Cambridge GCE Computing 9691 AS Paper 1 Notes

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Chapter 1.1 Components of a Computer System and Modes of Use. 1.1 (a and b) Hardware and Software Definitions
A computer system consists of hardware and software. The hardware is the physical part of the system. All computer systems require at least four types of hardware.
INPUT
PROCESSOR
OUTPUT
STORAGE
An input device is any piece of hardware that allows data to be transmitted to the computer processor. No computer, however powerful, is of value unless it is possible to give it instructions and also data to be used when those instructions are carried out. An output device is any piece of hardware that allows the computer processor to convey information, or the results of its processing. There is no point in having a computer system carrying out processing of any sort unless the results of that processing can be either reported, or used to effect future input to the system. Storage is any piece of hardware which can store data outside the processor in a form which is suitable for input back into the processor. This is necessary because data must be saved for future use if the processor is switched off and for transfer from one machine to another.
Descriptions of the basic hardware types will be given in Chapter 1.4. The software of a computer system is the various sets of instructions which tell the system how to do things. These sets of instructions are collected together in workable groups known as programs. Without programs of instructions computers would not be able to function because they would not know what to do.
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1.1. (c)
Different Software Types
Sets of instructions to make a computer do something are grouped together as programs. These programs make up the software of a computer system. Depending on the sort of task that a program is expected to accomplish they are grouped into different types of software. Operating system software is a set of programs, known as system programs, which control the operation of the computer system. They are responsible for the way that the pieces of hardware communicate with each other and for monitoring the way that the hardware of the system is used. Common applications software includes word processors, graphics, spreadsheets, and many others. These are the programs that you use to produce something worthwhile on the computer. They will be looked at in more detail in chapter 1.8.
Systems Software and Applications Packages

Systems Software. Computers are machines that can carry out operations very quickly. This does not mean that they are in any way intelligent. However fast the machine can work, it is useless if it does not know what to do. Computers need specific instructions for even the most trivial of tasks. If a computer user had to supply these instructions there would be very few people able to use one. Consequently, the manufacturer of the machine will provide programs that are accessible to the user by using very simple commands, these programs are the system software. The operating system is the set of programs that control how the computer responds to user requests. Examples that you may have used include DOS and Windows. Utility programs are additional routines that can be added to an operating system or that are available to the user within an operating system. An example that you may have on your computer system would be a piece of back-up software that can be used to make sure that you do not lose all your work when the computer fails. Some frequently used routines are stored in such a way that they are accessible to users. These routines are stored together in a system library, and form part of the system software. This is something of a grey area between system software and application software because application software also gives access to library areas. Program translators are needed in order to allow users to produce programs in a simple format which can then be translated into something which the computer will understand. Applications Packages. A piece of applications software is a program, or set of instructions, designed to make the computer carry out some task. It differs from system software in that it makes the computer do something that is useful for the user. Word word-processing software, or Paintbrush graphics software are both examples of applications software because they both allow the user to produce something that is of general use. If the software can be used in many different situations to accomplish different things then it is said to be generic software. For example a word processor can be used to write a letter, or to produce a report, or type an essay, A word processor is a piece of generic software. If the software contains programs that allow lots of different tasks to be carried out, together with a book of instructions telling the user how the software should be used, then it is called an Applications Package. An integrated package consists of several parts, each of which is an application package. Further, the integrated package is designed so that users can easily move data between the different parts of the integrated package. For example, if two of the parts are a wordprocessor and a drawing package, users can move a drawing, created using the drawing package, into the word processing package.
Example Questions.
1. 2. 3. 4. Explain the difference between hardware and software. (2)
Give two reasons why a computer system would need to have some type of external storage device. (2) Describe the difference between system software and application software. (2) An integrated applications package contains a number of different pieces of generic software. State what is meant by an integrated applications package and generic software. (3)
Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1
Past Papers Questions:

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 Oct/NOV 2002 9. (a) Explain what is meant by the term generic applications software. - the software is appropriate to many applications within a skill area. May/June 2003 1. (a) Distinguish between operating system software and applications software. -OS controls operation of system/hardware -Applications software allows the system to do something useful Oct/NOV 2003 1. (a) The person responsible for the computer system in a college buys an integrated applications package made up of generic software. Explain what is meant by (i) integrated software, - A number of different pieces of software/programs that can share data (ii) an applications package, - Contains documentation with the software/software that allows the user to produce something useful (iii) generic software. [3] [2]
[1]
- Generic software can be used in different situations to accomplish different things/general purpose software
A large chemical plant is controlled automatically from a central control room. One process is to mix two chemicals at a specific temperature and pressure. The process is to be computer controlled. 8. The software to do this can be custom-written or off-the-shelf. (i) Explain the terms custom-written and off-the-shelf. [2] (2) (2)
- Custom written is software written specifically for the purpose/designed for one customer - Off the shelf is generic/covers many problem solutions/ready made/can be bought in a shop - Custom written only sensible choice because - application is a one off
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May/June 2004 1. (a) State what is meant by (i) operating system software; - Controls responses to external requests/controls hardware/makes system work (ii) applications software. - Program that allows the user to do something useful. A sensible example is acceptable Oct/NOV 2004 1. (a) Define the terms (i) input device; - Piece of hardware that allows data to be input to the processor. (ii) output device. - Piece of hardware that allows the processor to convey the results of its processing. 8. (a)
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The systems analyst must decide between a solution that uses custom-written software and one that uses off-the-shelf software. Explain what is meant by these terms and give advantages of each in this application. [5]
Custom
A package specially written to solve a specific problem contains all the features the business needs including non standard ones does not contain features that will not be used OtS Pre written (generic) software immediately available shared development costs ready pool of trained workers will have been fully tested compatible with other organisations readily available help groups (1 per point, max 4 points per type, max 5) (b)
[5]
It is decided to purchase an integrated applications package. (i) State four distinct types of software that would be included in the package and give a use that each should be put to by the company. [8] Word processor to produce reports/write letters Spreadsheet to produce itemised invoices for customers/to do the accounts Accounting package to do the accounts (only allow once) Database (MS) to manipulate customer/stock files CAD to design new buildings/interiors Graphical to produce advertising material Presentation
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to produce presentations for marketing Note: Reasons for graphical and presentation may be interchanged Communication software To use email/web/create intranet (Any 4 types, 2 each, max 8) Explain why it is important to the company that the software packages are integrated. Files produced can be merged e.g. spreadsheet can be placed in a report Common screen design/common toolbars/common icons makes it simpler for staff to learn - (1 per point, max 2) May/June 2005 1. (a) State what is meant by (i) generic applications software, (ii)
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Program that can be: used in many different situations/to do something useful/task which would need to be done if no computer available/accept a generic example. Max [1] (ii) operating system software. [2]
Program which runs/controls the computer/hardware/Provides interface between user and hardware. Max [1] 4. (a) Explain the meaning of the terms (i) input device,
Hardware attached to processor/computer - to supply data to processor/computer\ (ii) output device. [2] [2]
to relay information from the processor/computer - (1 per -, max 2)
A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. 8. The company has a word processing software package which is used in the office. The production line is controlled by a process control package. (a) State what is meant by (i) custom-written software, Software that has been specially written to solve a specific problem (ii) off-the-shelf software. [2] Software that is immediately available/used by many in similar circumstances. Oct/NOV 2005 May/June 2006 Oct/NOV 2006
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May/June 2007 A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. 9. (a) (i) State what is meant by an integrated (common) software package. Set of application programs appropriate to many areas with associated documentation, (1 per , max 2) (ii)
[2]
[2]
Give two reasons why an integrated software package would be used in the garage.
Parts of package can share data/communicate with others Common layout makes use/training easier Includes additional facilities which allow complex tasks to be performed (1 per , max 2) Oct/NOV 2007 May/June 2008 1. (a) State what is meant by the (i) hardware of a computer system, Physical components (ii) software of a computer system.
[2]
[1]
Programs/instructions to make computer do something A computer system controls a cashcard machine (ATM). (b) For each of the following, state one device that could be used in the ATM and state what it would be used for. (i) Input Keyboard/magnetic stripe reader/chip reader/touchscreen Input pin or amount or other request/card holders details (ii) Output
[1]
Screen/printer Output results of requests/request inputs/hard copy for customer to take away (iii) Storage [6]
Hard drive/tape To store customer requests for statements/store transactions (1 per -, max 6) 2. (b) Explain the need for translator programs in a computer system.
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Code produced by programmer is not understandable by computer/computer requires program in binary form Translator translates high level language into binary form/source code into object code To provide error diagnostics (1 per -, max 2) [2] Oct/NOV 2008 1. (a) State the purpose of the following devices in a computer system. (i) An input device To input data into the system (ii) An output device
To output results from the system (iii) A storage device [3]
To store data within the system when system switched off/for later use (1 per -, max 3) 3.
A computer controlled machine on a production line is designed to produce components for cars. When the firm decides to change the car model, the machine must be reprogrammed. (a) State what is meant by (i) custom-written software,
One off software/especially written to fit a specific application (ii) generic applications software. [2]
Software is appropriate to many areas/can be tailored to requirements May/June 2009 1. (a) Describe the purpose of the following in a computer system: (i) an input device, To allow the user to give the computer data/change data into computer understandable form (ii) an output device,
To allow the computer to give information/communicate with the computer/to change information from computer into human understandable form (iii) a storage device. To keep data while the computer is not using it (1 per dotty)
[3]
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12.
The company stores details of customers and their accounts in a database. (a) (i) Distinguish between custom-written software and off-the-shelf software.
[2] [2]
Custom written software is especially written/according to the requirements of the customer Off the shelf is readily available/needs tailoring to the needs of the customer Oct/NOV 2009. P11 3. (a) State the meaning of the terms: (i) input device,
A piece of hardware which allows the user of a computer system to give the system data. (ii) storage device,
A piece of hardware which will keep the data even when switched off/to be used at a later time. (iii) output device. [3]
A piece of hardware which allows a computer system to tell a user information. (1 per dotty) Oct/NOV 2009. P12 Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P11 May/June 2010. P12 Oct/NOV 2010. P11 Oct/NOV 2010. P12 Oct/NOV 2010. P13 May/June 2011. P11 1. (a) Define the terms: (i) hardware The physical/electronic parts of a computer system - Parts you can see /touch no mark (ii) software Sequence of instructions/programs May/June 2011. P12 1. (a) Define the terms: (i) hardware The physical/electronic parts of a computer system - Parts you can see /touch no mark (ii) software Sequence of instructions/programs May/June 2011. P13 1. (a) Define the terms: (i) input device A device that allows data to be sent/entered to the computer (ii) storage device A device that will store data in the computer system (for later use)
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[2]
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Chapter 1.2 System Software 1.2 (a) Operating Systems
An operating system is a set of programs designed to run in the background on a computer system, giving an environment in which application software can be executed. Most operating systems comprise a large set of programs, only some of which are stored in the processor memory all of the time. Many of the routines available in the O.S. are stored on the hard drive so that they can be accessed when required. This not only saves space in the processor memory but also means that the O.S. can be easily changed to a different one. When you are using an applications package you are not communicating with the computer hardware, you are communicating with the operating system. Without an operating system, no matter how many programs you have, the computer is useless. The operating system sits between the hardware and the application program or user.
Operating system User Hardware
Programmer
Applications package
An operating system is likely to be stored on a backing store rather than in the memory of the computer because: 1. Usually the operating system requires a large amount of storage space. 2. It allows for easy upgrading or changing from one system to a different one. Summary: 1. Operating system is a software program which controls the operations of the computer system. 2. It provides a user interface. 3. It controls how the computer responds to users requests 4. It controls how the hardware communicate with each other 5. It provides an environment in which application software can be executed
1.2 (b) Types of Operating System

Batch Processing: When computing was still a new science, there were not enough machines to satisfy the demand for processor time from students in universities who wanted great calculations done, firms who wanted their payroll worked out, and many others. The big problem was the speed mismatch between the user sitting at the keyboard who was very slow, and the machine which was very fast. This meant that the expensive part, the computer, was sitting there doing nothing while the human being decided what to do. There are two simple solutions to this problem, one is to buy more machines and the other is to make the machines work more effectively by taking away the slowest part of the system the human being. Nowadays we might well opt to buy more machines, but this used not to be an option. This problem gave rise to the development of batch processing. A batch processing operating system is one that does not allow for interaction between the user and the processor during the execution of the work. Lots of programs or data that need to be run are collected together (to form a batch) and they are sent to the computer. The batch operating system then controls their passage through the computer. Nowadays, batch processing tends to be used where when processing cannot be started until all the data is collected there are large amounts of data to be processed, the data is very similar in nature and it requires similar processing, the computer system has identifiable times when it is not being used, and so has available processor time the application does not require human intervention. Typical examples of applications which would be done using batch processing include production of bank statements from customer files, production of gas (electricity, telephone) bills from customer records, the compilation of high level language programs where a number of users want programs compiled. Real-time: A real-time O.S. is one which can react quickly enough to affect the next input, or process to be carried out. Most real-time systems are based on control of some process in the real world or on information handling. A chemical plant has a reaction vessel where the temperature is critical to the result of the process. The temperature is monitored by a computer which accepts input from a sensor and then makes a decision whether to adjust the heating elements in the vessel. In this example, it would not be sensible for the computer to be running any O.S. that is not real-time because if there was a delay in the decision making process, it might mean that the reaction is corrupted in some way. A robot trolley is controlled by a processor which takes input from a sensor following a black line on the floor, and makes decisions concerning steering to keep the trolley on the black line. If the processor was not controlled by a real-time O.S., the trolley would very soon leave the black line because it would not be steering quickly enough. A catalogue shop processes orders by the code for a product being input and the system then comparing the code with information in its files. When it finds the correct code it can report to the user the number of that item that there are in the store. If there was only one
left of a certain item, it would be necessary to record the fact that a shopper had bought it before the next shopper has their request dealt with otherwise the second person might be sold the same item. Because the information on the system must be processed immediately the O.S. needs to be ready to handle input as soon as it comes in. This means that it cannot be using up some of its slack time doing other tasks while it is waiting to be asked to do something. This implies that the computer will not be using its full potential as far as processing is concerned. When this happens it is said to display a high rate of redundancy. Real-time systems tend to display a high rate of redundancy. Single User: As the term implies, a single user O.S. is specifically one that is used to control a system which has only one user, and their programs, at any one time. A perfect example of a single user system is the one that you may have at home. Only one person uses it at a time. Most single user systems are also multi-tasking. Multi-tasking: This is a type of O.S. that allows several applications to be available simultaneously. On a simple single user system you will probably be used to having a number of things running at the same time. Perhaps one window shows a spreadsheet while another shows a word processing application. You may decide to copy the sheet from the spreadsheet software to the word-processed document. It appears that more than one task is running simultaneously. They arent, they just appear to be. The O.S. that most of us use on our own computer systems, Windows, is a multi-tasking O.S. Application programs now days also run many different tasks in multi-tasking operating system environment. So it is not necessary that only end users multi-task but programmers can also program applications that require multitasking. Multi-user: Again, as the name implies, this type of O.S. services more than one user simultaneously. There are two types of multi-user O.S.: 1. A network system comprises a number of computers linked together for the purposes of communication and sharing of resources. Normally one of the machines is used to control the rest of the system; this machine is called the server. Networks are important because they allow hardware and software to be shared and also mean that a single copy of the information on a system is needed, and so can be kept up to date relatively easily. 2. A time-sharing system has a single (normally powerful) computer which is connected up to a number of terminals. These terminals are not computers as in the case of the network system, but have a very limited amount of processing power. Again, such a system allows communication between users on the system and also allows sharing of hardware and software across the system. At the moment it is difficult to tell the difference between the two types of multi-user system, but be careful because a network system is not really a multi user system as each computer is only being used by one person at a time. We shall return to this in chapter 3.1.
Distributed: A distributed system is one that allows software and data files to be distributed around a system. An ordinary network will have a server controlling it and the access to the hard drive, which is connected to the server. A distributed system might store the word processing software on one computers hard drive, while the files of work are stored somewhere else, and the spreadsheet software is stored on a third disk drive. This can speed access to files because there is no single bottle neck which all the information must pass through; however the security and maintenance of the system are more complicated. Another type of distributed system is to distribute the entire programs and data to more than one place on the network. This speeds up access to the data but means that if data is updated on one part of the system it may not be on others, which means that the different versions of the data need to be compared and amended on a regular basis.
1.2 (c) applications requiring batch and online processing Applications requiring batch processing
Utility billing system: The consumption units data of the utilities is gathered for a particular time and then processed altogether and bills are generated. Payroll: The attendance, loans, taxes and other salary related data is collected for the whole month (or for predefined period) and payroll is run at the end to distribute salaries. Backing up of day long transactions at the end of the day: For example at bank all of the transactions happened during the day are backed up at the night.
Applications requiring online processing

Health monitoring systems: At the hospital emergency machines monitor the health condition in real time and let the attendant, doctor or nurse know about any situation that may arise due to the bad condition. Process Control: Process control is a statistics and engineering discipline that deals with architectures, mechanisms, and algorithms for controlling the output of a specific process. See also control theory. For example, heating up the temperature in a room is a process that has the specific, desired outcome to reach and maintain a defined temperature (e.g. 20C), kept constant over time. Here, the temperature is the controlled variable. At the same time, it is the input variable since it is measured by a thermometer and used to decide whether to heat or not to heat. The desired temperature (20C) is the setpoint. The state of the heater (e.g. the setting of the valve allowing hot water to flow through it) is called the manipulated variable since it is subject to control actions. Point of Sale System: Point of sale (POS) or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs. A "checkout" refers to a POS terminal or more generally to the hardware and software used for checkouts, the equivalent of an electronic cash register. A POS terminal manages the selling process by a salesperson accessible interface. The same system allows the creation and printing of the receipt. ATM machine process control: An automated teller machine (ATM), also known as a Cash Machine and by several other names, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public space without the need for a cashier, human clerk or bank teller. On most modern ATMs, the customer is identified by inserting a plastic ATM card with a magnetic stripe or a plastic smart card with a chip, which contains a unique card number and some security information such as an expiration date. Authentication is provided by the customer entering a personal identification number (PIN).
Using an ATM, customers can access their bank accounts in order to make cash withdrawals, credit card cash advances, and check their account balances as well as purchase prepaid cell phone credit.
1.2 (d)
Types of User Interface
A computer is used by a person who needs to communicate with the machine in order to instruct it as to their wishes. The person also receives outputs from the computer. The means of communication between the user and the machine is known as the user interface and consists of both hardware and software. There are different types of interface, which are useful in different situations and for different types of user. Form based If the majority of the input to a system is of a standard type, in other words the computer knows what sort of input to expect, then a typical interface will produce a form on the screen to be filled in. This sort of interface would be used where an operator is inputting information while asking a customer questions over the telephone. The interface prompts the operator to ask all the questions makes the operator input the information in the correct order ensures that the information is input in the correct format by having specific areas to input the data makes the checking of the information easier. The characteristics of a form based interface are that it has specified areas for the data. For example, boxes for input of coded material like the date or the sex of the customer, and areas to be filled in with textual information it has a cursor which moves to the next box to be filled in, sometimes the box is highlighted to make it clear to the operator where the data is to be inserted some of the boxes are more important than others and the cursor will not move on until some data has been supplied it checks that what has been input is sensible for that box before moving on to the next. Menu based Menu based interfaces are used in situations where the operator tends not to know what the options are that are available. Examples of this would be information systems for tourists or users of a particular service. A list of choices is made available followed by a further set of choices based on the first choice, and so on until the result is obtained. Imagine a system at a train station in a popular holiday location. The first screen may ask for the general area of interest (accommodation, trips, shopping, entertainment..), once the choice of accommodation has been made the next screen may offer different standards of hotels. The next screen may offer different price bands, and finally a list of all the available properties that match the previous choices. Input is often done using a touch screen because of the location of such systems and because the people who use them are often in no way computer literate, meaning that simple systems are essential. Graphical Graphical interfaces are called GUI (graphical user interface) or WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointer). The terms describe what the user sees on the screen. There are many
different types, but the user would expect to be able to view different applications or files on the screen, this is done by putting each into its own boarded area known as a window. The user will expect to be able to select options by use of menus of choices and by using small pictures which represent the different options available. Choices are selected by the user by using some sort of pointing device to indicate choice, typically this would be a mouse. Natural language Sometimes referred to as a conversational interface, the computer will ask questions which elicit a response which gives the user the impression that they are talking to the computer. The trick is that the system restricts itself to questions to which the only sensible answers are the ones that it knows. If the user leaves the expected responses, a message is produced which makes clear that a further attempt is required? Command line Or command based interface is one where the user types a series of commands at the keyboard which tell the computer what their intentions are. The user needs to know what the possible commands are, and also needs to understand the way files are stored on the system. The characteristics of a command based interface are the user needs to know what commands are available the user needs to understand the commands the user needs to understand the way that material is stored in the computer system Because of the above points there are two very important characteristics about a command based interface. First, the system is very much more open than in the other types of interface. Other interfaces restrict the options that the user has available to them. This can be particularly important for the system manager because different users can only be allowed to have access to specific parts of the system. The second characteristic is that command based interfaces can only be used by computer literate people because you not only have to understand the commands and their uses but you also need to understand something about how the computer operates, particular how information is stored. There are many other points to be made about interfaces, especially the fact that the second part of the interface consists of the hardware necessary to put the software interface into operation. These points will be made when the appropriate stage is reached in this course.
1.2 (e)
Utility software
Utility programs are part of the operating system of a computer and are routines which carry out important tasks which are necessary from time to time on the system. They do not produce a pretty picture, or a letter which can be sent to someone so they are not application programs, but the types of job that they do are so important that the system could not run without them. There are many examples of utility software but we shall limit ourselves to just a few: 1. The surface of a disk can store so much data that the computer cannot handle it all at once so it needs to be split up so that data stored on it can be found again. When it is new a disk surface is blank so the computer draws lines on the surface to split it into small areas. The process is called formatting and it is carried out by a utility program called a disk formatter. 2. When files are to be stored on a disk they need to be managed. This includes arranging for them to be stored in a certain place, finding files again after they have been stored, moving them around to get them in a sensible order and deleting them when they are not needed any more. All of these actions are carried out by utility programs called file handlers. 3. A computer system is made up of lots of different sorts of hardware, each piece of which needs instructions about how to work. These programs are called hardware drivers. 4. Some files are very large. In most files it is possible to find simple ways of reducing the size of the file while keeping all its meaning. This can be very important when files are being sent from one computer to another as the communication is speeded up. The programs that reduce the size of files are called file compressors. 5. When files are being sent from one computer to another it is possible that they may contain a virus which will infect the receiving computer. A virus checker (scanner, killer,..) is a utility program which keeps a constant check on files searching for viruses which it will delete if it finds any.
Example Questions.
1. 2. Define what is meant by the term operating system. (2)
Give two reasons why an operating system is likely to be stored on backing storage rather than in the memory of the computer. (2) Distinguish between a multi-tasking and a multi-access operating system. (2)
3. 4. 5.
6.
7.
State what is meant by a distributed system, and give an advantage of this type of multi-access system over a simple network of machines. (2) A computer operator takes phone calls from the public who ring up asking whether a particular item in a catalogue is available. The operator needs to type in a series of responses to questions put to the caller, so that the computer can check the file and determine whether there are any of that item available. Design a screen interface that would be suitable for the operator to use. (4) The technician responsible for maintaining the system in question 5, uses a command line interface. a) Explain what is meant by a command line interface. (2) b) Give two advantages and one disadvantage to the technician of using a command line interface rather than a menu based interface. (3) State three different types of utility software and explain why they are necessary in a computer system. (6)

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 5. An information system is to be installed in a bus station. There will be a number of terminals for use by passengers who will be able to make enquiries about times of buses and the stops that they will make on the journey. The terminals will be in the open air. The terminals will be networked with a server in the main office. (b) It is decided to use a menu-based software interface. (i) Explain what is meant by a menu-based software interface. [2] -Choices offered to the user - restricted in number - leading to further menus. (1 per -, max 2) (ii) State two reasons why this is a sensible choice of interface. Easy to use (even by non computer users) Simple to administer (bus changes) Can be made to fit the data structure (use of a tree) Oct/NOV 2002 2. Batch processing and real-time are two modes of computer system use. (a) Define the terms (i) batch processing, - Data processed together at some non sensitive time. (ii) real-time processing. [2] - Data processed at time of input/input processed quickly enough to effect the next input. [2]
(2) [2]
(b)
Give an example of an application for which (i) batch processing -e.g. payroll -large quantities of data/data requires similar processing (ii) real-time processing would be appropriate, giving a reason for each of your answers. -e.g. Computer control -Need for action based on sensor input.
[4] [4]
6. An on-line telephone enquiry system employs a large number of operators who answer customer queries by accessing their records at a terminal. All the terminals are connected to a single processor using a multi-user operating system. (a) Explain how a multi-user operating system allows each of the users to share a single
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processor. - Time slices - round robin - giving each terminal processor time - Use of flags - Mention of polling (1 per max 3) (b)
[3]
[3]
Give reasons why a number of terminals using a multi-access operating system is preferable in this application to a number of stand alone machines. [3] -On-line system which implies -up to date records, meaning -that they must be held/amended centrally -Any record can be queried from any terminal. (1 per max 3)
[3]
13.
A decision is taken to provide an information system for potential customers who come to the office. Customers would be able to choose the type of work to be done and would see examples on a screen. Explain why a menu-based interface would be appropriate for this application if intended for customer use. [4]
-Restricts access to computer system -Help customer to determine what they want -because choices are given at each stage. -Example fits a tree structure for the information. -Easy to operate/suits a touch screen. -Easy to test -Result are predictable (1 per max 4)
[4]
May/June 2003 1. (b) State three utility programs associated with the use of a hard drive. Explain the purpose of each of the programs. [6] - File handling - Copy/move/delete - Anti virus software - To protect files from attack by virus - Defragmentation - To keep files sensibly arranged on the hard drive - Format - To divide surface of drive into smaller areas to aid storage (1 per -, max 6) State what is meant by each of the following modes of use. (i) Batch processing.
(6)
2.
(a)
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Jobs collected together for processing at a later time (ii) Real-time processing. Output produced quickly enough to affect the next input (iii) On-line processing. User has direct contact with processo (iv) Off-line processing. (b) [4]
User cannot communicate directly with processor A computer game involves driving a racing car around a track. State which two of the above modes of use would be appropriate, justifying your answers. [4]
- Real time - E.g. turning the wheel must turn the car immediately - On line - Otherwise system cannot be real time (4) Oct/NOV 2003 1. (a) The person responsible for the computer system in a college buys an integrated applications package made up of generic software. Explain what is meant by 1 (a) (i) A number of different pieces of software/programs that can share data (ii) Contains documentation with the software/software that allows the user to produce something useful (iii) Generic software can be used in different situations to accomplish different things/general purpose software (3) (b) (i) Explain the difference between batch processing and real-time processing. - Batch processing is the collecting together of data before being processed. - Real time is a process where the output is produced quickly enough to affect the next inpu (ii) For each mode of processing give an example of a computer application for which it would be appropriate. In each case justify your choice. [6] Batch processing, e.g. payroll - not time sensitive Real time, e.g. computer game - the player must be able to affect the game
(6)
2. Describe the following types of user interface. For each type of interface give a suitable use, justifying your answer in each case. (i) Form-based.
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- Prompts operator for inputs/Specified areas for the data/Data entered in order/in format - Operator taking information over phone - Does not allow information to be missed out/simple to use (ii) Graphical User Interface (GUI). - Icons used to stand for options/when selected, command code is run/normally accessed by use of mouse or other pointing device/WIMP - Non-experienced user/child in school - Restricts access to certain parts of the system (iii) Command line. - Set of commands recognised by the OS/typed in at prompt/need to be learned by user - Technician - Allows access to whole system/does not use large amount of memory (1 per -, max 3 per dotty, max 9) [9]
(9)
A large chemical plant is controlled automatically from a central control room. One process is to mix two chemicals at a specific temperature and pressure. The process is to be computer controlled. 9. Information about the state of chemical processes in the plant is conveyed to the control room. (b) Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is very important in such an application. (i) State what is meant by HCI. [1] - HCI is the means by which the human and the computer communicate. (1) May/June 2004 1. (b) Explain the difference between (i) batch processing and real-time modes of computer system use; - Batch not time sensitive - Real-time must provide immediate outcome (ii) on-line processing and off-line processing. - On-line user or peripheral in communication with processor - Off-line user is not in communication with processor/device not controlled by processor (c) A computer game involves steering a car around a course. State which two of the terms: batch, real-time, on-line and off-line would be needed for this example, justifying your choice. [3] - Real-time - On-line - Because user commands must be acted on immediately
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[2] (2) [2]
(3)
2.
(a)
Explain the meaning of the term utility software. - Program - Part of OS - Designed to carry out a common task (1 per point, max 2)
(2) [4]
(b)
Describe two examples of utility software. - Data transfer programs - To control movement of data to and from storage - File handling programs - To store/sort/retrieve/delete files - Hardware drivers - To control communication with peripherals - Automatic back up - To automatically make copies of files to protect the data - Anti-virus software - To protect files from attack by viruses - Formatting - To prepare media for storing files - Compression - To reduce size of files (while maintaining integrity of data) - Defragmentation - To tidy up files on the disk - Disk scanner - To find errors on surface of disk (2 per type, max 2 types, max 4)
(4)
Oct/NOV 2004 2. (a) A banks computer system uses batch processing to produce customers bank statements. Give three reasons why batch processing is suitable in this application, justifying each of your answers. [6] Large amounts of data large number of customer statements to be produced Data processing of similar type simple calculations to work out balance standard form of statement Processor time available in quiet time statements do not need immediate attention uses large amount of resources No human intervention all details present on files so no outside interference (Max 6) May/June 2005
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[6]
1.
(b)
Describe three features which an operating system would be expected to provide in a single user computer system. [6]
-User interface, -to allow communication/type of interface -File handling, -to allow use of secondary storage -Disk management, -defragmenting/formatting/storage/ -Virus protection, -to protect files on secondary storage -Security, -backup procedures -Privacy, -logons/passwords/ -Access to peripheral devices, -via drivers/allowing hard copy/ -Memory management/to control the way that primary memory is used -Manages application software/installation to system/access to memory/ -Resource allocation/processor/printer time/ Not: Hides the complexity, this is too general and not a feature. (2 per pair, max 6) 4. (c)
[6]
The ATM computer system uses both batch processing and rapid response (real time) processing. Give examples of ATM processing which require each of these modes of use, justifying your choices. [4] Batch: -Collect together records of transactions for later processing/requests for statements -when computer use not so heavy -otherwise would be continually interrupted. Real time: -Checking of PIN/identification -Checking of funds available -to ensure person has the right to extract cash, or long wait is possible. (1 per -, max 2 per type, max 4) [4]
Oct/NOV 2005 2. (a) Define the following modes of computer system use. (i) Batch. Data is collected before processing together (ii) Real-time. Data is processed immediately/within an acceptable time frame (iii) On-line. User is able to communicate with processor directly (iv) Off-line. [4] [4]
User is not connected to processor. (b)
At the end of each day, the workers in a factory send, to the accounts department, the details of the time that they have been at work. They are paid at the end of each week. Choose two of the modes of use in part (a) which would be sensible to use in this example.
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Justify your answers.
[4]
Batch Offline Two from: (Sets of daily hours must be collected for each worker) cannot be processed until all collected/Faster to process if processor not bothered by user/no need for user input during processing/large quantities of similar data. Accept: on-line because workers need to be on-line to a system in order to send details to accounts department (for 2 marks) [4] 3. Describe each of the following types of user interface and give an example of an application where it might be used. (i) Form based. [3] Screen mirrors a data capture form/is a data capture form Spaces for answers to questions Drop down lists providing limited choices for some questions Important questions must have input before carrying on Validation is made simpler because of limited choices Used in telephone sales or equivalent example [3] Menu based. Series of options from which user chooses possibly leading to submenu Limits user Used typically with touchscreen information bureaus or equivalent example. Command line. Prompt on screen User types commands Must ensure syntax correct Must learn commands Allows access to whole system Technician looking after a network/or equivalent example .
(ii)
[3]
[3] [3]
(iii)
[3]
May/June 2006 2. Describe the following types of human computer interface and for each one give an example of an application for which it would be used. (i) Graphical User Interface (GUI) [3] -windows -icons -menus -pointer controlled -e.g. used for inexperienced user (1 per-, max 2 for description, max 3) (ii) Form-based interface. -mirrors printed form
[3] [3]
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-spaces for insertion of data -some spaces require positive response -can use drop down choices -radio buttons -data input from postal order forms/teleordering/ (1 per-, max 2 for description, max 3) 6. State four purposes of the operating system of a stand-alone computer.
[3] [4]
-provides environment for application software to be executed -provides for software to be translated via compiler/interpreter/assembler -controls hardware of computer system -allows communication from hardware via interrupts -provides human access via HCI -provides utility programs to carry out housework -provides library routines for frequently desired tasks -makes the computer act in the desired fashion/mention of batch/multi user (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
Oct/NOV 2006 2. A large factory employs many thousands of workers. The workers times of arrival and departure are noted. At the end of each week the pay for each worker is calculated by a computer system and the pay slips are produced. (a) Explain why this is an example of batch processing and give reasons why batch processing is sensible. [4] -The times that the workers come and go are collected as a batch -Processing cannot be started until all the data is collected -Large amounts of data -Data is all very similar -needing similar processing -processing is simple -Once processing starts no human intervention is necessary -Results are not time sensitive -Pay must be calculated for all workers (1 per -, max 4) (c)
(4)
Give an example of a computer application which would need to be processed in real time. Justify your choice. [2] -e.g. Playing a computer game -Because the latest input must be processed before the next output. (2)
9.
State the purpose of each of the following pieces of utility software and say how each would be used by the copy editors. (i) Disk formatting. [2] -To divide up the surface of a disk into more easily manageable sectors -Copy editor will use a hard disk which will need to be formatted before being used/to store texts (2) File handling. [2]
(ii)
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-To manage the files that are stored on a computer system -Copy editor would need to save/open/delete/sort files held on the system. (iii) Hardware drivers. -Used to control communication between computer and peripherals -Controls formatting and fonts of text sent to the printer. (iv) File compression. -Reduces size of files without the loss of any detail -To speed up the transfer of files which are very large
(2) [2] (2) [2] (2)
(v)
Virus checker. [2] -Used to check any files on or entering the system for viruses -Copy writer will use the communications regularly and hence files will be subject to attack/many files being received. (2)
May/June 2007 4. One purpose of most operating systems is to provide a set of utility programs designed to perform common tasks. (a) (i) Describe the purpose of a disk formatting utility. [2] Deletes everything on surface of disk Divides surface of disk into smaller areas to allow for storage/recovery of data items. (1 per , max 2) (ii) Describe the purpose of a virus checking utility.
[2] [2]
(b)
Scans the files on a computer system/received files to detect viruses and remove viruses when they have been detected. (1 per , max 2) Describe two other purposes of an operating system apart from providing utility programs.
[2] [4]
Provides security measures (passwords/user IDs)/to protect files from unauthorised access/identify user/identify user rights Provides an HCI/to allow communication with user Controls the hardware/to allow data to travel from one part of the system to another. Provides translators/so that software can be converted into form useable by the computer. Manages interrupts/handling requests from external units and prioritising needs. Manages memory/to ensure data is stored in correct part of memory/can be retrieved correctly Schedules processing/using scheduling techniques (2 per , max 4) [4] A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments.
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Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. Some computers are used in the offices for clerical tasks like word processing and accounting. Some are in the showroom so that customers can see details of cars and videos of them being driven. The computers used at the garage are networked and all data is stored on a central server. 10. (b) (ii) The human computer interface (HCI) used on the computers in the showroom is menubased. Describe the interface that customers will use. [3] Touch sensitive screen showing list of options which call up other lists of options limited number of options means ease for user and.. security for system (1 per , max 3) Oct/NOV 2007 1. (a) (i) Describe a GUI (Graphical User Interface). Consists of - Windows - Icons - Menus - Pointer (1 per -, max 2) (ii) Describe a form-based computer interface. - (Questions and) spaces for answers shown on screen/insertion boxes - Input can be by radio buttons - Pop up menus/drop down lists - Insertion fields provided with validation checks - Mirrors a hardcopy form (1 per -, max 2) (b) (i)
[3] [2]
[2] [2]
[2]
State a computer application for which a GUI would be suitable. Justify your answer. [2] - School/children/inexperienced users/home computer (almost any application) - Ease of use [2]
(ii)
State a computer application for which a form-based interface would be suitable. Justify your choice. [2] - Any example where on screen input is necessary - Allows for instructions/ensures no data is missed/ease of set up of validation routines [2]
May/June 2008 1. (c) The operating system, used by the computer controlling the ATM, must work in both batch and real-time modes.
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(i)
State what is meant by a batch processing operating system and explain why it would be necessary in the ATM. [3] -Data is collected for later processing -Requests for statements/data about transactions... -saved for later input to main frame/during off period
[3]
(ii)
State what is meant by a real-time operating system and explain why it would be necessary in the ATM. [3] -Data must be processed immediately -Requests for money must be accompanied by processing to establish identity/sufficient funds -which must be done in real-time or user would go away/would overdraw/someone else could use your card
[3] Oct/NOV 2008 7. One of the tasks carried out by the office workers is to use the computer to produce the payroll once a week. Workers in the factory have their pay sent electronically to their bank account and are given a statement showing their pay for the week. (a) Explain why the payroll is produced using a batch operating system. [4] - Large quantity of data to be processed - All of a similar type - Data must all be connected before sensible processing can be done - Does not need immediate processing - Can be done at quiet time - Payment is weekly giving set time for processing - Does not need human intervention (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
10. The office system offers workers different types of user interface depending on the task being carried out. State a sensible user interface in each of the following situations, justifying your choice. (i) Inputting details of the times worked by each worker, each day, to the payroll system. [2] N.B. Allow alternatives if well argued. - Form based - To ensure that correct data is input/in the correct format/nothing missed (ii) To allow the network manager to carry out maintenance on the system. N.B. Allow alternatives if well argued. - Command line - To allow access to entire system/to access areas with minimum delay (iii) To allow workers to query the database in an unstructured way. N.B. Allow alternatives if well argued. - Natural language
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[2] [2]
[2] [2]
- Workers need no skill or knowledge/system will interpret their requests [2] May/June 2009 5. One purpose of most operating systems is to provide a human computer interface (HCI). (a) Describe the following HCIs and give an example of an application which would use each: (i) menu based, [3] -Options appear on screen from which to select -Selection may lead to submenus -Menus arranged in a tree structure (from single root to many branches) Use: In a passive information system e.g. Tourist guide at a train station. (1 for use, + 2 other -, max 3) [3] (ii) natural language. [3] -Follows a spoken language allowing user to input queries in normal vocabulary/syntax -Computer understands keywords/positions in sentence to get idea of syntax -Will then search database for keyword to provide output or responses. Use: e.g. On an expert system or search engine. (1 for use, + 2 other -, max 3) [3] [3]
(b)
State three other purposes of an operating system. -Provides utility programs to allow user to carry out maintenance tasks (any 3) -Provides security measures like passwords and identifications. -Controls the hardware and the operations they allow. -Provides translators to convert software into a form useable by the computer. -Manages interrupts. -To provide a platform for the execution of software (1 per -, max 3)
[3]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 2. A student decides to upgrade her computer system by buying a larger hard disk drive. She will use it to store large video files which she downloads from the internet. For each of the following types of utility software, state their purpose and how the student would use them: (i) disk formatter, [2] -Divides up the surface of the disk -to create areas of disk that can be used for different purposes/prepare disk for use/delete all from disk. (ii) hardware driver, [2] -To control messages to and from the disk and OS/to make messages understandable between the disk and the O.S. -to install the disk/prepare it for accepting data after wiring up. file compression, [2] -Changes size of files while maintaining data integrity -to decompress/compress video/allows faster download/allows more files to be stored virus checker. [2]
(iii)
(iv)
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-To ensure files imported to system are virus free -to check the video files before saving them to system. (Up to 2 per dotty, max 8) 4. (a) (i) Describe a command-line computer interface. -Instructions typed in -at the prompt -Commands may be combined to make a command sequence -User must know/understand commands (1 per -, max 2) (ii)
[8] [2]
[2]
State an application for which a command-line interface would be suitable. Justify your choice. [2] -e.g. Technician who maintains a computer system -Requires access to whole system/faster access because done directly -e.g. application such as telnet
[2] [2]
(b)
(i)
Describe a form-based computer interface. -spaces for input -in strict order -explanatory comments on screen -use of drop-down lists/tick boxes/radio buttons (1 per -, max 2)
[2] [2] [2]
(ii)
State an application for which a form-based interface would be suitable. Justify your choice. -e.g. ordering goods on-line/applying for membership on-line -ensures all relevant information is collected
5.
Data can be held in different ways in a computer system. This question is about different forms of access to data. A company holds a file of workers pay details. The company has a large number of workers. The file of pay details is used in the production of the weekly payroll for the workers. (d) (i) Identify a task from this application which will require batch processing, justifying your answer. [2] -The production of the payroll -Because all processing similar/large amount/can be done at off-peak time/data is collected before processing. [2] (ii) Identify a task from this application which will require rapid response processing, justifying your answer. [2] -Individual enquiry made by a worker -Time critical/must be done while worker waits/changes may be time critical. [2]
Oct/NOV 2009. P12 2. (a) Define the following types of software:

