CS 121 FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
Computer Science - Answers - the study of the theoretical foundations of information
processing and computation
Programming - Answers - writing a list of instructions that tells the computer, in a very
precise way, how to do what you want it to do
Programming Language - Answers - a set of rules, symbols, and special words used to
construct a computer program
Algorithm - Answers - a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem in a finite amount
of time
Documentation - Answers - the written text and comments that make a program easier
for others to understand, use, and modify
Information - Answers - any knowledge that can be communicated
Data - Answers - information in a form a computer can use
Machine Language - Answers - the language, made up of binary-coded instructions,
that is used directly by the computer
Assembly Language - Answers - a low-level programming language in which a
mnemonic is used to represent each of the machine language instructions for a
particular computer
Assembler - Answers - a program that translates an assembly language program into
machine code
Compiler - Answers - a program that translates a high-level language into machine code
Source File - Answers - A file that contains original or essential data that is the starting
point for a system of publishing or other processing
Object File - Answers -
Memory Unit - Answers - internal data storage in a computer
Central Processing Unit (CPU) - Answers - the part of the computer that executes the
instructions (program) stored in memory; made up of the arithmetic/logic unit and the
control unit
Hardware - Answers - the physical components of a computer
, Software - Answers - computer programs; the set of all programs available on a
computer
Peripheral Device - Answers - an input, output, or auxiliary storage device attached to a
computer
(ex: mouse, keyboard, printer)
Auxiliary Storage Device - Answers - a device that stores data in encoded form outside
the computer's main memory
(ex: flash memory, optical disc, magnetic tape)
Operating System - Answers - a set of programs that manages all of the computer's
resources
Software Piracy - Answers - the unauthorized copying of software for either personal
use or use by others. Companies lose millions of dollars if unauthorized copies of their
software is being made.
Computer Memory - Answers - the storage space in computer where data is to be
processed and instructions required for processing are stored (RAM, ROM, 8 bits in 1
byte).
Is accessed (or read) by specifying the location (called an address) of the memory cell
RAM (random access memory) - Answers - a type of computer memory that can be
accessed randomly
ROM (read-only memory) - Answers - "built-in" computer memory containing data that
normally can only be read, not written to
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) - Answers - a code for
representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0
to 127
Function - Answers - a subprogram in C++
Identifier - Answers - names we give things in a program
Variable - Answers - a location in memory where we can store data values
.length() OR .size() - Answers - returns the number of characters currently stored in the
string object
stringname.find(string) OR stringname.find(string, where it starts looking) - Answers -
returns the index in the string of the start of the search string or -1 if not found
Computer Science - Answers - the study of the theoretical foundations of information
processing and computation
Programming - Answers - writing a list of instructions that tells the computer, in a very
precise way, how to do what you want it to do
Programming Language - Answers - a set of rules, symbols, and special words used to
construct a computer program
Algorithm - Answers - a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem in a finite amount
of time
Documentation - Answers - the written text and comments that make a program easier
for others to understand, use, and modify
Information - Answers - any knowledge that can be communicated
Data - Answers - information in a form a computer can use
Machine Language - Answers - the language, made up of binary-coded instructions,
that is used directly by the computer
Assembly Language - Answers - a low-level programming language in which a
mnemonic is used to represent each of the machine language instructions for a
particular computer
Assembler - Answers - a program that translates an assembly language program into
machine code
Compiler - Answers - a program that translates a high-level language into machine code
Source File - Answers - A file that contains original or essential data that is the starting
point for a system of publishing or other processing
Object File - Answers -
Memory Unit - Answers - internal data storage in a computer
Central Processing Unit (CPU) - Answers - the part of the computer that executes the
instructions (program) stored in memory; made up of the arithmetic/logic unit and the
control unit
Hardware - Answers - the physical components of a computer
, Software - Answers - computer programs; the set of all programs available on a
computer
Peripheral Device - Answers - an input, output, or auxiliary storage device attached to a
computer
(ex: mouse, keyboard, printer)
Auxiliary Storage Device - Answers - a device that stores data in encoded form outside
the computer's main memory
(ex: flash memory, optical disc, magnetic tape)
Operating System - Answers - a set of programs that manages all of the computer's
resources
Software Piracy - Answers - the unauthorized copying of software for either personal
use or use by others. Companies lose millions of dollars if unauthorized copies of their
software is being made.
Computer Memory - Answers - the storage space in computer where data is to be
processed and instructions required for processing are stored (RAM, ROM, 8 bits in 1
byte).
Is accessed (or read) by specifying the location (called an address) of the memory cell
RAM (random access memory) - Answers - a type of computer memory that can be
accessed randomly
ROM (read-only memory) - Answers - "built-in" computer memory containing data that
normally can only be read, not written to
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) - Answers - a code for
representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0
to 127
Function - Answers - a subprogram in C++
Identifier - Answers - names we give things in a program
Variable - Answers - a location in memory where we can store data values
.length() OR .size() - Answers - returns the number of characters currently stored in the
string object
stringname.find(string) OR stringname.find(string, where it starts looking) - Answers -
returns the index in the string of the start of the search string or -1 if not found
