CSEC Information Technology Paper 2 Cram Notes

SECTION 1: COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS AND INFORMATION

Hardware Components

 Input Devices: Keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, digital

 Output Devices: Monitor, printer, speakers, projector

 Processing Devices: CPU (ALU, CU, registers), GPU

 Storage Devices:

 Primary: RAM (volatile), ROM (non-volatile)

 Secondary: HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, optical discs (CD/DVD/Blu-

 Communication Devices: Modem, router, network interface card

Computer Systems

 Types: Mainframe, server, desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone

 Embedded Systems: ATMs, smart appliances, medical devices

 Factors affecting performance: Processor speed, RAM, storage

Data Representation

 Number Systems: Binary (base 2), decimal (base 10), hexadecimal

 Binary Conversions: Decimal to binary, binary to decimal

 Data Units: Bit, byte, KB (1024 bytes), MB, GB, TB

 Character Representation: ASCII, Unicode

 File Formats:

 Text: TXT, DOC/DOCX, PDF

 Image: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP

 Audio: MP3, WAV, MIDI

 Compressed: ZIP, RAR

Information Processing Cycle

1. Input: Data collection through input devices

2. Processing: Data manipulation by CPU

3. Storage: Saving processed data

4. Output: Presenting results through output devices

Operating Systems

 Functions: Resource management, file management, memory

 Types: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

 User Interfaces: CLI (Command Line Interface), GUI (Graphical User

SECTION 2: COMPUTER NETWORKS AND WEB TECHNOLOGIES

Network Concepts

 Types of Networks:

 LAN (Local Area Network)

 WAN (Wide Area Network)

 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

 PAN (Personal Area Network)

 Network Topologies: Bus, star, ring, mesh, hybrid

 Transmission Media:

 Wired: Twisted pair, coaxial, fiber optic

 Wireless: Radio waves, microwaves, infrared

 Network Devices: Switch, router, hub, bridge, gateway, access point

Internet and Web Technologies

 Internet Services: Email, FTP, VoIP, cloud computing

 WWW (World Wide Web)

 URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

 HTTP/HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

 Web browsers and search engines

 Web Development:

 HTML (structure)

 CSS (presentation)

 JavaScript (behavior)

 Web 2.0 Technologies: Blogs, wikis, social media, podcasts

Data Communication

 Communication Modes:

 Simplex (one-way)

 Half-duplex (two-way, one at a time)

 Full-duplex (two-way simultaneously)

 Transmission Types:

 Analog vs. Digital

 Serial vs. Parallel

 Protocols: TCP/IP, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP3, IMAP

 Bandwidth: Measured in bits per second (bps)

SECTION 3: SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACT OF ICT

ICT in Society

 Education: E-learning, educational software, virtual classrooms

 Healthcare: Electronic health records, telemedicine, medical imaging

 Business: E-commerce, telecommuting, automated systems

 Government: E-government services, digital voting, public databases

 Entertainment: Digital media, online gaming, streaming services

 Intellectual Property: Copyright, patents, trademarks

 Privacy Concerns: Data collection, surveillance, identity theft

 Computer Crimes: Hacking, malware, phishing, cyberbullying

 Digital Divide: Inequality in access to technology

 Legislation: Data protection laws, computer misuse acts

Health and Safety

 Ergonomics: Proper posture, equipment positioning

 Health Issues: Repetitive strain injury, eye strain, back pain

 Environmental Concerns: E-waste, energy consumption

 Safety Measures: Surge protection, proper ventilation, regular breaks

SECTION 4: WORD-PROCESSING AND WEB PAGE DESIGN

Word Processing Concepts

 Basic Functions: Creating, editing, formatting, saving documents

 Text Formatting: Font styles, sizes, colors, alignment, spacing

 Paragraph Formatting: Indentation, bullets, numbering, borders

 Page Layout: Margins, orientation, columns, headers/footers

 Advanced Features:

 Tables: Creating, formatting, calculations

 Mail merge: Form letters, labels, envelopes

 Graphics: Inserting, positioning, wrapping text

 Templates: Using, creating, modifying

 Styles and themes: Consistent formatting

 Track changes and comments: Collaboration

Web Page Design

 HTML Basics:

 Structure: <!DOCTYPE>, <html>, <head>, <body>

 Lists: <ul>, <ol>, <li>

 Links: <a href="url">text</a>

 Images: <img src="file.jpg" alt="description">

 Tables: <table>, <tr>, <th>, <td>

 Forms: <form>, <input>, <select>, <textarea>

 CSS Styling:

 Inline, internal, external stylesheets

 Selectors, properties, values

 Box model: margin, border, padding, content

 Web Design Principles:

 Accessibility, usability, responsiveness

 Color schemes, typography, layout

 Navigation structure

SECTION 5: SPREADSHEETS

Spreadsheet Concepts

 Interface Elements: Workbooks, worksheets, cells, rows, columns

 Data Types: Text, numbers, dates, formulas

 Cell References: Relative (A1), absolute (A1), mixed (A1,A1)

 Basic Operations: Entering data, editing, formatting, saving

Formulas and Functions

 Operators: +, -, *, /, ^, % (arithmetic); =, <, >, <=, >=, <>

 Common Functions:

 Mathematical: SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, COUNT, ROUND

 Statistical: STDEV, VARIANCE, MEDIAN, MODE

 Logical: IF, AND, OR, NOT

 Text: CONCATENATE, LEFT, RIGHT, MID, LEN

 Date/Time: NOW, TODAY, DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY

Data Analysis and Presentation

 Sorting: Single-level, multi-level, custom

 Filtering: AutoFilter, advanced filter

 Charts: Column, bar, line, pie, scatter, area

 Chart elements: Title, legend, axes, data labels

 Conditional Formatting: Highlight cells based on values

 PivotTables: Summarizing and analyzing large datasets

 What-if Analysis: Goal Seek, Scenario Manager, Data Tables

SECTION 6: DATABASE MANAGEMENT

Database Concepts

 Key Terms: Database, table, record, field, primary key, foreign key

 Database Models: Hierarchical, network, relational, object-oriented

 DBMS (Database Management System): Software for creating and

 Relational Database Design: Normalization (1NF, 2NF, 3NF)

Database Creation and Manipulation

 Table Design: Field names, data types, properties, constraints

 Data Entry: Adding, editing, deleting records

 Relationships: One-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many

 SQL Basics:

 SELECT: Retrieving data

 INSERT: Adding records

 UPDATE: Modifying records

 DELETE: Removing records

 JOIN: Combining tables

Database Applications

 Forms: Data entry, editing interfaces

 Queries: Simple, parameter, calculated fields, aggregate functions

 Reports: Formatting, grouping, sorting, calculations

 Data Validation: Input masks, validation rules, lookup lists

 Data Security: User authentication, permissions, encryption

SECTION 7: PROBLEM-SOLVING AND PROGRAM DESIGN

Problem-Solving Process

1. Problem Definition: Understanding requirements

2. Analysis: Breaking down the problem

3. Algorithm Development: Step-by-step solution

4. Implementation: Coding the solution

5. Testing: Verifying correctness

6. Documentation: Recording the process

7. Maintenance: Updating as needed

Algorithm Representation

 Pseudocode: English-like description of algorithm steps

 Flowcharts: Visual representation using standard symbols

 Terminal (oval): Start/End

 Process (rectangle): Computation/Assignment

 Decision (diamond): Condition/Branch

 Input/Output (parallelogram): Data entry/display

 Connector (circle): Junction point

 Arrows: Flow direction

Control Structures
  Sequence: Linear execution of statements

 Selection:

 If-Then-Else: Conditional branching

 Case/Switch: Multiple condition branching

 Iteration:

 For loop: Fixed number of iterations

 While loop: Pre-test loop (may execute zero times)

 Do-While loop: Post-test loop (executes at least once)

Data Structures

 Variables: Named memory locations

 Constants: Fixed values

 Arrays: Indexed collections of same-type elements

 Records/Structures: Collections of different-type elements

SECTION 8: PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION

Programming Concepts

 Programming Paradigms: Procedural, object-oriented, functional

 Data Types: Integer, float/real, string/text, boolean, character

 Variables and Constants: Declaration, initialization, scope

 Operators: Arithmetic, relational, logical, assignment

 Input/Output Operations: Reading data, displaying results

Program Structure

 Modules/Functions/Procedures: Reusable code blocks

 Parameters: Passing data to modules

 Local vs. Global Variables: Scope and visibility

 Program Documentation: Comments, headers, user guides

Testing and Debugging

 Testing Types:
  Unit testing: Individual components

 Integration testing: Combined components

 System testing: Complete program

 Test Data: Normal, boundary, invalid

 Common Errors:

 Syntax errors: Grammar mistakes

 Runtime errors: Occur during execution

 Logical errors: Incorrect results

Program Documentation

 Internal Documentation: Comments, meaningful names

 External Documentation: User manuals, technical specifications

 Program Maintenance: Corrective, adaptive, perfective