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(i)
operating system software, -Software that manages the computer hardware/allows applications to run
(ii)
generic applications software, -General purpose software/carries out a number of tasks/that would have to be done even if there was no computer.
(iii)
translator software, -Software used to convert a program of instructions from one language to another
(iv)
utility software. Part of O.S. which carries out a commonplace task/housekeeping. (1 per dotty, max 4)
[4] [4]
7. Staff and students who buy food are identified by the system. Their purchases are charged to their accounts. These accounts are paid off at the end of each term. (c) The total value of the goods which a person has bought is shown at a checkout. Each person is given a statement, informing them what they currently owe, at the end of each month. (i) Explain what is meant by a batch operating system and state which of the two processes would be carried out by a batch operating system. [3] (ii) State a type of operating system which could be used for the other process described and justify your choice. [2] Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 8. (a) When a customer telephones the company to place an order, the details are taken by the telephone operator and entered directly into the computer system. (i) Describe a suitable human-computer interface which the operator would use. [3] May/June 2010. P12 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 8. (a) When a customer telephones the company to place an order, the details are taken by the telephone operator and entered directly into the computer system. (i) Describe a suitable human-computer interface which the operator would use. [3] May/June 2010. P13 Details of students in a school are stored in the STUDENT file. A school employs administration staff. One of the tasks carried out by these staff is to maintain the details of students in the STUDENT file. Amendments to the student records are necessary because of:
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occasional changes to personal details yearly changes to information like the year and form that a student is in regular changes caused by things like marks in examinations needing to be updated. Access to the data is available to teachers while most enquiries and all changes are made by the administration staff. 8. (a) When a teacher wants to find out some information about a particular student, they use the computer terminal in the staff room and first of all have to identify the student and what information they require. (i) Describe a suitable human-computer interface, other than a graphical user interface, which the teacher could use. [3] Oct/NOV 2010. P11 1. Describe four functions of an operating system. 11.
[8]
The operator sometimes needs to alter the type of work done by a machine. A form-based HCI is used to input the new data. (b) Describe a form-based HCI and explain why it would be used in this case. [4] [8]
Oct/NOV 2010. P12 1. Describe four functions of an operating system. 11.
The operator sometimes needs to alter the type of work done by a machine. A form-based HCI is used to input the new data. (b) Describe a form-based HCI and explain why it would be used in this case. [4]
Oct/NOV 2010. P13 1. Describe the purpose of the following types of utility software: (a) disk formatting (b) file compression (c) hardware drivers (d) file handling
[2] [2] [2] [2]
May/June 2011. P11 9. (a) Describe a single-user operating system. [2] (b) Explain how a multi-user operating system allows many users to use the computer system. [4] May/June 2011. P12 9. (a) Describe a single-user operating system. [2] (b) Explain how a multi-user operating system allows many users to use the computer system. [4] May/June 2011. P13 9. (a) Explain the difference between a multi-user operating system and a computer network operating system. [2] (b) Describe how a batch processing system works. [4]
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Chapter 1.3 Data: Its Representation, Structure and Management 1.3 (a)
Bits & Bytes If you have used a computer for more than five minutes, then you have heard the words bits and bytes. Both RAM and hard disk capacities are measured in bytes, as are file sizes when you examine them in a folder view. You might hear an advertisement that says, "This computer has a 32-bit Pentium processor with 64 megabytes of RAM and 2.1 gigabytes of hard disk space. In this part, we will discuss bits and bytes so that you have a complete understanding. Decimal Numbers The easiest way to understand bits is to compare them to something you know: digits. A digit is a single place that can hold numerical values between 0 and 9. Digits are normally combined together in groups to create larger numbers. For example, 6,357 has four digits. It is understood that in the number 6,357, the 7 is filling the "1s place," while the 5 is filling the 10s place, the 3 is filling the 100s place and the 6 is filling the 1,000s place. So you could express things this way if you wanted to be explicit: (6 * 1000) + (3 * 100) + (5 * 10) + (7 * 1) = 6000 + 300 + 50 + 7 = 6357 Another way to express it would be to use powers of 10. Assuming that we are going to represent the concept of "raised to the power of" with the "^" symbol (so "10 squared" is written as "10^2"), another way to express it is like this: (6 * 10^3) + (3 * 10^2) + (5 * 10^1) + (7 * 10^0) = 6000 + 300 + 50 + 7 = 6357 What you can see from this expression is that each digit is a placeholder for the next higher power of 10, starting in the first digit with 10 raised to the power of zero. That should all feel pretty comfortable -- we work with decimal digits every day. The neat thing about number systems is that there is nothing that forces you to have 10 different values in a digit. Our base-10 number system likely grew up because we have 10 fingers, but if we happened to evolve to have eight fingers instead, we would probably have a base-8 number system. You can have base-anything number systems. In fact, there are lots of good reasons to use different bases in different situations. Computers happen to operate using the base-2 number system, also known as the binary number system (just like the base-10 number system is known as the decimal number system).
Number Systems and Character Sets.
The Base-2 System and the 8-bit Byte The reason computers use the base-2 system is because it makes it a lot easier to implement them with current electronic technology. You could wire up and build computers that operate in base-10, but they would be fiendishly expensive right now. On the other hand, base-2 computers are relatively cheap. So computers use binary numbers, and therefore use binary digits in place of decimal digits. The word bit is a shortening of the words "Binary digIT." Whereas decimal digits have 10 possible values ranging from 0 to 9, bits have only two possible values: 0 and 1. Therefore, a binary number is composed of only 0s and 1s, like this: 1011. How do you figure out what the value of the binary number 1011 is? You do it in the same way we did it above for 6357, but you use a base of 2 instead of a base of 10. So: (1 * 2^3) + (0 * 2^2) + (1 * 2^1) + (1 * 2^0) = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11 You can see that in binary numbers, each bit holds the value of increasing powers of 2. That makes counting in binary pretty easy. Starting at zero and going through 20, counting in decimal and binary looks like this:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 0 1 10 11 100 101 110 111 1000 1001 1010 1011 1100 1101 1110 1111 10000 10001 10010 10011 10100
When you look at this sequence, 0 and 1 are the same for decimal and binary number systems. At the number 2, you see carrying first take place in the binary system. If a bit is 1, and you add 1 to it, the bit becomes 0 and the next bit becomes 1. In the transition from 15 to 16 this effect rolls over through 4 bits, turning 1111 into 10000.
Bits are rarely seen alone in computers. They are almost always bundled together into 8bit collections, and these collections are called bytes. Why are there 8 bits in a byte? A similar question is, "Why are there 12 eggs in a dozen?" The 8-bit byte is something that people settled on through trial and error over the past 50 years. With 8 bits in a byte, you can represent 256 values ranging from 0 to 255, as shown here:
0 = 00000000 1 = 00000001 2 = 00000010 ... 254 = 11111110 255 = 11111111
Next, we'll look at one way that bytes are used. The Standard ASCII Character Set Bytes are frequently used to hold individual characters in a text document. In the ASCII character set, each binary value between 0 and 127 is given a specific character. Most computers extend the ASCII character set to use the full range of 256 characters available in a byte. The upper 128 characters handle special things like accented characters from common foreign languages. You can see the 127 standard ASCII codes below. Computers store text documents, both on disk and in memory, using these codes. For example, if you use Notepad in Windows OS to create a text file containing the words, "Four score and seven years ago," Notepad would use 1 byte of memory per character (including 1 byte for each space character between the words -- ASCII character 32). When Notepad stores the sentence in a file on disk, the file will also contain 1 byte per character and per space. Try this experiment: Open up a new file in Notepad and insert the sentence, "Four score and seven years ago" in it. Save the file to disk under the name getty.txt. Then use the explorer and look at the size of the file. You will find that the file has a size of 30 bytes on disk: 1 byte for each character. If you add another word to the end of the sentence and re-save it, the file size will jump to the appropriate number of bytes. Each character consumes a byte. If you were to look at the file as a computer looks at it, you would find that each byte contains not a letter but a number -- the number is the ASCII code corresponding to the character (see below). So on disk, the numbers for the file look like this: F o u r a n d s e v e n 70 111 117 114 32 97 110 100 32 115 101 118 101 110 By looking in the ASCII table, you can see a one-to-one correspondence between each character and the ASCII code used. Note the use of 32 for a space -- 32 is the ASCII code
for a space. We could expand these decimal numbers out to binary numbers (so 32 = 00100000) if we wanted to be technically correct -- that is how the computer really deals with things. The first 32 values (0 through 31) are codes for things like carriage return and line feed. The space character is the 33rd value, followed by punctuation, digits, uppercase characters and lowercase characters. To see all 127 values try Google ASCII codes. UNICODE: Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems or languages. Developed in conjunction with the Universal Character Set standard and published in book form as The Unicode Standard, the latest version of Unicode consists of a repertoire of more than 107,000 characters covering 90 scripts for the correct display of text containing both right-to-left scripts, such as Arabic and Hebrew, and left-to-right scripts). The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that coordinates Unicode's development, has the ambitious goal of eventually replacing existing character encoding schemes like ASCII with Unicode as many of the existing schemes are limited in size and scope and are incompatible with multilingual environments. Before 1996 UNICODE used 16 bits (2 bytes) however after 1996 size was not restricted to 16bits and enhanced further to cover every possible variation of multilingual environment. Notes: All the characters that a system can recognise are called its character set. ASCII uses 8 bits so there are 256 different codes that can be used and hence 256 different characters. (This is not quite true, we will see why in chapter 1.5 with reference to parity checks.) A problem arises when the computer retrieves a piece of data from its memory. Imagine that the data is 01000001. Is this the number 65, or is it A? They are both stored in the same way, so how can it tell the difference? The answer is that characters and numbers are stored in different parts of the memory, so it knows which one it is by knowing whereabouts it was stored.
1.3 (b)
Data Types
The computer needs to use different types of data in the operation of the system. All of these different types of data will look the same because they all have to be stored as binary numbers. The computer can distinguish one type of data from another by seeing whereabouts in memory it is stored. Numeric data. There are different types of numbers that the computer must be able to recognise. Numbers can be restricted to whole numbers, these are called INTEGERS and are stored by the computer as binary numbers using a whole number of bytes. It is usual to use either 2 bytes (called short integers) or 4 bytes (called long integers), the difference being simply that long integers can store larger numbers. Sometimes it is necessary to store negative integers or fractions or, perhaps, some other types of numbers. These other types do not concern us until later in the course. Boolean data Sometimes the answer to a question is either yes or no, true or false. There are only two options. The computer uses binary data which consists of bits of information that can be either 0 or 1, so it seems reasonable that the answer to such questions can be stored as a single bit with 1 standing for true and 0 standing for false. Data which can only have two states like this is known as BOOLEAN data. A simple example of its use would be in the control program for an automatic washing machine. One of the important pieces of information for the processor would be to know whether the door was shut. A boolean variable could be set to 0 if it was open and to 1 if it was shut. A simple check of that value would tell the processor whether it was safe to fill the machine with water. Some types of data are used so often by computer systems that they are considered to be special forms of data. These special forms of data can be set up by the computer system so that they are recognised when entered. Two examples of such data types are Date/Time and Currency. The computer has simply been told the rules that govern such data types and then checks the data that is input against the rules. Students will probably be familiar with these data types through their use in databases. Such data types are fundamentally different from the others mentioned here because the others are characterised by the operating system while these two are set up by applications software. Characters A character can be anything, which is represented in the character set of the computer by a character code in a single byte.
1.3 (c)
Expressing numbers in binary
These two sections can be combined. We are only interested in expressing numbers in binary form rather than in our decimal number system. When a question asks for a conversion either to binary or back to decimal, always draw the box diagram that the numbers will be put into and put the headings on the boxes. The headings start from 1 on the left and then get multiplied by two each time, so that a question which wanted 8 bits for the answer would look like this 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1
Then consider the number that needs turning in to binary. E.g. Turn 165 into binary. Start on the left, in this case with 128. Does 128 go into 165? Yes. Put a 1 in the box. 128 has now been used up so take 128 from 165, there is 37 left. Next box is 64. Does 64 go into 37? No. Put a 0 in the box. Next box is 32. Does 32 go into 37? Yes. Put a 1 in the box. 32 has now been used up so take 32 from 37, there is 5 left. Next box is 16. Does 16 go into 5? No. Put a 0 in the box. Next box is 8. Does 8 go into 5? No. Put a 0 in the box. Next box is 4. Does 4 go into 5? Yes. Put a 1 in the box. 4 has now been used up so take 4 from 5, there is 1 left. Next box is 2. Does 2 go into 1? No. Put a 0 in the box. Next box is 1. Does 1 go into 1? Yes. Put a 1 in the box. 1 has now been used up so take 1 from 1, there is 0 left. No more boxes. End (Notice that this is an algorithm which could be adapted into a general algorithm for working out binary numbers. Try it.) The result is 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 =165
To turn a number into a denary number from binary, put the number into the boxes, with the headings on and then just add up the headings that have a one in the box. E.g. 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 128 + 32 + 16 + 4 + 2 = 182.
Dont worry about other numbers we will see those in chapter 3.4.
1.3 (d)
Arrays
Data stored in a computer is stored at any location in memory that the computer decides to use. This means that similar pieces of data can be scattered all over memory. This, in itself, doesnt matter to the user, except that to find each piece of data it has to be referred to by a variable name. e.g. If it is necessary to store the 20 names of students in a group then each location would have to be given a different variable name. The first, Iram, might be stored in location NAME, the second, Sahin, might be stored in FORENAME, the third, Rashid, could be stored in CHRINAME, but Im now struggling, and certainly 20 different variable names that made sense will be very taxing to come up with. Apart from anything else, the variable names are all going to have to be remembered. Far more sensible would be to force the computer to store them all together using the variable name NAME. However, this doesnt let me identify individual names, so if I call the first one NAME(1) and the second NAME(2) and so on, it is obvious that they are all peoples names and that they are distinguishable by their position in the list. Lists like this are called ARRAYS. Because the computer is being forced to store all the data in an array together, it is important to tell the computer about it before it does anything else so that it can reserve that amount of space in its memory, otherwise there may not be enough space left when you want to use it. This warning of the computer that an array is going to be used is called INITIALISING the array. Initialising should be done before anything else so that the computer knows what is coming. Initialising consists of telling the computer what sort of data is going to be stored in the array so that the computer knows what part of memory it will have to be stored in how many items of data are going to be stored, so that it knows how much space to reserve the name of the array so that it can find it again. Different programming languages have different commands for doing this but they all do the same sort of thing, a typical command would be DIM NAME$(20) DIM is a command telling the computer that an array is going to be used NAME is the name of the array $ tells the computer that the data is going to be characters (20) tells it that there are going to be up to 20 pieces of data. Notes: Just because the computer was told 20 does not mean that we have to fill the array, the 20 simply tells the computer the maximum size at any one time. The array that has been described so far is really only a list of single data items. It would be far more useful if each student had a number of pieces of information about them, perhaps their name, address, date of birth. The array would now have 20 students and more than one thing about each, this is called a two dimensional array. Obviously everything gets more complicated now, but dont worry as it is enough that you understand that an array may well be two dimensional. If you consider that the names, addresses and dates of birth in this array are then repeated for every group of students in
the school, it now can be held as a three dimensional array. Lots more dimensions are also possible, lets just call them multi dimensional. We should now have a picture of a part of memory which has been reserved for the array NAME$
NAME$
Iram Sahin Zaid
Name$(1) Name$(2) Name$(20)
To read data into the array simply tell the computer what the data is and tell it the position to place it in e.g. NAME$(11) = Rashid will place Rashid in position 11 in the array (incidentally, erasing any other data that happened to be in there first). To read data from the array is equally simple, tell the computer which position in the array and assign the data to another value e.g. RESULT$ = NAME$(2) will place Sahin into a variable called RESULT$. Searching for a particular person in the array involves a simple loop and a question e.g. search for Liu in the array NAME$ Answer: Counter = 1 While Counter is less than 21, Do If NAME$(Counter) = Liu Then Print Found and End. Else Add 1 to Counter Endwhile Print Name not in array End Notice that this is an algorithm written in pseudocode. Try to produce an equivalent algorithm using a RepeatUntil loop structure.
1.3 (e)
Stacks and Queues
Queues. Information arrives at a computer in a particular order, it may not be numeric, or alphabetic, but there is an order dependent on the time that it arrives. Imagine Zaid, Iram, Sahin, Rashid send jobs for printing, in that order. When these jobs arrive they are put in a queue awaiting their turn to be dealt with. It is only fair that when a job is called for by the printer that Zaids job is sent first because his has been waiting longest. These jobs are held, just like the other data we have been talking about, in an array. The jobs are put in at one end and taken out of the other. All the computer needs is a pointer showing it which one is next to be done (start pointer(SP)) and another pointer showing where the next job to come along will be put (end pointer(EP)) 1. Zaid is in the queue for printing, the end pointer is pointing at where the next job will go. 2. Irams job is input and goes as the next in the queue, the end pointer moves to the next available space. 3. Zaids job goes for printing so the start pointer moves to the next job, also Sahins job has been input so the end pointer has to move.
EP EP EP SP Zaid 1. SP Iram Zaid 2. SP Sahin Iram 3.
Notes: The array is limited in size, and the effect of this seems to be that the contents of the array are gradually moving up. Sooner or later the queue will reach the end of the array. The queue does not have to be held in an array, it could be stored in a linked list. This would solve the problem of running out of space for the queue, but does not feature in this course until the second year. The example of jobs being sent to a printer is not really a proper queue, it is called a spool, but we dont need to know about the difference until chapter 3.1. Stacks. Imagine a queue where the data was taken off the array at the same end that it was put on. This would be a grossly unfair queue because the first one there would be the last one dealt with. This type of unfair queue is called a stack. A stack will only need one pointer because adding things to it and taking things off it are only done at one end 1. Zaid and Iram are in the stack. Notice that the pointer is pointing to the next space. 2. A job has been taken off the stack. It is found by the computer at the space under the pointer (Irams job), and the pointer moves down one.
3. Sahins job has been placed on the stack in the position signified by the pointer, the pointer then moves up one. This seems to be wrong, but there are reasons for this being appropriate in some circumstances which we will see later in the course.
Pointer Iram Zaid 1. Pointer Zaid 2.
Pointer Sahin Zaid 3.
In a queue, the Last one to come In is the Last one to come Out. This gives the acronym LILO, or FIFO (First in is the first out). In a stack, the Last one In is the First one Out. This gives the acronym LIFO, or FILO (First in is the last out).
1.3 (f) Files, Records, Items, Fields.

Data stored in computers is normally connected in some way. For example, the data about the 20 students in the set that has been the example over the last three sections has a connection because it all refers to the same set of people. Each person will have their own information stored, but it seems sensible that each person will have the same information stored about them, for instance their name, address, telephone number, exam grades All the information stored has an identity because it is all about the set of students, this large quantity of data is called a FILE. Each student has their own information stored. This information refers to a particular student, it is called their RECORD of information. A number of records make up a file. Each record of information contains the same type of information, name, address and so on. Each type of information is called a FIELD. A number of fields make up a record and all records from the same file must contain the same fields. The data that goes into each field, for example Iram Dahar, 3671 Jaipur, 2415 will be different in most of the records. The data that goes in a field is called an ITEM of data. Note: Some fields may contain the same items of data in more than one record. For example, there may be two people in the set who happen to be called Iram Dahar. If Iram Dahars brother Bilal is in this set he will presumably have the same address as Iram. It is important that the computer can identify individual records, and it can only do this if it can be sure that one of the fields will always contain different data in all the records. Because of this quality, that particular field in the record is different from all the others and is known as the KEY FIELD. The key field is unique and is used to identify the record. In our example the records would contain a field called school number which would be different for each student. Note: Iram Dahar is 10 characters (1 for the space), Pervais Durrani is 15 characters. It makes it easier for the computer to store things if the same amount of space is allocated to the name field in each record. It might waste some space, but the searching for information can be done more quickly. When each of the records is assigned a certain amount of space the records are said to be FIXED LENGTH. Sometimes a lot of space is wasted and sometimes data has to be abbreviated to make it fit. The alternative is to be able to change the field size in every record; this comes later in the course.
1.3 (g)
Access Methods to Data
Computers can store large volumes of data. The difficulty is to be able to get it back. In order to be able to retrieve data it must be stored in some sort of order. Imagine the phone book. It contains large volumes of data which can be used, fairly easily, to look up a particular telephone number because they are stored in alphabetic order of the subscribers name. Imagine how difficult it would be to find a number if they had just been placed in the book at random. The value of the book is not just that it contains all the data that may be needed, but that it has a structure that makes it accessible. Similarly, the structure of the data in a computer file is just as important as the data that it contains. There are a number of ways of arranging the data that will aid access under different circumstances. Serial access. Data is stored in the computer in the order in which it arrives. This is the simplest form of storage, but the data is effectively unstructured, so finding it again can be very difficult. This sort of data storage is only used when it is unlikely that the data will be needed again, or when the order of the data should be determined by when it is input. A good example of a serial file is what you are reading now. The characters were all typed in, in order, and that is how they should be read. Reading this book would be impossible if all the words were in alphabetic order.
Indexed sequential. Imagine a large amount of data, like the names and numbers in a phone book. To look up a particular name will still take a long time even though it is being held in sequence. Perhaps it would be more sensible to have a table at the front of the file listing the first letters of peoples names and giving a page reference to where those letters start. So to look up Jawad, a J is found in the table which gives the page number 232, the search is then started at page 232 (where all the Js will be stored). This method of access involves looking up the first piece of information in an index which narrows the search to a smaller area, having done this, the data is then searched alphabetically in sequence. This type of data storage is called Index Sequential.
Sequential access. In previous sections of this chapter we used the example of a set of students whose data was stored in a computer. The data could have been stored in alphabetic order of their name. It could have been stored in the order that they came in a Computing exam, or by age with the oldest first. However it is done the data has been arranged so that it is easier to find a particular record. If the data is in alphabetic order of name and the computer is asked for Zaids record it wont start looking at the beginning of the file, but at the end, and consequently it should find the data faster. A file of data that is held in sequence like this is known as a sequential file.
Random access. A file that stores data in no order is very useful because it makes adding new data or taking data away very simple. In any form of sequential file an individual item of data is very dependent on other items of data. Jawad cannot be placed after Mahmood because that is the wrong order. However, it is necessary to have some form of order because otherwise the file cannot be read easily. What would be wonderful is if, by looking at the data that is to be retrieved, the computer can work out where that data is stored. In other words, the user asks for Jawads record and the computer can go straight to it because the word Jawad tells it where it is being stored.
1.3 (h)
Implementation of File Access Methods
This section is about how the different access methods to data in files can be put into practice. There will not be a lot of detail, and some questions will remain unanswered, dont worry because those will appear in further work. Serial access. Serial files have no order, no aids to searching, and no complicated methods for adding new data. The data is simply placed on the end of the existing file and searches for data require a search of the whole file, starting with the first record and ending, either with finding the data being searched for, or getting to the end of the file without finding the data. Sequential access. Because sequential files are held in order, adding a new record is more complex, because it has to be placed in the correct position in the file. To do this, all the records that come after it have to be moved in order to make space for the new one. e.g. A section of a school pupil file might look like this Hameed, Ali, 21.. Khurram, Saeed, 317 Khwaja, Shaffi, 169.. Naghman, Yasmin, 216.. If a new pupil arrives whose name is Hinna, space must be found between Hameed and Khurram. To do this all the other records have to be moved down one place, starting with Naghman, then Khwaja, and then Khurram. Hameed, Ali, 21 Khurram, Saeed, 317. Khwaja, Shaffi, 169 . Naghman, Yasmin, 216.. This leaves a space into which Hinnas record can be inserted and the order of the records in the file can be maintained. Having to manipulate the file in this way is very time consuming and consequently this type of file structure is only used on files that have a small number of records or files that change very rarely. (Note: Why is it necessary to move Naghman first and not Khurram?) Larger files might use this principle, but would be split up by using indexing into what amounts to a number of smaller sequential files. e.g. the account numbers for a banks customers are used as the key to access the customer accounts. The accounts are held sequentially and there are approximately 1 million accounts. There are 7 digits in an account number. Indexes could be set up which identify the first two digits in an account number. Dependent on the result of this first index search, there is a new index for the next two digits, which then points to all the account numbers, held in order, that have those first
four digits. There will be one index at the first level, but each entry in there will have its own index at the second level, so there will be 100 indexes at the second level. Each of these indexes will have 100 options to point to, so there will be 10,000 blocks of data records. But each block of records will only have a maximum of 1000 records in it, so adding a new record in the right place is now manageable which it would not have been if the 1million records were all stored together.
00 01 02 ... 99 One First level index (first two digits in account number)
00 01 02 99 00 01 02 99 0102000 0102001 0102002 0102003 . 0102999 DATA
100 Second level indexes (third and fourth digits in account number)
10,000 Final index blocks each containing up to 1000 account numbers
Random access. To access a random file, the data itself is used to give the address of where it is stored. This is done by carrying out some arithmetic (known as pseudo arithmetic because it doesnt make much sense) on the data that is being searched for. E.g. imagine that you are searching for Jawads data. The rules that we shall use are that the alphabetic position of the first and last letters in the name should be multiplied together, this will give the address of the students data. So Jawad = 10 * 04 = 40. Therefore Jawads data is being held at address 40 in memory. This algorithm is particularly simplistic, and does not give good results, as we shall soon see, but it illustrates the principle. Any algorithm can be used as long as it remains the same for all the data. This type of algorithm is known as a HASHING algorithm. The problem with this example can be seen if we try to find Jaheeds data. Jaheed = 10 * 04 = 40. The data for Jaheed cannot be here because Jawads data is here. This is called a CLASH. When a clash occurs, the simple solution is to work down sequentially until there is a free space. So the computer would inspect address 41, and if that was being used, 42, and so on until a blank space. The algorithm suggested here will result in a lot of clashes which will slow access to the data. A simple change in the
algorithm will eliminate all clashes. If the algorithm is to write down the alphabetic position of all the letters in the name as 2 digit numbers and then join them together there could be no clashes unless two people had the same name. e.g. Jawad = 10, 01, 23, 01, 04 giving an address 1001230104 Jaheed = 10, 01, 08, 05, 05, 04 giving an address 100108050504 The problem of clashes has been solved, but at the expense of using up vast amounts of memory (in fact more memory than the computer will have at its disposal). This is known as REDUNDANCY. Having so much redundancy in the algorithm is obviously not acceptable. The trick in producing a sensible hashing algorithm is to come up with a compromise that minimizes redundancy without producing too many clashes.
1.3 (i)
Selection of Data Types and Structures
Data types. When the computer is expected to store data, it has to be told what type of data it is going to be because different types of data are stored in different areas of memory. In addition to the types of data that we have already described, there are other, more specialised, data types. Most can be covered by calling them characters (or string data, which is just a set of characters one after the other), but there are two others that are useful. Currency data is, as the name suggests, set up to deal with money. It automatically places two digits after the point and the currency symbol in. The other is date; this stores the date in either 6 or 8 bytes dependent on whether it is to use 2 or 4 digits for the year. Care should be taken with the date because different cultures write the three elements of a date in different orders, for example, Americans put the month first and then the day, whereas the British put the day first and then the month. Data structures Students should be able to justify the use of a particular type of structure for storing data in given circumstances. Questions based on this will be restricted to the particular structures mentioned in 1.3.e and 1.3.f and will be non-contentious. E.g. Jobs are sent to a printer from a number of sources on a network. State a suitable data structure for storing the jobs that are waiting to be printed giving a reason for your answer. Answer: A queue, because the next one to be printed should be the one that has been waiting longest.
1.3 (j) Backing up and Archiving Data

Backing up data. Data stored in files is very valuable. It has taken a long time to input to the system, and often, is irreplaceable. If a bank loses the file of customer accounts because the hard disk crashes, then the bank is out of business. It makes sense to take precautions against a major disaster. The simplest solution is to make a copy of the data in the file, so that if the disk is destroyed, the data can be recovered. This copy is known as a BACK-UP. In most applications the data is so valuable that it makes sense to produce more than one back-up copy of a file, some of these copies will be stored away from the computer system in case of something like a fire which would destroy everything in the building. The first problem with backing up files is how often to do it. There are no right answers, but there are wrong ones. It all depends on the application. An application that involves the file being altered on a regular basis will need to be backed up more often than one that is very rarely changed (what is the point of making another copy if it hasnt changed since the previous copy was made?). A school pupil file may be backed up once a week, whereas a bank customer file may be backed up hourly. The second problem is that the back-up copy will rarely be the same as the original file because the original file keeps changing. If a back up is made at 9.00am and an alteration is made to the file at 9.05am, if the file now crashes, the back up will not include the change that has been made. It is very nearly the same, but not quite. Because of this, a separate file of all the changes that have been made since the last back up is kept. This file is called the transaction log and it can be used to update the copy if the original is destroyed. This transaction log is very rarely used. Once a new back up is made the old transaction log can be destroyed. Speed of access to the data on the transaction log is not important because it is rarely used, so a transaction log tends to use serial storage of the data and is the best example of a serial file if an examination question asks for one. Archiving data. Data sometimes is no longer being used. A good example would be in a school when pupils leave. All their data is still on the computer file of pupils, taking up valuable space. It is not sensible to just delete it, there are all sorts of reasons why the data may still be important, for instance a past pupil may ask for a reference. If all the data has been erased it may make it impossible to write a sensible reference. Data that is no longer needed on the file but may be needed in the future should be copied onto long term storage medium and stored away in case it is needed. This is known as producing an ARCHIVE of the data. (Schools normally archive data for 7 years before destroying it). Note: Archived data is NOT used for retrieving the file if something goes wrong, it is used for storing little used or redundant data in case it is ever needed again, so that space on the hard drive can be freed up.
Example Questions
1. a) Express the number 113 (denary) in binary using an appropriate number of bits. b) Change the binary number 10110010 into a decimal number. 2. Describe how characters are stored in a computer. (2) (2) (3) (2) (1)
3.a) Explain what is meant by an integer data type. b) State what is meant by Boolean data. 4.
An array is to be used to store information. State three parameters that need to be given about the array before it can be used, explaining the reason why each is necessary. (6) A stack is being held in an array. Items may be read from the stack or added to the stack. a) State a problem that may arise when (i) adding a new value to the stack (ii) reading a value from the stack. (2) b) Explain how the stack pointer can be used by the computer to recognise when such problems may occur. (2) a)Explain the difference between a serial file and a sequential file. (2) b)Describe what is meant by a hashing algorithm and explain why such an algorithm can lead to clashes. (3) A library keeps both a book file and a member file. The library does a stock take twice a year and orders new books only once a year. Members can join or cancel their membership at any time. a) Describe how the library can implement a sensible system of backing up their files. (4) b) Explain the part that would be played by archiving in the management of the files. (4)
5.
6.
7.
Note: This chapter, or section of the syllabus, is by far the largest portion of module 1, and consequently, candidates should expect a higher proportion of marks on the exam paper to relate to this work than to the other sections.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 9. Explain why indexed sequential access to the data would be sensible in this example. Different requirements of application areas one requires all data to be accessed in some order because it is necessary to ensure that none is missed The other requires direct access to allow for immediate response to telephone request. (1 per-, max 4)
[4]
[4]
10. Customer records are stored using an 8 digit customer number as key. Describe an indexing system which could be used to produce such indexed sequential access to the file. [3] Answer should be in form of a diagram with these mark points: -Initial index with (1 or 2 digits) -Further indexes -Leading to data block -Held sequentially. (1 per-, max 3) 11. Backups and archives are taken from the customer file. By describing systems that could be implemented by the company for taking backup files and archive files, explain the differences between them. -Back-ups taken regularly -archive at wider intervals. -Back-up copies whole file -archive redundant records/files. -Back-up used as security in case original is corrupted -archive is used to free space on storage (in case access is required in the future.) (1 per-, max 4) Oct/NOV 2002 4. An examination centre holds data about the candidates at that centre. The data held is o 4 digit candidate number o Candidate name o gender o date of birth o number of subjects entered.
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(b)
State a suitable medium for storing a back-up copy of the candidate file, giving a reason for your answer. [2] [2] [4]
-Nothing but floppy disk -because of the size of the file. 7. (a) Describe how an array is initialised in the memory of a computer.
-Size of array calculated -Location of array decided -according to data type/size -Locations reserved -Array named in look up table. -Size of array stored in table -Lower bound of array stored in table -Upper bound of array stored in table -Data type stored in table -Address of first element stored in table. (1 per-, max 4) (b) Describe how an array may be searched serially to find a specific data item. -Index set to 0 -Array(index) searched -if = Item then found -Else increment index and repeat. -Until found or error report. (1 per-, max 4) May/June 2003 4. (a) Explain what is meant by a LIFO data structure. - Data enters at one end (of a stack) - Leaves at the same end - Hence 'last in, first out' (1 per -, max 2) (b) Draw a simple diagram to show how a stack can be stored in an array.
[4] [4]
[4] [2]
(2) [2]
5.
[2] A company employs approximately 2000 workers whose details are stored in a personnel file in a computer system. Each worker's record has a unique 7 digit identification number. The first digit is from 0 to 5 and refers to the department in which the person works. The second digit is a 0 or a 1 and refers to the sex of the employee.
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The next two digits refer to the year that the employee joined the company. The last three digits are used to make the identification number unique. The file is accessed randomly by using a hash table. (a) Devise a suitable hashing algorithm which limits the degree of redundancy to allow access to the hash table. [2] - Uses all 7 digits - Creates >2000 results - Highlight the danger of multiplying by zero (b)
(2)
State two identification numbers that will cause a collision using your hashing algorithm. [1] Any two 7 digit numbers that cause a clash (1) (c) Describe two methods to overcome the problem of collision in part (b). [4]
- Search serially from hash value - Until vacant location found - Mention of circular reference - If the memory locations become full, use a bucket - Use bucket to place duplicates in - In serial form - Pointer to bucket from hashed location - Use hashed location as start of linked list - Ensure end of list with null value of pointer (1 per -, max 2 methods, max 4) Oct/NOV 2003 5. (a)
(4)
The name and address are stored as ASCII characters. Explain what is meant by an ASCII character. [2]
- A member of a standard character set/set of codes the computer understands - Represented in a single byte/7 or 8 bits used per character - Standard nature allows for communication between systems (1 per -, max 2) (b) State data types that are suitable for each of the other pieces of data.
(2) [4]
- Date/integer - Integer - Boolean/yes or no - Currency/floating pt/real/integer (c) Using this example, explain what is meant by each of the following terms. (i) Field.
(4)
Storage space for one data item/one student's name
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(ii) File. All the data about all the students in the college (iii) Record. All the data about a single student [3] (3)
May/June 2004 4. (a) (i)
Explain what is meant by the character set of a computer.
[1] (1) [2]
Those symbols that the computer (software) can recognize (ii) Describe how the character set is represented in the computer system.
- As binary codes - ASCII/EBCDIC - Using 7,8,15,16 bits - The number of bits = 1 byte (1 per point, max 2) (b) A stock file in a warehouse has the following fields in each record. Name of item. Date of last delivery. Price of item. Whether or not an order is outstanding. Number of that item left in stock. (i) State data types suitable for each of the fields. - Character/text/string/alpha - Date or datetime or integer (long) - Currency/Real/Integer - Boolean - Integer
(2)
[5]
(5)
Oct/NOV 2004 2. (b) In addition to using batch processing of the customer file, the bank employs staff to answer customer queries about their account over the telephone. State a suitable file organisation for the customer file. Justify your choice with reference to the two uses for the file in this application. [3] - Indexed sequential file needs to be sequential for batch processing/match up with TF/ensure no records missed file needs direct access for queries to be made on-line/access through layers of indexes or use of index followed by sequential search
[3]
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4.
(a)
State the meaning of the terms (i) serial file; (ii) sequential file.
[1] [1]
Serial access is when records are stored in no particular order (chronological) Note: Not unstructured without a good explanation. Sequential access implies records held in a logical order/technique such as a binary cut can be used/alphabetic or numeric or key order. (b) (i)
[2]
Explain how records in a random access file can be accessed using a hashing algorithm. [3]
Key field is read hashing algorithm is applied to (it/something) to give (relative) address of data Data is looked for at that address Recognition of problem over clashes (1 per point, max 3) (ii)
[3]
Clashing is a problem that can arise when a new record is saved to the random access file. It arises when the hash key of the new record is the same as that of an existing record. Describe two methods for dealing with the problem of clashing. [4]
Subsequent locations are read until empty location found record inserted at empty location 2. Existing record is used as head of list pointers pointing to subsequent records with same hash values new value inserted in free location and pointer from end of original list 3. Area of memory (bucket) set aside for overflow any clashing record inserted into bucket in next location in serial form (Any 2 methods, max 2 per method, max 4) 11. The data stored on the system is both backed up and archived at regular intervals. (a) Explain the difference between backing up and archiving data.
[4] [2] [2]
Back up is an extra copy to protect data in case it is corrupted Archive is a copy (of the files) at a certain point of time for long term storage (b)
Give reasons why it is necessary for the company to archive the customer files and the stock files. [3] Customer files hit rate reduced as number increases many individual customers may only be one off, then record not used Necessary to free up space Stock file continually being changed Necessary to store example states of file before lost forever General point about possible need to retrieve data in the future Replacing old files with new will lead to old files being archived
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Taxation records Management information (1 per point, max 3) (c) Describe a suitable back-up procedure for the stock file.
[3] [4]
Either: At regular intervals (No more than) 7 days File is copied to tape (or alternative, not floppy) Stored away from system Multiple copies Use of a transaction file Or: Grandfather/Father/Son or Ancestral Filing System All stored sequentially When file updated from TF Each generation moves up G and F are back-ups (1 per point, max 4)
[4]
May/June 2005 Oct/NOV 2005 1. An office worker is responsible for communicating with other businesses and managing the computer systems in the office. (b) The worker is also responsible for making backup copies of files and for archiving data. (i) Explain the difference between backing up and archiving. [4]
Backing up is making a copy of the entire data file... in case of corruption of working file. Short term Archiving is taking a copy of little used data for long term storage in case something needed again Redundant files can then be deleted in order to create space on medium. (1 per , max 4)
[4]
(ii) Describe a sensible procedure that this worker could adopt for backing up the data files. [4] regularly copy of files/to portable medium More than one copy made at least one copy kept off site Transaction log kept between back-ups (1 per , max 4) May/June 2006 A small business has one shop. It specialises in taking portrait photographs for customers. Details of customers are stored on paper. It is decided to buy a stand-alone computer and use it to store customer records in a file. 7. The following fields are to be stored. Customer name (to allow customer to be addressed properly when contacted)
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[4]
Customer telephone number (so that customer can be contacted when their order has been completed) Date of original commission (so that customers are not kept waiting too long) Whether or not the order has been paid for. (a) State a suitable data type for each of the four fields. text/character/string text/character/string/alphanumeric date/Integer boolean (c)
[4]
[4]
The manager is advised to keep backups of the data and also to archive the data in the file. (i) Explain the purpose of archiving data in a file. [2]
-to store little used data -in case it is needed in the future -so that it can be removed from main file -to allow space for other data (1 per -, max 2) (ii) Explain a sensible backup routine for the manager to follow. -sensible interval (1 7 days) -onto sensible medium (floppy disk/CD-RW/Zip drive/tape) -sensible reason (file small/medium easily accessible/medium portable) -more than one copy made -one copy kept away from main computer system -keep a transaction copy between backups (1 per -, max 4)
[2] [4]
[4]
Oct/NOV 2006 2. A large factory employs many thousands of workers. The workers times of arrival and departure are noted. At the end of each week the pay for each worker is calculated by a computer system and the pay slips are produced. (b) The employee file is stored as a sequential file. (i) Explain what is meant by a sequential file. [2] -Records are stored in a logical order -e.g. alphabetic/numeric -in this case in order of employee number (1 per -, max 2) (ii)
(2)
State two reasons why a sequential file is a sensible choice of file type in this case. [2]
-All the records have to be updated -Necessary to compare each record with its entry in a transaction file -Which will also be in order -No need apparent for direct access to records (1 per -, max 2)
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(2)
7. The communications system used by the company uses circuit switching for the transmission of data between head office and the copywriters. (b) When texts are transferred large amounts of data are transmitted. (i) The characters are sent as ASCII characters. Explain what is meant by an ASCII character. [2] -(A member of the) character set that a computer recognizes -Character on a standard keyboard -Standard to many machines -Stored in binary as -7,8,9,16 bits per character (1 per -, max 2)
(2)
May/June 2007 A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. 8. The data in the car file is stored in fixed length records. (a) Explain the relationship between files, fields and records, using examples from the car file. [3] The file is all the details of all the cars, it comprises a number of records, each containing data about a car Each item of data in a record is called a field e.g. price. [3] (b) Explain what is meant by fixed length records. [2] [2]
The records are of a predetermined size because each field is of a fixed size. (c) The data held about each car includes: Colour, Size of engine, Whether or not it has air conditioning, Price. State a suitable data type for each of the items of data listed. Colour: Characters/Text/String/alphanumeric Engine size: Integer/Real Air Con: Boolean Price: Currency/Real/integer A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file.
[4]
[4]
Some computers are used in the offices for clerical tasks like word processing and accounting. Some are in the showroom so that customers can see details of cars and videos of them being driven. The computers used at the garage are networked and all data is stored on a central server. 12. The parts department keep details of parts on a random access file which is accessed by means of a hashing algorithm.
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(a)
Explain the difference between an indexed sequential file and a random access file. [2] [2]
Indexed sequential uses indexes of keys Random access file uses key as input to an algorithm. (b) Each part, stored by the parts department, has a 6 digit key. The first two digits refer to the model of the car for which it is designed. The third digit is used to indicate the year of manufacture. The last three digits are used to ensure the key for this part is unique. (i)
Devise a hashing algorithm which would be suitable for storing 10,000 parts. [2] [2] [1] [1]
Algorithm uses all 6 digits. Algorithm has approximately 10,000 outcomes/Modular division by 10,000 (ii) State two key values which hash to the same address.
Any 2 which hash to same address (iii)
Describe a method of handling collisions when using a hashing algorithm. [2]
Values that collide are stored serially after end of file/in a bucket Marker applied to correct address to signify further values OR Original address contains pointer which is head of linked list of items which hash to same value. OR Locations are searched serially until free location found value inserted at free location (1 per , max 1 method, max 2) Oct/NOV 2007 2. A variety of goods are stored in a warehouse. All goods enter and leave the warehouse at a specific point. All goods are bar coded. (a) The number of each item in the warehouse is stored as a binary number. Change 83 into a binary number stored in an 8 bit byte. 01010011 (1 per nibble) 9. (a) Describe what is meant by taking (i) a backup of data,
[2]
[2] [2] [2]
- A copy of data being stored on the system - stored away from the original - taken at regular intervals - includes the structure of the data
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(1 per -, max 2) (ii) an archive of data.
[2] [2]
- A copy of some data being stored on the system - for long term storage - taken when data is no longer active - not necessary to store structure, only data (1 per -, max 2) (b)
[2]
The data collected by the survey teams and the results of the processing are both backed up and archived. (i) Explain why it would be important to take a back up of the results of a survey. [2]
- Expensive to collect the data - (Do not want to repeat either in the event of) data corruption or data loss because - time consuming to re-process the data (1 per -, max 2) (ii) Explain why it would be important to archive the results of a survey.
[2] [2]
- To compare with new material taken at a later date - To reuse if other company wants survey of same area - To reuse if circumstances change e.g. price of oil goes up making difficult area economically viable - Allows data storage media to be freed up increasing the speed of processing (1 per -, max 2) May/June 2008 5. (b) (i) Explain what is meant by LIFO and FIFO data structures.
[2] [2]
LIFO means that the last data item to be inserted into the structure will be the first to be read FIFO means that the first data item to be inserted into the structure will be the first to be read [2]
Oct/NOV 2008 1. (c) The data is collected at regular time intervals and the results from the past 24 hours are stored in an array. (i) State three parameters that it is necessary to set when defining an array. [3] - Size/number of data items to be stored - Name/identifier of array - Data type of data stored in array - Dimension of array (1 per -, max 3) (ii) Describe an algorithm to read a temperature into the array when it is collected.
[3] [2]
- X = the number of the piece of data in 24 hour period

