CS1520 Final Examination -- Fall 07 Name: .
Part A
[10] Answer each of the following questions by circling true or false:
1. The mechanical computing machines conceived by Charles Babbage
could not follow algorithms. true false
2. In an abacus the algorithm is represented by the positions of the beads. true false
3. The invention of the integrated circuit meant that problems for which
an algorithm was not previously known could now be solved. true false
4. The addition algorithm is represented by circuitry in the CPU. true false
5. A computer system might operate faster if the hard disk were changed
to one with faster access time and transfer rate. true false
6. Multi-tasking operating systems are only used in a multi-user
environment. true false
7. Random access to files stored on disk is impossible because they
are sequential files. true false
8. A neural network learns by adjusting the input weights of
individual neurons. true false
9. Although "image analysis" is a hard problem, it has largely been solved. true false
10. An "expert system" is constructed by beginning with knowledge
obtained from interviewing a human expert. true false
Part B
[10] Answer each of the following questions by circling the most appropriate choice:
1. If the 8 bit binary code 10011101 is to be interpreted as a binary fraction with the "point"
placed between the 4th and 5th bits (i.e. 1001.1101) then the 7th bit from the left has the
place value
a. 0 b. 21 c. 2-3 or 1/8 d. 2-1 or 1/2 e. 20 or 1
page 2 of 15
, CS1520 Final Examination -- Fall 07 Name: .
2. The concept of abstraction is best defined as:
a. understanding the details of every process
b. focussing on the external properties of a process rather than its internal details
c. finding a simpler algorithm to replace a complex one.
d. visualising a system as composed of components whose internal details are ignored
e. b and d
3. A flip-flop circuit is used to
a. add two bits b. change a 0 bit to a 1 bit
c. store a given bit d. multiply two bits
e. change a 1 bit to a 0 bit
4. The protocol underlying most machine to machine communications on the Internet is
a. ftp b. WWW c. TCP/IP d. telnet e. nntp
5. The transport layer of the Internet software layers
a. communicates with the application the user is currently executing such as an e-mail
program or a WWW browser.
b. breaks up the data to be transmitted into suitably sized segments, each containing the
destination address.
c. appends intermediate addressing information to each packet, such as the address
of a router machine that will forward the packet.
d. deals with the local network protocol as determined by its hardware and topology,
such as token ring or bus, for example.
e. interprets the URL specification such as http://www.yorku.ca
6. The link layer of the Internet software layers
a. communicates with the application the user is currently executing such as an e-mail
program or a WWW browser.
b. breaks up the data to be transmitted into suitably sized segments, each containing the
destination address.
c. appends intermediate addressing information to each packet, such as the address of a
router machine that will forward the packet
d. deals with the local network protocol as determined by its hardware and topology,
such as token ring or bus, for example.
e. interprets the URL specification such as http://www.yorku.ca
7. A sequential file is one that
a. is stored in one continuous block on disk, one record after the other
b. is always sorted
c. can only be updated by a transaction file
d. is ordered from beginning to end
e. can only be used in batch processing
page 3 of 15
Part A
[10] Answer each of the following questions by circling true or false:
1. The mechanical computing machines conceived by Charles Babbage
could not follow algorithms. true false
2. In an abacus the algorithm is represented by the positions of the beads. true false
3. The invention of the integrated circuit meant that problems for which
an algorithm was not previously known could now be solved. true false
4. The addition algorithm is represented by circuitry in the CPU. true false
5. A computer system might operate faster if the hard disk were changed
to one with faster access time and transfer rate. true false
6. Multi-tasking operating systems are only used in a multi-user
environment. true false
7. Random access to files stored on disk is impossible because they
are sequential files. true false
8. A neural network learns by adjusting the input weights of
individual neurons. true false
9. Although "image analysis" is a hard problem, it has largely been solved. true false
10. An "expert system" is constructed by beginning with knowledge
obtained from interviewing a human expert. true false
Part B
[10] Answer each of the following questions by circling the most appropriate choice:
1. If the 8 bit binary code 10011101 is to be interpreted as a binary fraction with the "point"
placed between the 4th and 5th bits (i.e. 1001.1101) then the 7th bit from the left has the
place value
a. 0 b. 21 c. 2-3 or 1/8 d. 2-1 or 1/2 e. 20 or 1
page 2 of 15
, CS1520 Final Examination -- Fall 07 Name: .
2. The concept of abstraction is best defined as:
a. understanding the details of every process
b. focussing on the external properties of a process rather than its internal details
c. finding a simpler algorithm to replace a complex one.
d. visualising a system as composed of components whose internal details are ignored
e. b and d
3. A flip-flop circuit is used to
a. add two bits b. change a 0 bit to a 1 bit
c. store a given bit d. multiply two bits
e. change a 1 bit to a 0 bit
4. The protocol underlying most machine to machine communications on the Internet is
a. ftp b. WWW c. TCP/IP d. telnet e. nntp
5. The transport layer of the Internet software layers
a. communicates with the application the user is currently executing such as an e-mail
program or a WWW browser.
b. breaks up the data to be transmitted into suitably sized segments, each containing the
destination address.
c. appends intermediate addressing information to each packet, such as the address
of a router machine that will forward the packet.
d. deals with the local network protocol as determined by its hardware and topology,
such as token ring or bus, for example.
e. interprets the URL specification such as http://www.yorku.ca
6. The link layer of the Internet software layers
a. communicates with the application the user is currently executing such as an e-mail
program or a WWW browser.
b. breaks up the data to be transmitted into suitably sized segments, each containing the
destination address.
c. appends intermediate addressing information to each packet, such as the address of a
router machine that will forward the packet
d. deals with the local network protocol as determined by its hardware and topology,
such as token ring or bus, for example.
e. interprets the URL specification such as http://www.yorku.ca
7. A sequential file is one that
a. is stored in one continuous block on disk, one record after the other
b. is always sorted
c. can only be updated by a transaction file
d. is ordered from beginning to end
e. can only be used in batch processing
page 3 of 15
