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Fundamentals Of Information Technology Question Paper

Fundamentals Of Information Technology

Course:Bachelor Of Business Information Technology

Institution: Strathmore University question papers

Exam Year:2008

STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF INFORMATION TECHNILOGY
Bachelor of Business Information Technology
END OF SEMESTER EXAMINATION
DBIT 1101: FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DATE:18th August 2008 TIME: 2 Hours
INSTRUCTIONS: This Examination is divided into Sections A,and B. Section A is compulsory. Answer any Two questions in section B
All questions carry equal marks (20 marks)
Section A
1.(a) Explain in principle how a machine as versatile as a computer may carry out all of its tasks by 'simple'manipulation of binary digits.(2 marks)
(b) Computer systems built using the Von-Neumann architecture use the stored program concept.Explain the term stored program concept and state where the program is stored while executing (3 marks)
(c)Translate the number 102 and -74 into binary using two's complement.Show in binary the result of adding these 2 binary numbers.(3 marks)
(d) If eight bits are used to store one character,what is the bit pattern when the string of '27'is stored in a 16-bit word (2 marks)
(e) What will be the highest memory address in a computer with a 2Kb memory? (2 marks)
(f) Increased uses of social networking forums such as face book and chat rooms have clear benefits and disadvantages.State one benefit and one limitation of these forums (2 marks)
(g) Is it acceptable to participate in today's technical society without making an effort to understand the basic of that technology?E.g.do you have to understand the internals of a microwave oven?(3 marks)
(h) We have recently witnessed an increase in the transfer and infection of computer viruses.Many people are confused on how to deal with this menace.Explain what a computer virus is and ways of dealing with it.(3marks) Total (20 marks)

SECTION B (Attempt Any Two)
2.(a) In the context of a computer processor,define the term clock speed.Explain how it affects the speed at which instructions can be executed? (2 marks)
(b) Some personal computers are referred to as 32-bit machines.What does this term mean in the context of CPU performance? (2 marks)
(c) What is a register in a computing context?Some registers are used in the processor for a specific purpose.Name 3 such registers & explain the purpose of each one.(4 marks)
(d) Illustrate the functional components of the CPU clear showing the flow of program instructions,flow of control and flow of data signals (6 marks)
(e) Why are some programs of the system software stored on ROM ?(2 marks)
(f) Illustrate the Four basic operations in a machine cycle during program execution.(4 marks)

3.(a) Music and other forms of information are often stored digitally.Describe 2 advantages of this method of representing sound.(2 marks)
(b) VRAM is a separate memory on the graphics card onto which the processor writes screen data which are then read to the screen for display.A computer has a colour monitor and 2 MB VRAM and its screen display has been set to a resolution of 600x800.
i) What is a pixel? (1 marks)
ii) What does the resolution 600x800 mean? (1 mark)
iii)How many bytes would be available to represent each pixel? (2 marks)
iv) How many colors can this computer display?(2 marks)
c) In flat panel technology illustrate the difference between LCD technology and TFT technology (4 marks)
d) Identify any appropriate methods of data entry (capture) for the following situation or applications,in each case justify your answers.
i) Marking multiple choice examination scripts.
ii) CAD (Computer-Aided Design).
iii) Cyberspace-Virtual Reality.(3 marks)
e) Printers are categorized according to whether or not the image is produced by physical contact of the print mechanism with paper.Describe the two main categories of printers giving an example for each.(3 marks)
f) Identify one biometric device for data capture and give its area of application (2 marks) Total (20 marks)

4. a) Identify the most suitable storage medium for each of the following cases;
i)Backup of 1GB of data.
ii) A database generated and used in the course of a police investigation.
iii) Distributing an electronic copy of an encyclopedia.
iv) Distributing a s/ware package requiring 400mb of storage space.(1 mark each)
b) Why are hard disks described as direct media access devices?(2 marks)
c) Briefly describe the following terms associated with hard disks;Sector and clusters.How are they related? (3 marks)
d) The access time of read and write operations of hard disks is very fast compared to other auxiliary devices.Explain why this is the case based on the mechanical movement of its parts.(3 marks)
e) Explain how hard disks are different from optical disks such as DVDs.hy have DVDs became the most popular media for information transfer?(6 marks)
f) Explain the term 'data transfer rate', and 'access time', with regard to Computer disks.(2marks) Total (20 marks)

5.a) Bit rate and bandwidth tell us about the speed of data communication. What is the relationship between bit rate and bandwidth?(2 marks)
b) An example of a Universal Resource locator (URL) is http://www.strathmore.edu What do the terms http and www mean? (2 marks)
c) What type of application software is required to access the world wide web?(1 mark)
d) Using a relevant example,illustrate the benefits of accessing the world-wide web (www) to the student community in a university?(4 marks)
e) Briefly illustrate the main components of the telecommunication model giving an example of each component (4 marks)
f) A university is using an academic register information system to store confidential academic information to which lecturers,office staff and mgt have authorized access.
i.Identify 2 precautions that should be taken into consideration to minimize unauthorized access by students (2 marks)
ii.Why do you think lecturers have different access privileges (2marks)
iii.Every authorized user of the online system is given a user ID and password.Describe 3 ways in which the use of password can be made secure?(3marks) Total(20 marks)

Fundamentals Of Information Technology Question Paper

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