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- If X > size of array report error - ARRAY_NAME(X) = Data Item (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
May/June 2009 2. A stock file in a company has records of all the different items held in stock. The records each hold a number of fields: the name of the item in stock description of the item cost whether or not in stock number in stock (a) (i) State a suitable data type for each field. [2] Name: Text/String/alpha/alphanumeric Description: Text/String/alpha/alphanumeric Cost: Currency/integer/real/float Whether: Boolean Number: Integer (1 for first three, 1 for last 2) (b)
[2]
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of storing files in the form of fixed length records. Relate each of your answers to the example of the stock file. [4]
Advantage: -Processed/Searched more easily/quickly/Estimate of file size is easier -e.g. When a customer wants to know the availability of an item the record can be found quickly/makes selection of storage easier Disadvantage: -The size of fields must be determined before use so space is often wasted/not sufficient -e.g. The description field may not be large enough for a particular item. (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 5. Data can be held in different ways in a computer system. This question is about different forms of access to data. A company holds a file of workers pay details. The company has a large number of workers. The file of pay details is used in the production of the weekly payroll for the workers. (a) Explain why this file is accessed sequentially. [2] -Each worker has an employee number which can be stored in a logical order -Matched easily with sorted TF -So that there are no duplications of peoples wages. -So that no worker is missed -every worker needs to be accessed. (1 per -, max 2)
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[2]
(b)
Workers can enquire about details in their record. They can go to the office and their enquiry will be dealt with immediately. (i) Explain why sequential access to data is not suitable for this. [2]
-Large number of records in file -make access to an individual record time consuming -worker will not be satisfied/worker will not get immediate response (1 per -, max 2) (ii) State a more suitable type of access to the data, justifying your answer. Either -Indexed sequential -Because it allows both sequential and random/direct access to data -Because it allows fast access to data while maintaining sequential nature Or -Random/direct access -Because it gives direct access to data/faster access to data -because immediate access is allowed (while payroll may be produced serially). (1 for type, 1 for justification) (c)
[2] [2]
[2]
Details of when workers start and finish work are stored on a temporary file in the order in which they occur.
-Serial -Because no logical order to input of data -Records/fields/items input with no logical sequence to file/chronological order. (1 for type, 1 for justification) Oct/NOV 2009. P12 3. A library stores details of members on the member file. (a) Members names are stored as strings of characters using ASCII. (i) State what is meant by a character set. The characters that a system can recognise/characters on the keyboard (ii) Describe how the ASCII character set is represented.
[2]
[1] [1] [3]
-Each character assigned a unique binary code... -Known as a byte/Typically 8 bits -lower case/upper case in separate orders to allow alphabetic order -One bit reserved for parity check. -Meaning 128 characters can be represented -Extended ASCII uses all 8 bits for characters, ignoring parity (1 per -, max 3) (c)
[3]
The number of visits made by a member during the year is stored as an integer in a single byte. Mr Jyu has visited 135 times. Change 135 into the binary representation for the computer to store. [2]
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10000111 (1 per nibble)
[2]
Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 6. (a) Explain why indexed sequential access to the data in the CUSTOMER file would be appropriate. [4] Hardware: Cable/NIC or Wireless network card/Server/wireless access point Software: Network Operating System/Network versions of software. (2 hardware+ 1 Software) [3] (b) Each customer has a unique 7 digit account number which is issued as the key field. Describe, with the aid of a diagram, an indexing system which could be used to allow indexed sequential access to the CUSTOMER file. [4] Mark points: -Shape -Hub/Server/Switch at centre -Peripheral shown/Central storage
[3]
A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 7. Backup files and archive files are taken from the CUSTOMER file. Explain the difference between backing up a file and archiving a file, making reference to the requirements of this application. [5] 7 e.g. T = M = NewT = MFour = 0 (1) FOR Year = 1900 TO 2009 (1) READ Mean (1) LET T = T + Mean (1) NEXT LET M = T/110 (1) REPEAT INPUT ChosenYear (1) UNTIL (ChosenYear >= 1900) AND (ChosenYear <= 2006) (1) FOR Year = ChosenYear TO ChosenYear + 3 (1) READ Mean (1) LET NewT = NewT + Mean (1) NEXT LET MFour = NewT/4 (1) IF MFour > M + 4
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THEN OUTPUT "HOT" } ELSE OUTPUT "NORMAL" } (1) ENDIF Mark Points: -Initialise variables -Sensible variable names used -Loop to read all means... -with correct condition -Mean read inside loop -Running total kept -Calculation of mean of summer means outside loop -Input of year -loop to read four means -with correct condition -Mean read and cumulative total kept -Mean of 4 years calculated outside loop -Comparison with mean+4 -Two outcomes with sensible conditions -validation of one of the inputs (1 per -, max 10) [10] May/June 2010. P12 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 6. (a) Explain why indexed sequential access to the data in the CUSTOMER file would be appropriate. [4] -Different requirements of enquiry and order completion (warehouse) areas -Warehouse requires all records to be accessed in some order (sequential)... -so that none are missed -The other requires direct access (indexed)... -to allow for fast response to customer with telephone query. (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
(b) Each customer has a unique 7 digit account number which is issued as the key field. Describe, with the aid of a diagram, an indexing system which could be used to allow indexed sequential access to the CUSTOMER file. [4] e.g. Base Index Second level Third level
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Mark Points: -Accurate diagram used to illustrate at least 2 of the other mark points -Use of Base index (1 or 2 digits)... -pointing to second level index -Indexes shown to be sequential -Finally pointing to data (block). (1 per -, max 4, max 3 if no diagram but answer is prose)
[4]
A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 7. Backup files and archive files are taken from the CUSTOMER file. Explain the difference between backing up a file and archiving a file, making reference to the requirements of this application. [5] -Backups taken regularly/archive at wider intervals -Backup will be (e.g.) daily... -because any corruption will lead to loss of orders/revenue/client dissatisfaction/valuable data which the company cannot afford to lose -Archiving is removal of redundant/little used data... -To free space on medium/tidy up index/speed up direct access -Back up is used as security/requires whole file including structure -Archive is used for statistics/comparison/data requirements like tax office/tends not to include structure as may never be required/long term queries -Transaction file mentioned (1 per -, max 5)
[5]
May/June 2010. P13 Details of students in a school are stored in the STUDENT file. A school employs administration staff. One of the tasks carried out by these staff is to maintain the details of students in the STUDENT file.
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Amendments to the student records are necessary because of: occasional changes to personal details yearly changes to information like the year and form that a student is in regular changes caused by things like marks in examinations needing to be updated. Access to the data is available to teachers while most enquiries and all changes are made by the administration staff. 6. (a) Explain why indexed sequential access to the data in the file would be sensible. [4] -Enquiries about individual students made by teachers -need to access data quickly, which is possible through indexes in system -Structure of data lends itself to a series of indexes -e.g. year that student is in; form that student is in -Some updating/amending/reading needs to be done on groups of students/all students -e.g. Amending the exam results of students in a year group/reading the contact details for the students in a form (1 per -, max 4) [4] (b) Describe, with the aid of a diagram, an indexing system which could be used to allow indexed sequential access to the records held in the STUDENT file. Use the information about the student records stated above. [4]
Mark Points: -Use of Base index (year group)... -pointing to second level index (form) -Indexes shown to be sequential -Finally pointing to data (block). -Appropriate diagram used for answer (1 per -, max 4)
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[4]
Details of students in a school are stored in the STUDENT file. A school employs administration staff. One of the tasks carried out by these staff is to maintain the details of students in the STUDENT file. Amendments to the student records are necessary because of: occasional changes to personal details yearly changes to information like the year and form that a student is in regular changes caused by things like marks in examinations needing to be updated. Access to the data is available to teachers while most enquiries and all changes are made by the administration staff. 7. Backup files and archive files are taken from the STUDENT file. Explain the difference between backing up and archiving a file, making reference to the requirements of this application. [5] -Backup will be (at most) daily... -because any corruption will lead to loss of important information about students -Archiving is done annually... -removal of redundant/little used data to free space on medium/tidy up index/speed up direct access -Back up is used as security/requires whole file including structure -Sensible to use an incremental back-up as most of the table will remain unchanged from one back-up to the next -Archive is used for statistics and references/tends not to include structure as may never be required/long term queries -Data will be archived after students have left school for good (1 per -, max 5) Oct/NOV 2010. P11 3. (a) A school information system stores data about each student in the school. For each of the following data items, state the most suitable data type. Justify your choice. (i) Home telephone number -Text/alpha/string/alphanumeric (not character) -These are sets of characters, not numbers/no calculation involved with them (second mark depends on the first) (ii) Number of subjects studied -Integer/byte -Must be whole number (iii) Whether or not the student is going on the school trip -Boolean (accept yes/no, true/false, 0/1) -Only two possible values (yes/no) (b)
[5]
[2] [2] [2] [2] [2] [2]
Using the example of the school information system, explain how fields, files and records are related. [3]
-Files (all the data on all the students) comprise

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-Records (all the data about a single student) comprise -Fields (individual pieces of data e.g. home telephone number). Accept points made on a diagram (only award one mark for the hierarchy) Oct/NOV 2010. P12 3. (a) A school information system stores data about each student in the school. For each of the following data items, state the most suitable data type. Justify your choice. (i) Home telephone number -Text/alpha/string/alphanumeric (not character) -These are sets of characters, not numbers/no calculation involved with them (second mark depends on the first) (ii) Number of subjects studied -Integer/byte -Must be whole number (iii) Whether or not the student is going on the school trip -Boolean (accept yes/no, true/false, 0/1) -Only two possible values (yes/no) (b)
[3]
[2] [2] [2] [2] [2] [2]
Using the example of the school information system, explain how fields, files and records are related. [3]
-Files (all the data on all the students) comprise -Records (all the data about a single student) comprise -Fields (individual pieces of data e.g. home telephone number). Accept points made on a diagram (only award one mark for the hierarchy) Oct/NOV 2010. P13 3. (a) A shop's stock control system stores data about the goods in the shop. For each of the following data items, state the most suitable data type. Justify your choice. (i) Bar code number -Text/alpha/string/alphanumeric -These are sets of characters not numbers (ii) Price in dollars -Real/Currency -There will be a fractional part to the value (iii) Whether on order or not
[3]
[2] [2] [2] [2] [2]
-Boolean -Only two possible values (yes/no) [2] (b) Using the example of the shop stock control system, explain how fields, files and records are related. [3] -Files (all the data on the stock) comprise... -Records (all the data about a single item of stock) comprise... -Fields (individual pieces of data in a record e.g. Price)
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(1 mark only for hierarchy given without context) May/June 2011. P11 3. (a) (i) Explain what is meant by the character set of a computer. The symbols recognised/used by the computer Often equates to the symbols on the keyboard (ii) Explain how a character is represented in a computer.
[3]
[4]
Represented by a set of bits... Unique to that character The number of bits needed is equal to 1 byte / 2 bytes ASCII/Unicode is a common set (1 per , max 3 per dotty, max 4) (b) Explain the representation of integers in a computer.
[4] [3]
Bits are used to store the correct binary representation of the integer Leading zeroes included to complete required number of bits Standard number of bits irrespective of size of integer Concept of short and long integer dependent on sizes of integers Two's complement used to represent negative numbers (1 per , max 3) 4. A library membership system identifies members by their unique 6-digit ID number. (a) Explain how the member file could be accessed using indexes. (You may find it helpful to draw a diagram.)
[3]
[2]
IDs/indexes kept in sequence Attached to each is a pointer... which points to the data for that ID Possible to use multiple indexes
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(1 per , max 2) (b) (i) Explain how hashing could be used to access the member file randomly.
[2]
Digits in ID are used as input... to arithmetic algorithm Result is the location of the data (or pointer to it) (ii) Clashes can occur when the member file is accessed using hashing. State what is meant by a clash and how it can be dealt with. When 2 IDs hash to the same value Locations read sequentially from clash until correct value found.. or free location, in which case error. or a linked list structure stored in overflow area with tag or pointer to it a second hashing algorithm is applied (1 per , max 3 per dotty, max 4) May/June 2011. P12 3. (a) (i) Explain what is meant by the character set of a computer. The symbols recognised/used by the computer Often equates to the symbols on the keyboard (ii) Explain how a character is represented in a computer. [4] [4]
[4]
Represented by a set of bits... Unique to that character The number of bits needed is equal to 1 byte / 2 bytes
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ASCII/Unicode is a common set (1 per , max 3 per dotty, max 4) (b) Explain the representation of integers in a computer.
[4] [3]
Bits are used to store the correct binary representation of the integer Leading zeroes included to complete required number of bits Standard number of bits irrespective of size of integer Concept of short and long integer dependent on sizes of integers Two's complement used to represent negative numbers (1 per , max 3) 4. A library membership system identifies members by their unique 6-digit ID number. (a) Explain how the member file could be accessed using indexes. (You may find it helpful to draw a diagram.)
[3]
[2]
IDs/indexes kept in sequence Attached to each is a pointer... which points to the data for that ID Possible to use multiple indexes
(1 per , max 2) (b) (i) Explain how hashing could be used to access the member file randomly.
[2]
Digits in ID are used as input... to arithmetic algorithm Result is the location of the data (or pointer to it) (ii) Clashes can occur when the member file is accessed using hashing. State what is meant by a clash and how it can be dealt with.
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[4]
When 2 IDs hash to the same value Locations read sequentially from clash until correct value found.. or free location, in which case error. or a linked list structure stored in overflow area with tag or pointer to it a second hashing algorithm is applied (1 per , max 3 per dotty, max 4) May/June 2011. P13 3. (a) Explain how a character is represented in a computer. Represented by a set of bits... Unique to that character The number of bits needed is equal to 1 byte/2 bytes ASCII/Unicode is a common set (1 per , max 2) (b) Explain how integers are represented in a computer.
[4] [2]
[2] [3]
Bits are used to store the correct binary representation of the integer Leading zeroes included to complete required number of bits Standard number of bits irrespective of size of integer Concept of short and long integer dependent on sizes of integers Two's complement used to represent numbers (1 per , max 3) (c) Explain how a Boolean value is stored in a computer.
[3] [2] [2]
As a single bit/byte a 0 or a 1/a byte of all 0s or all 1s Do not accept Y/N or True/False 4. A library membership system identifies members by their unique 6-digit ID number. When a member takes a book out of the library their ID number and the details of the loan are stored on a serial file. (a) State how the details of a new loan are added to the serial file. Detail is added to the end of the file (b) The member file is held sequentially according to the ID numbers. (i) Explain how indexes are used to access the member file.
[1] [1]
[3]
ID numbers are stored in an index in sequence This allows a (binary search) to be carried out To find the relevant ID number and a pointer to the data possible to use multiple indexes (1 per , max 3) Accept a diagram
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[3]
(ii) When a new member joins the library their details are added to the member file. Explain how a new ID number is added to the index in the correct position. [2] Either: New ID compared to ID at bottom of index If higher than last in index, then add to the end of the index Else move last ID down one position and repeat from stage 1 Or: Add value to the end Sort table (1 per , max 2)
[2]
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Chapter 1.4 Hardware. 1.4 (a) Control Unit, Memory Unit, and Arithmetic Logic Unit
The first thing to be said in this section, is what is not necessary. The three topics that are listed in the heading would normally lead to the fetch- execute cycle, this does not come into this module. Likewise, any complicated diagrams showing how the various parts of the processor are connected up and communicate with each other do not appear in the syllabus until next year. The requirements of this section are very simple; they are restricted to a basic understanding of what these three parts of the processor are meant to do. Control Unit. All computers follow instructions that are given to it in a program. These instructions are in a particular order in the program, and following them, and carrying them out, will mean that the computer has accomplished whatever task it was meant to do. Something, in the computer, has to manage the instructions and make sure that all the other parts of the processor do what they should be doing. This is the job of the control unit. The control unit has three jobs 1. It has to decide which instruction to carry out next and then go and get it. 2. It has to decipher the instruction, in other words it has to work out what needs to be done to carry the instruction out. 3. It has to tell other parts of the processor what they should do so that the instruction will be carried out. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) The ALU includes the accumulator which is where things are actually done in the processor. 1. The ALU contains circuitry that allows it to add numbers together (do arithmetic). 2. It allows for logic decisions to be made (If the value is negative then , the part of the processor that makes the decision is the ALU). 3. The third task of the ALU is to act as the gateway between the processor and the other parts of the computer system. All input and output to and from the processor goes into the ALU and waits there while the control unit decides what to do with it.
Memory Unit The third part of the processor is where everything that the processor is going to use is stored. This includes all the program instructions and all the data needed to carry out those instructions. One of the jobs of the control unit is to be able to find the information stored there when it is to be used. The parts of the operating system, which the computer is using at the time, also need to be stored in memory.
1.4 (b)
Types of Primary Memory
The first question that needs to be answered is What is Primary Memory? In section 1.4.a the concept of the processor needing to store data of all types in the memory was introduced. However, as those who have used a computer will know, there are plenty of other places that a computer can store data or programs e.g. a disk drive or a CDROM. These will be discussed in section 1.4.c. In the previous section it was stated that any data or program instructions that the processor was to follow had to be in the processor memory. Anything that is being held elsewhere, like on the surface of a disk drive, cannot be used by the processor until it is moved into the processors memory. Because it is so important it is called the primary memory. The primary memory of the computer is the memory that is advertised as being 128 Mbytes of RAM. This simply describes the capacity of the memory. There are a number of different types of memory in the processor. 1. ROM (Read Only Memory) ROM is memory that cannot be altered. This means that even switching the computer off will not affect the contents of the ROM. There is very little that needs to be stored in ROM so it tends to be very small. In the past the whole operating system was stored on ROM, but that means that if you want to use your computer in a different way or you want to install the latest edition of an operating system to replace the one in use, you cant because the computer cant delete the old one. When the computer is turned on it would be there. For this reason the operating system is stored on the hard drive of a computer along with all the other programs that may be used. A problem arises because when the computer is switched on it needs the operating system to be able to do anything useful, so a small program is stored on ROM whose job it is to go and get the operating system from the hard drive so that the computer can work. This little program is called the bootstrap, and the process of retrieving the operating system is known as booting. 2. RAM (Random Access Memory) RAM stores the programs that are being used by the computer (including the operating system) and the data that is being used with those programs. When the computer is switched off all this data is lost. RAM is said to be volatile memory because it is so easily changed, whereas ROM is non-volatile because it cannot change. Notes: 1. There are many other types of primary memory that you may have heard of (PROM, EPROM, EAROM, SRAM, DRAM,). They are all a type of either RAM or ROM and you have no need to learn about any of them, in fact it is probably better not to until the later parts of the course. 2. A typical question will ask for an example of what is stored in ROM and RAM. The safest answers are the bootstrap being stored in ROM and user software and data being stored in RAM. Problems arise if a student answers that the operating system is stored in ROM because it can be, but in most micro systems it isnt for the reasons given above. The BIOS (if you dont know what that is, dont worry, it is not in the course) is another problem. The BIOS itself includes user defined parameters and hence is not stored in
ROM entirely. In fact the BIOS tends to be stored in a special type of RAM which is refreshed using battery power when the system is switched off. This is past the level of this course and students are advised not to use this as an example of storage in ROM.
1.4 (c)
Secondary Storage Media
Primary memory is memory within the processor. It is here that the computer stores data that are in current use because the control unit does not have direct access to data that is stored anywhere outside the processor. However, the memory that is available in the processor is limited in size and volatile. What is needed is something that is less temporary in nature and that does not have the same restrictions as far as size is concerned. This will be storage outside the processor. It is called secondary storage. There are a number of different types of secondary storage that can be categorised according to Means by which the data is stored, optically or magnetically The technique used for storage of the data, sequential storage or direct access storage The capacity of the medium, how much can be stored on it Portability of the medium, can it be moved around easily Access times to the data stored. 1. Magnetic tape Magnetic tape is still widely used, particularly in the form of tape streamers. The big disadvantage of tape is that the access to the data stored is, by necessity, sequential which makes it largely unsuitable for most data handling applications because of the time necessary to find a particular item of data. However, large volumes of data can be held and the medium is freely transportable. These qualities make it valuable for producing back up copies of files stored on a computer system. 2.Magnetic floppy disk Floppy disks hold a relatively small amount of information. Most software is too large to be stored on a floppy disk, as are commercial files of data. However, a floppy disk is very portable, allowing for easy communication of data from one stand-alone computer to another. It is also readily available, almost all microcomputers having a floppy disk drive. It is also convenient for storing those files that are particularly confidential because the files cannot be broken into if they are being carried by the owner, or locked away in a safe. Despite being direct, access times are slow because of the limited speed of rotation possible and the relatively crude nature of the read heads. 3.Magnetic hard disk Data is stored in the same way as on a floppy disk. The differences being that the hard disk is made of a rigid material rather than a floppy plastic, and it is contained in a sealed unit. These differences mean that the hard disk can rotate faster, the heads can get closer to the surface meaning that the storage density can be greater, consequently that the amount that can be stored is greater and that the access times are much faster. The hard drive is likely to be the main secondary storage for a computer system, having very large storage capacities. Although they can be portable, it is more likely that they will be fixed to the chassis of the machine because of the tolerances that they have to work to. 4.CDROM A CDROM is different from the storage devices so far mentioned because it is not magnetic. A CDROM is an optical storage device, using the reflection of a laser off a pitted surface to store information. Large quantities of data can be stored on the surface and it is completely portable from one machine to another. In addition, most computer
systems can now be relied on to have a CD drive, and a CD is not alterable by the user. For these reasons, manufacturers have tended to use CDs to produce software and large data files like encyclopaedias. 5. CDRewriteables. It is now possible to write to CDs by using a special peripheral device called a CD writer and a special CD, but it is important to remember that these are not CDROMs, which cannot be changed. They tend to be used for things like making a back up copy of files, or archiving for long term storage. 6. Solid state storage. Solid-state storage is a nonvolatile, removable storage medium that employs ICs or integrated circuits (all confined entirely within the solid materi.al) rather than magnetic or optical media. It is the equivalent of large-capacity, nonvolatile memory. Examples include flash memory Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices and various proprietary removable packages intended to replace external hard drives. The main advantage of solid-state storage is the fact that it contains no mechanical parts. Everything is done electronically. As a result, data transfer to and from solid-state storage media takes place at a much higher speed than is possible with electromechanical disk drives or optical drives. The absence of moving parts may translate into longer operating life, provided the devices are reasonably cared for and are not exposed to electrostatic discharge. Solid-state storage media lags behind electromechanical drives in terms of storage capacity. As of this writing, flash memory USB devices can store up to approximately 8 gigabyte (GB), whereas hard drives commonly hold 500 GB or more. The cost per megabyte is higher for solid-state storage devices than for electromechanical drives. However, the price gap appears to be narrowing, and the market for solid-state storage is growing. Many businesses and home users who have multiple computers favor solid-state storage devices for transferring data among their machines, because it is convenient, compact, and fast. Flash memory can wear off over a longer period of time and allows writing on it around million times. Some of the hard disks on the market are appearing as hybrid of solid state and magnetic mediums. Frequently used data on such hard disks is saved over flash memory and rest of the data on magnetic medium, which makes this hard disk real fast. 7.Others There are many other types of secondary storage, two of which are worth a mention. Zip drives are a more robust version of a floppy disk, having a faster access speed and a greater capacity. They have become fairly popular for backing up work on microcomputers. DVD is a relatively new technology that will probably replace CDROM as it can store much larger quantities of data and allow access at high speed. For the purposes of the syllabus, the original 4 types of secondary storage are quite enough at this level. Speed of access to data. Notice that there are no figures quoted for access times. There is little point in doing this because access times vary according to the manufacturer and the point of development so far reached. If the author were to quote a number, not only would it be wrong as far as this work is concerned because there is such a wide range, but it would certainly be out of
date by the time you read it. In general terms the tape streamer is the slowest access because of the way that the data is stored sequentially, then comes the floppy disk which suffers because of the nature of the medium. Access times from CDROM and hard drives are faster than the other two, but because there is such a range of both types of drive available, it is impossible to say that one is faster than the other. Capacity. Again, much depends on the type of drive or size of medium being used. Tape streamers come in different sizes, but tend to be comparable in capacity with smaller hard drives. Of the different types of disk, a reasonable analogy is that a floppy would store the text from a book, a CDROM would store a multi volume encyclopaedia, while a hard drive could store a library. Uses. Obviously, no list of uses will be complete. However, there are some obvious uses for each storage type which take into account the advantages and disadvantages of each. A Tape Streamer is used for making backups of files held on computer systems. This makes use of the fact that it can store a large amount of data, but the disadvantage of the access being slow does not matter because it is rare that a backup file would be used anyway. A floppy disk has the advantage that it can be written onto and taken away from the computer. Because of this it can be used for storing confidential files. Add to this the fact that all computers can be relied on to have a floppy disk drive and it becomes a sensible way of transferring information from one machine to another. A hard drive has the advantages of being fast to access and also stores massive amounts of data. These advantages mean that it is going to be used for storing software and user files. The disadvantage of being attached to one machine is not important if the same users always use the same machines, some other method of sharing will have to be devised if this is not true. A CDROM cannot be altered. This disadvantage can be turned into an advantage if the owner does not want the contents of the storage to be altered. Examples of files stored on CDROM are software for import to a system and large reference files like encyclopaedias.
1.4 (d)
Transfer of Data, including Buffers and Interrupts
There are two places where data can be stored in a computer system, the primary memory and secondary storage. Every peripheral device that needs processor attention for its work raises interrupt and places its data into primary memory, which when turn comes up can be fetched, processed and placed back there in primary memory by the microprocessor. One of the peripheral can be the secondary storage. Sometimes it is necessary to transfer data from the primary memory to secondary storage, perhaps because the computer is going to be switched off in which case the data in primary memory would be lost. Sometimes it is necessary to transfer from secondary storage to primary memory, perhaps because the processor wants to use some data held in the secondary storage and, consequently, needs to move the data into the primary memory first. Whichever direction the data is to be transferred the method of transfer must be planned. Normally the data would be transferred through a wire connecting the two storage areas together. The type of wire and the different rules for data transfer are explained in section 1.6.d, sufficient for the moment is to have a picture of data travelling freely in both directions.
Primary Memory
Secondary Storage or other peripheral device.
Unfortunately, we know that things cant be that simple. We know that primary memory is part of the processor, and that anything that goes in or out of the processor must go through the ALU, so the diagram should look like this
Primary Memory
ALU
This causes a problem. The primary memory operates at great speed because it is part of the processor, while the secondary storage is probably some sort of disk or tape which (while it seems incredibly quick to us) is very slow at reading or writing the data, in comparison. This means that the processor should be able to get on with something else because the secondary storage is so slow. Unfortunately, it cant because it needs the ALU that is being used for the transfer of the data. This problem is overcome by the use of a buffer.
Buffers. The problem is caused because the secondary storage device is so slow compared to the processor, the solution is to put a small amount of fast memory in to the system between the ALU and the secondary storage device. This means that the processor can send data very quickly (or receive it), and then get on with something else while the storage device takes its time in reading (or sending) the data. This small amount of memory between the two parts of the system is called a buffer. Stage One: Filling the buffer from the processor Secondary
Primary Memory
ALU
Buffer
Storage or other peripheral device.
Stage Two: Emptying the buffer to storage
Primary Memory
ALU
Buffer
Interrupts. This system is fine if the buffer can hold all the data that needs to be sent to the storage device. However, if there is more data than will fit in the buffer, the storage device has to be able to tell the processor (actually the control unit) that it has used up all the data in the buffer and that it is ready for the next lot. This forces the processor to stop what it is doing and fill the buffer up with more data. Because this message from the secondary device makes the processor stop what it is doing it is called an interrupt. When the processor receives the interrupt, the whole procedure is repeated. Notes: A buffer is a small amount of fast memory outside the processor that allows the processor to get on with other work instead of being held up by the secondary device. An interrupt is the message which the secondary device can send to the processor which tells the processor that all the data in the buffer has been used up and that it wants some more. The example used here was communication between primary and secondary storage, but the same is true for any communication between the processor and a peripheral device, e.g. a printer or a keyboard. The system is not really quite as simple as suggested here, but further complications can wait until the second year of the course.
1.4 (e) and (f)
Common Peripheral Devices
Any hardware device that is part of the computer system but is not part of the processor itself is called a peripheral device. Peripheral devices can be categorised under four headings. 1. Communication devices. These devices allow for communication between machines and will be covered in detail in section 1.5.b. 2. Storage devices. These devices, which provide for secondary storage in a computer system, have been described in section 1.4.c. 3. Input devices. There are too many different input devices to expect familiarity with all of them. However, by inclusion in the syllabus there are some that must be understood. While this list is not exhaustive, specific questions will not be asked about other input devices with the following exceptions. There are some devices that are so common that any candidate taking an exam in computing can be expected to have experience of using them, e.g. mouse, keyboard. Additionally, candidates should be encouraged to learn about a variety of contemporary devices so that they can use them when answering questions that ask for a hardware configuration for a specific application. a) Keyboard. A standard keyboard uses keys that stand for the different characters that the computer recognises in its character set. Most keyboards contain the letters of the alphabet, but not all do, for instance most calculator keyboards are very different, as are the keyboards for use at ATM machines. The characters needed for specialist use machines are determined by the use to which the machine is to be put. Keyboards are the most common form of input device to a system because they are universally available and understood. The common keyboard is known as the QWERTY keyboard because those are the first six characters on the top line. The design is not very good for two reasons. First, the arrangement of characters comes from the original typewriter whose keyboard was arranged to be the most difficult to use in order to slow typists down so that they did not jam the mechanism of the old machines. The second is that the keyboard itself is difficult to use comfortably because of the way that the keys are arranged in rigid rows, making it awkward to keep your arms comfortable while using it. The first problem is very difficult to solve because of all the experienced operators that can use the present keyboard so well. Retraining them to use a different arrangement of keys would not be feasible. Various attempts have been made to address the second problem by arranging the keys in curves that fit the palm of the hand rather than in straight lines. These are called natural or ergonomic keyboards. One problem with normal keyboards is that they are particularly prone to damage from dirt or liquids because of the gaps between the keys. A different type of keyboard, where the keys are simply part of a continuous surface which has areas on it, which are sensitive
to pressure, can overcome this problem. Called touch-sensitive keyboards, or concept keyboards, they are ideal for use outside because rain will not damage them like a normal keyboard. A type of keyboard not yet mentioned is a musical keyboard. Normally arranged like a piano keyboard these need a special piece of hardware to allow them to work properly, known as a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) this connects the musical keyboard to the processor and allows data to be passed between the instrument and the processor. Also pay attention to the other types of keyboards sometimes called designer keyboards and concept keyboards. b) Mouse. A mouse is a device designed to be used with a pointer on the screen. It is particularly useful because it mimics the natural human reaction of being able to point at something. A mouse is really two input devices in one. One is the movement around the screen created by actually moving the mouse in a physical way, and the other is the ability to select, which is done by using a switch (the mouse buttons). Variations have been developed which use the same basic principles but are designed for particular applications. An example is the tracker ball used in many laptop computers. This is like an upside down mouse where the user moves the ball directly rather than moving an object around a flat surface. This is necessary because when using a laptop there may not be a flat surface available. c) Barcode readers. A barcode reader is a laser scanner that reads the reflected laser light from a series of dark and light coloured lines of varying thickness. The different widths of pairs of lines make up a code that can be converted into a number. This number can then be used as the keyfield relating to a file of items that have been barcoded. The details of the contents of the barcodes are not of importance to us in this section, except to say that barcodes can easily be misread by the system, so one of the digits in the number is used to check that the rest of the code has been read properly. This digit is called the check digit, and will be discussed in more detail later in the course. Barcodes are particularly useful because they do not rely on human beings to input the data, although, if the barcode is damaged so that the laser scanner cannot read it properly, the digits represented by the code are printed underneath so that they can be input by a user at a keyboard. Barcodes are used where the data does not change, and so can be printed on original packaging. d) MICR (magnetic ink character reader). This is a device that reads characters that are printed on an original document at the time of it being created. The characters are printed using magnetic ink. The value is that the characters are readable by humans and by machines. The only common use for such characters is the data printed on the bottom of cheques containing account identification. e) OCR (optical character reader). This is a device that reads characters and can distinguish between the different characters in a given character set. It works by comparing the shape of a scanned character with a library of shapes that it is intended that it should recognise. OCR tends to be an unreliable form of input and works more
effectively when it is restricted to having to recognise a standard character set produced by printing rather than by using hand writing. OCR is used for reading post codes on printed documents and also for reading documents for blind people, the contents of which can be output using a voice synthesizer. f) OMR (optical mark reader). This device can recognise the presence of a mark on a sheet of paper. The position of the mark conveys information to the machine. For example a school register may consist of a list of names of pupils in a class together with two columns of small rectangles, one for present and one for absent. The same action (shading in a rectangle) stands for both being present and being absent. The difference is the position that the mark occupies on the paper. Printing in the sensitive areas of the sheet is done using a special type of ink which the optical scanner does not see, that is why OMR documents tend to be printed in a light blue or pink colour. The other standard use for OMR documents is as multi choice examination answer sheets. The big advantage of both OCR and OMR is that data can be input to a computer system without having to be transcribed first, thereby cutting down the number of errors on data input. g) Scanners. A scanner is a device that converts a document into a series of pixels (picture elements these are small squares that, when put together, form a picture). The larger the number of pixels, or conversely the smaller each individual pixel, the better the definition of the final picture. There are different types of scanner, but all use the same principle to create the image. A typical use for a scanner would be to input a picture of a house so that it could be included with the details of a house that is for sale in an estate agents publication. A scanner is an input device, not to be confused with a plotter which is an output device. h) Graphics Tablet. A graphics tablet is a flat surface on which a piece of paper is placed. The user can then draw on the paper and the tablet will sense where the pencil is pointing and transfer the line to the screen. i) Microphones. Used to input sound to a computer system. 4. Output Devices There are too many output devices to be able to write notes on all of them. Again, the same thing is true about output as is true about input, that it is important to know about those devices stated in the syllabus and also a range of devices that will allow for sensible decisions about peripheral devices to be made for a given scenario in a question. a) Screens. Monitor screens are categorised according to the obvious colour/monochrome, also according to the number of pixels that there are on the screen. The more pixels there are, the better the picture will be, known as the screen resolution. This is being typed using a very low resolution, monochrome screen. If you consider the contents, there is no reason for any further sophistication to be necessary. However, a computer system running a game program will need colour and many more pixels in
order to produce a satisfactory picture. The more pixels that there are on the screen, the higher the resolution is said to be. A particular type of screen, called a touchscreen, acts as both an input device and an output device. Information is output by the system onto the screen and the user is invited to answer questions or make choices by pointing at a particular area of the screen. The device can sense where the user is pointing and can report the position to the processor. The processor can then deduce what the users reply was according to the position that was pointed to. Touchscreens are particularly useful in areas where keyboards are not appropriate, e.g. where the device may suffer from vandalism. They are also useful for users who would find difficulty using other input devices, e.g. very young children who want to be able to draw on a screen. b) Printers. A printer is a device which provides the user with an output from the system which is permanent. This output is known as hard copy, so a printer is a device which produces hard copy. There are many different types of printer and the student should be aware of a number of them, their uses, advantages and disadvantages. However, there is no need to understand how they work. The first type is a dot matrix printer. These tend to be slow, and the output is particularly poor quality. The big advantage is that the output is produced by using pins to strike at the surface of the paper. Because of the physical nature of the way that the printout is produced, it is possible to obtain multiple copies by using carbon paper or self carbonating paper. A good example of this is the receipt that a shopper is presented with if buying something using a credit card, there are two copies produced, back to back, one for the shop to keep and one for the buyer to take away with them. Ink jet printers, which produce output by spraying ink on to the paper could not produce the two copies that the dot matrix can, but it can produce much better quality and in colour, at low cost. This makes ink jet printers ideal for home use. Laser printers can produce very high quality work at high speed. The cost is more than with the other types but used where it is necessary to give a good impression, for instance sending letters from a solicitors office to clients. Plotters are a type of printer designed for drawing lines and geometric designs rather than for producing characters. The image is created by pens being moved across a piece of paper, under the command of the processor. Plotters tend to be used for drawing blueprints, perhaps in an architects office to produce detailed drawings of buildings for builders to follow. c) Speakers. Used to output sound from a computer system. There are many other peripheral devices and, as has been mentioned, knowledge of some others will not come amiss, however that is enough to be able to answer questions in the exam. The questions will normally take the form of presenting a scenario and then asking for a description of the hardware required. The important thing to remember is how the marks will be awarded. There will not be a mark for every device mentioned, but the candidate will be expected to give sensible suggestions for each of the four areas of peripherals mentioned at the start of this section. In other words the mark will not be for a keyboard or a mouse, but for suggesting sensible methods of input to the system.
1.4 (g)
Speed Mismatch
A typical computer system will consist of the processor to do the necessary calculations or other processing, the peripheral devices to allow input, output and storage of data/information, and the human being that is using the computer. The processor can carry out its side of the task at great speed while the human being is very slow, both at providing input and making sense of the output. This difference in speed is known as the speed mismatch between the operator and the processor. Peripheral devices work at far greater speeds than the human being, but are considerably slower than the processor; consequently there are also speed mismatches on both types of communication concerning peripherals. If there are enough computer systems this speed mismatch does not matter so much, but if there is a shortage of processing time, then a method needs to be found to keep the slowest parts of the systems isolated from the processor. One way of doing this is to use batch processing (see 1.2). The speed mismatch causes more problems if the decisions of the computer need to be acted upon immediately. If a computer is being used to control the insertion of the graphite rods into a nuclear reactor it may become important to ignore the human being once the decision has been made and simply to report that an action has been taken after the event. In this way the speed mismatch has been overcome by cutting out the slowest part of the system.
Example Questions.
1. 2. a) b) 3. State three functions of the arithmetic logic unit. (3)
State two ways that RAM and ROM memory differ. (2) Explain what types of data would be stored in each of RAM and ROM memory, giving reasons for your answers. (4) A student has a home computer system. State what storage devices would be used on a home computer system and justify the need for each one. (8) Describe how buffers and interrupts can assist in the transfer of data between primary memory and a secondary storage device. (4) A department store decides to place a computer system by the main entrance to the store so that customers can find out whereabouts in the store items are available. The different departments remain in the same places, but the articles available in each department change on a regular basis. State a sensible hardware design for such a computer system, giving reasons for your choices of hardware. (6) Explain why speed mismatch would mean that the computer should be in control of the speed of the production line. (3)
4.
5.
6.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 4. (a) Describe one difference between read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) in the memory of a computer.
(b)
State one use for each of ROM and RAM in the primary memory of a computer. Make clear why the type of memory is appropriate for that use.
5.
An information system is to be installed in a bus station. There will be a number of terminals for use by passengers who will be able to make enquiries about times of buses and the stops that they will make on the journey. The terminals will be in the open air. The terminals will be networked with a server in the main office. (a) State a peripheral hardware configuration for this system, giving reasons for your answers. Oct/NOV 2002 14. The firm offers a service to potential customers whereby the firms representative calls at the customers house and produces an image of what the proposed building improvements will look like. Explain how this service is carried out. Include a reference to the hardware required. [6]
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May/June 2003 6. (a) Describe the purpose of the (i) control unit To manage the execution of instructions By running a clock To decode instructions (ii) memory unit To store OS To store those parts of applications programs currently running To store data currently in use arithmetic logic unit in a computer. Part of processor where data is processed/manipulated All I/O must pass through here (1 per -, max 2, 2, 2, max 6) (b) Explain the difference between main memory and secondary storage. (iii)
(6) [2]
- Main memory transitory, secondary storage is (semi-)permanent - Processor can only use data/instructions that are in main memory - Main memory in processor, secondary storage not (1 per - max 2) (2) Oct/NOV 2003 May/June 2004 5. (b) (i) Describe how buffers and interrupts are used in the transfer of data from primary memory to secondary storage. - Processor transfers data from primary memory to fill buffer - Data sent from buffer to secondary storage while - Processor continues with other tasks - When buffer empty interrupt sent to processor - Processor (may) interrupts current job - (Deals with) request to fill buffer Mark for mention of priority of interrupt (1 per point, max 5)
(5)
Oct/NOV 2004 1. (b) A supermarket has a number of point of sale (POS) terminals. State two input devices and one output device that would be found at each POS terminal, describing what they are used for. [6] Input: Bar code reader/laser scanner/light wand Scans the barcode recognises the thickness of bars to allow interpretation of code number of item Keyboard to allow operator to input barcode/price/details in case bar code reader cannot read barcode to allow input of codes from items that have no printed barcode Swipe card reader/chip reader
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to read data from card (credit/debit/bank) to send details of amount and customer to bank/computer Scales to measure weight of items Customer keypad to input PIN Output: Printer to print till receipt LCD to show purchase details/cost of item Buzzer to confirm reading of code (Any 2x2 input and 1x2 output, max 6)
[6]
May/June 2005 2. (a) State two differences between random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). [2] -ROM cannot be altered, RAM can. -ROM is not volatile, RAM is. -ROM is normally smaller capacity than RAM (1 per -, max 2) [2] (b) Describe what is stored on (i) RAM, [2] [4] [2]
-Data in use/software in use/ part of operating system -Processor can only use what is stored in RAM/not needed for long (ii) ROM explaining why that type of memory is appropriate. -Bootstrap/boot loader/loader/startup program -It must be available when the computer is switched on/must not be altered 4. (b) Cashcard machines (ATMs) provide keyboards to allow users to input data. Computers are often supplied with QWERTY keyboards to allow users to input data. Discuss the differences between these different types of keyboard, explaining why the differences are necessary.
[6]
Note: All these mark points are from the point of view of the ATM. Equivalent points acceptable from the point of view of a Qwerty keyboard. ATM: -Only runs one software -Restricted characters -Fewer keys -simplifies input required -fewer mistakes on input -Meaning of key alters according to place in sequence -Use of output device to explain meaning of keys
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-Braille characters on keys -to allow blind people to use ATM -Keys are touch sensitive -Protected from elements/vandalism -Made of more resilient material because of position/volume of use/users. (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
7. Describe the stages of the process of transferring data from memory to backing store. Your answer should include references to buffers and interrupts. [6] A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. -Processor fills buffer with data -Processor continues with other job -Buffer is emptied to storage device -When buffer empty -signal sent to processor (interrupt) -requesting further data to be sent to buffer -dependent on priority -Processor interrupts present job to refill buffer -Mention of double buffering (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
9. When the company completes a contract, the customer is asked to fill in a data capture form that asks about their satisfaction with aspects of the job. The intention is that the data on the forms should be input using optical mark reading (OMR) techniques. (a) State the hardware necessary and describe the input method used if the system is offline. [4] -OMR reader -Disk drive for storage -(e.g. Screen, keyboard) to provide user interface -Data read off OMR sheets by light reflection -Position of marks corresponds to replies -Data stored on hard drive until -batch of data ready for input (1 per -, max 2 for hardware, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2005 1. An office worker is responsible for communicating with other businesses and managing the computer systems in the office. (c) State a sensible use that the office worker could make of (i) a hard disk,
word processor/database/communication software/email (ii) a rewritable CD (CD-RW),
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spreadsheet/accounting (iii) a CD-ROM. [3] [3] [2] [2]
database/spreadsheet 6. Explain the purpose of (i) the control unit, To coordinate the work of the rest of the processor manage the execution of instructions (not perform) choreograph the instruction cycle by using a clock (ii) the memory unit, Store OS Store application software in use Store data files in use the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) in a computer. Carry out processing/calculations Carry out I/O from processor To make logical decisions To manage the flags (1 per , max 2 per dotty, max 6) May/June 2006 1. (a) Explain the differences between RAM and ROM, stating a use for each. -RAM is volatile/ROM is not -RAM loses contents when power is switched off/ROM does not -RAM is usually larger than ROM (1 per -, max 2) -RAM used to store data/os/software currently in use -ROM used to store bootstrap/boot/start up program (b) A shopkeeper uses a stand-alone computer for producing order forms for sending to suppliers records of sales and purchases as evidence for the taxation authorities leaflets advertising special offers. (iii)
[2] [2] [2]
[2]
[4]
[2] [2]
(ii) The computer has a hard drive, a CD-RW drive and a DVD drive. State a different use, by the shopkeeper, for each of these three storage media. In each case say why it is appropriate for that use. [6] -hard drive to store software/OS/user files -large storage facility/readily accessible/readily editable -CDRW to produce backup files and archive material -writable but semi permanent/portable/small size -DVD to import software/play music while working -software readily available on DVD
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[6]
Oct/NOV 2006 5. (b) Explain how buffers and interrupts are used in the transfer of data from primary memory to a hard drive. [6] -Buffer filled from primary memory -Processor carries on with other task while -Hard drive empties buffer and stores data -When buffer empty -Interrupt sent to processor (from hard drive/buffer) -requesting buffer to be refilled -Processor decides according to importance of interrupt -whether to suspend current job and carry out interrupt or -to store interrupt for later execution -Processor refills buffer from primary memory (1 per -, max 6)
(6)
May/June 2007 1. A student uses her home computer to: play games which she gets from a library; finish work that she brings home after starting it at school; produce a finished copy of the work to hand in to her teacher; communicate with her friends. State the peripheral devices, apart from keyboard, mouse and monitor, which she would need. Explain why each would be necessary. [8] Storage that allows reading of professionally produced material (CD ROM drive, DVD)/ necessary to input game instructions to her hard drive/Joystick/gamespad//to play the game. Memory stick (floppy disk, CDRW)/to save her half finished work and transport it to a different machine (Colour) printer/Inkjet/Bubble jet/to produce hard copy of her work to hand in. Network Card/Modem and phone line/Broadband, ADSL, ISDN/to allow access to internet to facilitate use of e-mail/Webcam/Microphone and speakers/to allow conversation and vision. (2 per , 1 for peripheral, 1 for explanation, max 8) [8] Oct/NOV 2007 1. (c) A computerised information system is set up in a busy town centre. The system gives details of transport, shops, sales of goods, places to eat and hotels. Describe the hardware and the software of the HCI (Human Computer Interface) giving reasons for your answers. [4] - Touch screen - Ease of use/restrict vandalism/can be weatherproof/acts as input and output - Menu based - Restricts choices/tree design of choices (1 per -, max 4) 3. (a)
[4]
State one difference between random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). [1]
- Data on ROM cannot be changed/on RAM it can - ROM is not volatile/RAM is

