Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ICT Notes
If computer is switched off, work in RAM is lost but backing storage stores data for future use
More likely that data is accidentally deleted in RAM
RAM is more expensive than backing storage per unit of memory
RAM is bulkier than backing storage per unit of memory
Software package may be so large that it is physically impossible for RAM to store it.
Operating system may be so large that it is physically impossible for ROM to store it.
Data may need to be transferred from one computer to another and can’t do that with RAM
Expert System is a computer program which uses databases of expert knowledge to offer advice or make
decisions in areas such as medical diagnosis. They are designed to solve complex problem s.
Prospecting
Tax
Careers
Chess games
Animal/plant classification/identification
Advantages:
They provide consistent answers and are not affected by emotional reasoning.
They never forget to answer a question when determining logic.
It reduces the time taken to solve a problem.
The potential of saving money exists since there is less need for specialists.
They indicate the probability of the given solution being accurate or correct.
Prepared and Compiled by Yash Bhatt 10 April 2016
Disadvantages:
They tend to lack common sense in some of the decision making process.
Lack of emotional reasoning can be a disadvantage in areas such as medical diagnosis,
Errors in the knowledge base can lead to incorrect decisions being made.
They can be expensive to set up.
What is copyright?
Lawful protection....
......Given to authors of software /companies /publishers
Relates to the software/name/work the author/publisher/company created/published
Prohibits purchaser from making unlimited copies/lend it to others/change the software/sell
software/books/intellectual property without the company’s/author’s permission
Passive attacks include the release of email material to other users without your consent. Active attacks involve
the modification of your messages or even denial of service, it overloads the system by sending thousands of
emails which clogs up the computer and makes the internet access impossible.
What is Netiquette?
Netiquette is a shortened form of the phrase internet etiquette, which refers to the need to respect other users’
views and display common courtesy when posting views in online discussion groups or when sending emails.
What is Intranet?
It is defined as computer network based on internet technology but designed to meet internal needs for sharing
information within a single organization or company.
Cloud storage is a method of data storage where data is stored on offsite servers.
What is HTTP?
Hypertext transfer protocol is a set of rules that must be obeyed when transferring data across the internet.
A web browser is software that allows user to display a web page on their computer screen.
A file transfer protocol is a network protocol used when transferring files from one computer to another computer
over the internet.
Blogs (web logs) are personal internet journals where the writer will type in their observation on some topic and
perhaps provide links to some relevant websites.
Wikis are web application or websites that allow users to create and edit web pages using any web browser.
Entries aren’t usually in chronological order.
Social networking sites focus on building online communities of users who share the same interests and activities.
Search engines use the words entered in the search box and look up in the database of web pages to find out
which of them match the search string.
Control system is a device or set of devices which manages, commands, directs or regulates the behaviour of
another devices or systems to achieve a desired result.
Describe how a microprocessor uses the data from input devices to control an automatic cooker.
Describe how the computer would monitor the level of pollution in the river.
User Id is an ID given to each user which identifies the user in the system and allows the system to as sign
privileges whereas password allows the user to gain access to the system if it matches the user name.
Explain why financial models (or any model) are often used to predict future profitability.
Encryption is the protection of sensitive data. It causes the data to get scrambled or encoded. Encryption is
needed because the data can fall in wrong hands. Computer can only understand the data, if it has the key.
Give three specific examples of work that are carried out by a robot in the car industry.
Authentication techniques involve the use of user ID, passwords and biometrics to identify the user in a system.
Magneitc cards, PIN, biometrics are all examples of authentication techniques.
WiFi helps to establish a local area network and provides internet access to the user. Using WiFi, Laptops and
desktop computers can connect to the wireless routers. Bluetooth connects two devices together. Adding further
Bluetooth peripherals are powered by battery therefore it needs to be charged and replaced.WiFi covers larger
distance than Bluetooth and needs ten times more bandwidth than Bluetooth.
Compare and contrast the use of optical discs and the use of fixed magnetic disks to store data.
Simulations
Mathematical models
Civil engineering models
Flight/pilot simulation/training
Design of fairground rides
Traffic control
Building fire simulation
Weather forecast models
Population modelling
Describe four features of a website that will prove that the information found on it is reliable.
Describe three other features of a website that may indicate that the information found on it is
not likely to be reliable.
This is where number of similar jobs and tasks are collected together and processed by a computer all at once
rather than individually. It can take long time to perform. Eg: Payroll, producing bills, stock control.
It is a type of processing where the user communicates directly with the computer system.Eg: Booking system,
ATM’s.
Prepared and Compiled by Yash Bhatt 10 April 2016
What is real-time processing?
Real-time processing uses sensors rather human input in order to obtain its data.Eg: Aircraft warning system and
automatic greenhouses, burglar alarms.
Modem means modulator demodulator and is a device that converts computer’s digital signal into an analogue
signal for transmission over an existing telephone line. It also does the reverse process, in that it converts
analogue signals from telephone line into digital signals.
Hubs are hardware devices that can have number of devices or computers connected to them. They are often
used to connect together a number of devices to form a LAN. Data packet sent to hub is sent to all workstations or
computers.
Switch is similar to hub but data packet sent to a switch is sent to the recipient only.
Bridge is network hardware that connects one LAN to another LAN that uses the same protocol.
IP and MAC addresses are both a unique address given to a device connected on the internet, however the IP
gives the locaton of the device on the internet whereas MAC address identifies the device connected to the
internet.
What is EFT?
