I/O devices, pixels, screen saver
magnetic media, optical media
hard disk, floppy disk, CDROM, DVD
sequential access, random access, direct access, virtual memory
tracks, sectors, formatting, fragmentation
filenames, pathnames, wildcards
process of manufacturing a computer chip
bits, bytes, K, MB, GB, ASCII
MHz,clock speed, access time, ms
word processing, document processing, desktop publishing, horizontal market software
WYSIWYG, templates, macros, wizards, headers, footers, etc.
operating systems: DOS, Windows 98/2000/NT (etc.), Mac OS, Unix/Linux
timesharing, multitasking, parallel processing
virus, anti-viral software
User interface: GUI vs. CLI
modem, cable modem, ISDN, POTS, LAN, WAN, email, upload, download, FTP, baud rate, Kbps, IP address, domain, packet, netiquette, chat session
Internet, world wide web, web browser, URL, html, http, router, firewall, client-server
ring,star,bus topologies, NIC, NOS, ethernet
multimedia, hypertext, telecommuting
making backups
freeware, shareware, copyrights
spreadsheets: Visicalc (Bricklin, Frankston, Fylstra)
relative vs absolute cell addresses, "what if...?" analysis
be able to use Excel formulas (sum, if, average, etc)
know the basic html commands you used in your web page
basic Unix commands: ls, cd, mkdir, rm, chmod, pico, pwd, passwd
How is hard disk space measured? How is modem speed measured? How is processor speed measured?

Sample questions
1. What is a K?
A. 1 byte
B. 8 bits
C. about a thousand
D. a breakfast cereal

2. GUI stands for:
A. good user interface
B. graphical user interface
C. global universal interpreter
D. gigabyte ultra-largescale integration

Use the table below to answer the next question.

    A         B         C
1 100       50     =$A$1+B1

2 200     100

3 300     150

3.  Assume the formula in cell C1 is entered into cells C2 and C3.
What will be the new formula in cell C3?  What will be the new
value in cell C3?
 

Use the table below to answer the next question.

           A           B               C
1     Name        Score

2     David        100

3     Ngoc         90

4     Alice          80

5     Ralph         0

4. Assume we want to calculate an average in cell B6.  What would
the formula be?  Will Ralph's score be included?  What if we
had left Ralph's score blank?

5. What cells would we select to sort this spreadsheet?

6.  If we wanted to put "warning" in column C for any student whose
score was below 60 and "OK" otherwise, what formula would go in
cell C2?

Be prepared to write (in complete sentences) on the following topics: (Note the test will include a subset of these, and may include others.)
1. Describe what goes on in the bootstrapping process (in detail!).
2. Describe at least 5 features of the operating system as described in your textbook. Name several operating systems (at least 3).
3. Be able to describe the function of the following types of memory/media: RAM, ROM, DVD, floppy disk, hard disk, CDROM, DVD. Specify whether each is magnetic, optical, or silicon technology. Know the difference between random access and sequential access. Know the difference between volatile and non-volatile storage media.
4. Describe the terms: netiquette, client-server, IP address, packet,NIC, NOS, and protocol. What do you need to connect to the Internet from home?
5. Describe the following terms and give an example of each. Also indicate whether each is software or hardware: i) device driver ii) ram cache iii) peripheral device iv) utility v) pointing device
6. Describe what file compression is. What does "lossy" mean? What do these file extensions tell you: .doc, .dot, .xls, .gif, .zip, .jpg, .mpeg

Remember practice exams may be found on WebCT.

Standard disclaimer: this is a guide only and may not be comprehensive.
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