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(1 per -, max 1)
[1]
(b) State three types of data stored in RAM. [3] - Operating system - Those parts of application software in use - User files Note: All other suggestions should fit into one of the three acceptable answer groups. [3] (c) An embedded processor contains all the software needed to control an automatic washing machine. (i) State why the software is stored on ROM. [1] - Readily available when switched on/No need to ever alter software (ii) [1]
Explain why it is important that ROM has some of the characteristics of RAM. [2] [2]
- Processor can only access data held in RAM - Needs to be random access or access to data would be too slow 8.
Data collected at the survey site is sent, electronically, to the head office of the company for processing. (a) Describe the hardware necessary to enable this communication. [3]
- Computer/Processor on site - Some form of data logging/collect data on storage over period of time - Modem and phone line/satellite transmitter/mobile phone - Modem/satellite receiver/computer at head office (1 per -, max 3) (b) (i) The results of the analysis of the data are often output on a plotter. Give two advantages of outputting this data to a plotter.
[3] [2]
- Hard copy output - Larger scale printout - Graphical output - High level of accuracy (1 per -, max 2) May/June 2008 3. (a) (i) State two types of data stored in RAM when a computer is running.
[2] [2]
-Data files/user files in use -Software in use -Parts of O.S. (1 per -, max 2, NB lack of in use only penalised once) (ii)
[2]
State one piece of software which is entirely contained in ROM and say why it is stored in ROM rather than RAM. [2] -Boot program/bootstrap -Because the boot program must be in memory when the computer is switched on/all contents of RAM are lost when computer turned off [2] (b) Describe the function of the following parts of a processor.
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(i) Control Unit -Manages execution of instructions -Fetches instructions in sequence/decodes them -(Uses control signals to) manage rest of processor (1 per -, max 2) (ii) ALU -Carries out all arithmetic -Carries out logical operations -Acts as gateway to processor for data (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
[2] [2]
[2]
Oct/NOV 2008 1. A computer system is used to monitor and control the temperature of the water in a fish tank. (b) State an example of each of the following types of device which would be necessary in the computer system and state what they would be used for. (i) An input device - Temperature sensor/thermistor/keyboard - To measure the water temperature/to enter parameters to system (ii) An output device - Heater/actuator/alarm - To heat the water when below the required temperature/to allow the computer to control the heater/to warn when T wrong (iii) A storage device - Hard drive/(any other reasonable) - To store control program/data collected for later analysis (1 per -, max 6) [6] 8. [6]
The workers in the office use three different types of storage medium. For each of the three types, state a use to which the medium could be put and justify your answer. (i) Hard Disk - Files/Software/Operating system - Need to store large volumes of data/semi-permanently/access to data/ability to alter contents easily (ii) DVD-RW - Back up/Archive - Need to be portable/to be rewritable (iii) CD-ROM [6] - Import software/keep original copies of software - Cannot be changed (hence lost)/kept in case of need to reinstall [6] May/June 2009 1. (b) A printer is a hard copy output device. State three different types of printer. For each of your choices give an example of an application where it would be used, justifying your choice. [9] -Black and white laser
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-e.g. Use in office to produce letters -Produces high quality/speedy so does not develop large queue on a LAN -Colour laser -e.g. To produce reports for a meeting -High quality outputs/can produce large quantity quickly -Dot Matrix - e.g. Print receipts at checkout/tickets on railway -Produces more than one copy at a time, one for customer + one for shop -Inkjet -e.g. Doing homework at home -Relatively cheap and slowness does not matter -Plotter -e.g. Produce architects plans -Precision drawing tool -Braille printer -Producing documents/books for blind people -Outputs physical/3D form of data (3 per type, max 3 types, max 9) Oct/NOV 2009. P11 6. Describe the purpose of the following parts of a processor: (i) control unit, -Manages execution of instructions -Fetches instructions in sequence/decodes them. -Uses control signals to manage rest of processor. (1 per -, max 2) (ii) memory unit, Stores: -Program instructions; -Data associated with program; -Parts of O.S. (currently in use). (1 per -, max 2) [2] (iii) ALU. -Carries out all arithmetic. -Carries out logic operations. -Acts as gateway to and from processor. (1 per -, max 2)
[9]
[2]
[2] [2]
[2]
[2]
The offices of a government department deal with local taxes in a city. 8. (c) (i) State why the process known as handshaking is necessary between a computer and the file server before use. [1] To ensure that both are on and ready for communication/to ensure that both are using same protocol. [1] (ii) Describe how buffers and interrupts are used during the transfer of data from the primary memory of the computer to the file server. [4] -Data sent to buffer from primary memory -Processor can continue with other tasks -Data downloaded from buffer to file server -When buffer empty, interrupt sent to processor requesting refill of buffer
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-Interrupt added to queue and dealt with when top of queue/interrupt dealt with on receipt by processor. (1 per -, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2009. P12 1. A student has a stand-alone computer at home and also uses the computers at school. She uses a USB stick, a DVD-RW drive and a CD-ROM drive on her home computer. (a) State a use that the student could make of each of the following, justifying your choices. (i) USB stick [2] -e.g. To transfer work from home to school/take backups of system -small/portable/works with any computer/stores a lot of data [2] (ii) DVD-RW drive [2] -e.g. To import software/to make backups of data on system/encyclopaedias/films -large capacity/fast access times/can be used many times/re-writeable [2] (iii) CD-ROM drive. [2] -e.g. To play music while working/encyclopaedias/to import software -Compatible with form of albums/large storage capacity/can not be altered [2] (Note: Accept any sensible application) (b) State one other storage device that the student would need at home and say why it would be needed. [2] [2]
-hard drive -to store data files/software/operating systems (Note: Other storage may be justified but the question states 'need') Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11 1. (a) (i) State two differences between ROM and RAM. -Data held in ROM is permanent/the data in RAM can be changed -ROM is not volatile, RAM is volatile -ROM is normally smaller than RAM (1 per -, max 2) (ii)
[2]
[2]
State one piece of software which must be stored in a computer's ROM, justifying your answer. [2] -Boot/Bootstrap program (Not: Bootfile) -Must be available when computer is turned on/protects boot program from corruption [2] State two pieces of hardware, apart from the PCs, which would be needed in order to enable two computers to communicate. Justify your answers. [4] -Cables or wireless/to carry signals from one machine to the other. -N.I.C/to interface between cable and motherboard -Modem or Router/to connect two computers on a WAN -Hub or switch/to connect computers in a star LAN (2 per -, max 2 -, max 4) [4] 3. A computer system is used in a tourist souvenir shop. Customers can have their pictures taken. The picture is stored on the system. After the customer approves the image it is printed onto a T-shirt. Explain how this system works, by describing the hardware, software and data storage. [6] -Digital camera takes picture
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(b)
-by means of array of light sensitive pixels -Picture stored in computer memory... -or on flash memory stick/hard disk for computer transfer in... -JPEG format (or other) -Displayed on screen to allow... -manipulation by suitable image editing software. -Sent to inkjet printer to print on shirt. (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
2. Goods in a shop are labelled with barcodes. These barcodes are used when goods are sold at the checkout. The shop uses a computer system, attached to the checkout, to store a file of records relating to the goods on sale. (a) State appropriate peripheral hardware for this system, justifying your choices. [8] Input: -Bar code reader of some sort/to input bar codes to system automatically -Key board or Touch screen/to input code if not readable. -Scales/to weigh loose produce sold by weight -Chip and Pin reader/to allow for card payment Output: -Screen/to show current state of bill -Buzzer or Speaker/to make audio signal that signifies successful reading -Printer/to print receipt Storage: -Hard disk/fast access and amendable/to store software/stock files -CDRW or DVDRW or flash memory stick/to back up the file (2 per -, max 4 -, only one group to have two -, max 8)
[8]
3. A computer system is used in a tourist souvenir shop. Customers can have their pictures taken. The picture is stored on the system. After the customer approves the image it is printed onto a T-shirt. Explain how this system works, by describing the hardware, software and data storage. [6] -Digital camera takes picture -by means of array of light sensitive pixels -Picture stored in computer memory... -or on flash memory stick/hard disk for computer transfer in... -JPEG format (or other) -Displayed on screen to allow... -manipulation by suitable image editing software. -Sent to inkjet printer to print on shirt. (1 per -, max 6) May/June 2010. P12 1. (a) (i) State two differences between ROM and RAM. -Data held in ROM is permanent/the data in RAM can be changed -ROM is not volatile, RAM is volatile -ROM is normally smaller than RAM (1 per -, max 2)
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[6] [2]
[2]
State one piece of software which must be stored in a computer's ROM, justifying your answer. [2] -Boot/Bootstrap program (Not: Bootfile) -Must be available when computer is turned on/protects boot program from corruption [2] State two pieces of hardware, apart from the PCs, which would be needed in order to enable two computers to communicate. Justify your answers. [4] -Cables or wireless/to carry signals from one machine to the other. -N.I.C/to interface between cable and motherboard -Modem or Router/to connect two computers on a WAN -Hub or switch/to connect computers in a star LAN (2 per -, max 2 -, max 4) [4] 2. Goods in a shop are labelled with barcodes. These barcodes are used when goods are sold at the checkout. The shop uses a computer system, attached to the checkout, to store a file of records relating to the goods on sale. (a) State appropriate peripheral hardware for this system, justifying your choices. [8] Input: -Bar code reader of some sort/to input bar codes to system automatically -Key board or Touch screen/to input code if not readable. -Scales/to weigh loose produce sold by weight -Chip and Pin reader/to allow for card payment Output: -Screen/to show current state of bill -Buzzer or Speaker/to make audio signal that signifies successful reading -Printer/to print receipt Storage: -Hard disk/fast access and amendable/to store software/stock files -CDRW or DVDRW or flash memory stick/to back up the file (2 per -, max 4 -, only one group to have two -, max 8) (b)
(ii)
[8]
3. A computer system is used in a tourist souvenir shop. Customers can have their pictures taken. The picture is stored on the system. After the customer approves the image it is printed onto a T-shirt. Explain how this system works, by describing the hardware, software and data storage. [6] -Digital camera takes picture -by means of array of light sensitive pixels -Picture stored in computer memory... -or on flash memory stick/hard disk for computer transfer in... -JPEG format (or other) -Displayed on screen to allow... -manipulation by suitable image editing software. -Sent to inkjet printer to print on shirt. (1 per -, max 6) May/June 2010. P13 1. (a) (i) State two features of RAM which would not be true of ROM. [2]
[6]
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-Data held in RAM can be changed -RAM is volatile, ROM is not volatile -RAM normally has greater storage capacity to accommodate the data that is required by the processor (1 per -, max 2) (ii) State two pieces of software found in RAM when a computer is processing data.
[2] [2]
-Software currently being used -Those parts of the operating system currently required by the processor (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
2. An examination board sets multiple-choice examination papers that are automatically marked by a computer system. The system allows for monitoring by the personnel in the department and keeps the results until they are required. (a) Select appropriate peripheral hardware for this system, justifying your choices. [8] Input: -Optical mark reader/OMR -used to input the marks on the paper -positions of marks relate to the answers which the candidate wants to register -Keyboard/mouse -to allow user to change parameters/communicate with system Output: -Screen -to show current state of marking -Speaker/light -to make audio/light signal that signifies alarm if problem arises -Printer -to print the results/results so far/answers to individual queries Storage: -Hard disk -to store all the data after it is read -CDRW or DVDRW or flash memory stick or removable hard disk -to make back-up copies of the results (2 per -, max 4 -, only one group to have two -, max 8)
[8]
3. A large chain of stores runs a store card scheme. Customers who want to apply for a card do so at the information desk in any of the stores. Their details are typed into the computer. A card is printed immediately with the customers picture on it so that it cannot be used by someone else. By describing the hardware, software and data storage, explain how the system prints the picture onto the card. [6] -Digital camera takes picture/existing picture scanned -by means of array of light sensitive pixels -Picture stored in computer memory in... -JPEG format (or other) -Displayed on screen to allow...
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-manipulation by suitable image editing software -Combined with text using suitable software (DTP, WP, ...) -Sent to colour printer to be printed onto card. (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2010. P11 A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. 11. The operator sometimes needs to alter the type of work done by a machine. A form-based HCI is used to input the new data. (a) State two output peripherals that would be used for the HCI. Justify your answers. [4] -Monitor -e.g. to allow operator to see immediate confirmation of inputs (when changing parameters) -Printer -e.g. to retain permanent copy for records -buzzer e.g. to signify that change is accepted/not passed validation procedures (1 per -, max 2 pairs, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2010. P12 11. The operator sometimes needs to alter the type of work done by a machine. A form-based HCI is used to input the new data. (a) State two output peripherals that would be used for the HCI. Justify your answers. [4] -Monitor -e.g. to allow operator to see immediate confirmation of inputs (when changing parameters) -Printer -e.g. to retain permanent copy for records -buzzer e.g. to signify that change is accepted/not passed validation procedures (1 per -, max 2 pairs, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2010. P13 May/June 2011. P11 1. (b) State two output devices which would be used at the point-of-sale, justifying their use. Device 1 Justification The physical/electronic parts of a computer system Parts you can see /touch no mark Device 2 Justification Sequence of instructions/programs Describe the purpose of each of the following parts of a processor: (i) Control unit Manages the execution of instructions Fetches each instruction in turn Decodes and synchronises its execution... by sending control signals to other parts of processor
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[4] [2]
5.
(a)
[2]
[2]
(ii) Memory unit Stores program in current use Stores data in current use Stores parts of OS in current use (iii) ALU Carries out arithmetic operations Carries out comparisons Acts as gateway in and out of processor (1 per , max 2 per dotty, max 6) (b)
[2] [2] [2]
[2]
Describe the use of buffers and interrupts in the transfer of data between primary memory and hard disk. [5] temporary storage area Data transferred from primary memory to buffer (or vice versa) When buffer full, processor can carry on with other tasks Buffer is emptied to the hard disk When buffer empty, interrupt sent... to processor... requesting more data to be sent to buffer. according to priorities (1 per , max 5) [5] May/June 2011. P12 A supermarket has a number of point-of-sale terminals. Data is read from goods at the terminals and information is produced. 1. (b) State two output devices which would be used at the point-of-sale, giving a reason for their use. Device 1 Reason The physical/electronic parts of a computer system Parts you can see /touch no mark Device 2 Reason [4] Sequence of instructions/programs [2] 5. (a) Describe the purpose of each of the following parts of a processor: (i) Control unit [2] Manages the execution of instructions Fetches each instruction in turn Decodes and synchronises its execution... by sending control signals to other parts of processor [2] (ii) Memory unit [2] Stores program in current use Stores data in current use Stores parts of OS in current use [2] (iii) ALU [2] Carries out arithmetic operations Carries out comparisons Acts as gateway in and out of processor (1 per , max 2 per dotty, max 6) [2]
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Describe the use of buffers and interrupts in the transfer of data between primary memory and hard disk. [5] temporary storage area Data transferred from primary memory to buffer (or vice versa) When buffer full, processor can carry on with other tasks Buffer is emptied to the hard disk When buffer empty, interrupt sent... to processor... requesting more data to be sent to buffer. according to priorities (1 per , max 5) [5] May/June 2011. P13 A cinema has a number of places where customers can buy their tickets. Data is input by the cashiers at the terminals and information is produced. 1. (b) State two input devices which would be used at the terminals, justifying their use. Device 1 Justification A device that allows data to be sent/entered to the computer Device 2 Justification A device that will store data in the computer system (for later use) 5. (a) (i) [4] [2]
(b)
Explain two differences between ROM and RAM as types of primary memory. [2] Contents of RAM can be altered/ROM cannot RAM is usually has a greater capacity than ROM Data held in ROM, after processing, can only be written to RAM RAM is volatile/ROM is non-volatile (1 per , max 2) [2] (ii)
State an example of what would be stored in ROM and justify your answer. Example Justification The boot-strap program/operating system/system data/BIOS It must be available when power is switched on/to boot up the system/so it cant be changed State an example of what would be stored in RAM and justify your answer. Example Justification e.g. A word processor document/user data User must be able to alter it OR part of the software being used (application/operating system) the processor needs to fetch the instructions/can be replaced by another program at any time (1 per , max 2)
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[2] [2]
(iii)
[2]
[2]
(b)
(i)
Explain the problem of speed mismatch between peripheral and processor.
Processor works at high speed while peripherals are much slower (ii) Describe how this speed mismatch can be overcome. [5]
use of buffer/temporary storage area Data transferred from primary memory to buffer (or vice versa) When buffer full, processor can carry on with other tasks Buffer is emptied to the peripheral interrupt ... is sent to processor... When buffer empty requesting more data to be sent to buffer. according to priorities (1 per , max 5)
[5]
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Chapter 1.5 Data Transmission and Networking.

1.5 (a) Networks
All the systems that have been mentioned so far have been individual computers, sometimes with more than one user, but single processors. This means that the systems we have discussed so far are not connected to other machines. Imagine a classroom with 20 computers in it. Every time the lesson ends you would need to store your files on secondary storage. It would be possible to store the files on a floppy disk and take them away with you, but the likelihood is that the files will be stored on the hard disk. This means that the next time you want to use those files you need to sit at the same computer. It would be much more sensible to have a system that allowed access to the same files through any of the 20 computers. To allow this the computers need to be connected up to each other. When computers are connected together to share files they make a network. A network of 20 computers in a school classroom is obviously on a small scale, not because 20 is a small number, but because the communication is made easier because of the short distances involved. If a business with head offices in London and factories in Karachi and Hong Kong wanted to connect the computers on the three sites up there is an obvious problem of distances to be overcome. Generally, networks over small distances are called Local Area Networks (LAN) while those over great distances are Wide Area Networks (WAN). Whether the network is a WAN or a LAN it will have the advantage of offering the users the chance to communicate with one another, to share information centrally, to share copies of software and to allow multiple access to files of data. In a LAN there is the added benefit of being able to share hardware, so the classroom with 20 computers may only have 3 printers. Also those printers may be different types that could be used for different tasks. This means that the type of printer used is dependent on the job that the user wants it to do rather than the type of printer that happens to be connected to the computer on which the work is being done. To summarise: Computers can be linked together to form networks If the distances are short the network is called a LAN, if longer the network is a WAN Networks allow computers to communicate Networks allow the sharing of both hardware and software.
1.5 (b)
Hardware and Software
Network Basics. In order to connect computers in a network there are a number of essential things necessary Each computer needs to be able to communicate with others. In order to do this there needs to be a special piece of hardware attached to the processor, called a network card. It is through this network card that the computer can communicate. The computers need to be connected in some way. The standard method in schools is to use a cable. The cable is coaxial, like a television aerial. The cable has a limitation in that the signal gradually deteriorates as it is sent down the cable which means that the maximum length of the cable is about 300 metres. This maximum depends on a number of things, not least the quality of the cable used, but all cable is ultimately going to be limited in length. With a number of computers attached to the network, communications are going to get complicated. There is a need for something to control the signals being transmitted. This job is carried out by a computer whose job is to control the network, it is known as a server or a network server. One of the jobs of the server is to control access to the files held on a hard disk, because of this it is sometimes known as the file server. Some networks have a number of different servers controlling different parts of the system, for example, there may be a printer server to control use of the printers. On many LANs these server functions are all carried out by the single network server. The communications around such a system are obviously quite difficult to control. It is necessary to have a set of instructions that the network must follow, this is known as network software or a network operating system. A wide area network differs because the distances involved tend to be far greater than for a LAN. Consequently it is not possible to connect all the computers by a cable. Actually the cables already exist to do this, the telephone system. So to connect two computers over a long distance, they can simply ring each other up! Unfortunately, the types of signals produced by a computer are different to the type of signal that can be sent down a telephone line. In order to send a computer signal down a telephone line it must be altered first. This is done by another piece of hardware called a modem. A similar modem must be present at the other end of the line in order to turn the signal back again.
1.5 (c)
Network Topologies
There are a number of ways that the machines on a network can be connected together. The shape of the network is known as its topology. We are interested in three different network topologies. 1. Bus network
In a bus network the hardware items all use the same, central, communication line, known as a bus. The advantage is that the installation of the system is comparatively easy because there is only one communication line. However, the drawback is that a single break in the cable will stop all communications in the network. 2. Ring network
In a ring network the two ends of the bus are joined up. This creates a loop so that data can be sent in both directions along the cable. If there is a break in the cable, the network will continue to operate because the messages can go in the other direction.
3. Star network
Network server
In a star network the individual pieces of hardware are connected to some central point, usually the network server. This means that the failure of a single piece of hardware or the breaking of a connector can only affect that piece of hardware and none of the others. The wiring up of the network can be very complex, though.
1.5 (d)
Different Types of Data Transmission
Serial and Parallel transmission of data Data needs to be transmitted between devices in a computer system. The easy way to do this is by using a single wire that links the two devices. Data is transmitted in the form of bits down the wire, so an 8 bit byte, which stands for a single character, will be transmitted in 8 parts, one signal for each bit. Device 1 011 0 1 Device 2 0 1
The diagram shows the data byte 01101101 being transmitted. As there is only one wire, only one bit can be transmitted at a time. This is known as SERIAL transmission of data. Serial transmission has the advantages of being simple and reliable because the next bit is not transmitted until the current one has arrived at its destination. However, because only one bit can be transmitted at a time, the speed of transmission is slow. If the devices are connected by more than one wire, then more bits can be sent at once. A sensible number of wires would be 8, because then a whole byte can be sent at once instead of having to send one bit at a time.
Device1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 Device 2
This type of data transfer is called PARALLEL transmission. Parallel transmission of data is obviously faster than serial because all the bits are travelling at the same time, but because of the fine tolerances in the transmission, it is less reliable as the bits can become muddled up.
Modes of Transmission. If data is to be transmitted between devices, there are three different modes of transmission possible. a) Simplex mode. If data can only travel in one direction then it is known as a SIMPLEX transmission. A good example of a simplex transmission of data is teletext information which is passed to a television receiver, but there is no way to send data in the other direction. Transmitter Receiver
b) Duplex mode. When data can pass in both directions at the same time it is known as DUPLEX transmission of data. An example of duplex transmission would be a telephone conversation as both users can speak and be heard at the same time. Device 1 Device 2
c) Half duplex mode. When data can pass in both directions, but only in one direction at a time, the transmission is called HALF DUPLEX. An example of half duplex is a CB radio system in which each handset can either be set to receive mode or send mode. Device 1 Device 2
1.5 (e)
Bit Rates
Information needs to be sent to devices in a computer system from other devices. For example, a picture stored in the memory of the computer needs to be sent down a telephone line to another computer. Remember that the more pixels that there are and the more colours that can be represented, the better the picture will be. However there is a limit to the amount of information that can be transmitted in a given time down the phone line, so a decision needs to be made. One choice is to have as much detail as possible and accept that it will take a long time to transmit it. The other is to limit the resolution of the picture, meaning that there is less information to send so that the message will be sent more quickly. The number of bits that can be sent in one second is known as the BIT RATE. The units used to measure the bit rate are BAUD. 1 baud = 1 bit per second. Note that text can be sent much more quickly than other forms of information because it needs far fewer bits (1 byte per character) than other types of data. When data other than text is being transmitted, e.g. on the Internet, it is important to limit the amount of data that needs to be sent or the time it takes to download the data can be unreasonably long. The data can be limited by such simple things as reducing the size of pictures so that they only take up a small part of the screen, or that they are restricted to a few colours. Speeding up the transmission of the information by reducing the amount of data that is sent is known as compression. This will be studied in more detail in the second year of the course.
1.5 (f)
Error checking and correcting
When data, of whatever type, is being transmitted from one part of a computer system to another, it is transmitted as a series of binary digits. Any data that is transmitted is going to be made up of a very large number of bits. Consequently, there are bound to be occasions when the data is not transmitted correctly. Luckily there are only two possible mistakes that can occur, either a 1 is received as a 0, or a 0 is received as a 1. Mistakes occur rarely, but when they do occur they can be very serious, as the information is no longer correct. This makes it very important that there should be methods for checking the data when it has been transmitted. a) Echoing Back. The simplest way of checking the transfer of the data is to send it back again. If the data that is sent back is the same as the data that was sent in the first place then the original data must have reached its destination correctly, if not then it needs to be sent again. This is known as ECHOING BACK. Echoing back is very effective, but suffers from having to send data twice, thus taking longer than necessary, and needing to be a duplex, or half duplex, system to allow data transfer in both directions. b) Parity. All data is transmitted as bits (0s and 1s). The Number of 1s in a byte must always be either an odd number or an even number. If two devices that are communicating data decide that there will always be an odd number of 1s, then if a byte is received that has an even number of 1s, an error must have occurred. E.g. the byte 01011000 has 3 ones in it. 3 is an odd number, so it fits the rule that it must have an odd number of ones. When it is sent there is an error in transmission so that the first bit is received as a one. So, the byte received is 11011000. This has 4 ones in it, which is an even number, so there must be an error. The receiving device would ask for it to be sent again. Notes: If two mistakes are made in the same byte they will cancel each other out and the faulty data will be accepted. This problem can be overcome, and in the same way, a clever way of correcting error mistakes can be implemented. This method is not part of this course. Earlier in this course it was said that a byte was the number of bits necessary to hold a character code. Specifically, an ASCII character uses 8 bits in a byte, giving 256 different characters. This is not true because one of the bits has to be reserved for a parity bit, the bit that can change to make sure that the number of ones is always odd. This means that there are 128 different characters possible. The implication in all the above work is that odd parity is always used. Even parity can equally well be used, whichever has been agreed between the two devices. Parity is not only used during data transfer between devices, but also when data is transferred between different parts of the CPU. c) Check Sum. Data will normally be sent from one place to another as a block of bytes rather than as individual bytes. The computer can add numbers together without any trouble, so another checking procedure is to add all the bytes together that are being sent in the block of data. The carry, out of the byte, is not taken into account, so the answer is
an 8 bit number, just like the bytes. This answer is calculated before the data is sent, and then calculated again when it is received, and if there are no errors in the transmission, the two answers will match.
Parity Blocks and Parallel Parity

