| Question | Answer |
| Describe the difference between a constant and a variable | A variable's value can change by the program as it runs. A constant's value is fixed.
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Describe what is meant by an array? | Is data structure that stores a collection of individual values that are of the same data type.
| State what is meant by a procedure. | A set of instructions that perform a specific task as part of a larger program.
| What is a Logical error? | Error that arises from incorrect algorithm design.
| Briefly describe how a STEP tool can help programmers detect and resolve errors. | Used to run through the code line by line
| Describe the main purpose of the central processing unit (CPU). | Essentially the ‘brain’ of the computer – carries out tasks and has direct control over the hardware. It fetches and executes instructions stored in memory.
| State what is meant by clock speed of the CPU. | ‘Clock speed’ refers to the number of operations carried out per second by the processor.
| What is meant by non-volatile memory? | Non-volatile memory is a type of memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered.
| How many bytes are there in a kilobyte? | 1024 or 1000
| Convert these hexadecimal numbers into binary 33 and 5D. | (00)110011 and (0)1011101
| How can a bitmap image store greater colour depth? | By assigning more bits/bytes to each pixel
| State what is meant by a prototype. | An early model of a program built to test concepts or identify possible improvements.
| State what is meant by a network. | A group of interconnected computers and devices.
| Describe one way in which coding for a web-based application (using client-server) differs from that of a standalone application. | Data is stored primarily on online servers for web apps, but for stand-alone apps it will be stored locally on the computer that installed the software.
| Describe what is meant by an external code source. | Code which is stored independently from the applications that access it. This enables multiple web sites or applications to access the same source code.
| State what is meant by a database? | A persistent, organised store of data.
| Explain the difference between a primary key and a foreign key. | The primary key field in a table uniquely identifies each record in that table. The foreign key field represents the value of primary keys in a different table.
| Describe how data is physically written to a hard drive. | A read/write head magnetises tiny sections on a spinning metal platter.
| Describe the purpose and importance of Virtual Memory. | Virtual memory is used when the RAM runs out of available space to store instructions/data currently in use. It is temporary memory allocated on a secondary storage device.
| Using an example, describe the importance of reliability in computer systems? | Due to our dependency on computer systems, computer system failures can potentially cause |