Electronic funds transfer is a system that allows money transfer instructions to be sent directly to a bank’s
computer system.No actual money transfer is transferred; the whole system relies on electronic transfer of money
between accounts.
Advantages:
No need to travel, hence travelling costs and time is saved. It also reduces congestion and pollution
Users now have access to worldwide market and can thus look for products which are cheaper. They also
have access to wide range of products.
Disabled and elderly people can now access any shop or bank without the need to leave home.
Online shopping and banking can be anytime on any day of the week (24/7)
People have more free time and can perform leisure activities, as online shopping and banking takes very
less time.
Disadvantages:
There is a possibility of isolation and lack of socialization if people stay at home and do online shopping
and banking.
There are possible health risks associated with online shopping and banking because of lack of excericise.
Prepared and Compiled by Yash Bhatt 10 April 2016
Security issues are major concern such as hacking, stealing credit card details and phishing.
It is necessary to have a computer and internet access to take part in online shopping or banking.
There is no direct contact with seller and the goods bought. There can be a huge difference between
goods displayed on the website and the actual goods delivered.
User also has to wait for the goods to arrive and returning them is also expensive.
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Advantages:
Double booking is prevented which occurs in paper based systems which don’t update the system fast
enough.
The user gets an immediate feedback on the availability of seats and whether or not their booking has
been successful.
Booking can be done any time of the day.
Special offers can be sent to customer’s email address to inform them quickly and automatically.
Printing cost of tickets is saved as the customer is sent a QR code which contains all the booking
information. Customers need to scan their QR code at the theatre or the cinema on arrival.
Disadvantages:
What are user and technical documentation and what it consists of?
User documentation is designed to help users to learn how to use the software or system. It consists of:
Technical documentation is designed to help programmers and analysts to make improvements to the system or
to repair or maintain the system. It consists of:
What is hacking?
Hacking is the act of gaining unauthorized access to a computer system. It can lead to identity theft and misuse of
personal information. Data can be deleted, changed or corrupted on a user’s computer. It can be prevented by the
use of firewalls, strong passwords and user IDs, and intrusion detection software.
Effects of hacking:
Identity Theft – Some hackers can gain access to sensitive information which could be used to fuel identity
theft
E-mail Access – Hackers have the ability to gain access to personal e-mail accounts. These can have a
variety of information and other private files which most people would regard as important. Information can
be a very sensitive data which can lead to identity theft.
Website Security – Many websites have been victims of hackers. Usually the hackers would simply
destroy data and leave the websites in an inoperable state which would leave website owners with the task
of rebuilding their sites from scratch if they did not have a backup.
What is Phishing?
It’s a fraudulent practice in which the creator sends out legitimate looking emails to target users. As soon as the
recipient clicks on a link in the email attached, they are sent to fake website or they are fooled into giving personal
data in replying to the email. The email often comes from a trusted source such as a bank. They creator of the
email can gain personal data such as bank account details or credit card numbers from the user, it can also lead
to fraud or identity theft.
Spear-phishing defines a more specialized phishing scheme. It’s an attempt by a hacker to obtain confidential
information about a user through fraudulent means targeting a specific employee in order to gain access to a
company’s information. In order to do this, an email that appears to come from inside the company or another
trusted source is sent to the targeted person. This email must also contain convincing information that appears to
be from a trusted source. As with phishing, the target will be requested to click a link to be brought to a bogus
website in order to get them to enter in their sensitive information. Sometimes, just clicking the link is enough to
install malware on the target’s machine, which may allow the attacker to take control of their computer and
continue their scheme.
What is Smishing?
Smishing uses the SMS system of mobile phones to send out fake text messages. It is very similar to phishing.
These scams often contain a URL or telephone number embedded in the text message. The recipient will be
asked to log on to the website or make a telephone call to provide their personal details. As with phishing attacks
the text message will appear to come from a legitimate source.
Prepared and Compiled by Yash Bhatt 10 April 2016
What is Vishing?
It is another variation of phishing. This uses a voice mail message to trick the user into calling the telephone
number contained in the message. As with all phishing attacks, the user will be asked to supply personal data
thinking they are talking to a legitimate company.
What is Pharming?
It’s a fraudulent practice in which a malicious code is installed on a user’s computer or on a web server. The code
will redirect the user to a fake website without their knowledge. It can lead to fraud or identity theft as the creator
gains personal data of the user such as credit/debit card details. Users can prevent pharming by using anti-
spyware software which can identify and remove pharming code.
This is software that gathers data by monitoring key presses on the user’s keyboard; the gathered data is then
sent back to the person who sent the software. Spyware gives the originator access to all data entered using a
keyboard on the user’s computer.Anti spyware software can prevent this.
What is a virus?
It’s a piece of programming code which replicates itself with the intention of deleting or c orrupting files on the
computer; they often cause the computer to malfunction. It can be prevented by using antivirus software.
What is a spam?
Spam is often referred as junk email. It is usually sent out to a recipient who is on a mailing list or mailing group.
Spam emails can lead to denial of services by clogging up the bandwidth on the internet.
A moderated forum refers to an online discussion forum in which all the posts are checked by an administrator
before they are allowed to be posted.
Cookies are small files or code that is stored on a user’s computer. They are sent by a web server to a user’s
computer. Once the cookie has been read by the code on the web server or user’s computer , the data can be
retrieved and used to customise the web page for each individual.
A firewall can be either software or hardware. It sits between the user’s computer and an external network and
filters information coming in and out of the user’s computer.