It is an error-checking technique involving the comparison of a transmitted block check character with one calculated by the receiving device. Parallel parity is based on regular parity. Parallel parity can detect weather or not there was an error, furthermore it can detect which bit has flipped. This method is implemented on a block of data which is made of sum words; the parity bit is then added to the columns and rows. Following an example:
As we can see in the example above, every row has its parity bit, and every column has its parity bit. If one bit in the block has flipped, we get two parity errors, one in the row's parity and one in the column's parity, by intercepting the row and column we can detect the bit that has flipped.
1.5 (g)
Switching
When a message is being sent from one machine to another, particularly over a wide area network, the message may have to pass through other machines first. This may be forced on the system because there is no direct route from one machine to another.
B A D C
In the network shown, it would be easy to send a message from A to D or from A to B because A is directly connected to both of them. However, sending a message from A to C is much more difficult because there is no direct route. There are two ways that the message can be sent a) Packet switching. The message is split into a number of equal sized packets. Each packet has a label saying where it is meant to be going and what number packet it is. These packets are sent along communication lines towards the destination. Each time a packet reaches a node on the network the node decides which direction to send it on. So, one packet in the message from A reaches node D. The obvious route to take is the one directly to C, but it is already in use for another message, so D decides to send it to E instead. The next packet arrives at D and, this time, the line to C is free, so the packet is sent direct to C. When the message has all arrived at C it has to be reassembled in the correct order. b) Circuit switching. Before the message is sent, the network reserves a route from A to C. The message can then be sent directly from A to C and will not need to be reordered when it gets there. Packet switching allows optimum use of the connections around the network because as many routes are in use at one time as possible, whereas circuit switching means that the whole message is kept together so it does not need to be reassembled at the destination.
1.5 (h) and (i)
Protocols
When data is being transferred from one place to another in a computer system or from one computer/device to another computer/device there must be rules set up as to how the transfer is going to be done. Every single computer follows these agreed rules within the network. This set of agreed rules is known as a protocol or network protocol. There are a number of protocols that you may have heard of e.g. http, tcp(ip) but dont worry about them, you do not need to know specific examples of protocols, but you should be able to discuss some of the rules that go to make up a particular protocol. Some of these common rules are: Common error checks of the data packets when they arrive Speed across the network Agreed method to tell the data receiving machine that the sending machine has finished sending all of the data Method or signal to tell the other machine that the data has arrived correctly e.g. echo back Agreed error correction of the data packets on both ends If the data is compressed before sending it to other computer then does the protocol allow this to take place and if so then what method does it use?
1.5 (j)
Physical and logical protocols and interface layering
Computer nowadays are very popular gadgets with masses. Many manufacturers are coming up with different brands of the computers. With the passage of time these computers are getting cheaper and that is one more reason for their popularity. Availability of computers and their proliferation gives increase to the idea to network them together for information and resource sharing. To make these computers talk to each other and share the resources and information many organizations have made standards. Without such standards computers cannot be networked to communicate with each other. Interface An interface is the connection between devices over which data can be sent. It is usually used interchangeably with protocol. It includes hardware and software such as the cables connecting the devices, error correction and how messages are routed from place to place. Interface design There are two methods of designing interfaces: 1. Design it as one unit: This is how things were done in the very early days. Each program needed its own network interface. 2. Design it as a series of layers: This is how interfaces are designed nowadays. Each layer deals with a rule of the protocol, e.g. How error checking is carried out. Why layering is used in a network system? All layers work together to make networked computer share information with other computers that are also following the same layer model. Layering breaks the protocols down into different sections. Changes in one layer dont affect other layers. Layering allows each layer to be treated independently and enables security measures to be used for data transmission. One of interface standards is called OSI model. OSI stands for Open Systems Interconnect. Protocols are combined with the OSI layers model. There are seven layers in the OSI model and each layer performs different function. These seven layers are described below and their individual names and details of working are not required to be remembered for an A level computing 9691 student. Each layer knows how to communicate with the upper and lower layer as they can only talk to layers above or below them. You can remember the name of all the layers by the following sentence. Any person seeing treble needs double prescriptions.
Advantages of layering The main advantage of a layered interface is that changes can be made to one layer without having to change them all. For example: If a manufacturer was to design a new network card, they would only need to design the way it communicates with the data link layer. If a software company was to design a new web browser, they would only need to design the way it communicates with the presentation layer. If layered interfaces were not used, these manufacturers would have to design all the components of the interface.
Key points about layering If a layer needs to be changed, it only needs to communicate with the layer above and below Each layer does a specific job Data flow through the layers in order as described in the diagram above. Protocols A protocol is a set of rules that defines how data are sent over a connection. Without protocols, devices wouldnt know what format to expect data in. Protocols include rules such as: Bit rate Transmission medium Error correction method Mode of transmission such as Serial/parallel, simplex/half duplex/duplex See also section 1.5 (g & h) Physical protocols These are protocols concerned with how a device connects to a medium. For example how a printer connects with the cable. They ensure that devices can transmit through the medium. These are the protocols that make sure that the layout of pins on the connectors is the same and hubs and switches are correctly connected and configured. Few examples of physical protocols are 802.11a/b/g/n for WiFi connections and DSL for broadband. Logical protocols Logical protocols are concerned with data handling before it actually reaches the transmission medium and after it has been received from the transmission medium. Logical protocols ensure that data are in the right format for the application, the bit rates match at both ends, and both ends are using the same mode, e.g. simplex and the same error detection is used at both ends, etc. Few examples of logical protocols are HTTP, POP, TCP/IP, FTP etc.
Example Questions
1. Explain the difference between a wide area network (WAN) and a local area network (LAN). (2) a) State three pieces of hardware that are needed to create a LAN from a set of stand alone computers. (3) b) Explain why the communication over a WAN differs from that across a LAN and state how the hardware necessary for communication would differ from that used in part (a). (3) Explain the difference between (i) simplex (ii) half duplex (iii) duplex transmission of data, giving an example of the use of each. (6) Explain why the bit rate is more important when sending a colour picture from one device to another, than it is when sending a page of text. (3)
2.
3.
4.
5.
The following bytes of data are received by one device after being transmitted from another. 01001101 10001000 10101011 00011011 An automatic checking technique is used to check that the data has been transmitted without error. a) State which byte has been received incorrectly, explaining how you arrived at your answer. (3) b) Explain why it is possible that a byte of data could still be incorrect despite passing the test that you used in part (a). (1) 6. Explain the difference between packet switching and circuit switching. (2) 7. A computer is to use a printer to provide hardcopy output of jobs. In order for the data to be transmitted and received properly a protocol must be set up between the two pieces of hardware. State two parts of the protocol which would be essential in this example, giving reasons why they are necessary. (4) Define a protocol. (3) Explain the need for protocols. (2) What is meant by a layered interface? (2) Describe the differences between logical and physical protocols. (4) Describe the need for layered interfaces. (3) What is meant by the OSI model? (2) Why do we need the OSI model? (2) Why are the protocols grouped into different layers - what are the advantages of layering? (3)
8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 8. Communications across a network can be done by using circuit switching or packet switching. (a) Explain the difference between circuit switching and packet switching. [2] -Circuit involves setting up the route before the message is sent. -Packet involves sending the message in segments of equal size, each of which finds its own route to the destination. (b) Give one advantage of using
(i) circuit switching (ii) packet switching when sending data across a network.
[2]
-Circuit means that the message does not have to be reassembled. -Packet means that the message is almost impossible to intercept/The network is not dedicated to the transmission of one message. [2] Oct/NOV 2002 8. Explain the importance of bit rates to communication. Refer to the characteristics of two types of data file which may need to be transmitted around a network system. [6] -Text file -small amount of data -not time sensitive transmission. -Video file -Large amount of data -which must be transmitted is a standard time frame. (1 per max 4) -Different volumes per second -mean that different transfer rates are appropriate -some applications connot be run without a high bit rate. (per max 2) 10. State three rules which would be part of a protocol used for sending data between two processors, explaining why each is necessary.
[6]
[6] e.g. -Baud rate -so that processors are sending/receiving at the same speed/data would become confused otherwise. -Parity -must either be odd or even/otherwise correct data would not be accepted. -Echoing back -If one device expects echoing and the other doesnt there will be a freeze while one waits. [6]
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May/June 2003 2. (c) State two advantages and one disadvantage of having a network of computers, rather than a series of stand alone machines, in a school classroom. [3] - Sharing of software and data files - Sharing of hardware, e.g. printers - Communication - Security of files more of a problem (1 per -, max 3) 7. (a) Explain the difference between (i) serial and parallel, [4]
(3)
(ii) simplex and duplex modes of data transmission.
- Serial is the transmission of data one bit at a time/through one wire - Parallel is the transmission of data more than one bit at a time/many wires - Simplex is the transmission of data in one direction only - Duplex is the transmission of data in both directions simultaneously (4) (b) When data is transmitted it is subject to corruption. Explain how a parity check could be used to determine whether corruption has taken place. [4] - Extra bit on each data-byte that - Does not transmit data - Makes number of ones in a byte be always even or always odd - Error in the transmission of a bit will make the even/odd wrong - Problem of two errors in one byte not being found - Parity block (1 per -, max 4) (4) Oct/NOV 2003 6. Explain how buffers and interrupts are used when data is being moved from main memory to a secondary storage device. [6] - (Processor) fills buffer/data temporarily stored in buffer - then gets on with some other task - Data emptied from buffer to secondary storage - without holding up processor - When buffer empty - interrupt sent to processor - requesting refilling of buffer - from storage device - leading to register contents from current job being stored - Mention of double buffering - Vectoring interrupts - mention of priorities (1 per -, max 6) 7.
(6)
A college has a number of stand-alone machines. The decision is taken to turn them into a LAN. (a) State two items of hardware and one of software which will be necessary for the conversion. [3]
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- Network card(s) - Cable - Server (of some sort)/hub - Network operating system/communications software/network versions of applications packages (1 per -, max 2 for hardware, max 3) (b)
(3)
Explain why students find that access to text based files does not cause a problem, while graphics files download very slowly. [2]
- Text based are relatively small files - because each character only takes one byte - Graphics tend to be large files - because each character can take up to 3 bytes (1 per -, max 1 for idea of size and one for explanation, max 2) (c)
(2)
State two advantages and two disadvantages of the college converting to a network system. [4]
Advantages - sharing of hardware - sharing of software - sharing of files - communication - students may use any machine to access their work - installation of software is easy Disadvantages - difficulty of securing data - fault in network can affect whole system - complexity of the hardware - need for technical administrator - spread of viruses (1 per -, max 2 for advantages, max 2 for disadvantages, max 4) (d) (i) Explain why a protocol is needed for this network.
(4)
- Communications need a set of rules - to govern the way that communication is controlled (ii) Give a reason why such a protocol should be arranged in a layered fashion. [4]
- Individual layers can be altered - without altering other layers - when hardware/software is changed (1 per -,max 2 per dotty, max 4) May/June 2004 5. (a) Explain the meaning of the following modes of data transmission. (i) Simplex. Communication is only one way
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(4)
(ii)
Duplex.
Communication is two-way and can be at the same time (iii) Half-duplex. [3] (3)
Communication is two-way, but only one way at a time (b) (i)
Describe how buffers and interrupts are used in the transfer of data from primary memory to secondary storage. [5]
- Processor transfers data from primary memory to fill buffer - Data sent from buffer to secondary storage while - Processor continues with other tasks - When buffer empty interrupt sent to processor - Processor (may) interrupts current job - (Deals with) request to fill buffer Mark for mention of priority of interrupt (1 per point, max 5) (ii) State which of the modes of data transmission would be most suitable for the procedure in (i), justifying your answer.
(5) [2]
- Half duplex - Data needs to go to buffer and interrupt to processor but at different times. (1 per point, max 2) Oct/NOV 2004 5. (a) State what is meant by a protocol. A set of rules/instructions to allow communication between devices (b)
(2) [2] [2]
Describe two features of a protocol necessary for the successful transmission of data between two devices. [4] Types of data transmission is the transmission serial/parallel? Duplex/half duplex/simplex Baud rate Both devices must talk, listen at the same number of bits per second Otherwise bits may be missed/counted twice Error checking Is parity odd or even? Is echoing back used? Acknowledge messages to confirm accepted transmission (max 2 per type, max 2 types, max 4) [4] May/June 2005 6. (b) A school computer room is to be equipped with a network of machines. Give three advantages and one disadvantage of installing a network compared to stand
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alone machines. Advs: -Files can be accessed from any machine -Data can be shared -Software can be shared -Peripherals can be shared -Communication across network Dis: -Security of data files less certain -Failure of part of network may affect the rest. Not: Installing software is easier/quicker. (1 per-, max 3 advs, max 1 disadv, max 4) A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. 12. (a) State the meaning of (i) serial, One bit at a time (ii) parallel, More than one bit at a time (iii) simplex, In only one direction (iv) half duplex modes of data transmission. In both directions, but only one at a time (b)
[4]
[4]
[4] [4]
One of the companys computers is connected to a printer. Explain why the data transmission is half-duplex. [2]
-Computer must be able to send data to printer -Printer must be able to send interrupt to processor requesting more data -This happens when there is no data in the buffer/data is not being sent. (1 per -, max 2) [2] Oct/NOV 2005 5. (a) Errors can occur when data is transmitted from one device to another. Explain how a checksum can be used to monitor a transmission for errors. [3] Data sent as binary bytes bytes added up with no carry out of byte before transmission/result is transmitted result is transmitted Added again after transmission/two values compared (1 per , max 3) (b) Data is transmitted from one computer to another by using packet switching. (i) Explain how packet switching works.
[3]
[3]
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Message split into equal sized packets each packet labeled Each packet travels independently At each node label checked and packet redirected. Must be ordered at destination and re-assembled. (1 per , max 3) (ii)
[3]
Give one advantage and one disadvantage of using packet switching rather than circuit switching. [2] A: Allows optimum use of network/less chance of message being intercepted/if a route is congested or blocked an alternative route is used. D: Travels at speed of slowest packet/Must be reordered at destination. (1 for advantage and 1 for disadvantage, max 2) [2] May/June 2006 4. (a) State two ways in which a local area network (LAN) differs from a wide area network (WAN). [2] -LAN is geographically small area/WAN over a larger area -LAN may be hard wired/WAN requires other medium for communication -LAN much easier to keep secure/WAN is prone to hacking (1 per -, max 2) (c) (i) Explain what is meant by the term protocol.
[2] [2] [2] [2]
-set of rules -to control communication (ii) Explain why the bit rate is an important part of any protocol. -to enable standardisation -to enable one layer to be altered without altering the entire protocol -enables manufacturers to design hardware and software for a particular layer (1 per -, max 2) Oct/NOV 2006 5. (a) State what is meant by the following types of data transmission. (i) Simplex. The transfer of data in only one direction. (ii) Half duplex. The transfer of data in both directions but only one direction at a time (iii) Serial.
[2]
The transfer of data one bit at a time down a single (wire) (iv) Parallel. The transfer of data down a number of wires/bits being sent simultaneously/normally one byte at a time.
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[4] (4)
(c)
State two of the modes of data transmission mentioned in part (a) which would be used to transfer data from primary memory to a hard drive. Give reasons for your answers. [4]
-Parallel -because the processor requires the data to be downloaded as quickly as possible -Half duplex -Because there needs to be communication in both directions
(4)
Authors send books to a publishing company. At this stage books are text documents with any illustrations being added at the end of the publishing process. 6. When a book is sent to the company by an author, it is sent in hard copy form as well as on a disk. It is read and, if accepted, is then sent electronically to a person called a copy editor. The copy editor reformats the text to make it suitable for publication. (a) Explain why the original copy of the book is in (i) hard copy form; [2] -Hard copy necessary so that the text can be read easily -so that it is easily portable -Some people find looking at a screen for long periods uncomfortable -Easier to record notes on hard copy (1 per -, max 2) (ii) electronic form on a disk.
(2) [2]
-Electronic form so that it can be sent from person to person without delay -so that it can be copied easily -so that corrections can be easily made (1 per -, max 2)
(2)
(c) All copy editors are expected to have a stand-alone computer. Copy editors need to communicate with head office. State what extra hardware and software the company would have to supply to each copy editor to allow this communication. Give reasons for your answers. [4] -Communications software/dial up software -so that the individual systems can communicate with head office over the medium -Network cards -so that the machine can communicate on the WAN -Modem/ISDN line (or other communications medium) -so that machine can access the network (1 per -, max 1 hardware and 1 software, max 4)
(4)
Authors send books to a publishing company. At this stage books are text documents with any illustrations being added at the end of the publishing process. 7. The communications system used by the company uses circuit switching for the transmission of data between head office and the copywriters. (a) Explain the difference between circuit switching and packet switching, giving an advantage of each method. [4]
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-Circuit switching involves keeping a fixed circuit open for the duration of the message -Advantage is that message arrives without having to be reordered -Packet switching sends individual packets onto the network to find their way independently of each other -Advantage is that message is difficult to hack/large part of network not tied up for long period/can circumvent blocked routes. (4) During transmission data can be corrupted. Check sums and parity checks can be carried out on the data. Explain how check sums and parity checks are used to detect transmission errors. [4] -Check sum is the result of adding all the bytes of data (and ignoring the carry out of the byte) -The result is sent along with the data and -Checked against the total calculated as the data arrives -If the two totals differ then a transmission error has occurred -Parity involves every byte having its bits adding to either an odd or even total -Type of parity must be agreed between sender and recipient -Use of a parity bit to make each byte the correct type -If bit is changed during transmission then the sum of bits will not match parity type (1 per -, max 2 per type of check, max 4) May/June 2007 A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. Some computers are used in the offices for clerical tasks like word processing and accounting. Some are in the showroom so that customers can see details of cars and videos of them being driven. The computers used at the garage are networked and all data is stored on a central server. 10. (a) State a difference between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). [1] Geographic distribution Hardware used for communication (1 per , max 1) [1] (b) (i) Use examples from this application to explain the relationship between bit rates and the way that the data in the files is used. [4] (b) (ii)
(4)
Bit rate is the number of bits transferred in a given time period Word processing uses text files requiring non time sensitive transfer of data meaning a small/low bit rate is acceptable. Video is time sensitive meaning a large/high bit rate is necessary. (1 per , max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2007 11. The data which is transmitted between survey sites and head office is liable to errors. Data which is received is checked for errors. (a) One method of checking for errors is to use parity checks.
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The following four bytes have been received: 01101001 10111100 10101010 00100100 (i) One of the bytes contains an error. State which byte. 10111100/the second one (ii) Explain your choice of answer in (i).
[1] [1] [2]
- This has an odd number of ones - The others all have an even number of ones - Even parity is being used (1 per -, max 2) (iii) Explain why a byte may still be in error even if it passes the parity test.
[2] [1] [1] [4]
- There may be two (or an even number of) errors in one byte (b) A second method of checking for errors is to use check sums. Explain how check sums are used to check data for transmission errors.
- data bytes are added together - MOD 256 - Result (Check Sum) is sent with data - Calculation redone at receiving end - Results compared (1 per -,1st +conditional 3, max 4) [4] May/June 2008 Oct/NOV 2008 6. (a) State two extra pieces of hardware and one piece of software which would be necessary to create the network. [3] - Network cards/Wireless network cards - Hub/Switch - Cable/Radio aerials or connector - Server (File/Network/Printer) (1 per -, max 2) - Network operating system - Network versions of the software (1 per -, max 1) (b) A protocol will be required. Explain what is meant by a protocol. - Set of rules/instructions - To govern data communication (c) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of networking the computers.
[3] [2] [2] [5]
- Sharing of software/files - Sharing of hardware peripherals - Workers may use any spare machine - Values in databases are always up to date
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- Easier for the technician to maintain - Workers can communicate with each other - Easier for the boss to see what is going on - Data is less secure/private (Note: not hacked) - Data requires locking when in use - Viruses spread more rapidly - If server/file server down then whole network affected (1 per -, max 3 for advantages or disadvantages, max 5) May/June 2009 6. (a) State what is meant by the following types of data transfer: (i) serial, Data is transmitted along a single wire/one bit at a time. (ii) parallel, Data is transmitted along a number of wires/one byte (or more) at a time. (iii) simplex,
[5] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
Data can only be transmitted in a single direction. (iv) half duplex. Data can be transmitted in both directions but only one at a time. (b)
In a certain computer system parity checking is used to check that data has been transferred correctly. The type of parity checking used is even parity. Using the byte 01101001 as an example: (i) explain what is meant by an even parity check, [2]
-Each byte contains an even number of 1s -A special bit is set to 0 or 1 to ensure that total is even. -Byte is checked for even number of 1s after transmission. (1 per -, max 2) (ii) give an example of an error which would not be detected.
[2] [1] [1]
-When two bits are in error the errors cancel each other out/10101001.
A company specialises in creating websites for customers. 11. A finished website will be made available across the internet or on a local area network or both. Explain the relationship between the bit rates available on the network and the types of output format used on the website. [4] -The bit rate is a measure of the rate that data can be sent across the communication medium -Different communication media have different bit rates -For simple text/still picturesa low bit rate connection is adequate -because volume of data per page is low and fixed -For (live) video/soundbit rate needs to be high -because large volume of data which must be downloaded in real time because -information is time sensitive. (1 per -, max 4)
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[4]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 8. (a) The machines in the tax office are networked. State two differences between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). [2] -LAN has computers geographically close, same building/WAN has computers geographically remote. -LAN connected using own communication media, cable/WAN relies on external communication media, telephone line. -LAN more secure from hacking/WAN may have security problems [2] (c) (i) State why the process known as handshaking is necessary between a computer and the file server before use.
To ensure that both are on and ready for communication/to ensure that both are using same protocol. [1] Oct/NOV 2009. P12 4. (a) A medical centre has a number of stand-alone computers. It is decided that these should be linked in a LAN. (i) State three advantages and one disadvantage of networking the computers. [4] Advantages: -Hardware can be shared making system cheaper to set up -Software can be shared making system cheaper to set up -Hardware and software can be shared making it possible to provide more unusual items -Any machine can be used for all information -Software installation made easier -More easy to manage/control/maintain -communication is easy between the machines (1 per -, max 3) Disadvantages: -Data is not as secure as when stored on stand-alone machines -Can be bottlenecks when peripherals are used e.g. using a shared printer. (1 per -, max 1) [4] (ii) Explain the relationship between bit rates and the use of data content in a network. [2]
-If data being communicated is to be stored at receiver for future use, then the bit rate can be slow -If data being communicated is to be used immediately upon arrival then the bit rate used for communication must be faster than the rate at which the data is used. -bit rate is the number of bits per second
[2]
(b) Describe the additional hardware required when a LAN is connected to a WAN. [4] -Modem -to link LAN to communication medium -Gateway/Router -to connect two different networks together
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-Firewall -to protect LAN from unwanted access -proxy server to allow one Internet connection for whole network (1 per -, max 4) Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11 4. (a) Define the term protocol. -Set of rules... -to control the transmission of data (b) (i)
[4] [2] [2]
Explain what is meant by the terms packet switching and circuit switching. [5]
Packet Switching: -Blocks of data find own way through network and... -are reordered when they reach the destination Circuit Switching -Route is reserved for the duration of the data transfer -Message simply needs to be reconstructed at destination General points: -The transmission of data from one node to another over a network -Message is split into (standard sized) blocks of data -each has label attached showing destination and block number (1 per -, max 5) (ii) State one advantage and one disadvantage of using packet switching. Advantage: -Difficult to intercept message/network not tied up/all possible routes available Disadvantage: -Message must be reordered at destination/message sent at speed of slowest block May/June 2010. P12 4. (a) Define the term protocol. -Set of rules... -to control the transmission of data
[5] [2]
[2] [2] [2]
(b) (i) Explain what is meant by the terms packet switching and circuit switching. [5] Packet Switching: -Blocks of data find own way through network and... -are reordered when they reach the destination Circuit Switching -Route is reserved for the duration of the data transfer -Message simply needs to be reconstructed at destination General points: -The transmission of data from one node to another over a network -Message is split into (standard sized) blocks of data -each has label attached showing destination and block number (1 per -, max 5) [5] (ii)
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State one advantage and one disadvantage of using packet switching.
[2]
Advantage: -Difficult to intercept message/network not tied up/all possible routes available Disadvantage: -Message must be reordered at destination/message sent at speed of slowest block [2] May/June 2010. P13 1. (b) (i) Explain why a NIC is used when a computer is to communicate with other computers. [2] -To connect the motherboard to -the communication medium/cable/wireless -To uniquely identify the PC (1 per -, max 2) [2] (ii) State one other piece of hardware which is needed for successful communication to take place. Justify your answer. [2]
-Cable/wireless/optic fibre link -The communication medium itself down which signals are sent -Modem/Router/Gateway -In order to communicate over a WAN rather than a LAN -Hub or switch -to connect the computers in a star LAN (1 per -, max 1 pair) 4. (a) Define the term protocol.
[2] [2]
-Set of rules... -to control the transmission of data. [2] (b) (i) Explain what features of a protocol need to be established before communication can take place. [5] -The two devices must be using the same parameters for communication -Bit rate needs to be set -otherwise the message will be sent at a different rate than the receiving device is expecting it to arrive -Which will lead to bits being dropped or counted twice -Error checking procedures need to be determined -if the two devices use different error checking then messages will not be accepted -Codes must be agreed -or a character code will be interpreted as the wrong character (1 per -, max 2 per group, max 5) (Accept other features of a protocol if explained) [5] (ii) State one advantage and one disadvantage of using circuit switching rather than packet switching. [2] Advantage: Packets of message will arrive in the same order that they were sent/No reordering is necessary Disadvantage: Message ties up a complete route through the network for the duration of the communication Oct/NOV 2010. P11 6. (a) State two items of hardware and one item of software used to create a local area network (LAN) with a number of computers.
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[2] [3]
Hardware: Cable/NIC or Wireless network card/Server/wireless access point Software: Network Operating System/Network versions of software. (2 hardware+ 1 Software) (c) When data is transmitted around a network it is possible that the data becomes corrupted. Explain how parity checking can be used to detect such transmission errors. -Each byte has extra parity bit -Number of ones in byte (+ parity bit) is set to -either odd or even (dependent on parity) (reject: byte is odd/even) -After data transmitted the parity is again calculated -If it is not the agreed odd or even then an error has occurred. (1 per -, max 4) Oct/NOV 2010. P12 6. (a) State two items of hardware and one item of software used to create a local area network (LAN) with a number of computers. Hardware: Cable/NIC or Wireless network card/Server/wireless access point Software: Network Operating System/Network versions of software. (2 hardware+ 1 Software) (c) When data is transmitted around a network it is possible that the data becomes corrupted. Explain how parity checking can be used to detect such transmission errors. -Each byte has extra parity bit -Number of ones in byte (+ parity bit) is set to -either odd or even (dependent on parity) (reject: byte is odd/even) -After data transmitted the parity is again calculated -If it is not the agreed odd or even then an error has occurred. (1 per -, max 4) Oct/NOV 2010. P13 6. (a) State two items of hardware and one item of software used to create a local area network (LAN) with a number of computers. Hardware: Cable/NIC/Wireless card/Server Software: Network Operating System/Network versions of software (2x Hardware + 1x Software) (c) When data is transmitted around a network it is possible that the data becomes corrupted. Explain how check sums can be used to detect such transmission errors.
[3]
[4]
[4]
[3]
[3]
[4]
[4] [3]
[3]
[4]
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-Bytes are added together before transmission... -ignoring overflow -Result is check sum sent with data block -Same calculation carried out on receipt -Result compared with transmitted value, if different then error (1 per -, max 4) [4] May/June 2011. P11 8 (a) State two differences between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). [2] LAN over short distances/buildings/site // WAN geographically remote LAN uses own communication medium/WAN uses third party LAN more secure/WAN more open to attack (1 per , max 2) (b)
[2]
State what is meant by each of the following types of data transmission. Give an advantage of each. (i) Serial Advantage Individual bits sent one after another/along single wire can be used over long distances Less chance of corruption/less chance of bits having order changed [2] (ii) Parallel Advantage a byte is sent simultaneously / at the same time along 8 wires Much faster transmission rate (c) The following bytes were received during a data transmission. 01101101 10101010 10111101 10110001 Parity is being used as an error check. State which one of the bytes has been corrupted. Explain why you chose the one that you did. Corrupted byte Reason 01101101/First byte The other three all have an even number of ones/even parity This byte has an odd number of ones Second and third marks depend on first mark [4] [2]
[3]
[3]
May/June 2011. P12 8 (a) State two differences between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). [2] LAN over short distances/buildings/site // WAN geographically remote LAN uses own communication medium/WAN uses third party LAN more secure/WAN more open to attack (1 per , max 2)
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[2]
State what is meant by each of the following types of data transmission. Give an advantage of each. (i) Serial Advantage Individual bits sent one after another/along single wire can be used over long distances Less chance of corruption/less chance of bits having order changed [2] (ii) Parallel Advantage a byte is sent simultaneously / at the same time along 8 wires Much faster transmission rate (c) The following bytes were received during a data transmission. 01101101 10101010 10111101 10110001 Parity is being used as an error check. State which one of the bytes has been corrupted. Explain why you chose the one that you did. Corrupted byte Reason [4] [2]
(b)
[3]
01101101/First byte The other three all have an even number of ones/even parity This byte has an odd number of ones [3] Second and third marks depend on first mark May/June 2011. P13 8. (a) State two differences between a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN). [2] LAN over short distances/buildings/site // WAN geographically remote LAN uses own communication medium/WAN uses third party LAN more secure/WAN more open to attack (1 per , max 2) (b) (i)
[2]
State what is meant by data being transmitted serially using a simplex mode of data transmission. [2] [2]
Individual bits sent one after another/along single wire In one direction only (ii)
State what is meant by data being transmitted in parallel using a half duplex mode of data transmission. [2] [2]
Groups of bits sent together/along multiple wires in both directions, but only one at a time (c) The following bytes were sent during a data transmission. 01101100 10101010 10110001 Explain how a check sum can be used to check whether or not the bytes have been corrupted during transmission.
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[3]
The bytes are sent as a block The bytes are added up before transmission (ignoring the carry out of the byte) The result is sent with the data and compared with the result of the same calculation carried out after transmission (1 per , max 3)
[3]
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Chapter 1.6
Systems Development Life Cycle.
A systems analysis team or analyst is often brought in to improve on an existing system. Frequently this involves moving from a paper-based filing system to one which is computerized. The following revision notes describe some of the key stages in a systems analysis study as Computing 9691 syllabus suggests it.
1.6 (a)
Importance of defining a computer problem.
The definition of the problem is the most important part of the analysis because if it is not done correctly the wrong problem may be solved. It is also important from the outset to ensure that when a computer system is being designed all those that are involved are agreed about the aims of the system. There will normally be a person, or a company or organisation that decides that a task would benefit from computerisation. This belief normally arises because there is a problem which cannot be solved by previously used methods or similar problems seem to have been solved by computerisation elsewhere. Unfortunately, the owner of the problem probably understands the problem itself quite well, but does not understand the consequences of using computers to try to solve the problem, or, indeed, whether such a solution is even possible. For this reason it is necessary for the organisation to employ a specialist who does understand computers and computerised solutions to problems. This is the systems analyst. Unfortunately, it is probable that the systems analyst is not expert in the area of the problem. The system analysts job is to solve the problem by planning and overseeing the introduction of computer technologies. The owner of the problem will be happy if the analyst can introduce a computer solution. The problem arises when the analyst, who doesnt know very much about the business, solves the problem that they think needs solving, while the owner of the problem expects a very different problem to be solved. It seems obvious that if someone is doing something for someone else that they should make sure that they know what is required. If you are asked to answer questions 1 to 5 and you do 6 to 10 instead there is an obvious breakdown in communication, but this is what can happen if you only listen to the instruction, Do the 5 questions. The method most often used to overcome this problem is for there to be discussions between all the interested parties, and then for a list of objectives to be written up. This list of objectives, if they are all solved, will be the solution to the problem. The different people involved then agree to the list of the objectives and the success or otherwise of the project depends on the completion of those objectives.
1.6 (b)
Function & purpose of a feasibility study.

Gist: This involves writing a report to convince management of the merits of adopting the proposed new system. Some aspects of the study include: Terms of reference: o objectives o boundaries o constraints Description of the existing system (including any problems and the projected costs) Criteria (essential requirements and desirable features of the proposed system) Solution (including development plan and cost/benefit analysis) If the feasibility study is accepted then the systems analyst moves to the next stage which is a full analysis of the system.
When the organization and the systems analyst have agreed the definition of the problem, a decision must be made about the value of continuing to develop the computerised solution. The organisation may be convinced that there is a problem to be solved, and that its solution will be worth the effort and the expense. However, the systems analyst is being paid to look at the problem, and its solution, from another point of view. The analyst is an expert in computer systems and what is possible with computer systems. This analyst must consider the problem from the point of view of the computerised part of the solution and make a report to the organisation saying whether the solution is possible and sensible. This report is called the feasibility study because it says whether the solution is feasible. The feasibility study will consider the problem, and the proposed solution, from a number of points of view. Is the solution technically possible? A car firm may decide that if robots are used on the production line to assemble the different parts of engines then quality of work may improve. However, if it is not possible to manufacture a robot arm of the correct dimensions to fit into the small areas under a car bonnet, it doesnt matter how big an improvement there would be in the quality of the finished product, it would simply not be feasible. Is the solution economic to produce? Perhaps the robots exist that can be programmed to assemble this engine and the benefits will be worthwhile. However, if the cost of the robots and the program to control them is so great that it puts the car manufacturer out of business, the introduction of the robots is not feasible.
Is the solution economic to run? It has been decided that there are tremendous benefits in producing a robot production line and the robots are very cheap to buy, but they have so many electric motors, and they are so slow at assembling the engines that it is cheaper to employ people to do the job. What is the effect on the human beings involved? If the car plant is the only major employer in the region, and the introduction of robots will put much of the workforce out of work, then the employer may decide that the human cost is too great, certainly the Government would. Is the workforce skilled enough? It will be necessary to employ highly skilled technicians to look after the robots. If there are no workers with the necessary skills then the computerisation is not feasible. What effect will there be on the customer? If the customer is likely to be impressed with the introduction of the new systems then it may be worth the expense, however, if the customer will notice no difference, what is the point? Will the introduction of the new systems be economically beneficial? Put bluntly, will the introduction of robots increase the profits made by the firm? Whether the proposed system conflicts with legal requirements, e.g. a data processing system must comply with the local Data Protection Acts.
If the feasibility study shows a positive result which is accepted by the company, the next stage will be for the analyst to collect as much information about the process as possible.
1.6 (c) Information requirements of a system and different methods of fact finding.
When a computer system is being designed it is necessary to ensure that the analyst finds out as much as possible about the requirements of the system. We have already mentioned the importance of defining the problem but further difficulties can arise. Imagine an organisation that commissions an analyst to design a new payroll program. The analyst and the boss of the organisation agree that the software needs to be able to communicate with the relevant banks, and to deduct tax at source and other important details. The analyst designs the solution and the software is written. It is the best payroll program ever produced and is installed into the computer system ready to do the first monthly payroll. Unfortunately, many of the workforce are employed on a weekly basis. A simple question to one of those paid in this way would have highlighted this for the analyst and meant that the costly mistake was avoided. When a systems requirements are being studied there is no room for errors caused by lack of information. After feasibility study has been accepted, the analyst now needs to collect as much information as possible. Obvious methods of collecting information are to ask different types of people. It may not be feasible to ask everyone in the organisation for their views, but a representative sample of workers, management, customers should be given the chance to supply information. After all, the part time worker on the production line probably knows more about the business than the analyst. There are few following accepted methods of finding out peoples views: By interview: Interviews are particularly important because they allow the interviewee to talk at length and also to leave a prepared script. However, they are very time consuming and consequently restricting in the number of people whose views can be sought. Advantages opportunity to motivate the interviewee to give open and free answers to the analysts questions allows the analyst to probe for more feedback from the interviewee (easier to extend a topic than it is when using questionnaires) can ask modified questions or questions specific to the interviewee based on previous responses Disadvantages can be a very time consuming exercise can be expensive to carry out unable to remain anonymous
By using questionnaires: Questionnaires make it possible to find out the views of a large number of people very quickly, but because the questions are pre-determined the person who is supplying the answers may find difficulty in putting their point of view across. Advantages questions can be answered quickly an inexpensive way of gathering data from a large number of people allows individuals to remain anonymous it is quick to analyze data Disadvantages number of people returning questionnaires is often quite low questions asked tend to be rather inflexible no immediate way to clarify a vague/incomplete answer to a question it is difficult to prepare a good questionnaire By holding a group meeting: This allows a number of people to discuss points and make their views known and yet cuts down on the amount of time spent in interviews getting the same answers over and over again. The problem with meetings is that one or two people tend to dominate, not allowing all the members of the group to give their opinions. By observing the current system: Often the views of the people connected with the problem are clouded by years of familiarity, so it is important for the analyst to also gain first hand knowledge of any existing systems. One way to do this is to observe the current system in action. Care must be taken to take into account the fact that if the workers know that they are being observed it is unlikely that they will behave in their normal manner. This is the same effect as a television camera has on otherwise fairly sensible individuals. Advantages the analyst obtains reliable data it is possible to see exactly what is being done this is an inexpensive method compared to other techniques Disadvantages people are generally uncomfortable being watched and may work in a different way what they are watching may not be representative of a typical days work if workers perform tasks that violate standard procedures, they may not do this when being watched!! . By collecting printed documentation and study it in order to find out what data is required by the system and in what form information is output. This allows the analyst to see how paper files are kept, look at operating instructions and training manuals check accounts, etc. This will give the analyst some idea of the scale of the problem, memory size requirements, type of input/output devices needed, and so on. They will often gain information not obtained by any of the other methods described above. However, it can be a very time consuming exercise.
Advantages Analyst can get an idea of the volume of data being stored and processed Analyst can see what output is required Analyst can see how data is currently validated Disadvantage Can be time consuming if there is a large volume of files to go through
1.6 (d)
Requirements specifications
The planning of any system design must start by deciding what the requirements are of the system. A system may need to store data for future reference or processing. However, simply being aware that the system may need to store data is not enough. Decisions need to be made about the types of data to be held as this will dictate the form that the data will be stored in and the amount of storage space required for each set of information. Calculations as to the number of sets of data that are going to be held have to be made because the volume of storage will make some storage devices more sensible than others. Also, the volume of storage can affect the structures that will be used to store the data. Decisions need to be made about the relative importance of the different ways of accessing the data. Is it going to be necessary to access individual items of data or will all the data be accessed at the same time? Will the data be changed regularly or is it fairly static?
When decisions are made as to the direction that a particular system is going to take, it is normal to produce a list of tasks that need to be carried out to complete the system. These tasks should be in a specific order. It would not make sense to consider inputting data into the system before designing the data structure into which the data is to be put. This list is called a priority list and it forms the basis of the system design. Each of the tasks that are in the list should then be considered separately to decide the important points about each one. An example would be that the file of information on stock being held in a business must allow for 1000 items (immediately putting a lower limit on the size of appropriate storage) for direct searching for information on a single item (means that some storage media are not suitable, and that some data structures cannot be used) another file, of manufacturers, to be accessed from each record in the stock file to facilitate reordering (forces one field to act as a link between the two files). Plenty of other facts must be considered and decisions made, but a set of constraints has already been placed on the design. This is known as the design specification and it should be agreed between the analyst and the organization before the design is implemented. Often, the inputs and outputs to a system and the storage and processing that goes on in the system is such that, in order to understand it, the system needs to be divided up into a number of interconnected sections, or modules, each one being simple enough to be handled as an entity.
Technical requirements: A quick look at any advert for computer hardware will make it obvious that different computer systems have different technical specifications. One system will have a 700 Megahertz processor while another will have a 1.5 Gigahertz processor. One will have 256 Megabytes of Ram while another will have 64 Megabytes. Is one of these systems preferable to the other, and if so, which one? Two questions arise. 1. What differences do the different specifications make? 2. What importance does it have for us when we are studying for an A level? To answer the second question first, None. This answer is a little bold, but strictly true. An examination paper cannot ask for the specification for a PC because everyone will have their own idea what specification will be appropriate and, anyway, the answer that the examiner has put on the mark scheme will be out of date by the time the examination is marked. Strictly, there is no right answer to such a question. So the requirements of the syllabus come down to the first question What specifications are important to allow the system to perform the operations expected of it? The speed of the processor is simply a measurement of the number of operations that are possible every second. This is being typed, using Word word processing software, on a computer with a 1.33 Megahertz processor. If I had a 1.33 Gigahertz processor (1000 times faster) it would make no difference, I still cant type any faster. So the speed of the processor is largely irrelevant to this particular task. My neighbour uses her computer in order to edit video material as part of a service that she offers to local industries. My computer would simply not be able to process the data quickly enough to produce satisfactory images without considerable jerking of the picture, in her case she needs the faster processor. A student uses their computer to produce essays for their English course, whilst another produces high quality colour pictures for an Art course. The first student is storing relatively small text files while the other student is needing to store large quantities of data, my neighbours digitised video is going to need all of the 70 Gigabyte hard drive that she has bought. The English student will need to have a CDROM drive in order to load software to use. The Art student decides that the images are too valuable to lose and opts for a DVD drive to act as a backup storage to the hard drive. My neighbour has clients who want large numbers of copies of the videos that she produces on CDs to send to clients so she has invested in a CD writer, a fast one so that it takes less time to produce each copy. The English student has invested in an ink jet printer with a separate black cartridge because most of the work will be in black and white. The artist has a simple one cartridge printer because black will not be needed very often. From these examples, hopefully, students can understand that the important thing is the need to satisfy the needs of the application rather than the need for the student to
memorise large quantities of data about system specifications which would be out of date very quickly anyway. Appropriate Response Times: The point being made is that different applications require different things from the computer system. A classic example is the file of goods that needs to be accessed directly if it is to be used at the point of sale terminal, and sequentially if the details are to be used for ordering of replacements. The solution is to store the file in an indexed sequential format. At the point of sale the item required is identified by a laser scanner whereas at the head office the item name will likely be typed in at a keyboard. If a single item needs to be found then a program can be written to find the details directly from the key field by using a hashing algorithm, alternatively the items can be held sequentially in an index and a program can be written to find the particular item by using a binary search of the index. Dependent upon the method of search the data needs to be stored differently. All of these points are determined by the requirements of the application. Students will be expected to be able to determine sensible types of hardware and software for particular applications dependent upon their characteristics.
1.6 (e)
Data structures, Input/Output, Processing
Input Design: All systems require input. The way that the data is input to the system depends on a number of factors. The data that is required. Is it graphical/textual/physical in nature? Is the data already in existence or does it need to be collected first? The hardware that is available. Is the data to be entered via a keyboard by an operator, or is there an automatic way to enter the data? The experience of the operator. The design of the user interface.
This section relates back to section 1.2.d which covered the different forms of software interface. The main task in input design is to design the interface with the outside world so that data can be passed to the system, both software and hardware. Output Design: The results that are produced by the system must be presented in a way that is appropriate for the application. If the system is designed to produce bank statements for customers, then it would not be sensible to have an audio output. Similarly, a burglar alarm system would not serve the purpose for which it had been designed if the output is a message on a computer screen saying that someone has broken in as there is probably no-one in the house to read it, which is why the alarm was needed in the first place. The decision about the type of output will depend greatly upon the same factors as the input, namely, the hardware available, the form that the output needs to be in, the experience of the operator, indeed, whether there will be an operator present. Equally important to giving enough information, is the danger of providing too much. In order for users to be able to understand the information presented various tricks can be used as follows. Information can be arranged on a monitor screen by always putting the same sort of information in the same place. The operator will then quickly become accustomed to the relative importance of different areas of the screen. Information can be colour coded. Important information may appear in red while that which is less important is in black. Notice that this implies some form of decision making on the part of the processor to determine what is important in the first place. It is also necessary to be very careful about choice of colours. People who are colour blind commonly find difficulty distinguishing between red and green, so choosing these colours to stand for information that is dangerously near a limit or at a safe level, could be disastrously wrong. Similarly, colour combinations have to be chosen carefully. Blue writing on a black background is almost impossible to see, as is yellow writing in some lighting conditions.
Video reversal can be used to highlight a particular piece of information effectively. This is when the normal writing on the screen is black on a white background, but the piece that needs to stand out is shown as white on a black background. Very important pieces of information may be shown as a dialogue box obscuring the rest of the screen until it is dealt with. A printer may be reserved for special messages so that a hard copy of the information is preserved. Again, the fact that the information appears on that printer means that it has a particular importance. Information can be made to flash, or can be printed in a different size, anything that makes the operators eye go to that part of the screen.
Data structure design: The data used in a computer solution will need to be stored somewhere. The storage is not that important. What is important is getting it back again when it is needed. In section 1.3, the data structures array, queue, stack, linked list, and were described. When the solution is designed it is necessary to decide how access to the data will be handled and to choose an appropriate data structure. Questions on this part of the syllabus will tend to ask for the sort of choices that need to be made rather than any complex analysis of fitting a data structure to a given situation.
Many of the decisions can be illustrated by the use of diagrams. Data flow diagram: These are diagrams that are used to describe systems. Boxes are used to stand for input, processes, storage, and output. Arrows show the direction of communication around the system, and communications outside the system. As the name implies, these diagrams are used to show the directions of flow of data from one part of a system to another. Data flow diagrams can have complex shapes for the boxes that are used, but the important thing is not the shapes of the boxes, rather the logical train of thought that has been used to produce the diagram. Rectangular boxes, though not always used, are perfectly acceptable for all elements in a data flow diagram. Such diagrams are intended to show how the processes and the data interrelate, not the details of any of the programming logic. Students are expected to be able to follow the logic in a data flow diagram and, indeed, produce their own when it comes to completing project work, but not under examination conditions because the drawing of such a diagram would take too much of the time allowed for the exam. Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) are important. DFDs provide a graphic representation of information flowing through a system. The system may be manual, computerized or a mixture of both. The advantages of using DFDs are that it is a simple technique; is easy to understand by users, analysts and programmers; gives an overview of the system; is a good design aid; can act as a checking device; clearly specifies communications in a system; ensures quality.
DFDs use only four symbols. These are shown in Fig. 1.6 (e)1.
Entity
Outside environment (e.g. Customer)
e.g.
Accounts Dept
Process
Produce Invoices
Data Flow
e.g.
Order
D1 Data Store
e.g.
D1 Customer Orders
Fig. 1.6 (e)1 All names used should be meaningful to the users, whether they are computer literate or not.
The steps to be taken when developing DFDs are given in Table 1.6 (e)2. Step 1. Identify dataflows. 2. Identify the external entities. 3. Identify functional areas. 4. Identify data paths. 5. Agree the system boundary. 6. Identify the processes. 7. Identify data stores. 8. Identify interactions. 9. Validate the DFD. Notes e.g. documents, VDU screens, phone messages. e.g. Customer, Supplier e.g. Departments, individuals. Identify the paths taken by the dataflows identified in step 1. What is inside the system and what is not. e.g. Production of invoices, delivery notes, payroll production. Determine which data are to be stored and where. Identify the interaction between the data stores and the processes. Check that meaningful names have been used. Check that all processes have data flows entering and leaving. Check with the user that the diagram represents what is happening now or what is required.
10. Fill in the details. Table 1.6 (e)2 Fig. 1.6 (e)3 shows the different levels that can be used in DFDs.
0 Payroll System
Level 1 (Top Level)
1 Get hours worked
2 Calculate wages
3 Produce wage slips
Level 2 (Lower Level) Level 3 (Not always needed)
2.1 Validate Data
2.2 Calculate gross wage
2.3 Calculate deductions
2.4 Calculate net wage
Fig. 1.6 (e)3
Now consider the following scenario. A hotel reception receives large number enquiries each day about the availability of accommodation. Most of these are by telephone. It also receives confirmation of bookings. These are entered onto a computer database. While a guest is resident in the hotel, any expenses incurred by the guest are entered into the database by the appropriate personnel. If guests purchase items from the bar or restaurant, they have to sign a bill which is passed to a receptionist who enters the details into the database. When guests leave the hotel they are given an invoice detailing all expenditure. When they pay, the database is updated and a receipt is issued. The flow of data in this system is shown in Fig. 1.6 (e)4.
Customer
Enquiry Drinks Bill Reply Confirmation of booking Final Bill Payment Receipt Customer Details D1 Customer Details Customer Details Food Bill 1 Food Order Restaurant Drinks Bill D2 Customer Accounts 1 Reception Drinks Order 1 Bar
Process bookings and accounts
Customer
Customer's expenditure
Customer
Food Bill
Fig. 1.6 (e)4
The symbol for Customer, an external entity, has a diagonal line to indicate that it occurs more than once. This does not mean that these symbols represent different customers. It is simply used to make the diagram clearer. Without this, there would be too many flow lines between this symbol and the internal processes. Data stores may also be duplicated. This is done by having a double vertical line on the left hand side as shown in Fig. 1.6 (e)5.
M1
Customer data Fig. 1.6 (e)5
Notice this data store is numbered M1 whereas those in Fig. 1.6 (e)4 were numbered D1 and D2. In data stores, M indicates a manual store and D indicates a computer based data store. Also, there can be no data flows between an external entity and a data store. The flow of data from, or to, an external entity must be between the external entity and a process. As humans are more inclined towards understanding diagrams and pictures rather than words, pseudo codes tends to become tedious to understand if too lengthy.
System flowcharts, because they are represented graphically, makes understanding easier. System flowcharts: A flowchart is a graph consisting of geometrical shapes that are connected by flow lines. It is another technique used in designing and representing algorithms, alternative to pseudocoing. A pseudocode description is verbal; a flowchart is graphical in nature. System flowcharts are used to show how all the components in a system link together (e.g. input, storage, output, processing, etc.). They are very different to normal flowcharts since they dont go into detail of how something is actually done they are a general overview. The Table 1.6 (e)6 below shows the most common system flowchart symbols.
Table 1.6 (e)6
A simple example of a systems flowchart is shown below:
Figure 1.6 (e)7
1.6 (f) Importance of system evaluation against initial specifications

