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#1. Assembly language is considered a high-level language.
Although assembly language makes it unnecessary to write binary machine language instructions, it is not without difficulties. Assembly language is primarily a direct substitute for machine language, and like machine language, it requires that you know a lot about the CPU. Assembly language also requires that you write a large number of instructions for even
the simplest program.
Because assembly language is so close in nature to machine language, it is referred to as a low-level language.
In the 1950s, a new generation of programming languages known as high-level languages began to appear. A high-level language allows you to create powerful and complex pro-grams without knowing how the CPU works and without writing large numbers of low-level
instructions. In addition, most high-level languages use words that are easy to understand.
#2. A(n) __________ is a set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task.
A program is a set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task.
#3. An extensive encoding scheme that can represent characters for many languages in the world is __________.
The ASCII character set was developed in the early 1960s and was eventually adopted by almost all computer manufacturers. ASCII is limited, however, because it defines codes for only 128 characters. To remedy this, the Unicode character set was developed in the early 1990s. Unicode is an extensive encoding scheme that is compatible with ASCII, but can also represent characters for many of the languages in the world. Today, Unicode is quickly becoming the standard character set used in the computer industry
#4. Real numbers are encoded using the __________ technique.
The binary numbering system can be used to repre-sent only integer numbers, beginning with 0. Negative numbers and real numbers (such as 3.14159) cannot be represented using the simple binary numbering technique we discussed.
Computers are able to store negative numbers and real numbers in memory, but to do so they use encoding schemes along with the binary numbering system.
Negative numbers are encoded using a technique known as two’s complement, and real numbers are encoded in
floating-point notation. You don’t need to know how these encoding schemes work, only that they are used to convert negative numbers and real numbers to binary format.
#5. In the __________ part of the fetch-decode-execute cycle, the CPU determines which operation it should perform.
When a CPU executes the instructions in a program, it is engaged in a process that is known as the fetch-decode-execute cycle. This cycle, which consists of three steps, is repeated for each instruction in the program. The steps are:
1. Fetch. A program is a long sequence of machine language instructions. The first step of the cycle is to fetch, or read, the next instruction from memory into the CPU.
2. Decode. A machine language instruction is a binary number that represents a com-mand that tells the CPU to perform an operation. In this step, the CPU decodes
the instruction that was just fetched from memory, to determine which operation it
should perform.
3. Execute. The last step in the cycle is to execute, or perform, the operation.
#6. A component that collects data from people or other devices and sends it to the computer is called __________.
Input Devices
Input is any data the computer collects from people and from other devices. The component that collects the data and sends it to the computer is called an input device. Common input devices are the keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, scanner, microphone, and digital camera. Disk drives and optical drives can also be considered input devices, because programs and data are retrieved from them and loaded into the computer’s memory.
Output Devices
Output is any data the computer produces for people or for other devices. It might be a sales report, a list of names, or a graphic image. The data is sent to an output device, which formats and presents it. Common output devices are video displays and printers. Disk drives can also be considered output devices because the system sends data to them in order to be saved.
#7. A syntax error does not prevent a program from being compiled and executed.
The statements that a programmer writes in a high-level language are called source
code, or simply code. Typically, the programmer types a program’s code into a text
editor then saves the code in a file on the computer’s disk. Next, the programmer uses
a compiler to translate the code into a machine language program, or an interpreter
to translate and execute the code. If the code contains a syntax error, however, it can-not be translated. A syntax error is a mistake such as a misspelled keyword, a missing
punctuation character, or the incorrect use of an operator. When this happens, the
compiler or interpreter displays an error message indicating that the program contains
a syntax error. The programmer corrects the error then attempts once again to translate
the program.
Although people commonly violate the syntax rules of their native language when
speaking and writing, other people usually understand what they mean. Unfortunately, compilers and interpreters do not have this ability.
If even a single syntax error appears in a program, the program cannot be compiled or executed.
When an interpreter encounters a syntax error, it stops executing the program.
#8. A type of memory that can hold data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer, is called __________.
Secondary storage is a type of memory that can hold data for long periods of time, even
when there is no power to the computer. Programs are normally stored in secondary mem-ory and loaded into main memory as needed. Important data, such as word processing
documents, payroll data, and inventory records, is saved to secondary storage as well.
#9. Images, like the ones created with your digital camera, cannot be stored as binary numbers.
