Module 6 Study Questions
Technology in Action (6th Ed.)
Pages 273 to 304

  1. Be able to define the following key terms:
    1. Access time
    2. Clock speed
    3. CPU usage
    4. Data transfer rate
    5. Expansion hub
    6. Memory bound
    7. Sound card
    8. Video card
    9. Volatile storage
    10. Video memory

  2. What are the advantages notebook and desktop computers?

  3. Identify two units of measurement and the related abbreviations used to measure a computer's clock speed.

  4. Explain how the front side bus, cache memory and multi-core processors affect CPU performance?

NOTE: Cache memory is reserved for frequently used instructions, like the programming code to save data on the hard disk. Since these instructions as used all the time and cache is close to the CPU, the overall impact is to speed up the time it takes to complete common tasks.
  1. How do you use Windows Vista to find the following:
    1. The CPU type, clock speed and RAM
    2. CPU usage
    3. Hard disk capacity
    4. Video memory capacity
      NOTE: The monitor’s screen resolution can be changed using the Display Settings screen.

  2. Why do the author's recommend not purchasing computers with the fastest processor?

  3. Besides CPU clock speed, identify two other factors that determine your computer system's overall performance.

  4. What is the disadvantage to using virtual memory?

  5. Identify three reasons hard disk drives are the most popular storage device.

NOTE: Because they are inserted into the computer’s USB port, I have settled on referring to flash drives, thumb drives and jump drives as USB drives.
  1. What is the recommended procedure for removing USB drives from the computer’s USB port? BTW: This procedure is only needed when the computer is running.

  2. What is the difference between optical media that use ROM drives, R drives and RW/RE drives?

  3. What are two alternatives to replacing your internal hard drive when it runs out of storage space?

  4. What is the advantage and disadvantage to increasing a monitor's screen resolution?

  5. Identify two types of personal computer speakers and which type produces better quality sound.

  6. What is the difference between a basic sound card and an upgraded sound card?

  7. Identify the data transfer speeds (when available) and types of peripheral devices used by the following ports:
    1. USB 2
    2. FireWire
    3. Ethernet
    4. DVI
    5. Super VGA
    6. S-video
    7. Parallel

  8. What is the primary difference between Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radio frequency ports? Provide a typical application for each standard. NOTE: Wifi connections can be over 200 feet from the hotspot.

  9. Identify four things you can do to ensure that your computer system performs reliably.

  10. What are three things you do if your computer system periodically crashes?

  11. What are two things the authors suggest you try if your system is unreliable?

  12. What did you find interesting in this week’s reading that was not part of a study guide question?

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