Any system must match certain criteria if it is to be considered successful. These criteria are decided before the system is created. They are used to decide how well the system works. In other words, does it do what it is meant to? This question can only be answered if it is known what the system was meant to do in the first place. Evaluation is a critical examination of a system after it has been in operation for a period of time. Purpose: The purpose of an evaluation is to assess the success of a system. Specifically, it will assess the suitability, effectiveness, usability and maintainability of the system. The evaluation will ask many questions including: can it carry out the all the requirements that were set? is it an improvement on the existing system? is it cost effective? is it easy to use? is the new system compatible with the existing systems? is the system easy to maintain? The evaluation will also consider: what limitations there are in the system; what enhancements could be made to the system in the future. Note that feedback from the end-users should also be included. Timing: The evaluation will occur after a new system has been in operation for some time usually a period of between three and six months. The waiting period allows users and technical staff to learn how to use the system, get used to new ways of working and understand new procedures required. It allows management a chance to evaluate the usefulness of the reports and on-line queries that they can make and go through several month-end periods when various routine reports will have been produced. Shortcomings of the system, if they exist, will be becoming apparent at all levels of the organization.
1.6 (g) The content and importance of documentation in the system life cycle.
The documentation of a system consists of all the text and graphics that explain how the system was produced, how it should be used, and how it can be maintained. Documentation is created at different stages in the life of a system and for different people to use. Indeed, much of the project work that is done in module 4 consists of producing the documentation for a problem solution. Requirements specification: This is a list of the requirements of the customer for whom the system is being designed. It consists, largely, of the criteria that will be used for the evaluation of the finished system that were discussed in section 1.6.d. It is usual for the system analyst and the customer to sign the list of requirements so that there is no confusion when the work is finished. Design specification: Taking the requirements specification and working out the stages necessary to produce the required end product is known as the design specification. This will include the different stages, often shown in diagrammatic form as mentioned earlier in this chapter, and also the criteria for each stage of the solution. For example, one part of a solution may be the production of a file of data. The ways that this file of data relates to the other parts of the system, and the specification of the file (what is the key field? How many records will there be? What type of medium should it be stored on?) make up the design specification. Program specifications: These will include detailed algorithms showing the method of solution for some of the parts of the problem. These algorithms may well be in the form of flow diagrams or pseudo code. The language to be used, the data structures necessary, and details of any library routines to be used will also be in the program specification. Technical documentation: The technical documentation will include the program specifications, the coded program itself, details of hardware configurations. Generally, anything that will aid a technician in maintaining or updating a system. Indeed, technical documentation is otherwise known as maintenance documentation. This type of documentation is not intended to be accessible to the user of the system, who does not need any of these details to be able to use the system correctly. Note that technical/system documentation is very valuable for the maintenance process. This is because it will show how each part of a system has been constructed and the reasons why certain choices have been made. The technical documentation should include: Annotated program listing if the system is coded. Data flow diagram System flow diagram
Structure charts/pseudo code/algorithm designs Test plan Data dictionary i.e. the field definitions (including data-type, field length, validation) Entity relationship diagrams
User documentation: This is the documentation for the person who will actually be using the system, i.e. end user. It contains those details that are needed to make the system operate as it should. Items normally included in the user documentation will be: overview of the system how to install the system onto specific hardware instructions on how to operate the program examples of output screens examples of valid input methods of input of data instructions on how to backup the data error messages and what to do when they appear glossary of terms used within the documentation Some user documentation is part of the software and can be called up onto the screen when it is needed. This type of documentation is called on-screen help. As well as a contents page and index.
1.6 (h)
Testing and installation planning
Any system needs to be tested to ensure that it works. This seems to be a fairly obvious statement, but in reality such testing is impossible in all but the simplest of systems because it simply is not possible to test every conceivable input to or logical construction in, the system. This difficulty means that testing that is to be done must be carefully planned and that it should relate directly to the criteria referred to earlier in this section. Specific types of testing will be covered in P2. When the system has been completed it has to be installed or implemented so that it is performing the tasks for which it was designed. Initially, this involves: ensuring that the correct hardware is available arranging for staff to be trained in the use of the new system inputting the data to the data files, either manually or by downloading them from the original system. The system handover (installation method), itself can be done in a number of ways: Parallel running. Until the system can be considered fault free, the old and new systems are run side by side, both doing the same processing. This allows results to be compared to ensure that there is no problem with the new system. Such a system is safe and also allows staff training to be carried out, but it is obviously very expensive because of the need to do everything twice. Parallel running is used in situations where the data is so valuable that there must be no possibility of failure. Pilot running. Key parts of the new system are run alongside the old system until it is considered that they have been fully tested. This is a compromise with the idea of parallel running, but it does not give a clear idea of the effects on the system of the large amounts of data that are going to be encountered in the full application. Big bang, or direct change. The old system is removed and the new system replaces it completely and immediately. Phasing. Parts of a system are replaced while the remaining parts are covered by the old system. This allows for some testing of the new system to be done, and for staff training to take place, but also allows for a back-up position if the new version does not work as anticipated. This topic is not fully expounded upon here, the candidate simply needing to understand that there are different methods of installation and be able to outline some of the methods along the lines shown here. The attention of students is especially directed to the notes on module 4, the project, for references to how to implement a system.
1.6 (i)
Reasons for maintaining the system
Systems may be designed for a well defined purpose and may realise that purpose, hence they would be considered successful. However, the original reasons for a particular system to be created may change, the hardware may alter, and the law governing a system may change. For many reasons the original system may no longer be satisfactory. One solution would be to produce a totally new system; another would be to adapt the present one so that it can be used in the new circumstances. This situation is reviewing the system and is the main reason for technical documentation. While the system is running it will need attention because of faults being discovered, this again needs a technician with a set of maintenance documentation. The need for managing, monitoring and maintenance of systems is to do with systems analysis and the system life cycle. Not only should one be aware of the need for documentation, but it should be up to date. In a subject like Computing, where things are changing so very quickly, it is not reasonable to suggest that a thing has been done once and that it therefore does not have to be considered again. Software and hardware change on such a regular basis that, even if we are happy with our system, the outside world is going to affect us and force change. There are very few systems that are totally selfcontained and when another system is updated our original system may no longer be compatible. This process of change should not be a static one. A firm should not sit back and wait for a change to be forced upon it, rather there should be a continual process when managing a system, of measuring the system that is being used against what is currently available, a software (and hardware) audit. The outputs from systems should be studied to ensure that they are acceptable, this is quality control and the documentation must keep up with the rest of the system in order to provide the necessary information about the system to the various users. The need for maintenance: Maintenance is the process of making improvements to (or modifying) a system that is in use. Maintenance is needed because: Bugs are discovered in the software code these bugs will have been identified only after the system is in full use. They will be fixed and a patch will be issued that changes the appropriate lines of code within the end-users programs. The user requirements may change this often happens after a system has been in operation for some time and the users see further uses of the data that the system produces. In some cases, the additional requirements may have been identified during the original development, but they were not implemented because the systems lifecycle approach to projects does not allow a change in requirements once they have been agreed (such a change would extend development time and cause a project to miss its deadline). Some in-built parameters change e.g. VAT rate;
Hardware is changed the system will be updated to take advantage of new hardware developments. This could be a new input device, output device or even communications device. The performance needs tuning often some of the original code, although working without error, uses some quite cumbersome routines that are slow to execute. System performance can often be improved by finding more efficient algorithms for such routines. Operating system is upgraded the system will be modified to take advantage of the additional capabilities of the operating system.
Types of maintenance: There are three types of maintenance: corrective maintenance; adaptive maintenance; perfective maintenance. Corrective maintenance: Corrective maintenance is the removal of some of the known bugs in a program. Software that has been released to the public will still contain bugs. Some of these bugs will be previously unknown to the developers while others will be known to exist, but solutions will not yet have been discovered. The software will be released with these known bugs because of the necessity to meet pre-set target dates and the need to gain some income from the software to continue to pay the developers. Eventually some of the bugs will be fixed and the solutions will need to be incorporated into the publics version of the programs. This type of maintenance is often done by releasing a patch which is a very small program that actually changes lines of code within the main program. These patches are available from Internet sites or from the CDROMs that are provided with computer magazines. Adaptive maintenance: Adaptive maintenance is the addition of new features to a program because of a change in users requirements. The new version of the program may contain an added (or modified) feature or it may contain a change in the interface. Adaptive maintenance could be needed because of: a change in the organisations/users requirements; a change in the law; a change in processes such as the method of tax calculation; to take account of new technologies.
Perfective maintenance: Perfective maintenance is when internal routines are changed to make them more efficient, so that the application operates faster. In the initial release of the software some of the processes, although error-free, may have used long and slow routines. Perfective maintenance will make improvements in the way that the software performs by tidying up some of the internal routines. Changes to the interface may also be made.
1.6
Example Questions
1) A computer system has been designed and produced for a person who works from home for a publisher of fiction books as a proof reader of manuscripts. Another system is designed for a graphic designer who sends work to clients electronically. Describe how the hardware specifications for the two systems would differ. 2) Describe how the forms of implementation: (i) Parallel running (ii) Phased (iii) Direct are carried out. In each case describe one aspect of an application which would make that form of implementation appropriate in that case. 3) Discuss the need for project management when a major project is being implemented. 4) a) A systems analyst was brought in to computerise a paper-based car sales system. What methods could be used to gather data about the existing system? Give reasons for your choice. (b) What would need to be done before the new computerised system became live? (c) Why would PILOT and PARALLEL change over methods be suitable in this application? 5) A program is written to input daily temperatures. Name three types of test data that could be used. Give examples of each type of test data which could be used and discuss the outputs you would expect to get. 6) Name five tasks that would be carried out at the DESIGN stage in systems analysis. 7) Name four methods used to change over from a manual system to a new computerised system. Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of these four methods. 8) Describe how the effectiveness of a new computer system can be assessed. 9) What tools exist to help the analyst draw up an action plan and ensure that the project is completed on time and to budget? 10) What information would a systems analyst need to gather to decide on what hardware is required for a new computerised system? 11) What five items need to be included in the USER GUIDE and in the TECHNICAL GUIDE of a newly developed computerised system? 12) Choose six symbols used in systems flow charts and explain what each symbol means.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 7. State four factors that should be considered as part of a feasibility study, explaining the [8] importance of each.
Oct/NOV 2002 11. State two types of diagram useful in the analysis stage of the system life cycle, explaining how each is used.
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A small building firm keeps records, on a computer system, of customers and jobs carried out. Customers sometimes contact the firm to ask for a quote for a standard piece of work, to ask for new work to be done, or to pay for work already carried out. 15. When the computer system was produced, the systems analyst supplied user documentation and technical documentation. (a) State what is meant by (i) (ii) (b) user documentation, technical documentation. [2]
State two items of documentation which would be included in (i) (ii) user documentation, technical documentation. [4]
May/June 2003 A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process. 8. Explain why the college authorities and the analyst need to work together to define the problem accurately. - College authorities are the experts in the problem - SA is the expert with computers - The two need to pool resources to come up with a clear definition - Agree the outcomes so that when the system is implemented there are a set of criteria to judge it by (1 per -, max 4) [4]
(4)
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A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process. 9. The college decides to extend the system to include a web site for marketing purposes. The (a) Explain what information the analyst must collect before designing the site. [4] analyst is asked to design the site.
- Corporate colour scheme - Languages to be used - What information should be on - Should the site be two way/students allowed to enroll - Size of the site - What links should there be? (1 per -, max 4) Oct/NOV 2003
(4)
The administration of the chemical plant is computerised, including the storage of personnel records, the processing of the payroll and the communications with clients and suppliers. The present system is old, having been introduced when the plant was built. It is to be replaced by a new computer system. 10. Describe three different methods of implementing the new system. [9]
- Direct or big bang - Old system is turned off and new system is brought on line - If it does not work then admin must shut down - Training/Files must all be in place - Dual running or parallel running - Both systems run simultaneously - until sure that the new system works/Finds bugs in new system - very expensive/time consuming - Allows training to be carried out while it is working - Phasing/Pilot running - Some sections are introduced while others run old system - not changed over until running properly - allows training to be carried out - Key parts of new system run alongside old system - until fully tested - Problem because full data not tested as in dual running - Allows return to original system if new system does not work (Note: Allow pilot and phased introductions if it is clear that they are clearly understood) (1 per -, max 3 per method, max 9)
(9)
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The administration of the chemical plant is computerised, including the storage of personnel records, the processing of the payroll and the communications with clients and suppliers. The present system is old, having been introduced when the plant was built. It is to be replaced by a new computer system. Feasibility Study: 12. Discuss how the jobs of the workers in the administration section will be affected by the introduction of the new system. - Workers will need to do extra work for changeover - e.g. preparing new data files - Workers will need training in new systems - New skills will be learned which will mean - workers are better qualified (paid) - some workers may (not be able to learn new systems) lose jobs. - disruption to routine during changeover - jobs will become less paper based - adverse effects of things like RSI/sitting at desk all day (1 per -, max 4) May/June 2004 A manufacturing company uses computer systems to store details of customers, suppliers and employees. The employee file contains details of all employees including their name, address, rate of pay, tax rate and other details. The company decides to investigate the use of computer systems to automate the production line. 8. A systems analyst is hired to carry out a feasibility study. Describe four areas that the systems analyst should report about in the feasibility study. [8] - Is the solution technically possible? - If the equipment does not exist to carry out the task then it does not matter how good it would be, it cannot happen/similar for software - Is the solution economic to produce? - If the cost of automation is so great that the firm could not recoup the cost then it is not feasible - Is the solution economic to run? - If the running costs are higher than at present then there is little point in changing - Effect on workforce - If the human cost (mass redundancy) is so great there are serious social implications that are not acceptable - Is the workforce skilled enough? - If there are no skilled people to operate the machines it cannot work - Will the customer notice a difference? - Price/quality/reliability, if no then why bother? - Is the introduction going to be beneficial to the company
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[4]
(4)
- Will profits increase? - Legal - DPA covered, etc. - How long will it take? - If it takes too long the factory may have to shut (2 per pair, max 8) Oct/NOV 2004 6. A garage uses a diagnostic knowledge based system when servicing cars. (b) Feasibility Study:
(8)
Explain how the introduction of the system might affect a mechanic who works at the garage. [2]
Need to be trained may not be able to learn new skills new skills make worker more qualified may earn more because skill level higher Loss of skills (because of reliance on system) (1 per point, max 2) A building firm has undergone rapid expansion in a short period of time. Computers are used to store customer records and details of stock. 7.
[2]
A systems analyst is employed to design a new system that will cope with the needs of the
expanding business. State three ways that the analyst can find out information about the requirements of the system. Give an advantage and a disadvantage of each method. Questionnaires: Adv: Large number of people can be asked quickly All employees perceive that they have had a say Dis: Restricted responses possible Some may have difficulty completing them Few replies Interviews: Adv: Comments can be at length Can leave a prepared script Dis: Lengthy Limits the number of views that can be sought Generalised answers Group discussions: Adv: Many people can air their views Cuts down the number of repeat views obtained in interviews Dis: Some people may hog the discussion Some peoples views may not be heard
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[9]
Observation of methods/collection of data used, forms used Adv: Shows present system not just views which may be clouded Dis: People tend not to act in the way they normally do Data and forms tend to be seen in isolation Collection of data used Adv: A clear indication of the data used and the collection methods Dis: Volume collected Data and forms tend to be seen in isolation (1 per method, 1 per adv, 1 per dis, max 3 methods, max 9) May/June 2005 A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. 11.
[9]
The company have employed a systems analyst to upgrade the record keeping in the office. The software has been produced and it is now ready to be installed. State three methods of implementing the new system, giving an advantage of each. [6]
-Parallel running -old system is available if new fails to function properly/staff training can be carried out -Phased introduction -Only one file is affected at a time -Big bang -only one system is running / no confusion for staff (1 per -, max 3 pairs, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2005 A manufacturing process in a company is manually controlled. The company employs a systems analyst to plan the introduction of a computerised control system. 7. The systems analyst will need to analyse the requirements of the new system. (a) What decisions will need to be made by the analyst about the data in the new system? [4] 1/0 of data Types of data form data stored in ASCII/JPEG/... amount/type of data storage required Data structures to be used Relative importance of different types of data Access methods Is data to be static or regularly altered (1 per , max 4) (b) Describe two restrictions which the analyst will need to consider.
[4] [4]
Cost/limit to the budget that can be used Site/is site dirty, small/noisy enough to effect decisions
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Workforce/Are they trained, is there a large pool to draw from Availability/do the hardware and software exist, can they be produced easily (2 per pair, max 4) [4] A manufacturing process in a company is manually controlled. The company employs a systems analyst to plan the introduction of a computerised control system. Feasibility Study: 8. Discuss the effects that a computerised system will have on the staff. [5]
Loss of jobs More jobs available in some areas tend to be technical jobs training required some, probably older, workers unable to retrain Training leads to extra qualifications... extra responsibilities... more highly paid jobs Less danger to human beings on production line. problems with computer use and health. Deskilling because of reliance on automated system (1 per , max 5) May/June 2006 9. (b) State two items that you would expect to find in the user guide for this system. -means of dealing with errors that may occur -how to look after the hardware -how to insert photos/take photos/insert shirts (1 per -, max 2)
[5]
[2]
[2]
Oct/NOV 2006 1. (a) When a new piece of software is being planned it is necessary for the analyst to collect information about the present system. State three ways of collecting information about the present system and give an advantage of each. [6] -Interview key personnel -allows questions to alter according to the answers given/confidential information -Questionnaires -allows a large number of people to give their views in a short period of time/maintains anonymity -Meetings -Partially combines the good points of interviews and questionnaires/allows discussion between people in meeting -Collect present documentation -shows what form the input and output is expected to take -Observe present system in action -can see first hand/unjaundiced view of what actually happens
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(1 per -, max 3 pairs, max 6) (b) It is important to maintain a system after it has been installed.
(6)
Give two reasons for system maintenance. -Corrective maintenance -to correct faults that are found after commissioning -to debug errors in the code -Adaptive maintenance -to institute necessary changes -because of changes in the way the organization works/tax changes/law changes -Perfective maintenance -to improve the performance of the system -despite the fact that it does all it needs to (1 per -, max 2 per type, max 4)
[4]
(4)
May/June 2007 3. A systems analyst is commissioned by a company to produce a computerised system in its offices. (a) Explain why it is important to define the problem accurately. [2]
Commissioner is the expert in the field of the problem while the analyst is the expert in what is possible with a computer. Need to ensure that both understand the scale of the solution planned otherwise a different problem may be solved. (1 per , max 2) (b) each. The analyst needs to collect information about the current system.
[2]
State two methods which the analyst can use to collect information and give an advantage of [4]
Interview/interviewee can think about responses/interviewer can alter questions Questionnaire/large number of peoples views can be included in short time Existing documentation/see all the necessary inputs and outputs required for the system/obtain ideas for the formatting. Observation/obtain an unvarnished view of what goes on in present solution. (1 per method, 1 for suitable advantage, max 2 methods, max 4) (c) State the importance to (i) the end user
[4]
Ensures that all users requirements have been met

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(ii)
the systems analyst [2] [2] [2]
of evaluating the system against the initial specification. Acts as a contract/makes sure analyst is paid. (d) Explain why systems development should be regarded as an iterative process.
Adjustments in one stage of process may affect inputs necessary to that stage Requirements may alter as design becomes apparent Final stage for any system is obsolescence, therefore new version needs to be produced. (1 per , max 2) Oct/NOV 2007 4. (a) Give four points that need to be considered when a systems analyst produces a feasibility study. - Is solution technically possible? - Is the solution economic to produce? - Is the solution economic to run? - What will be social implications of change? - Is the skill level in the available workforce high enough?/training requirements - What will be the effect on the customer? - Will the introduction increase the profits? - Time constraints (1 per -, max 4) (b)
[2]
[4]
[4]
Describe what is involved in the analysis stage of the systems development life cycle. [6]
- Information collection - Use of interview/questionnaire/document collection/observation/meetings - Analysis of information collected - Produces clear view of present system - Diagrams to show how present system works - Requirements specification - Wish list of requirements from user - Subjective list of requirements - Hardware and software requirements - Consideration of alternative solutions - Matching of alternative solutions to needs of requirements specification - Justify one solution against others. (1 per -, max 3 areas plus one expansion per area, max 6) May/June 2008
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[6]
A large store has a number of departments, each selling different types of goods. Each department has its own stand-alone computer system. Customers are allowed to open personal accounts so that they can buy things and pay with a single payment once a month. As a security measure, customers have to use a store card to buy something on their account. 10. The system was fully tested before being installed into the store. However, it requires continued maintenance. (a) Describe two different types of maintenance required. [4]
-Corrective/to correct errors in the system discovered during operation -Adaptive/to change the system according to changes in requirements -Perfective/to improve the operation of the system (Up to 2 per -, max 2-, max 4) (b) Explain why the system has a limited life span.
[4] [3]
-Hardware may begin to malfunction... -replacement hardware may have different characteristics -Improved hardware and software may become available/used by competitors... -which means that new system may become necessary to allow store to keep pace with competitors -System may no longer be compatible with other systems -External/legal requirements may alter (1 per -, max 3) Oct/NOV 2008 3.
[3]
A computer controlled machine on a production line is designed to produce components for cars. When the firm decides to change the car model, the machine must be reprogrammed. (c) State three things which would need to be considered for the implementation (installation) of the new software. [3]
- Creation of files necessary to run software/machine - System testing - Training of personnel - Decision on changeover strategy/direct changeover (1 per -, max 3) May/June 2009 A company specialises in creating websites for customers. 8. (b) It will be important to produce user documentation for new systems.
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[3]
By referring to the two different types of user of the new system, describe the documentation which will be produced. -Documentation for owner of site -will be paper based -will contain instructions for changing/maintaining site -Documentation for viewer/visitor to site -will be on-screen -giving detailed help on searches/use of facilities/communication with site owner Oct/NOV 2009. P11 The offices of a government department deal with local taxes in a city. 7. It is decided to develop a new set of software for dealing with the calculation of tax bills. A systems analyst is employed to develop the software. (a) Explain why care must be taken in defining the problem to be solved. [2] [4]
[4]
-Two sides to problem which must contribute to the problem definition -The owner of the problem and the system analyst -They must agree or -the result will be a solution to the wrong problem. (1 per -, max 2) (b) the problem, giving an advantage of each. -Interviews -allow a departure from a set script -Questionnaires -allow large participation in short space of time -Observation -can see faults in present process first hand -Documentation -see what people are used to and how to improve docs. -Meetings -allow large number of people to have their say in an unstructured environment. (1 per -, max 2 groups, max 4, advantages are examples) (c)
[2] [4]
State two methods that the systems analyst can use to find out more information about
[4]
Explain the importance of evaluating the system against the original specifications. [2]
-Success of system must be measured against the original objectives -otherwise system may be considered to be working despite not satisfying objectives -Payment based on number of objectives satisfied (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
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Oct/NOV 2009. P12 A large college has a cafeteria and an automated snack bar. Only staff and students of the college are allowed to purchase food and drink there. 6. (a) It is decided to employ a systems analyst to produce the new computer system. The analyst follows the system life cycle.
The system life cycle is shown in the diagram. Explain why the cycle is considered to be an iterative process. -Iteration means to repeat a series of steps -in a given sequence -The steps and the sequence are shown/it is not possible to depart from the sequence -The sequence can be entered at any point -Steps can be repeated as often as is necessary. (1 per -, max 3, accept answer formed around the stages on the diagram) (b) [3]
[3]
Describe how three parts of the feasibility study, carried out by the analyst, relate to the [6]
cafeteria and automated snack bar. -Is solution technically feasible? -e.g. Does the hardware exist to automatically identify a student? -Is the solution economic to produce? -e.g. Will the extra costs make the food more expensive? -Is the solution economic to run?/Will it cut costs in the cafeteria? -e.g. Will we need to employ more people, hence increasing costs?
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-What will the social implications be? -e.g. Will the new system cater for the disabled students? -Is the skill level among staff high enough? -e.g. Will the cafeteria staff have to do a training course? -Time constraints -e.g. The changeover must be finished by the end of a holiday (1 per -, max 3 pairs, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 8. (b) The company has a website where customers can find out about the products which it has on offer and also where orders can be made electronically. (ii) out on it. The website has only recently been brought into operation. [6] Name and describe three different types of maintenance which will need to be carried
-Corrective/when bugs or errors are found in the software which must be corrected -Perfective/to improve the software e.g. adding a search engine to the site. -Adaptive/to alter the software due to some external influences e.g. Tax rates might change which would require the price calculated to be altered. (2 per -, max 6) [6] May/June 2010. P12 A mail order company employs telephone operators to take orders by phone and to answer queries from customers about their accounts. Customer details and their orders are stored in the CUSTOMER file. This file can be accessed by the warehouse staff in order to supply the goods which have been ordered. 8. (b) The company has a website where customers can find out about the products which it has on offer and also where orders can be made electronically. (ii) out on it. -Corrective/when bugs or errors are found in the software which must be corrected -Perfective/to improve the software e.g. adding a search engine to the site. -Adaptive/to alter the software due to some external influences e.g. Tax rates might change which would require the price calculated to be altered. (2 per -, max 6) May/June 2010. P13
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The website has only recently been brought into operation. [6]
Name and describe three different types of maintenance which will need to be carried
[6]
Oct/NOV 2010. P11 A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 8. The analyst needs to collect information about the present system. (i) Observation [2] State one advantage and one disadvantage of each of the following methods of information collection.
Adv: See first hand the system operating/may spot problems actual users do not see Dis: People do not act naturally if they are being watched/only see a snapshot. (ii) Interviews
[2] [2] [2] [2]
Adv. Detail can be explored/direction of enquiries can be altered Dis. Very time consuming (iii) Document collection
Adv. Shows how data is collected/shows data that needs to be collected/shows information that needs to be output. Dis. Documentation often difficult for an outsider to understand/Privacy issues/ Relevance of files Oct/NOV 2010. P12 A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 8. The analyst needs to collect information about the present system. (i) Observation
[2]
State one advantage and one disadvantage of each of the following methods of information collection. [2]
Adv: See first hand the system operating/may spot problems actual users do not see Dis: People do not act naturally if they are being watched/only see a snapshot. (ii) Interviews
[2] [2] [2] [2]
Adv. Detail can be explored/direction of enquiries can be altered Dis. Very time consuming (iii) Document collection
Adv. Shows how data is collected/shows data that needs to be collected/shows information that needs to be output. Dis. Documentation often difficult for an outsider to understand/Privacy issues/
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Relevance of files
[2]
Oct/NOV 2010. P13 May/June 2011. P11 2. A systems analyst is employed to produce a new stock control system for a company. The manager of the company is not satisfied with the present system. (a) Explain the importance to both analyst and manager of defining the problem accurately. You should make clear the part played by each person. Manager must provide knowledge of... and requirements of business as... they are expert in how the business works. Analyst provides knowledge of what is possible... particularly within confines placed by manager/e.g. budget If not properly defined analyst will solve the wrong problem Managers requirements and analysts understanding must match (1 per , max 4) (b) (i) Explain how the evaluation of the new system will be carried out. [4]
[4]
Evaluation carried out by: Functional/black box testing Testing against the agreed objectives Testing against user requirements / specification Testing done by software house/alpha Testing done by users/beta (ii) Explain why the evaluation is important to both the analyst and the manager. [4] Important to analyst to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or will not be paid / ruin his reputation Important to manager to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or system may prove unsatisfactory in the future. (1 per , max 3 points per dotty, max 4)
[4]
May/June 2011. P12 2. A systems analyst is employed to produce a new stock control system for a company. The manager of the company is not satisfied with the present system. (a) Explain the importance to both analyst and manager of defining the problem accurately. You should make clear the part played by each person. Manager must provide knowledge of...
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[4]
and requirements of business as... they are expert in how the business works. Analyst provides knowledge of what is possible... particularly within confines placed by manager/e.g. budget If not properly defined analyst will solve the wrong problem Managers requirements and analysts understanding must match (1 per , max 4) (b) (i) Explain how the evaluation of the new system will be carried out.
[4]
Evaluation carried out by: Functional/black box testing Testing against the agreed objectives Testing against user requirements / specification Testing done by software house/alpha Testing done by users/beta (ii) Explain why the evaluation is important to both the analyst and the manager. [4] Important to analyst to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or will not be paid / ruin his reputation Important to manager to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or system may prove unsatisfactory in the future. (1 per , max 3 points per dotty, max 4)
[4]
May/June 2011. P13 2. A systems analyst is employed to produce a new stock control system for a company. The manager of the company is not satisfied with the present system. (a) Explain the importance of determining the information requirements of the new system in consultation with the manager of the company. Manager must provide knowledge of... and requirements of business as... they are expert in how the business works. Analyst provides knowledge of what is possible... particularly within confines placed by manager/e.g. budget If not properly defined analyst will solve the wrong problem Managers requirements and analysts understanding must match (1 per , max 4) (b)
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[4]
[4]
(i)
Explain why it is important to the analyst to have the new system tested.
Important to analyst to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or will not be paid/ruin his reputation (ii)
[2]
Explain why it is important to the manager to have the new system tested. [2]
Important to manager to ensure that there is evidence that all objectives have been met or system may prove unsatisfactory in the future.
[2]
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Chapter 1.7 Choosing Applications Software

1.7 (a) Custom Written and Off-the-Shelf Software.
When the analyst has analysed the problem and come to a conclusion about how it can be solved, a decision has to be made about the software that should be used. There are many pieces of software that have already been written and are immediately available to buy. This type of software is called off-the-shelf software because you can literally go into a computer shop and pick a copy off the shelf. Off-the-shelf package advantages The software has already been written and so is immediately available rather than having to wait, sometimes a considerable time, for it to be written. The software will be used by many people or organisations; therefore they share the development costs rather than one having to foot the whole bill. This implies that the software will be considerably cheaper. Copies of the software have been in use for some time and will have been in use by a variety of users. This means that any bugs in the software should have been found and rectified; consequently it can be expected to work. If it comes as part of a suite of software it can be relied upon to be compatible with other applications, allowing, for example, the import of data. Because the software will be in general use there are likely to be well established training courses for the staff to be sent on to learn about the software. Off-the-shelf disadvantages can be over-complex as it tries to cover as many aspects as possible (e.g. most users of Word only utilize about 10% of its features) the software is often a compromise since it is intended for many users all with different requirements may be very complex to learn because of the complexity caused through having unwanted features may not fit exactly into the company requirements causing a compromise in the way it has to be used within the organization if there are major concerns with a software problem it is unlikely that it will be fixed immediately (since it may cause problems with other users and/or cause software instability) A Custom package is one that has been specially written to solve a specific problem. Perhaps there is no freely available piece of software that will satisfy the needs of the company, A piece of custom software should mean that the organisation gets a piece of software that will do all the things that it requires doing, and, equally importantly, does not contain extra routines that will never be used.
Custom-written Software advantages specifically designed for the application and therefore more efficient and will only contain the features wanted; since it will be devoid of unwanted features the software can take its specific requirements to new levels which will make it very powerful can be customized to interface with all other software within the company thus preventing software clashes easier to use since very specific and the writers of the software can also be involved in the training of staff which will be geared towards their requirements can be modified/updated as the companys requirements change much better customer support since they will be in direct contact with the software designers Custom-written Software disadvantages very dependent on the suppliers of the software; if they go out of business there will be little or no support if problems occur less likely to be as well developed/tested as off-the-shelf software much more expensive since all the development costs need to be met by the company (but efficiency savings may compensate for this and it may prove to be less expensive in the long run) the development time can be very long which may cause problems difficult to tell how good the final software package will be (could be a real problem if the company have waited 2 to 3 years to receive their new software only to find it doesnt meet their needs!!)
1.7 (b)
Features of Common Applications
Stock control: As the name implies, stock control systems are used to keep track of the stock being held by an organization. There are typically three areas that need to be handled by a stock control program. The first is to keep details of the individual items that the organisation holds in its stock. These details will differ dependent on the item being held and the information about it that the organisation decides is important. A consignment of towels in the stock of a shop will need to have the colour of the towels stored, whereas the information stored about bulldozers stored by a plant hire firm would not include colour as it is irrelevant to their function. What would be included would be the horse power of the machines, which obviously does not apply to the towels. The second is to store information related to the product though not directly about the product itself. Examples would be storing details of the supplier, or where the goods are being stored in the shop/warehouse. The third is to do with the use of the goods. Who has hired the bulldozer out? Where is it? When is it due back? What sort of condition was it in when it was hired out? Stock control systems are all to do with keeping track of stock, recording stock levels and the condition of the stock and keeping track of where it is going. Payroll: The payroll is a perfect example of a batch process. All the records need to be processed during the same run because all the workers need to be paid. Each record undergoes the same type of processing, working out the number of hours worked, multiplying by the hourly rate and then doing the tax calculations. The process requires no human intervention during the processing. The traditional picture of the payroll application is that the master file of workers is held on a tape, as is the transaction file that holds the workers details for that week. The two are arranged in the same order and then run together and the results stored on a new master file, again held on a tape. This gives rise to the ancestral filing system form of backing up of files which was introduced in section 1.3. In this system, the old files are kept so that if the new versions are corrupted they can be reproduced using the old master and transaction files. Nowadays, the file is likely to be held on a disk with an index to allow fast access to individual records; this would imply that the records are overwritten and that there is no new version of the master file created. Process control: As the name implies, this is the use of a computer to automatically control a process. The computer receives information about the process from sensors which allow it to make decisions. The results of these decisions are actions that are carried out. The next set of input from the sensors not only tells the system about the current state of the process but also allows the computer to compare with the last set of inputs to decide whether the actions that it took last time had any impact. This process is known as feedback.
Point of Sale systems: A computer used at a point of sale needs to carry out three actions. The first is to identify the goods being bought, the second is to carry out whatever processing is required and to produce a satisfactory output, and finally to arrange for payment. The identification of the goods can be done in a number of ways, but the standard method is to read a code from a barcode. This code is then validated (see chapter 1.8.c) and then sent to the processor. The processor uses this barcode as the key field when searching the product file. When the record is found the contents of the record are used to produce a printout for the customer (till receipt), and to accumulate the total value of all the goods that have been bought. Finally, the payment can be made electronically by sending details of the customer account to the bank or Credit Card Company from where payment will be made to the store immediately.
1.7 (c)
Generic Applications Software.
There is nothing frightening about this section. The intention is simply that students should be able to suggest sensible software for given applications. The software automatically divides itself into specific uses. The student should be able to isolate the important characteristics of an application from the description and then decide which of the generic software best fits the application characteristics. Word processing: Used for applications that have the need to communicate with others using text. Writing letters, mail merging, preparing text documents for use in other software packages, are all typical uses of a word processing package. Spreadsheets: Spreadsheets are a type of software that allows data to be stored. If this were all that a spreadsheet was to do then there would be other, more satisfactory types of software available. A spreadsheet is particularly useful because it can store different types of data, including numerical data, and that it can perform calculations on the areas (cells) where the numerical data is being stored. Spreadsheets should be considered for any example where data is stored and calculations need to be carried out on it. Examples would be profit and loss accounts, budgeting, payrolls (although other, more specialised, payroll software would be used in a large scale application), indeed any example that requires the manipulation of figures to give accurate results or forecasts or predictions. Desktop publishing (DTP): This type of software is characterised by the ability to produce a page of printed output that has been designed by using advanced layout techniques. The page may well contain text, graphics, tables and many other types of output each one of which may be better produced using a word processor or a drawing package or a spreadsheet. The value of the DTP is that it contains powerful tools for arranging these individual items on the page, the printout of which can be used directly as the starting point for a printing process. Typically DTP software is used for the production of leaflets, posters, proof copies of books and magazines. Many word processors now have features which previously would only have been found in a DTP, for instance the ability to produce text in columns or to surround graphics with text, and the distinction between a DTP package and a word processor has become less clear cut. Presentation software: The growth of the use of presentation software has followed the development of portable computer systems. If a salesman is to do a presentation to a group of people it is now possible for him to take a computer to the meeting with a previously prepared presentation on it. The software allows for the preparation of a show which typically follows a storyboard of individual screens. The software allows morphing from one screen to another and also allows animation and full use of text and graphics within individual screens. If required, a soundtrack can be added to complement the pictures being shown. Ideally, such a presentation should be output via some device that would be
designed for the audience expected to be watching. This would mean that a single monitor would be fine for some automated display in a department store, but would require something more akin to a projection screen for a larger audience. This could be accomplished using an over head projector linked to the computer or an RGB projector. Drawing packages: This is a package that produces graphics output. Often such output is exported to a DTP for inclusion in some publication, or to a piece of presentation software for inclusion in a display sequence. Another use for such output is to enliven a page on the World Wide Web. There are many different forms of graphics package split into groups dependent on the way that the graphic is produced. The two most common are bitmap graphics where each pixel is treated separately, and vector graphics where the lines on the drawing are created mathematically. Different software packages create the graphics in different ways for instance Paintbrush creates pictures in bitmap form while Draw uses vectors. The simple way of describing the difference is in sizing the drawing. If a drawing held as a bitmap is increased in size then each of the pixels is increased in size and hence becomes more obvious. If a drawing stored using vector graphics is increased in size the only thing that changes is the mathematical formulae for producing the lines, which will produce a picture of comparable quality whatever the size. This section further refers to the techniques provided in common software packages that can allow the user to use the package in an effective way. There are too many to list them all here but a few examples should provide the idea of what is expected. Notice the word simple in the syllabus. No student is expected to be an expert in any of the different types of software, so little used techniques are not required and there is not enough time in the examination to be able to test a complex technique. Another problem is that different brands of software will have different things available and the syllabus is free of individual software brands, so the techniques asked for will be ones that you would expect to find in any piece of software of a particular type. For instance, if the piece of software is a word processor, it would be acceptable to ask about the production of mail merged letters. The answer would expect the generation of the standard letter, with variable values, to be replaced by specific values, from a database. Alternatively, the question may ask about the use of templates to which the answer would be that they dictate the shape of some output that is required, that it is standard, that it requires areas filling with other values to make the output unique, that the user is prompted for responses. Notice that this answer would be just as acceptable for the concept of a template in any piece of generic software. In addition to the fact that any problems that are asked about will be simple, the problems will be based on a common piece of software that the student will reasonably have been expected to have used during their courses.
1.7 (d) Applications for which Common Packages are not appropriate
Common applications packages are those that have been designed to satisfy particular needs that are common to a number of different applications. There are many other examples where computers are necessary but where the use is so specialised that the software will need to be written (or at least tailored) for that particular use. Uses that would require such specialist software are legion, but would include many uses of control software. Robots used on production lines tend to be one-off machines, designed for that particular purpose, consequently, the software that would drive them would, similarly, be one-off. A stock control system in a warehouse would have standard modules, but would have other sections which would be for that warehousing system alone. The important consideration is how different from the standard design is the system for which we want the software, the further away from the standard, the more difficult it is to use standard software, and the more likelihood there is that the system will require software written specially for it.
1.7 (e)
Purpose and Impact of Generic Software.
The purposes of the different types of generic software were covered in section 1.7.c. The impact of the different types of software has been profound. Word processing: Expectations have changed markedly since the days of the typewriter, which can be thought of as the direct precursor of the word processor. Letters or other documents are perceived to be unacceptable if they contain an error. If an error is spotted then it is corrected and the document is reprinted. The advent of electronic machines was heralded as the start of the paperless office, whereas the facts are that the amount of paper consumed in office applications has multiplied enormously. The use of computers running word processing programs was greeted with fear by most type writer operators for two reasons. The first was because of the fear of unemployment. The logic went along the lines of: Each operator will be able to work much faster and hence produce more; therefore some of the operators can be made redundant. While this happened a little, the truth was far from this, and there are now more computer operators than there ever were typists. The second fear was that in order to use one of the new machines typists would have to undergo considerable training. While this was true to some extent, and there were some typists who, largely through being older found great difficulty in changing their old practices, most had little problem and even learned new skills making them better qualified, giving more job satisfaction and the capacity for higher paid jobs. Spreadsheets: A spreadsheet is essentially an area which can be split up into rows and columns forming cells, in which data can be placed. In its simplest form then, a spreadsheet is simply a data storage system. However, spreadsheets begin to take on added significance when formulae are applied to the numeric data in the sheet to make calculations, particularly calculations that make predictions about what would happen if some value were to be changed. Spreadsheets can also be expected to have presentation tools like graphing packages in order to produce the results in easily understandable form. The addition of a language so that algorithms can be programmed makes a spreadsheet a very powerful software tool which goes beyond simply juggling with figures necessary for doing a payroll or keeping the accounts and makes it possible to model situations in mathematics and the physical sciences. Desk Top Publisher (DTP): Strictly speaking, a DTP combines elements of software and output devices so that published quality material can be produced from a desk top computer system. In order to do this the output device needs to be top quality otherwise the other parts of the system are let down, and the software needs to enable the user to combine graphics images and textual images and manipulate them around the page before being printed out. This system compares with the system that used to be in operation of creating the page physically from cold type and attaching the page to a commercial printer before printing out multiple copies. Commercial printing presses are now electronically set up meaning that the publication and the press can all be controlled from a single micro computer. In
the 1970s there were fewer than 200 magazine periodicals available in Britain because of the difficulty of setting up a new publication and the cost which could only be recuperated if there were sufficient sales of the magazine. The cost of producing a magazine has fallen so much that a small circulation title will still make a profit, and the production is very simple, often a one person job. This has led to there being many thousands of titles now available, although it has, perhaps, done little for the quality of such titles. Presentation Software: Presentation software allows someone to prepare a series of inter related slides to accompany a talk that is being given, or even to be a stand alone system. Each slide has animations, colour and colour change, the ability to morph into the next slide and many other features. When such software was first available those who used it produced presentations that were out of the ordinary and consequently it was seen as something to aspire to because of the novelty factor being able to hold the attention of an audience. However, as the use of such presentations became more common, it became necessary to use more and more complex techniques to maintain the novelty factor. This leads to presentations becoming overloaded with tricks in order to make an impact. This distracts from the message that is being attempted to be put across to the audience. There is no doubt that presentation software can be used to make a message more accessible to the audience, but it is also true that no amount of clever gimmickry can hide a poor message. Drawing Packages: Drawing packages are, strictly speaking, software that allows the creation of graphics using vector graphics as opposed to painting packages that use bitmaps. However, in this context the syllabus is referring to the concept of the user being able to create graphics which can then be imported into other software packages to enhance the work that is being done. No longer does the school worksheet need to be a simple text document, but diagrams, pictures, even photographs can be included.
Example Questions.
1. Discuss the reasons that a solicitors practice would have for choosing off-the shelf software rather than custom written software if it was decided to change the word processor currently being used because it was perceived to be out of date. (4) In the same scenario, State two reasons why custom made software might be more appropriate than off-the-shelf software. (2) Describe how CAD/CAM can be used to produce prototype designs in a manufacturing process.
2.
3.
(4)
4.
A firm produces widgets for sale to the brewing industry. A brewing company may come to the firm with a proposal for a widget to fit a particular container which will need to be produced by the firm which will then ship the finished product in batches and invoice the brewing company. Sometimes the sales team will be sent to try to persuade the brewing firm of the advantages of the companys widgets. Explain how the company can use commonly available software in the running of its business. (6)

