CPSC 100 Midterm 1 Review
The midterm will be a mixture of short answers, multiple choice, and defining terms. You will be
allowed a single sheet of paper to use during the exam. Write whatever you want on it, front and
back.
Week 1
Be able to identify the pros and cons of a technological solution to a problem.
Understand the definition of a computer, and be able to identify examples as a computer or not, as
analog or digital, as special purpose or general purpose. Be able to identify the input, output,
memory, and CPU of an example (e.g. Me writing the sum of two numbers on the board).
Understand the difference between analog and digital, special purpose and general purpose.
Know the three classes of problems for computers (ones they can solve, etc)
Week 2
Understand that there are different types of information, and each needs to be digitized a different
way.
Know how to calculate the actual value of a binary number. Know how many bits are in a byte. Be
able to calculate how many bits are needed to hold a given number of values.
Know what an encoding scheme is. Understand the difference between ASCII and Unicode.
Understand how images are digitized. Know what an RGB value is.
Understand how sound is digitized. Understand what the sampling rate is. Understand the
differences between digital recording, MIDI, and speech synthesis. Understand the pros and cons
of MIDI/speech synthesis versus digital recording.
Understand how math can be performed on digitized data to alter the data.
Understand the different sorts of instructions for programs: arithmetic instructions, control
instructions, data movement instructions, input/output instructions
Understand about encoding an instruction and its data into a single byte.
Week 3
Know the term von Neumann Computer, and know what makes up a von Neumann Computer.
Understand the role of a device driver in the computer.
Know the different technologies for storing data. Know the different between secondary memory
and primary memory, and examples of each. Understand how memory is measured: access time,
speed, cost, removable/non-removable, capacity.
Understand the difference between random access and sequential access.