Computers are often referred to as digital devices. The term digital can be used to describe anything that uses binary numbers. Digital data is data that is stored in binary format, and a digital device is any device that works with binary data. Numbers and characters are stored in binary, but computers also work with many other types of digital data.
For example, consider the pictures that you take with your digital camera. These images are composed of tiny dots of color known as pixels. (The term pixel stands for picture element.) Each pixel in an image is converted to a numeric code
that represents the pixel’s color. The numeric code is stored in memory as a binary number.
#10. Today, CPUs are huge devices made of electrical and mechanical components such as vacuum tubes and switches.
#11. A byte is made up of eight __________.
#12. The words that make up a high-level programming language are called __________.
#13. The computer stores a program while the program is running, as well as the data that the program is working with, in __________.
You can think of main memory as the computer’s work area. This is where the computer
stores a program while the program is running, as well as the data that the program is
working with. For example, suppose you are using a word processing program to write an
essay for one of your classes. While you do this, both the word processing program and the
essay are stored in main memory.
Main memory is commonly known as random-access memory, or RAM. It is called this
because the CPU is able to quickly access data stored at any random location in RAM.
RAM is usually a volatile type of memory that is used only for temporary storage while
a program is running. When the computer is turned off, the contents of RAM are erased.
#14. In the __________ numbering system, all numeric values are written as sequences of 0s and 1s.
#15. Negative numbers are encoded using the __________ technique.
The binary numbering system can be used to repre-sent only integer numbers, beginning with 0. Negative numbers and real numbers (such as 3.14159) cannot be represented using the simple binary numbering technique we discussed.
Computers are able to store negative numbers and real numbers in memory, but to do so they use encoding schemes along with the binary numbering system.
Negative numbers are encoded using a technique known as two’s complement, and real numbers are encoded in
floating-point notation. You don’t need to know how these encoding schemes work, only that they are used to convert negative numbers and real numbers to binary format.
#16. An interpreter is a program that both translates and executes the instructions in a high-level language program.
The Python language uses an interpreter, which is a program that both translates and
executes the instructions in a high-level language program. As the interpreter reads
each individual instruction in the program, it converts it to machine language instruc-tions then immediately executes them. This process repeats for every instruction in
the program. This process is illustrated in Figure 1-19. Because interpreters combine
translation and execution, they typically do not create separate machine language
programs.
#17. A __________ is enough memory to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number.
#18. Python is a high-level language that excels at creating exceptionally fast-executing programs.
The answer is False; Powerful for object-oriented prog and dynamic typing; Python incurs overhead costs as the language is interpreted.
#19. The part of a computer that runs programs is called __________.
The CPU is the most important component in a computer because it is the part of the computer that runs programs.
#20. The physical devices that a computer is made of are referred to as __________.
Hardware is all the physical devices, or components, of which a computer is made.
#21. IDLE is an alternative method to using a text editor to write, execute, and test a Python program.
The CPU understands instructions written in a binary machine language.
#22. Machine language is the only language that a CPU understands.
A computer’s CPU can only understand instructions that are written in
machine language. Because people find it very difficult to write entire
programs in machine language, other programming languages have been
invented.
#23. Computers can only execute programs that are written in __________.
From Machine Language to Assembly Language
Computers can only execute programs that are written in machine language. A program can have thousands or even millions of binary instructions, and writ-ing such a program would be very tedious and time consuming. Programming in machine
language would also be very difficult, because putting a 0 or a 1 in the wrong place will cause an error.
Although a computer’s CPU only understands machine language, it is impractical for people to write programs in machine language. For this reason, assembly language was created in the early days of computing as an alternative to machine language. Instead of using binary numbers for instructions, assembly language uses short words that are known as mnemonics. For example, in assembly language, the mnemonic add typically means to add numbers, mul typically means to multiply numbers, and mov typically means to move a value to a location in memory. When a programmer uses assembly language to write a program, he or she can write short mnemonics instead of binary numbers.
#24. If you were to look at a machine language program, you would see __________.
#25. A set of 128 numeric codes that represent the English letters, various punctuation marks, and other characters is __________.
It is an encoding scheme that uses a set of 128 numeric codes to represent the English letters, various punctuation marks, and other characters. These numeric codes are used to store characters in a computer’s memory. (ASCII stands for the American Standard Code for Information Interchange.)
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