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 2. Describe how an EPOS (electronic point of sale) system operates in a large store with many EPOS terminals. Your answer should include reference to the input of any necessary data, the output to the customer, the stock control and ordering. [8] - Bar code read (or equivalent) - by laser scanner - Code is validated - sensible example of validation - Code is used to identify item record on the file - Price read from file - with item description - displayed at EPOS terminal/printed on receipt - No. in stock is decremented - test to see if order created/output produced for manager. (1 per -, max 8) Oct/NOV 2002 1. (a) Explain what is meant by the terms (i) off-the-shelf, - Pre written/readily available software (ii) custom-written software. [2]
- Software written for a specific application. (b) Give three advantages of using off-the-shelf software rather than custom-written software, and one disadvantage. [4]
- Pre tested - Fewer bugs - Cheaper because development costs are shared - Training available - Ready immediately - User groups often available. - May not always do precisely what is required. (1 per -, max 4) 9. (b)
(4)
State an example of an application where it would not be appropriate to use generic applications software, giving a reason for your answer. [2]
Page 1 of 14
- e.g. Control of a robot on a production line. - This is a one-off application.
(2)
14. The firm offers a service to potential customers whereby the firms representative calls at the customers house and produces an image of what the proposed building improvements will look like. Explain how this service is carried out. Include a reference to the hardware required. [6] - Digital camera - takes electronic image - fed into laptop (portable) computer. - Area of improvement airbrushed out - replaced by images taken from a library of products - Dimensions and colours can be altered. - Final result printed out for customer. - Mark available for comment about hard copy/storage facilities (1per-, max 6) (6) May/June 2003 A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process. 9. The college decides to extend the system to include a web site for marketing purposes. The analyst is asked to design the site. (b) State two other types of software that could be used for marketing purposes, saying how they could be used. [4] - Presentation software - Talks to large groups - DTP - Produce newsletter/advertising material - Word processor - Mail merged personal letters/junk mail - Database - To store lists of the recipients of the junk mail (1 per -, max 4) (4) Oct/NOV 2003 A large chemical plant is controlled automatically from a central control room. One process is to mix two chemicals at a specific temperature and pressure. The process is to be computer controlled. 8. The software to do this can be custom-written or off-the-shelf. (ii) State which is the more appropriate in this case, giving a reason for your answer. [2] - Custom written only sensible choice because - application is a one off (2)
May/June 2004 A manufacturing company uses computer systems to store details of customers, suppliers and employees. The employee file contains details of all employees including their name, address, rate of pay, tax rate and other details. The company decides to investigate the use of computer systems to automate the production line.
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9.
The present computer system runs a set of integrated software packages. (b) Software will be necessary to run the new automated production line. Explain why custom written software is appropriate to this application.
[2]
- Application is specialised - Probably unique - Generic applications software is designed to be adaptable to many systems - This system will not fit a generalised model - Needs to match the other software in use (1 per point, max 2)
(2)
Oct/NOV 2004 May/June 2005 A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. 8. The company has a word processing software package which is used in the office. The production line is controlled by a process control package. (b) (i) Give three advantages and one disadvantage of using off-the-shelf software for the word processing. [4] Advs: Transferable skills Immediately available Shared development costs Fully tested/bugs have been ironed out Compatible with other software -Training courses/well trained staff/help groups available (1 per -, max 3) Dis: May not contain all the routines wanted/may contain too many routines [4] (ii) Explain why the process control software would be custom written. [2]
A company makes and sells office furniture. Records of sales and customers are stored on a computer system. -A one off problem -means that off the shelf software does not exist -Will require specific routines -Can be tailored to existing hardware (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
9. When the company completes a contract, the customer is asked to fill in a data capture form that asks about their satisfaction with aspects of the job. The intention is that the data on the forms should be input using optical mark reading (OMR) techniques. (b) Explain how the form and its contents are likely to be affected by the need to use OMR. [3] -No prose answers -Answers in form of tick boxes/underlining/ -with limited choice of responses to each question
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-Probably restricted to one sheet -Need to keep sheet unfolded/clean -Text on form is invisible to the reader (1 per -, max 3)
[3]
Oct/NOV 2005 1. An office worker is responsible for communicating with other businesses and managing the computer systems in the office. (a) The worker needs to (i) send letters to customers, word processor/database/communication software/ema (ii) keep a record of expenditure, spreadsheet/accounting (iii) keep records of customers. State types of software which would be used for each of these tasks. database/spreadsheet 11. (a) [3] [3]
Explain how some of the features of computer aided design (CAD) software are useful to an engineer when designing and testing a new product for manufacture. [4]
Automatically calculates costs/stresses/... Works out volumes of material needed Ensures design remains between previously set parameters Can simulate finished product Can be tested in different situations Allows for changes to be easily made Can then be passed to manufacture seamlessly. (1 per , max 4) (b) Explain why generic applications software is not appropriate for controlling the production line.
[4] [2]
Generic packages designed to satisfy needs of a number of applications This is specialised one off application but must be designed for one production line Different product/machines than any other production line. (1 per , max 2) May/June 2006 1. (b) A shopkeeper uses a stand-alone computer for producing order forms for sending to suppliers records of sales and purchases as evidence for the taxation authorities leaflets advertising special offers. (i) State software appropriate for doing each of these tasks. -word processor/Spreadsheet/Database -spreadsheet/accounting software
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[2]
[3]
-DTP/Painting package/word processor
[3]
Oct/NOV 2006 May/June 2007 A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. 9. (b) The servicing department sends letters to all customers who have bought cars from the garage. The letters remind customers that their car needs a service. The letters are sent, each year, on the date that the customer bought their car. Explain how the software is used to create a personalised letter for each customer. [5] File of records of car sales searched for date = required date Standard form of letter exists with fields identified which are completed with reference to data on data fields. Takes data from customer file Finished letters are then printed ready for sending. (1 per , max 2 if not related to car servicing, max 5)
[5]
Oct/NOV 2007 1. (c) A computerised information system is set up in a busy town centre. The system gives details of transport, shops, sales of goods, places to eat and hotels. Describe the hardware and the software of the HCI (Human Computer Interface) giving reasons for your answers. [4] - Touch screen - Ease of use/restrict vandalism/can be weatherproof/acts as input and output - Menu based - Restricts choices/tree design of choices (1 per -, max 4) 2. A variety of goods are stored in a warehouse. All goods enter and leave the warehouse at a specific point. All goods are bar coded. (b) The warehouse uses stock control software. Explain how this software maintains stock levels in the warehouse.
[4]
[5]
- Barcodes read as goods arrive/leave - Number in stock is incremented if arriving - Number in stock is decremented when leaving - Software checks number in stock against reorder number - after every transaction - When number in stock below reorder level then order created - Note that order made is stored as Boolean 1 until order delivered - Linked to supplier table for automatic ordering (1 per -, max 5) 10. (a) Much of the processing of the data is carried out using a spreadsheet.
[5]
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Explain why the features of spreadsheet software would be useful for processing this data. [3] - Data is numerical - Allows for predictions to be made - Formulae to be applied to the data/ease of calculation - Tabular/graphical representation of data/for ease of understanding (1 per -, max 3) (b)
[3]
The results of surveys carried out must be presented to the oil company that has commissioned them. This is normally done at a special meeting with the managers of the company. Explain the features of presentation software which make it appropriate for use in this situation. [2] - Animation to maintain interest - Use of video to show sites - Sound to explain decisions - Ability to present to a large audience all at once. (1 per -, max 2) [2] May/June 2008 Oct/NOV 2008 3. A computer controlled machine on a production line is designed to produce components for cars. When the firm decides to change the car model, the machine must be reprogrammed. (b) State which of the types of software in (a) is appropriate as the software for the computer controlled machine and justify your answer . [3] - Custom written - Machine is unique/product of machine unique/performs single task - Generic software will not exist/will not be capable of tailoring - Provision of extra facilities not required/will not allow software to run at maximum efficiency/should be in m.c. form (1 per -, max 3) 7.
[3]
One of the tasks carried out by the office workers is to use the computer to produce the payroll once a week. Workers in the factory have their pay sent electronically to their bank account and are given a statement showing their pay for the week. (a) Explain why the payroll is produced using a batch operating system. [4]
- Large quantity of data to be processed - All of a similar type - Data must all be connected before sensible processing can be done - Does not need immediate processing - Can be done at quiet time - Payment is weekly giving set time for processing - Does not need human intervention (1 per -, max 4) (b) Explain why many of the workers are unhappy with this payment method.
[4] [4]
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- Need to open a bank account/bank will charge - May have difficulty accessing cash - May not be confident that correct amount will be paid - Workers prefer to be paid daily - May be concerned that personal data may be hacked into - May be concerned that their personal data could be passed on to others (1 per -, max 4) [4] May/June 2009 A company specialises in creating websites for customers. 12. The company stores details of customers and their accounts in a database. (ii) Explain why the company chose to use off-the-shelf software for their database. [2] -no delay as it is ready immediately -No shortage of experienced users/ready trained/No learning curve -Software should be error free -Help available through Internet/colleagues/courses -Compatible with other users/software (1 per -, max 2)
[2]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 1. A garage sells and services cars. Word processing software is used for sending letters to customers of the garage. (a) State three other types of generic applications software which would be useful to help the workers in the management of the garage. In each case say what it would be used for. [6] -Spreadsheet -to keep the accounts/forecast planning/stock records/sales transactions/invoices -DTP/graphics/publishing software -to produce promotional leaflets/posters -Database -to store customer records/stock file/supplier file -Website authoring -to produce a website for the garage -Presentation software -to create presentations for meetings/open days for new models -Accounting/Payroll -to produce accounts of business/pay for workers. -image editing software -to edit photos of cars (for use on website) -stock control software -for use in parts department (1 per -, max 3 pairs, max 6) [6] (b) Describe how the word processing software can be used to produce personalised letters to customers to inform them when a service is due on their car. [4]
-standard letter is produced -with fields ready to accept data. -Database of records of cars is searched -for all cars whose last service is >10 months < 12 months ago/or sensible comment about search criteria.
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-Details taken from record and inserted into copy of letter for printing, like -Customer name/address/car model/registration/type of service -note made that letter has been sent -mailmerge (1 per -, max 4) 3. (b) (i)
[4]
Explain how the information held on a bar code can be read into a computer system. [3] -The bar code is read by a laser scanner/wand -The light is reflected back so that the bars can be identified -Combinations of light and dark bars -Pairs of bars -different thickness/width -stand for different characters -These characters, once read, are subject to validation checks/check digit calculation. (1 per -, max 3) [3] Oct/NOV 2009. P12 3. A library stores details of members on the member file. (e) Describe how the following types of software can be used in the library: (i) spreadsheet, [2] -To keep track of numerical/currency values -and do automatic calculations -e.g. calculate fines/membership fees/library accounts (1 per -, max 2) (keep records of books/borrowers) [2] (ii) presentation software, [2] -To create slide shows for public performance -Allows use of sound/video/animation/... -e.g. to present lessons about famous authors to parties of school children (1 per -, max 2) [2] (iii) mail-merge software. [2] -To produce personalised letters/documents... -by searching file for data and inserting into standard document -e.g. Producing letters to members who have outstanding books (1 per -, max 2) [2]
A large college has a cafeteria and an automated snack bar. Only staff and students of the college are allowed to purchase food and drink there. 5. The college decides to computerise the accounts of the cafeteria. The manager needs to decide between using off-the-shelf software or custom-written software. (a) Explain the difference between off-the-shelf and custom-written software. [2] -Off-the-shelf is a generally available package -Custom-written is specially produced for the problem solution (b) State three advantages of using off-the-shelf software in this situation. [2] [3]
-Ready tested/Bug free -Immediately available -Training available -Staff who can use it are available
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-Cheaper because of shared development cost. -compatible with other software (1 per -, max 3)
[3]
7. Staff and students who buy food are identified by the system. Their purchases are charged to their accounts. These accounts are paid off at the end of each term. (a) Each student carries a magnetic stripe card to use with the system. (i) Describe how such a card works. [2] -Card has a strip of magnetic material... -which holds data -in this case student ID number -Read by swiping through a card reader. (1 per -, max 2) (ii) State two safeguards against improper use if it is stolen. [2]
-Is only activated by input of PIN at number pad... -which is stored in computer system, not on card / is stored on (one of the other two areas of the) magnetic stripe -photo ID on card -Ability to freeze account so items cannot be charged to it (1 per -, max 2) Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P11
[4]
2. Goods in a shop are labelled with barcodes. These barcodes are used when goods are sold at the checkout. The shop uses a computer system, attached to the checkout, to store a file of records relating to the goods on sale. (b) Describe how the system can be used to maintain levels of stock in the shop. [6]
-Barcodes read whenever goods bought/sold -If new stock then number in stock is incremented -If stock sold then number in stock is decremented -Software checks number in stock against reorder number... -after every transaction -When number in stock is below reorder level (then order created) -Note that order has been made, stored as Boolean/until delivered -Linked to supplier table for automatic ordering/order list produced for manager (1 per -, max 6) 5. (a)
[6]
A medical centre has a computer system. State how each of the following types of software could be used at the medical centre. (i) Desktop publisher Produce information booklets for patients (ii) Presentation software Make presentations on health topics to audiences, e.g. schools (iii) Database software Store patient records (iv) Communication software [4] To send orders to drug companies [4]
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(b)
Identify an application area in the medical centre for which custom-written software is appropriate. Justify your answer. [2] [2]
e.g. -Automated filling of drug containers -This is a one-off problem/off-the-shelf software will not exist (c)
Describe how mail-merge can be used to contact all patients who have seen Dr Mun since 1 October in order to ask them to return to the centre for a new medicine. [5]
-Standard letter is written with data markers/fields -Database of patients searched with the following criteria -Doctor=Dr. Mun -Date of last appointment >=October 1st -Selected patients have their details input to data areas/fields on standard letter -May be done electronically resulting in emails being sent. (1 per -, max 5)
[5]
May/June 2010. P12 2. Goods in a shop are labelled with barcodes. These barcodes are used when goods are sold at the checkout. The shop uses a computer system, attached to the checkout, to store a file of records relating to the goods on sale. (b) Describe how the system can be used to maintain levels of stock in the shop. [6]
-Barcodes read whenever goods bought/sold -If new stock then number in stock is incremented -If stock sold then number in stock is decremented -Software checks number in stock against reorder number... -after every transaction -When number in stock is below reorder level (then order created) -Note that order has been made, stored as Boolean/until delivered -Linked to supplier table for automatic ordering/order list produced for manager (1 per -, max 6) 5. (a)
[6]
A medical centre has a computer system. State how each of the following types of software could be used at the medical centre. (i) Desktop publisher Produce information booklets for patients (ii) Presentation software Make presentations on health topics to audiences, e.g. schools (iii) Database software Store patient records (iv) Communication software [4] To send orders to drug companies [4] (b) Identify an application area in the medical centre for which custom-written software is appropriate. Justify your answer. [2] [2]
e.g. -Automated filling of drug containers -This is a one-off problem/off-the-shelf software will not exist
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(c)
Describe how mail-merge can be used to contact all patients who have seen Dr Mun since 1 October in order to ask them to return to the centre for a new medicine. [5]
-Standard letter is written with data markers/fields -Database of patients searched with the following criteria -Doctor=Dr. Mun -Date of last appointment >=October 1st -Selected patients have their details input to data areas/fields on standard letter -May be done electronically resulting in emails being sent. (1 per -, max 5)
[5]
May/June 2010. P13 5. (a) A garage, which includes car sales and car servicing, has a computer system. State how each of the following types of generic applications software could be used by the garage. (i) Desktop publisher Produce advertising material about the cars on sale (ii) Presentation software Make presentations on cars at marketing events/in the showroom (iii) Database software Store records of customers/cars for sale (iv) Communication software To send orders to suppliers/to email customers to tell them when a service is due (b)
[4] [4]
Identify an application area in the garage for which generic application software is not appropriate. Justify your choice. [2]
e.g. -Control of the petrol pumps and their accuracy/the measurement of different exhaust gasses from cars during servicing -This is a one-off problem/off-the-shelf software will not exist though it may be produced for a number of garages (c)
[2]
Describe how mailmerge can be used to contact all customers who bought a petrolengine car before 2009, in order to encourage them to come and buy a new car. [5]
-Standard letter is written with data markers/fields -Database of customers searched with the following criteria -Engine type = Petrol -Year of last purchase < 2009 -Selected customers have their details input to data areas/fields on standard letter -May be done electronically resulting in emails being sent. (1 per -, max 5)
[5]
Oct/NOV 2010. P11 5. Describe how the stock in a shop can be controlled automatically by a computer system. [6] -Use of stock control software -Each item is bar coded -Barcode read (on exit from shop/entrance to shop) -Item code found on item file
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-Number in shop decremented/incremented -Comparison made with reorder level -If < reorder level then order placed if -no outstanding order yet made (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2010. P12 5. Describe how the stock in a shop can be controlled automatically by a computer system. [6] -Use of stock control software -Each item is bar coded -Barcode read (on exit from shop/entrance to shop) -Item code found on item file -Number in shop decremented/incremented -Comparison made with reorder level -If < reorder level then order placed if -no outstanding order yet made (1 per -, max 6) Oct/NOV 2010. P13 5. A school has a file of student data. Describe how mail merge software can produce letters about a school trip for all the students who are taught geography by Ms Ahmed. -Software queries the student details for... -Taught by Ms.Ahmed... -AND does geography -Standard letter written containing... -Fields that can be filled in -with data from student details -Fields are filled in -Personalised letters printed (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
[6]
[6]
May/June 2011. P11 1. (d) The management of the supermarket use a number of different types of software. State what each of the following types of software would be used for. Give a feature of each which makes it suitable for their use. (i) Desktop publishing (DTP) Use Feature [2] Producing leaflets/flyers/brochures/posters Using frames to divide up content/editing features/... combining images and text [2] (ii) Presentation software Use Feature [2] Producing presentation for an audience, perhaps for head office/to produce training materials for advertisements Use of multi-media to maintain interest in presentation. Dont accept same point in (i) and (ii)
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(1 per , max 2) [2] May/June 2011. P12 1. (d) The management of the supermarket use a number of different types of software. State what each of the following types of software would be used for. Give a feature of each which makes it suitable for their use. (i) Desktop publishing (DTP) Use Feature [2] Producing leaflets/flyers/brochures/posters Using frames to divide up content/editing features/... combining images and text [2] (ii) Presentation software Use Feature [2] Producing presentation for an audience, perhaps for head office/to produce training materials for advertisements Use of multi-media to maintain interest in presentation. Dont accept same point in (i) and (ii) (1 per , max 2) [2] May/June 2011. P13 1. (d) The management of the cinema use a number of different types of software. State what each of the following types of software would be used for. Give a feature of each which makes it suitable for your use. (i) Desktop publisher (DTP) Use Feature Producing leaflets/flyers/brochures/posters Using frames to divide up content/editing features/... combining images and text Word processor Use Feature To write letters to suppliers/customers Allows use of standard templates for documents/allows mail merge to send personalised letters to specific people Dont accept same point in (i) and (ii) Spreadsheet Use Feature To keep accounts of the cinema/to keep records of tickets sold and dates sold/cumulative figures/salary details Allows calculations to be carried out on numerical data graphical representation of sales figures financial modelling automatic recalculation lookups
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[2] [2]
(ii)
[2] [2]
(iii)
[2]
[2]
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Chapter 1.8 Handling of Data in Information Systems

1.8 (a) Manual and Automatic methods of Data Entry
All computer systems need to have data input to them otherwise they have nothing to process. The methods of collecting the data can be divided into two types: automatic and manual data collection. Automatic Data Collection The most obvious type of automatic data collection is in a control system where the computer collects its view of the outside world from sensors that give information about the physical environment. The data collection done by a sensor is continuous, but the reading of the data is within a fixed time period (the processor does not want to know the temperature in the room all the time, but perhaps every 5 minutes. This gives the previous decision long enough to have had some effect.) The use of only some of the available data is known as sampling. Many sensors that measure physical values are analogue sensors while the data required by the processor needs to be digital. Analogue data is physical data that creates a signal which consists of continuously changing voltage (for example, a thermistor increases the voltage output as the temperature which it is measuring increases.) This signal must be changed into the stream of 0s and 1s that the computer can recognise. This is done by an analogue to digital converter. When data is collected off line, often by sensors in remote locations, and then stored until ready for input to the system at a time that is convenient to the system, it is known as data logging. A typical data logger will be in the form of a tape recorder, on which the data is stored until a set of data has been collected and the data can be entered into the system in one go. Obviously, this would not be suitable data input for a system which was controlling the central heating in a house, but a remote weather station on a mountain top where different readings are taken every 10 minutes and then radioed back to the weather centre once every 24 hours would need just such a device to store the data until it was required. Less obvious forms of automatic data collection are barcodes in a supermarket. The code is translated into a series of dark coloured bars on a light background so that the data can be input to the machine without any further preparation. Automatic data collection can be considered to be any data collection that does the two stages of data collection and data input to the system without going through the intermediate phase of data preparation to make it suitable for computer use. Another good example is the school register which is taken by making marks on a sheet of paper and that can then be read directly into the computer with no human intervention by an optical mark reader (OMR). An OMR reads information by translating the position of the mark on the paper into a meaning, so that two marks side by side on the paper mean different things because of where they are rather than what they look like. Other form of automatically entering data is by the use of magnetic stripes. These are seen on the back of credit cards and bank cards. The stripe contains information about the owner of the card in a form that the computer can use directly. Magnetic stripe cards'
system is weak in a way and can be compromised. Criminals duplicate these stripes and then stick them to the back of any given sized cards and deceive the ATM machine or the retailers. To solve this problem, banks and retailers are replacing traditional magnetic stripe equipment with smartcard technology, where credit and debit cards contain an embedded microchip and are authenticated automatically using a personal identification number (PIN). When a customer wishes to pay for goods using this system, the card is placed into a "PIN pad" terminal or a modified swipe-card reader, which accesses the chip on the card. Once the card has been verified as authentic, the customer enters a 4digit PIN, which is submitted to the chip on the smartcard; if the two match, the chip tells the terminal the PIN was correct, otherwise it informs it the PIN was incorrect. France has cut card fraud by more than 80%. Chip and PIN is the name given to the initiative in the UK; other countries are launching their own systems based on the EMV standard, which is a group effort between Europay, MasterCard and VISA. Another form of data input used by banks is the magnetic ink characters that are printed on the bottom of cheques before being sent to the account holder. The magnetic ink is particularly easy for the computer to read and contains enough information to identify the bank and the account at that bank. All of this can be done with no further human intervention after the original printing of the cheque book. However, the data that is written on the cheque by the customer (who it is made out to and for how much) is not ready for input and hence requires some human intervention to make it useable. Manual data entry The most obvious is the form that has been designed to collect data, which needs to be input to the computer. An operator reads the data on the form and then types it into the computer via a keyboard. An extra stage has been added here, the data has had to be typed in. In other words the original data was not in a form acceptable to the computer. Computer systems are available that will read individual characters and input them without the data having to be transcribed. This would count as automatic data collection (it is known as optical character reading (OCR)). Questions on this part of the syllabus will be suggesting suitable input methods for particular situations, and offering advantages and disadvantages for particular forms of data input in different situations.
1.8 (b)
Methods of Image Capture
Scanner: A scanner is a device that shines a strong light at a source document and then reads the intensity of the reflected light. The surface of the document is divided into small rectangles, or pixels, and the light intensity is measured of each pixel, it is then reported to the computer as a bit map. Scanners can be of different sizes, typical is an A4 sized flat bed scanner where the document is placed on a sheet of glass which is then scanned line by line, or a hand held scanner which can be rolled across the image a number of times collecting a band each time, these bands of image can then be matched up by the software to produce the complete document. Video capture card: A video picture is made up of a series of images which are changed approximately 26 times per second in order to fool the brain into thinking that the images are moving. A video capture card is an interface board which fits into one of the expansion slots in a processor that allows the processor to store the values of the screen pixels for a specific picture. In other words it allows the action to be frozen. A typical example of the use of a video capture card is the market stall that uses a video camera to take an image of a customer and then to select one image to print onto a T shirt. Digital camera: Works in a similar way to an optical camera but does not store the image on film. Instead, the image is stored electronically enabling the user to download it into a computer and manipulate the image and print out the images if desired. Each of these image capture systems results in an electronic image being stored in the computer system. Image manipulation software can then be used to alter or edit the image in any way that is required. While this allows the user to use their imagination and to tidy up pictures or crop them to miss out unwanted parts of the image, it also allows unscrupulous people to produce pictures with very little foundation in reality. It used to be said that: The camera never lies, this is certainly no longer true, witness the film Forrest Gump.
1.8 (c)
Validation and Verification
When data is input to a computer system it is only valuable data if it is correct. If the data is in error in any way then no amount of care in the programming will make up for the erroneous data and the results produced can be expected to be unreliable. There are three types of error that can occur with the data on entry. The first is that the data, while reasonable, is wrong. If your birthday is written down on a data capture form as 18th of November 1983, it will (except in very rare cases) be wrong. It can be typed into the computer with the utmost care as 181183, it can be checked by the computer to make sure that is a sensible date, and will then be accepted as your date of birth despite the fact that it is wrong. There is no reason for the computer to imagine that it may be wrong, quite simply when you filled out the original form you made a mistake. The second type of error is when the operator typing in the data hits the wrong key and types in 181193, or the equivalent. In this case an error has been made that should be able to be spotted if a suitable check is made on the input. This type of data checking is called a verification check. The third type of error is when something is typed in which simply is not sensible. If the computer knows that there are only 12 months in a year then it will know that 181383 must be wrong because it is not sensible to be born in the thirteenth month. Checks on the sensibility of the data are called validation checks. Faulty data: There is very little that can be done about faulty data except to let the owner of the data check it visually on a regular basis. The personal information kept on the school administration system about you and your family may well be printed off at regular intervals so that your parents can check to ensure that the stored information is still correct. Verification: Verification means checking the input data with the original data to make sure that there have been no transcription errors. The standard way to do this is to input the data twice to the computer system. The computer then checks the two sets of data (which should be the same) and if there is a difference between the two sets of data the computer knows that one of the inputs is wrong. It wont know which on is wrong but it can now ask the operator to check that particular input. Validation: The first thing is to dispel a common misinterpretation of validation. In section 1.5.e checking of data was mentioned. Specifically, the use of parity bits to check data. This is NOT validation. Parity bits and echoing back are techniques that are used to check that data has been transmitted properly within a computer system (e.g. from the disk drive to the processor), validation checks are used to check the input of data to the system in the first place. Validation is a check on DATA INPUT to the system by comparing the data input with a set of rules that the computer has been told the data must follow. If the data does not
match up with the rules then there must be an error. There are many different types of validation check that can be used to check input in different applications. 1. Range check. A mathematics exam is out of 100. A simple validation rule that the computer can apply to any data that is input is that the mark must be between 0 and 100 inclusive. Consequently, a mark of 101 would be rejected by this check as being outside the acceptable range. 2. Character check. A persons name will consist of letters of the alphabet and sometimes a hyphen or apostrophe. This rule can be applied to input of a persons name so that dav2d will immediately be rejected as unacceptable. 3. Format check. A particular application is set up to accept a national insurance number. Each person has a unique national insurance number, but they all have the same format of characters, 2 letters followed by 6 digits followed by a single letter. If the computer knows this rule then it knows what the format of a NI number is and would reject ABC12345Z because it is in the wrong format, it breaks the rule. 4. Length check. A NI number has 9 characters, if more or fewer than 9 characters are keyed in then the data cannot be accurate. 5. Existence check. A bar code is read at a supermarket check out till. The code is sent to the main computer which will search for that code on the stock file. As the stock file contains details of all items held in stock, if it is not there then the item cannot exist, which it obviously does, therefore the code must have been wrongly read. 6. Check digit. When the code is read on the item at the supermarket, it consists of numbers. One number is special; it is called the check digit. If the other numbers have some arithmetic done to them using a simple algorithm the answer should be this special digit. When the code is read at the check out till, if the arithmetic does not give the check digit it must have been read wrongly, it is at this point that the beeping sound would normally be heard if everything is alright.
1.8 (d)
Output Formats
When data has been processed by a computer system it is necessary to report the results of the processing. There are a number of different ways that the results can be reported to the user. Graphs: Graphs show trends very clearly. Different types of graph can illustrate different characteristics, and when two variables need to be compared, a visual representation can be very useful. However the importance of the scales is paramount because otherwise a very misleading picture can be given. Also, the specific values are not easily read from a graph, indeed, in a continuous distribution, it is simply not possible to take reliable readings to any degree of accuracy. Reports: A report is a hard copy printout of the values of variables. This has the advantage of producing the actual figures according to the values specified by the user. However, the figures themselves may need skill to interpret their significance and the value of figures in a vacuum is often hard to justify. Interactive presentations: The previous forms have relied on the format of the report being decided without the luxury of being able to see what the figures look like in the first place. If the system allows the user to decide the type and range of output required during the run then there is some positive user involvement leading to an interactive presentation where the user can adjust the output to suit their needs. Sound: Many applications do not lend themselves to a standard, visual, printout. Sound can be used for output from some systems. Obvious examples would be voice synthesis for reporting to blind people and an alarm system to protect property against burglars. Video: Video is a visually satisfying form of output that takes large amounts of memory to produce because the nature of the medium requires large quantities of pictures to produce the feel of continuous motion. Video is useful for demonstration of techniques where there is little value in pages of instruction if a simple video can illustrate something better. Images: Images can refer to any of the forms of output mentioned when they are shown on a monitor screen, as opposed to the hard copy produced from a printer.
Animations: Provide a good stimulus for an audience and lead from one slide to another when making a slide based presentation. Animation takes considerably less processing power than other forms of motion, unless the image being animated is complex. Animation is used so often that it can come across as being a boring technique that has just been added for gloss.
1.8 (e)
Output according to target audience
Imagine an intensive care ward at a hospital. There are six beds, each with a patient who is being monitored by a computer. The outputs are available for a variety of users. There is a nurse at a desk at one end of the ward. The nurse has other duties, but is expected to make the rounds of the patients to check on their progress at regular intervals. Doctors come round the ward twice a day to check on the patients and make any adjustments to their medication. If a patient is sensed by the computer system to have suffered a relapse while the nurse is sitting at the desk, a sensible output would be sound, some sort of alarm to bring the notice of the nurse to the fact that something is wrong. This may be accompanied by a flashing light, or some other device, to quickly draw attention to the patient needing attention. When the nurse goes around the patients to make a visual check of their conditions it is not necessary to know exact figures of heart rate or blood sugar, a quick glance at a screen showing a scrolling graph of the state of the patients vital signs over the last 20 minutes will be perfectly adequate. If the graph looks in any way abnormal it may be necessary to get a printout of the actual values of the variables for that patient to determine what action, if any, needs to be taken. The doctor may well want to see a printout of all the variable values for the last twenty four hours, particularly if there is something happening to the patient which is difficult to understand, such historical data can hold the clue to present symptoms. The doctor may change the medication or the parameters within which the patient can be considered to be stable, this will involve the nurse resetting values on the scales of the graphical output, or even resetting the parameters for setting off the audible alarm. This involves the nurse in using an interactive presentation with the system. Once a week the nurse takes a first aid class at the local sixth form college. There are too many students for a one to one presentation all the time so the college computer system has been loaded with demonstration software showing an animation of the technique for artificial respiration. When considering output always consider the importance of timeliness and relevance. Data tends to have a limited life span, which can be different for the same data in different situations. The data on heart rate from 3 hours ago is not going to be of importance to the nurse looking after the patient, but it may be of great value to the doctor in providing a clue as to the reason for a sudden change in condition. Some data is not relevant to particular situations, however up to date it is. The colour of the patients eyes has no bearing on their physical state and consequently should not be considered relevant to this example, although it may well be in other circumstances.
1.8 (f and g)
Expert Systems
An expert system is one which contains as much data as possible about a restricted knowledge area. The data is collected from as many expert sources as possible and stored in the system, in this way it is hoped that the system contains all the knowledge about that topic that there is. For this reason, these systems are sometimes called knowledge systems. The use of expert systems relies on the belief that for any given area of knowledge there are rules that always apply to that knowledge and that they can be applied according to a logical ordering. This can apply to scientific principles well, for example if there is a rule that oil is always found between two particular types of rock strata, then if the system identifies the strata it can determine, according to the rules, where to drill for oil. Because it follows scientific principles, oil exploration is a good example of the use of expert systems. It is particularly useful because the data that is collected is logged on computer systems when it is collected so it seems sensible to use this information as input to the expert system because it is already in computer readable form. Expert systems need four parts in order to produce sensible results: A lot of data. This is all the data that the system has been told about the application area. It is called the knowledge base. Imagine a medical expert system. The knowledge base would be created by collecting all the knowledge about diseases from all the best doctors in their fields. A set of rules that apply to the situation. If the patient has a headache then they should take two aspirin. This is called the rule base. It is no good having a set of rules and a big collection of knowledge if there is nothing that can apply the rules to the knowledge to come up with sensible solutions. The thing that does this called the inference engine. This is what decides whether the patient should be given aspirin. Some people are not allowed aspirin, certainly not if the patient has an ulcer or, it is the inference engine that checks through everything to find out what will fit all the rules. After a decision has been made, the system must be able to tell the person what the result is. The fourth part of the system, therefore, has to be an HCI. Finally, remember that many applications do not work if you try to develop an expert system for them. There is no point in finding out the views of the best commentators, managers and footballers on the teams in the league for the next season. The expert system developed will be just as bad as the predictions in the newspaper the day before the games are played because this is a very human activity and human activities tend not to be very good at following rules.
Example Questions
1. a) State two methods of data entry used by banks in their cheque system. (2) b) Explain why banks find the use of your two examples suitable for this application. (4) 2. A small stall is to be opened, as part of a fairground, where the customer can have their likeness printed on to the front of a sweatshirt. Describe two possible methods of capturing the image to be printed. (4) A mail order firm receives orders from customers on paper order forms. These are keyed into the computer system by operators. The data that is to be keyed in includes the 5 digit article number, the name of the customer and the date that the order has been received. a) Explain how the data input would be verified. (3)
3.
b) Describe three different validation routines that could be performed on the data. (6) 4. A reaction vessel in a chemical plant is monitored, along with many others, by a computer system using a number of sensors of different types. Describe three different types of output that would be used by such a system, stating why such a use would be necessary. (6) Explain what is meant by the timeliness and relevance of data. (2)
5.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 12. When a customer makes a payment, the file is amended by entering the account number and the amount that has been paid in. (a) Describe two validation tests that can be carried out on the amount of money paid in. Format check to ensure entry is digits point digit digit. Character check all inputs should be digits or a point. Range check - less than a max value for consumer bills. (1 per -, max 4) State what is meant by a check digit, and explain how it could be used to validate the account number. Extra digit added to digits in account number in order to check entry. Weighting Summation Modular division Remainder used. Result compared with check digit. (1 per -, max 4) Oct/NOV 2002 May/June 2003 A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process. 11. The data stored needs to be as accurate as possible. Twice each year examination grades are entered (A to G) for each subject. Describe how the techniques of (i) verification, Dual input of data Two inputs are compared by the system And any discrepancies reported (and not stored.) Data input once, either printed out or checked on screen Errors corrected (ii) validation are used to ensure that the stored data is as accurate as possible. (b)
A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process.
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Rules given to processor Only accept A,B,C,D,E,F,G Any other input rejected. Drop-down list/radio buttons Provides only valid inputs So no other validation required (1 per -, max 6)
(6)
12. When a new student is enrolled, a new record is added to the file immediately. The examination grades of all students are updated twice a year. Discuss the processing implications of these two requirements. A college stores its student files on paper which is kept in filing cabinets. The decision is taken to computerise these student files. A systems analyst is employed to supervise the process. Enrolment: Data input on line Individual records validated Speed mismatch implications Indexes updated immediately Exam grades: Data input twice Off line Run as a batch At otherwise downtime (1 per -, max 6)
(6)
13. Discuss the range of information that the system can supply to the administrative and teaching staff of the college. Day to day information supplied to teachers About abilities of students Class lists Middle managers E.g. departmental exam results Strategic information Supplied to Principal E.g. overall exam results to compare performance of departments Comparison of grades year on year (1 per -, max 5)
(5)
Oct/NOV 2003 11. Workers at the plant register when they arrive for work by placing a card in a machine (clocking on) and repeating the process when leaving (clocking off). This machine is not connected to a computer. These cards are then used as input to the payroll program. The data on the cards comprises a bar code and OCR data. Describe how these two types of data are read by the computer and state what they are used for in this application. Barcode consists of (pairs of) dark lines
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of (three) varying thicknesses which combine to give a (character) code used to identify worker OCR is a means of computer reading standard characters/Optical character recognition Light reflected off characters/determines shape of character comparing the values with examples in memory fewer characters the better used for reading times different days signified by different positions on the card (1 per -, max 3 per type, max 6) (6)
May/June 2004 A manufacturing company uses computer systems to store details of customers, suppliers and employees. The employee file contains details of all employees including their name, address, rate of pay, tax rate and other details. 7. Each employee record contains a picture of the employee. Explain how an image can be captured and then stored on the employee file. A manufacturing company uses computer systems to store details of customers, suppliers and employees. The employee file contains details of all employees including their name, address, rate of pay, tax rate and other details. The company decides to investigate the use of computer systems to automate the production line. Digital camera used to capture image/photograph of employee Image downloaded (into graphics software) directly/image scanned (into graphics software) Image can be edited/cropped/resized Data compressed And stored as a series of bytes On hard drive Pointer to the image is stored in each record Mark available for description of storage e.g. bitmap/jpeg (1 per point, max 4) (4)
10. (b) State three output formats that can be used to present information to a manager, giving an advantage of each. Graphs Ideal for showing trends Reports in text form Gives exact details/figures Reports in tabular form Arranges exact details to make them simpler to interpret Interactive presentation on screen Allows the manager to tailor the output required Sound Can inform while the manager is doing something else (2 per type, max 3 types, max 6)
(6)
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Oct/NOV 2004 6. A garage uses a diagnostic knowledge based system when servicing cars. (a) (i) Explain what is meant by a knowledge based system. Expert knowledge covering a small area is brought together in a computer system comprises knowledge base rule base inference engine HCI (1 per point, max 4)
[4]
(ii) Describe how the system could be used in the garage. - Sensors/mechanic used to input details like car type and age and exhaust gasses - Inference engine compares input with data in knowledge base - e.g. engine temp with what it should be - According to the rules in the rule base - e.g. is temp too high-what to do - Report to engineer on screen/automatic adjustment made - (1 per point, max 3)
[3]
9. Customers are identified by a 6 digit code. The first three digits are between 000 and 100 for organisations and between 300 and 600 for individuals. It is important that the 6 digit customer code is correctly entered to the system. Describe how (i) verification Enter data twice Computer compares the two entries Rejects the code if the two entries do not match Visual verification on-screen (ii) validation can help to ensure that as few errors as possible occur.
(Length check) all codes must contain exactly 6 digits (Character check) all characters must be digits (Range check) first 3 digits must be in range 000-100 or 300-600 (Existence check) code must match a key field on the file (Check digit) one of the 6 digits is used to check the others for validity (One per point, max 4 per dotty, max 6) May/June 2005 Oct/NOV 2005
[6]
A manufacturing process in a company is manually controlled. The company employs a systems analyst to plan the introduction of a computerised control system. 9. Describe three ways in which information could be presented to the operator. [6] Sound set alarm for immediate response
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On screen to provide visual representation of the process to identify where the problem is Hard copy text to provide evidence for later study Graphical to indicate (quickly) whether still within parameters Tabular to provide exact figures which can be compared with adjacent readings Analogue/digital meters to provide readings Lights to indicate state of the process/alert operator (2 per pair, max 6) May/June 2006 A small business has one shop. It specialises in taking portrait photographs for customers. Details of customers are stored on paper. It is decided to buy a stand-alone computer and use it to store customer records in a file. 8. Data that is entered into the file needs to be verified and validated. (a) Explain what is meant by the terms (i) verification; Check that the data input is what was meant to have been input. (ii) validation.
[6]
Check on the data entered to ensure that it is sensible/follows given rules. Describe two methods that can be used for validating the date of the original commission. range check on day/month/year to ensure that they are acceptable format check e.g. dd/mm/yy character check e.g. check to ensure there are 6 numeric characters and 2 / (1 per -, max 2 per pair, max 2 pairs, max 4) (b)
[2]
[4]
The store offers customers a service of printing their photograph onto a shirt. The customer can either bring in a photograph or have one taken in the store. 9. (a) Describe how the photograph can be input to a computer and prepared, ready for printing onto a shirt. scanner for photograph already available image is digitized digital/video camera USB connection to input image image may then be enhanced image may be manipulated/colour contrast edited image may be cropped - (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
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(c)
The digital images require a large amount of storage. Describe how these images can be stored with the customer records.
Pointers within individual customer record to start and end of image images compressed using file compression utility e.g. storing area of single colour rather than individual bits (1 per -, max 4)
[4]
Oct/NOV 2006 8. The company needs all the copy editors to be using the same software for preparing the finished books. A decision has to be made between using custom-written software and off-the-shelf software. Describe the difference between the two types and explain why the company would choose to use an off-the-shelf software package. Custom-written is specially written for that application Off-the-shelf is generic software that needs tailoring for the application Company would choose off-the-shelf software because: Cheaper than custom-written Available in much shorter time because does not need to go through whole writing process Increased functionality over time Compatible with other software Based on software that is widely known so training is easier Fewer bugs will be found because of the wide use of the software, the bugs will already have been found by other users (1 per type, max 2 for reasons, max 4) (4) [2] [2]
May/June 2007 5. (a) Describe what is meant by verification of data. (b) Ensuring that data input matches data collected Done by double entry/onscreen techniques.
Give an example of an application which would require the data input to be verified and explain why it would be necessary. [2] Any sensible application needing data to be accurate e.g. inputting details of bank cheques. e.g. because whole application based on accuracy/bank needs to be trusted [2]
A garage sells cars and also has servicing and parts departments. Details of customers who purchase cars are stored in a file. Details of cars for sale are stored in another file. Some computers are used in the offices for clerical tasks like word processing and accounting. Some are in the showroom so that customers can see details of cars and videos of them being driven. The computers used at the garage are networked and all data is stored on a central server.
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11.
Explain how the pictures and video sequences used on the network can be collected and transmitted to the computers in the showroom. [5]
Digital (video) camera used to capture photographs (video) Downloaded (via USB port) to hard drive or photographs are scanned in Photo editing software/Digital video editor used to prepare images Photographs compressed using JPEG Video compressed using MPEG Parity/Checksum used to check for errors in transmission. (1 per , max 5) Oct/NOV 2007 7. Data collected during the search is input to a knowledge based (expert) system. (a) Describe three parts of a knowledge based system. - Knowledge base - all the information about the particular study/about different formations and what they mean - Rule base - a set of definitions/algorithms to apply to the knowledge base/rules about interpreting the collected data - Inference engine - does the searching of the knowledge base using rules from the rule base - Human Computer Interface - to allow data/enquiries to be input and results to be output (1 per -, max 3 pairs, max 6) (b) Explain how this knowledge based system was set up and how it is used.
[5] [6]
[6] [5]
Set up: - The knowledge of a number of experts is collected - and collated/edited - Knowledge is stored in system - Algorithms developed/to use rules collected from experts - HCI developed (to suit users) Used: - System matches patterns/data from survey with - patterns/data in knowledge base - Uses rules (in rule base) to interpret (meanings of) patterns/data found - Produces probabilities of successful drilling (1 per -, max 3 per section, max 5) [5] 8. Data collected at the survey site is sent, electronically, to the head office of the company for processing. b. (ii) Apart from the output to the plotter, the system produces many other output formats. State two forms of output which would be produced by this application and explain why each is appropriate. [4] Sound/beeper/emergency or urgent information/to draw attention to new radar data (Hard copy) tabular/numeric/to study the data in detail/to search for anomaly in geology On screen/graphical/to show snapshot of situation/to show result of one radar
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sweep/comparison of data (2 per pair of points, max 2 points, max 4) May/June 2008 A large store has a number of departments, each selling different types of goods. Each department has its own stand-alone computer system.
[4]
Customers are allowed to open personal accounts so that they can buy things and pay with a single payment once a month. As a security measure, customers have to use a store card to buy something on their account. 7. (a) The card has the customers picture on it. Describe how the customers picture is produced digitally on the card. [5] -Picture taken with camera -Down loaded to computer through USB port/graphical picture scanned in -Picture edited to a standard size using tools on software like cropping -and contrast -Picture pasted on to software used to produce rest of card (word processor) -Card printed out using colour printer (1 per -, max 5) (b)
[5]
When the card is used at a terminal, a bar code, which is printed on the card, is scanned and an output is produced. (i) Describe how the bar code works in this example. [2]
Each barcode is unique to a specific account Pairs of bars correspond to digits in a code Different widths of bars refer to different digits Complete code is the key to customer record (1 per -, max 2) (ii) -
[2]
Identify two different output formats which would be used at the point of sale terminal, stating why they are necessary. [4]
Sound/to signify correct (or wrong) input of data Hard copy/printed/receipt/to give customer a record of transaction Monitor/VDU/LCD output/identifying individual goods/shopper/soft copy/to allow verification of the data (Up to 2 per -, max 2-, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2008 May/June 2009 7. Describe how a knowledge based (expert) system can be used to aid geologists in carrying out geological surveys. [4] -Data collected on site/by drilling /observation/explosions -Data collected remotely/by satellite/by electronic means -Collected data input to system via HCI/automatically -Data input is compared to library of data to find matches -by inference engine -Using rules found in rule base -Decisions made about geologic structure reported through HCI.
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(1 per -, max 4)
[4]
A company specialises in creating websites for customers. 9. One output format on a site will be a web page containing text and images. Describe two other output formats which might be used on the sites which the company designs. [4] -Sound -Music to accompany the pictures/speech to explain the pictures. -Video/animation -Moving pictures to better describe the object on the site -Automatic hard copy/saving -Automatic downloading of data to printer/hard drive for future reference. -Hyperlinks -Allowing access to different sites/parts of site (Up to 2 groups, up to 2 per group, max 4) A company specialises in creating websites for customers. 12. The company stores details of customers and their accounts in a database. The data input to the database must be verified and validated. One piece of data which will be input to the database is the amount of money when a customer makes a payment. (b) (i) State what is meant by verification of data. [1] Custom written software is especially written/according to the requirements of the customer Off the shelf is readily available/needs tailoring to the needs of the customer [2] (ii) Describe how the customer payment will be verified when it is input to the database. [2] -no delay as it is ready immediately -No shortage of experienced users/ready trained/No learning curve -Software should be error free -Help available through Internet/colleagues/courses -Compatible with other users/software (1 per -, max 2) [2] The data input to the database must be verified and validated. One piece of data which will be input to the database is the amount of money when a customer makes a payment. (c) (i) (ii) State what is meant by validation of data. [1]
[4]
Describe how the customer payment will be validated when it is input to the database. [2]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 3. (b) (ii) A shop uses point of sale (POS) terminals. Bar codes are read from the item labels. The POS terminals produce a number of outputs in different formats. State two different output formats for the different information produced, explaining why
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each is necessary. -Sound/Beep -to signify that bar code has been accepted -Hard copy -to provide portable documentation of sale/receipt -LCD/Screen display -to give instant report of price from stock file (1 per -, max 2 pairs, max 4) Oct/NOV 2009. P12 3. A library stores details of members on the member file. (b) When a member's name is input to the system it needs to be validated. (i) State what is meant by validation. - Check input to ensure it is sensible/follows set rules for data
[4]
[4]
[1] [1]
(ii)
Describe two validation checks that can be carried out when a member's name is input to the system. [4]
Type check/character check Ensure characters are all letters Length check >1 and <20 (e.g.) characters entered Existence check Compare with file to see if there is this name there (1 per -, max 2 pairs, max 4) [4] Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P13 2. An examination board sets multiple-choice examination papers that are automatically marked by a computer system. The system allows for monitoring by the personnel in the department and keeps the results until they are required. (b) Describe how the system reads the answers on the examination papers and then produces the examination results. [6] OMR reads positions of marks on the paper Paper must be in the correct position and also clean to avoid misreads Positions of marks relate to values stored in the memory of the computer Some marks identify candidate/centre/exam/date Some marks are the answers If the mark position matches that in the memory then one is added to the score When all the marks have been read the score is stored in the computers storage for later use Human being can intervene in order to change parameters at any time (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
Details of students in a school are stored in the STUDENT file. A school employs administration staff. One of the tasks carried out by these staff is to maintain the
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details of students in the STUDENT file. Amendments to the student records are necessary because of: occasional changes to personal details yearly changes to information like the year and form that a student is in regular changes caused by things like marks in examinations needing to be updated. Access to the data is available to teachers while most enquiries and all changes are made by the administration staff. 8. (b) The school has a website where potential parents can find out about the school. Parents of students at the school can also access the records about their child and make payments electronically. (i) Using this example, explain the difference between passive and interactive information systems. [4] Passive, is a system which provides information but the information cannot be altered by the user. e.g. Details of the curriculum at the school/pastoral care/fees Interactive is a system which allows the information to be altered by the user. e.g. Parent can make a payment which will change the fees paid data in the student record [4] Oct/NOV 2010. P11 4. Describe the need for the following components in an expert system used in medical diagnosis: (a) knowledge base [2] That part of the system which holds data which has been collected from experts and can be interrogated to find information Accept points made in terms of this example e.g. info collected from doctor (1 per -, max 2) (b) rule base Comprises all the rules that the system knows which the expert system has to adhere to These rules are applied to the knowledge to provide results (by inference engine) Accept points made in terms of this example e.g. symptoms from patient applied to knowledge base to get diagnosis (= 2 marks) (1 per -, max 2)
[2] [2]
[2]
A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 9. When a piece of metal is sent to one of the machines its length must be measured. (a) Describe how the length of the piece of metal can be automatically measured by the system. [2] Technique of measuring by callipers probably by shining laser light at metal and measuring shadows produced. (or other sensible method) (b) (i) Describe a validation check which can be done on the measurement.
[2] [2]
Range check (or a description of range check)
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Between a maximum which will fit in machine/minimum must be greater than finished length. (ii) The operator inputs the required length of the finished piece. Describe two ways that this length can be verified.
[2] [4]
Value input twice Computer compares two values, if different, then error Visual check Operator looks at value typed in as it appears on screen and checks it is correct.
[4]
A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 10. The machines on the production line are arranged in groups of six. One operator oversees the work of a group of six machines. The machines are controlled by the computer system. State three different types of output format which would be appropriate for the operator. Justify your answers. [6] Graphs/e.g. to show temperatures of machines Printed reports/hard copy/e.g. to show details of the day's output On screen image/e.g. showing progress of jobs on each machine Lights or sound/e.g. to show alarm for machine, or a machine requiring attention. (2 per -, max 3 -, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2010. P12 4. Describe the need for the following components in an expert system used in medical diagnosis: (a) knowledge base [2] That part of the system which holds data which has been collected from experts and can be interrogated to find information Accept points made in terms of this example e.g. info collected from doctor (1 per -, max 2) (b) rule base Comprises all the rules that the system knows which the expert system has to adhere to These rules are applied to the knowledge to provide results (by inference engine) Accept points made in terms of this example e.g. symptoms from patient applied to knowledge base to get diagnosis (= 2 marks) (1 per -, max 2)
[2] [2]
[2]
A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 9. When a piece of metal is sent to one of the machines its length must be measured. (a) Describe how the length of the piece of metal can be automatically measured by the system. [2]
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Technique of measuring by callipers probably by shining laser light at metal and measuring shadows produced. (or other sensible method) (b) (i) Describe a validation check which can be done on the measurement.
[2] [2]
Range check (or a description of range check) Between a maximum which will fit in machine/minimum must be greater than finished length. (ii) The operator inputs the required length of the finished piece. Describe two ways that this length can be verified.
[2] [4]
Value input twice Computer compares two values, if different, then error Visual check Operator looks at value typed in as it appears on screen and checks it is correct.
[4]
A factory production line produces parts for a car manufacturer. The management of the factory decide to computerise the production line. A systems analyst is employed to oversee the computerisation. 10. The machines on the production line are arranged in groups of six. One operator oversees the work of a group of six machines. The machines are controlled by the computer system. State three different types of output format which would be appropriate for the operator. Justify your answers. [6] Graphs/e.g. to show temperatures of machines Printed reports/hard copy/e.g. to show details of the day's output On screen image/e.g. showing progress of jobs on each machine Lights or sound/e.g. to show alarm for machine, or a machine requiring attention. (2 per -, max 3 -, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2010. P13 4. Describe the need for the following components of an expert system, used in medical diagnosis. (a) HCI [2] The means of inputting queries to the system... and obtaining the results of the queries in human understandable form. (1 per -, max 2) [2] (b) Inference engine A piece of software which applies the rules to the knowledge to obtain results to queries (1 per -, max 2) May/June 2011. P11 A supermarket has a number of point-of-sale terminals. Data is read from goods at the terminals and information is produced.
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[2]
[2]
1.
(b) State two output devices which would be used at the point-of-sale, justifying their use. Device 1 Justification Device 2 Justification [4]
Printer/to print till receipt Beeper/to indicate correctly read barcode/ error reading barcode Speakers/to give instructions to customer LED/LCD screen to show information about purchase (2 per , max 4)
[4]
A supermarket has a number of point-of-sale terminals. Data is read from goods at the terminals and information is produced. (c) State three types of output needed at the point-of-sale terminals. For each type of output explain why the output is needed. Output 1 Output 2 Output 3 [6] Sound/indicates barcode properly read without operator diverting attention from job sound to indicate terminal is free Video image or screen output or soft copy/to allow shopper to check goods and prices as they are input to system Receipt or printout or hard copy/to allow shopper to check payments and shopping at home, proof of purchases. (2 per , max 6)
[6]
May/June 2011. P12 A supermarket has a number of point-of-sale terminals. Data is read from goods at the terminals and information is produced. 1. (b) State two output devices which would be used at the point-of-sale, giving a reason for their use. Device 1 Reason Device 2 Reason [4] Printer/to print till receipt Beeper/to indicate correctly read barcode/ error reading barcode Speakers/to give instructions to customer LED/LCD screen to show information about purchase (2 per , max 4)
[4]
A supermarket has a number of point-of-sale terminals. Data is read from goods at the terminals and information is produced. (c) State three types of output needed at the point-of-sale terminals. For each type of output explain why the output is needed. Output 1
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Output 2 Output 3 Sound/indicates barcode properly read without operator diverting attention from job sound to indicate terminal is free Video image or screen output or soft copy/to allow shopper to check goods and prices as they are input to system Receipt or printout or hard copy/to allow shopper to check payments and shopping at home, proof of purchases. (2 per , max 6)
[6]
[6]
May/June 2011. P13 A cinema has a number of places where customers can buy their tickets. Data is input by the cashiers at the terminals and information is produced. 1. (b) State two input devices which would be used at the terminals, justifying their use. Device 1 Justification Device 2 Justification [4] Keyboard/to allow cashier to input which film or number of tickets Magnetic stripe reader/to input details of loyalty card chip and pin reader/to input details of credit or debit card pointing device/mouse to make a choice touch screen to make a choice or press an onscreen button (2 per , max 4)
[4]
A cinema has a number of places where customers can buy their tickets. Data is input by the cashiers at the terminals and information is produced. (c) State two types of output needed at the point-of-sale terminals. For each type of output explain why it is needed. Output 1 Output 2 [4] Screen output or soft copy/to allow customer to check tickets and prices as choices are input to system Printout or hard copy/to produce tickets for customer sound output/error or confirmation (2 per , max 4)
[4]
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Chapter 1.9 Designing the User Interface

Note: Much of the content of this chapter has already been covered in sections 1.2.d and 1.4.e and this chapter should be read in conjunction with those two sections.
1.9 (a)
Importance of Good Interface Design
However complex the software, however expensive and powerful the hardware, the system is unusable if there is no intuitively simple to use interface with the human being who is in control of the system or for whom the system is producing results. The HCI must be unambiguous, allow the user to input all the data that the user thinks important, and produce the output in an easily understandable form. The intended user of the interface must be taken into account. The interface design for a pre school playgroup to learn about numbers is going to be very different from the design of an interface for the manager of a chemical plant to keep a check on the reactions around the plant. The interface that this manager would use to study a particular reaction (perhaps tables of figures, or graphs showing the different parameters of the reaction) is very different from the interface the same person would use if they wanted to see the flow of a chemical around the whole site. This would probably be in the form of a diagrammatic representation of the site. The circumstances under which the interface is to operate are also important. In the last chapter mention was made of the nurse looking after a group of patients. In those circumstances an audible warning that a problem may be occurring is far more sensible than a visual one which may be ignored if the nurses attention is drawn away from the screen. Finally, the designer of the interface needs to take account of the purpose for which the interface was designed, namely the transfer of data into the system and the communication of information from the system to the user. If the user is using the computer to play a game then the paramount importance of the interface is that it adds to the enjoyment of the user. Consideration of the purpose of the interface, who it is for what information needs to be conveyed the circumstances under which the interface must operate the effectiveness of the communication the enjoyment obtained from using it are all important when the interface is being designed.
1.9 (b)
HCI Design Issues
Short term and Long term memory: The information produced by a system can be of such a large volume that it is not possible for all the information to be stored for future use by the user. Some of the information is presented via the user computer interface, perhaps in the form of a scrolling graph. Such data is very transitory in nature because the screen display is being constantly updated. Such data is part of the short term memory. The long term memory is that which stores the data for future reference. Visual perception: This includes all the information that is presented by the system in such a way that it can be seen with the eyes. This means that the information will be presented on a screen or on a hardcopy produced by a printer. The size of individual pieces of information will be important as will the contrast used and the type of font in the case of text. Color: Color is an important part of any HCI. The contrasting use of colors can highlight the more important information, or can be used to distinguish one type of information from another. The different levels of contrast between colors are necessary if the individual items of information are to stand out. Black on white provides the highest possible contrast, while dark blue on black is very difficult to decipher. Layout: The layout of the data on the screen is important. The eye naturally reads from left to right and from top to bottom. This means that more important information should be positioned toward the top and left of the screen. The volume of information on the screen at any one time is also important because there is a limit to the amount that the eye can follow and the brain distinguishes in one sweep of the screen content. If the information should be seen in an order, then the correct screen order is from top left to bottom right corners, as the eye naturally reads. Content: The content of the information presented is important because a user will soon begin to ignore items of information that are constantly being put on the screen despite not being necessary. Similarly, if a method is used to show that a piece of information needs urgent attention, while the operator does not perceive the urgency, then all such highlighted information may be begun to be ignored in the same way.
1.9 (c)
Characteristics of a User Interface
This work has all been covered in previous sections. Particular sections referred to are 1.2.d for type of software interface, 1.4.e for hardware interface and 1.8.d for the type of report produced.
Example Questions
A company has a workforce of around 2000. Some work in the office using the computer system for administrative tasks, while others use the computer system on the production line for giving details of orders that need to be manufactured. 1. Describe the factors that would have been important in the design of the software interfaces to be used by the office workers and the shop floor workers. (6) The office workers often have to key in the details of new members of the workforce. The details of the worker are on a standard form which the new employee fills in. Explain how a form based software interface would be useful to the worker who has to key in the data. (4) Explain the types of output that would be expected from the computer on the factory production line, if it is used to control the speed of the production line as well as being used as a tool for the workers. (4)
2.
3.

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 Oct/NOV 2002 May/June 2003 Oct/NOV 2003 A large chemical plant is controlled automatically from a central control room. One process is to mix two chemicals at a specific temperature and pressure. The process is to be computer controlled. 9. Information about the state of chemical processes in the plant is conveyed to the control room. (b) (ii) Discuss the issues which are of particular importance when designing the HCI for this application. Prioritising of information Volume of information Information overload Colour used Colour blindness Sound (not too many) Different hardware, e.g. printer for very important information Placement of hardware Data input techniques Expertise of staff Tasks to be done Type of data representation (textual/graphical/) (1 per -, max 5)
(5)
May/June 2004 A manufacturing company uses computer systems to store details of customers, suppliers and employees. The employee file contains details of all employees including their name, address, rate of pay, tax rate and other details. The company decides to investigate the use of computer systems to automate the production line. 9. The present computer system runs a set of integrated software packages. (a) Communication with the user is via a human computer interface (HCI). Discuss the importance of (i) colour; Contrasting colours for background and text or text becomes difficult to read Colour (red) to highlight items more important than others Needs to be used sparingly Use of corporate colour scheme Care with red/green because of colour blind people (ii) layout;
Page 1 of 6
Layout should follow normal reading pattern for eye because natural and less chance of errors being made or things missed out Limit the volume of information because otherwise a screen becomes daunting Layout should be similar on all pieces of software so that user gets used to the layout (iii)
content in the design of the HCI. Content should be similar across pieces of software To enable user to be trained easily Content must be relevant or user will begin to ignore Content type must be correct e.g. if highlighted in red it really must be urgent Take account of different users Help should be available (1 per point, max 9)
(9)
Oct/NOV 2004 A building firm has undergone rapid expansion in a short period of time. Computers are used to store customer records and details of stock. 10. The data entry operators use a form based human computer interface (HCI). By describing the features of a form based HCI, explain why it is appropriate for this use. [4] Input to the system is of a standard type Form prompts the user to ask standard questions in the correct order Ensures that information is in the correct format Validation checks are easier to set up Clear indication of where and what information is to be entered Can automatically determine different routes dependent on entry Labelled boxes to make system easy to use Important data cannot be missed out (1 per point, max 4)
[4]
May/June 2005 Oct/NOV 2005 A manufacturing process in a company is manually controlled. The company employs a systems analyst to plan the introduction of a computerised control system. The system to control the production line is implemented. It is controlled from an operations room. 10. (a) State two factors which should be considered when designing the software interface for use in the control room. Who will be using it What information needs to be conveyed Under what circumstances must it operate How effective will it be in conveying the information (1 per , max 2) [2] May/June 2006 Oct/NOV 2006 4. (b) An analyst needs to design the human computer interface (HCI) for a control room in a manufacturing plant. Describe the factors that the analyst should consider when designing the interface.
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Who will be using the interface What experience/knowledge do they have What is the system requirement/time sensitive or not What is the information that needs to be shown How much information is needed What is the best way to show the information required Colours that should/should not be used What other forms of output are sensible/possible in the environment of the control room What technology is available Layout/language to be used (1 per -, max 6) (6)
May/June 2007 Oct/NOV 2007 May/June 2008 4. (b) The alarm signal, together with all the other values from the system, is sent to a central control room. All the water supplies in the city are controlled from this central room by a single operator. Explain the importance to the operator of good interface design, stating any features which should be considered. Interface must be good because: Single operator Large quantity of information Importance of some of the information Features: - Use of colour Use of layout Use of video reverse/flashing/bold/ use of graphics Use of sound (1 per -, max 5)
[5]
Oct/NOV 2008 May/June 2009 A company specialises in creating websites for customers 10. When designing the website, the designer must take account of a number of issues. Discuss how colour, layout and content will affect the designers decisions. Colour: Contrast Corporate schemes Aggressive/passive/soothing colour schemes Consistency over site to make site look cohesive Use colour to provide emphasis Accessability issues e.g. colour blindness Layout: Consistent layout so user gets used to what is where. Important things to top and left Data spread out across whole screen Tab order
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Group similar data together Content: Limit to amount of content on a page Content on a page is cohesive Content matches the published intentions of the site Content is of sensible type and reading age for audience. (1 per -, max 2 per group, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2009. P11 Oct/NOV 2009. P12 2. (b) A computer system is based in a chemical factory. The chemical processes are all automatically controlled by the computer system which is operated from a central point. Discuss why it is important to have a good interface design on the system. [6] Many of the processes will be dangerous... many of the processes will be complex and must be supervised in real time... information must be immediately available Small number of operators and... there will be a large amount of information... which must be prioritised... to avoid information overload. Some less important data... e.g. relating to non time crucial processing should be kept for later at non busy time Use of priority symbols like colours/inverse video/flashing/sound alarms... should be minimised because overuse causes reduction in effect. Use of graphics to illustrate processes and effects of parameters on processes (1 per -, max 6)
[6]
Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P Oct/NOV 2010. P11 Oct/NOV 2010. P12 Oct/NOV 2010. P13 May/June 2011. P11 7. An interactive computer system in a shopping mall is intended to give information to customers. Discuss how the use of colour, layout and content will influence the design of the human computer interface (HCI). Colour Layout Content Colour Colours should provide suitable contrasts should be meaningful e.g. red for danger reference to colour blindness / epilepsy Layout...
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should use whole screen... important information in top left hand corner/centre of screen big buttons for ease of navigation similar content grouped together consistent layout when moving from screen to screen Content... must be relevant... must be understandable must be restricted so no information overload (1 per , max 2 per section, max 6)
[6]
May/June 2011. P12 7. An interactive computer system in a shopping mall is intended to give information to customers. Discuss how the use of colour, layout and content will influence the design of the human computer interface (HCI). Colour Layout Content Colour Colours should provide suitable contrasts should be meaningful e.g. red for danger reference to colour blindness / epilepsy Layout... should use whole screen... important information in top left hand corner/centre of screen big buttons for ease of navigation similar content grouped together consistent layout when moving from screen to screen Content... must be relevant... must be understandable must be restricted so no information overload (1 per , max 2 per section, max 6) May/June 2011. P13 7. A spelling game is being produced which is aimed at young children who are learning to read and write. Discuss how the use of colour, layout and content will influence the design of the human computer interface (HCI). Colour Layout Content Colour:
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[6]
Bright colours to attract young children Combinations of colours should allow for suitable contrasts Use of colours should be consistent e.g. ticks should be green reference to colour blindness/epilepsy Layout The screen content should be placed consistently so that children are concentrating on their spelling Details like the score should be easily visible and always in the same place big buttons for ease of navigation large characters to make it easy to read Layout should be consistent with other software in the set (e.g. the arithmetic one) Content The words used should be of the correct difficulty for the age group There must be some motivational factor like building a rocket each time an answer is correct Content should be kept to a minimum to allow concentration on the main aspect of the software relevant images (1 per , max 2 per section, max 6) [6]
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Chapter 1.10 Logic Gates 1.10 (a) Function of AND, OR, NOT, NAND & NOR Logic gates and their input/output.
Microprocessors are the central hardware that runs computers. There are several components that make a processor. The first is the transistor. Next, are logic gates where you put more than one transistor to work with others. The microprocessor works with binary arithmetic by using binary math to perform operations. When a microprocessor is designed, along with other design focus areas "Logic gate cell library (a library is collection of all low level logic functions like AND, OR and NOT etc.), which is used to implement the logic" is also deeply planned and developed. Logic gates carry out the instructions mathematical or otherwise that a processor performs, for example a logic gate performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. When you connect a variety of logic gates together, the results are circuits. The logic is called Boolean logic and is most commonly found in digital circuits. Following five logic gates are part of syllabus. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. AND gate, OR gate, NOT gate, NAND gate, and NOR gate.
AND gate:
AND gate symbol The AND gate is a digital logic gate that behaves according to the table on your right. A HIGH output (1) results only if both the inputs to the AND gate are HIGH (1). If neither or only one input to the AND gate is HIGH, a LOW output results. INPUT A B 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 OUTPUT A AND B (Q) 0 0 0 1
OR Gate:
OR gate symbol The OR gate is a digital logic gate that behaves according to the table on INPUT OUTPUT your right. A HIGH output (1) results if one or both the inputs to the gate A B A + B (Q) are HIGH (1). If neither input is HIGH, a LOW output (0) results. 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 NOT gate (Inverter):
NOT gate symbol In digital logic, an inverter or NOT gate is a logic gate which implements INPUT OUTPUT logical negation. Not gate represents perfect switching behavior. A NOT A 0 1 1 0 NAND gate:
NAND gate symbol The Negated AND, NO AND or NAND gate is the opposite of the digital AND gate, and behaves in a manner that corresponds to the INPUT OUTPUT opposite of AND gate, as shown in the truth table on the right. A LOW A B A NAND B (Q) output results only if both the inputs to the gate are HIGH. If one or 0 0 1 both inputs are LOW, a HIGH output results. 0 1 1 The NAND gate is significant because any Boolean function can be 1 0 1 implemented by using a combination of NAND gates. 1 1 0
NOR gate:
NOR gate symbol The NOR gate is a digital logic gate that implements logical NOR - it behaves according to the truth table to the right. A HIGH output (1) results if both the inputs to the gate are LOW (0). If one or both input is HIGH (1), a LOW output (0) results. NOR is the result of the negation of the OR operator.
INPUT OUTPUT A B A NOR B (Q) 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0
1.10 (b)
Calculate outcome from a set of logic gates.
In this part 1.10 (b) we will explore the application of Boolean algebra in the design of electronic circuits. The basic elements of circuits are gates. Each type of gate implements a Boolean operation. Consider Boolean expression a(x)=x; i.e., a(x) is the complement of x. Now a(0)=1 and a(1) =0. This Boolean operation, i.e., compliment can be implemented using a device called NOT gate or the Inverter. It can be expressed as below:
NOT gate (INVERTER) Now consider Boolean expression a(x,y)=xy; i.e., a is the Boolean product of x & y. As we know that a(0,0)=0, a(0,1)=0, a(1,0)=0 and a(1,1)=1. This Boolean operation, i.e., product can be implemented using a device called AND gate. It can be expressed as below:
AND gate Next consider Boolean expression a(x,y)=x+y; i.e., a is the Boolean sum of x & y. As we know that a(0,0)=0, a(0,1)=1, a(1,0)=1 and a(1,1)=1. This Boolean operation, i.e., sum can be implemented using a device called OR gate. It can be expressed as below:
OR gate The circuits for expressions xy and xy are shown below in figures (a) and (b), respectively:
The circuits for expressions x+y and x+y are shown below in figures (a) and (b), respectively:
The circuit for xy and x+y are shown below in figures (a) and (b), respectively:
If a is xy+xy, then it circuit diagram is shown below,
We now break xy and xy and include their own circuits in diagram above and create a new circuit with four gates.
In order to simplify the circuit above we can split x and y inputs half way and use it for two or more gates. So the above diagram can be simplified and presented as:
Truth Table: A truth table is a mathematical table used in logicspecifically in connection with Boolean algebra and Boolean functionsto compute the functional values of logical expressions on each of their functional arguments, that is, on each combination of values taken by their logical variables. In particular, truth tables can be used to tell whether an expression is true for all valid input values, that is, logically valid. Practically, a truth table is composed of one column for each input variable (for example, A and B), and one final column for all of the possible results of the logical operation that the table is meant to represent (for example, A OR B). Each row of the truth table therefore contains one possible configuration of the input variables (for instance, A=true B=false), and the result of the operation for those values. Number of possible rows in a truth table is directly dependant on the number of inputs and can be easily find out by applying 2n, where n is the number of inputs mentioned in truth table. Truth tables for logic gates are already shown above with their definitions. Here is a truth table giving definitions of the most commonly used 5 out of the 16 possible truth functions of 2 binary inputs (P,Q are thus Boolean variables): P Q P AND Q P OR Q NOT P NOT Q P NAND Q P NOR Q 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1
Note that total number of rows is, 22 = 4.
1.10 (c)
Producing simple logic circuits from Boolean statements.
Consider the following problem: If button A or button B are on and button C is off then the alarm X goes on We can convert this onto logic gate terminology (ON = 1 and OFF = 0): If (A = 1 OR B = 1) AND (C = NOT 1) then (X = 1) (Notice: rather than write 0 we use NOT 1) To draw the logic network, we do each part in brackets first i.e. A = 1 OR B = 1 is one gate then C = NOT 1 is the second gate. These are then joined together by the AND gate. Once the logic network is drawn we can then test it using a truth table. Remember the original problem we are looking for the output to be 1 when A or B is 1 and when C is 0. Thus we get the following logic network and truth table from the network. Looking at the values in the truth table, we will be able to clearly see that it matches up with the original problem which then gives us confidence that the logic network is correct.
Let us now consider a second problem: A steel rolling mill is to be controlled by a logic network made up of AND, OR and NOT gates only. The mill receives a stop signal (i.e. S = 1) depending on the following input bits:
A stop signal (S = 1) occurs when: either Length, L > 100 metres and Velocity, V < 10 m/s or Temperature, T < 1000 C and Velocity, V > 10 m/s Draw a logic network and truth table to show all the possible situations when the stop signal could be received. The first thing to do is to try and turn the question into a series of logic gates and then the problem becomes much simplified. The first statement can be re-written as: (L = 1 AND V = NOT 1) since Length > 100 metres corresponds to a binary value of 1 and Velocity < 10 m/s corresponds to a binary value of 0 (i.e. NOT 1). The second statement can be re-written as (T = NOT 1 AND V = 1) since Temperature < 1000C corresponds to a binary value of 0 (i.e. NOT 1) and Velocity > 10 m/s corresponds to a binary value of 1 Both these statements are joined together by OR which gives us the logic statement: if (L = 1 AND V = NOT 1) OR (T = NOT 1 AND V = 1) then S = 1
We can now draw the logic network and truth table to give the solution to the original problem (input L has been put at the bottom of the diagram just to avoid crossing over of lines; it merely makes it look neater and less complex and isnt essential):
Points to consider when studying or teaching 1.10.

Following information is just an opinion and is given for the better understanding of chapter 1.10 so that students are not under or over taught. Teachers must not limit their visualization just to these points. 1. Permanently refreshing memory should not be taught. 2. Circuits that are used to teach may only have two inputs to every gate, 3. Gates in any given circuit must be limited to 4 in number, 4. To teach gates both circles and actual gates shapes can be used. In any case gate name must be written inside the gate shape or circle, 5. Teaching gates using their shapes is a better idea, 6. Teaching static memory (SRAM) or dynamic memory (DRAM) is INAPPROPRIATE, 7. Teach students to read circuits and draw simple circuits to produce specific outcomes. 8. Students will be required to fill given truth tables after reading the given circuit,
Example Questions:
In questions 1 to 6, draw each circuit using their proper symbols and produce truth tables. Remember that if there are TWO inputs then there will be four (22) possible outputs and if there are THREE inputs there will be eight (23) possible outputs. i.e:
Questions 7 to 10 require both the logic network to be created and also the truth table. The truth table can be derived from the logic network, but also from the problem. This is a check that the logic network actually represents the original problem. (7) A computer will only operate if three switches P, S and T are correctly set. An output signal (X = 1) will occur if P and S are both ON or if P is OFF and S and T are ON. Design a logic network and draw the truth table for this network. (8) A traffic signal system will only operate if it receives an output signal (D = 1). This can only occur if: either (a) signal A is red (i.e. A = 0) or (b) signal A is green (i.e. A = 1) and signals B and C are both red (i.e. B and C are both 0) Design a logic network and draw a truth table for the above system. (9) A chemical plant gives out a warning signal (W = 1) when the process goes wrong. A logic network is used to provide input and to decide whether or not W = 1.
A warning signal (W = 1) will be generated if either (a) Chemical Rate < 10 m3/s or (b) Temperature > 87 C and Concentration > 2 moles or (c) Chemical rate = 10 m3/s and Temperature > 87 C Draw a logic network and truth table to show all the possible situations when the warning signal could be received. (10) A power station has a safety system based on three inputs to a logic network. A warning signal (S = 1) is produced when certain conditions occur based on these 3 inputs:
A warning signal (S = 1) will be generated if: either (a) Temperature > 120C and Cooling Water < 100 l/hr or (b) Temperature < 120C and (Pressure > 10 bar or Cooling Water < 100 l/hr) Draw a logic network and truth table to show all the possible situations when the warning signal could be received. (11) (a) Two logic gates are the AND gate and the OR gate. Complete the truth tables for these two gates:
(b) Complete the truth table for the following logic circuit:
(12) (a) (i) Complete the truth table for the following logic circuit:
(ii) Which single logic gate has the SAME function as the above logic circuit?
[1]

May/June 2000 Oct/NOV 2000 May/June 2001 Oct/NOV 2001 May/June 2002 Oct/NOV 2002 May/June 2003 Oct/NOV 2003 May/June 2004 Oct/NOV 2004 May/June 2005 Oct/NOV 2005 May/June 2006 Oct/NOV 2006 May/June 2007 Oct/NOV 2007 May/June 2008 Oct/NOV 2008 May/June 2009 Oct/NOV 2009. P11 Oct/NOV 2009. P12 Oct/NOV 2009. P13 May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P May/June 2010. P Oct/NOV 2010. P11 Oct/NOV 2010. P12 Oct/NOV 2010. P13 May/June 2011. P11 6. Complete the table for this circuit of logic gates.
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[6]
- Mark points: Column C first two values Column C last two values Column D first two values Column D last two values OUT first two values OUT last two values May/June 2011. P12 6. Complete the table for this circuit of logic gates.
[6]
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- Mark points: Column C first two values Column C last two values Column D first two values Column D last two values OUT first two values OUT last two values May/June 2011. P13 6. Complete the table for this circuit of logic gates.
[6]
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- Mark points: Column C first two values Column C last two values Column D first two values Column D last two values OUT first two values OUT last two values
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Cambridge GCE Computing 9691 AS Paper 1 Notes

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Cambridge GCE Computing 9691 AS Paper 1 Notes

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Different Software Types

Systems Software and Applications Packages

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

Past Papers Questions:

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

[1] [1] [1] [1]

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

to relay information from the processor/computer - (1 per -, max 2)

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

To output results from the system (iii) A storage device [3]

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.1

Chapter 1.2 System Software 1.2 (a) Operating Systems

Operating system User Hardware

1.2 (b) Types of Operating System

Applications requiring online processing

Types of User Interface

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Past Papers Questions:

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

[2] (2) [2]

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

User is not connected to processor. (b)

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Justify your answers.

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

(2) [2] (2) [2] (2)

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

[2] [2] [2]

Oct/NOV 2009. P12 2. (a) Define the following types of software:

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Oct/NOV 2010. P12 1. Describe four functions of an operating system. 11.

[2] [2] [2] [2]

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.2

Number Systems and Character Sets.

Expressing numbers in binary

Iram Sahin Zaid

Name$(1) Name$(2) Name$(20)

Stacks and Queues

EP EP EP SP Zaid 1. SP Iram Zaid 2. SP Sahin Iram 3.

Pointer Iram Zaid 1. Pointer Zaid 2.

Pointer Sahin Zaid 3.

1.3 (f) Files, Records, Items, Fields.

Access Methods to Data

Implementation of File Access Methods

00 01 02 99 00 01 02 99 0102000 0102001 0102002 0102003 . 0102999 DATA

10,000 Final index blocks each containing up to 1000 account numbers

Selection of Data Types and Structures

1.3 (j) Backing up and Archiving Data

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.3

Past Papers Questions:

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.3

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.3

Storage space for one data item/one student's name

Reinforcement: 05-10 Years' relevant CIE answers. Section 1.3