Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Computers

Python Fundamentals: Practical Code Examples

This document presents a collection of basic Python code snippets, demonstrating fundamental programming concepts such as conditional statements, loops, data input, and list manipulation. Each example is designed to illustrate a specific programming principle, making it ideal for beginners learning Python.

Compare Car Top Speeds with Python

This Python script compares two user-entered car speeds to determine which is faster, showcasing basic input and conditional logic.

car_a = int(input("Please enter the top speed of a Ferrari: "))
car_b = int(input("Please enter the top speed of a Lamborghini: "))

if car_a >= car_b:
    print("The fastest car is a Ferrari.")
elif car_b > car_a:
    print("The

ASCII Code

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A code in which each alphanumeric character is represented as a number from 0 to 127, translated into a 7-bit binary code for the computer. ASCII is used by most microcomputers and printers, and because of this, text-only files can be transferred easily between different kinds of computers.

Availability

A measure of how easy or difficult it is to obtain a piece of hardware or a computer application.

Backbone

High-speed lines or connections that form the major access pathways within the Internet.

Bandwidth

The capacity of a networked connection. Bandwidth determines how much data can be sent along the networked wires. Bandwidth is particularly important for Internet connections, since greater... Continue reading "A Glossary of Computer and Internet Terms" »

VHDL Code Examples for Digital Logic Design

This document presents several VHDL code examples demonstrating the implementation of various digital logic circuits, including custom combinational functions and a priority encoder. These examples illustrate fundamental VHDL constructs for hardware description.

Custom Combinational Logic Function (EFC_17_F) - Decoder Label

This VHDL module, named EFC_17_F, implements a specific combinational logic function. In the original context, it was labeled as a "decoder." It takes four standard logic inputs (P1, P0, M1, M0) and produces a single standard logic output (C). The output C is asserted ('1') for specific input combinations, effectively acting as a custom boolean function.

LIBRARY IEEE;
USE IEEE.STD_

Introducing Networks

A network is created when more than one device is connected together. A network can be a small collection of computers connected within a building (e.g. a school, business, or home) or it can be a wide collection of computers connected around the world.

Advantages

• Communication – it is easy (and often free) to communicate using email, text messages, voice calls, and video calls.
• Roaming – if information is stored on a network, it means users are not fixed to one place. They can use computers anywhere in the world to access their information.
• Sharing information – it is easy to share files and information over a network. Music and video files, for instance, can be stored on one device and shared across many computers, so

Application Software

System Software

Operating System

Why OS?

Operating System Function

OS Goals

Types of Operating Systems

• Single Process Operating System
• Batch-Processing Operating System
• Multiprogramming Operating System
• Multitasking Operating System
• Multi-Processing Operating System
• Distributed System
• Real Time OS

Program

Process

Thread

Multi-tasking vs Multi-Threading

Thread Scheduling

Thread Context Switching vs Process Context Switching

User Space

Kernel

Functions of Kernel

• Process Management
• Memory Management
• File Management
• I/O Management

Type Of Kernel

• Monolithic
• Micro
• Hybrid
• Nano

System Calls

Types

• Process Management
• Device Management
• File Management
• Information Management
• Communication Management

Firmware: SW embedded in HW (microprocessor -> microcontroller)

What

Internet Technologies

The internet relies on several key technologies:

• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): Enables connections and data exchange between hosts.
• Internet Protocol (IP): A unique 32-bit numeric address for each computer, represented by four numbers (0-255) separated by periods.
• Domain Name System (DNS): Converts domain names (e.g., google.com) to IP addresses.
• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): The standard for transferring web pages.
• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML): Formats documents and links to other resources.
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL): References a web resource's location and retrieval method.

Cloud Computing

Cloud computing provides access to shared computing resources over a network. Different service models exist:

• Software

Computer Hardware

Core Components

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The CPU controls and executes operations within the computer to process information. It consists of:

• CU (Control Unit): Coordinates all computer activities and manages temporary data storage.
• ALU (Arithmetic and Logic Unit): Performs basic data operations.

Memory

• Random Access Memory (RAM): Enables reading and writing operations, allowing access to random memory locations.
• Read Only Memory (ROM): Contains permanent instructions for computer startup, forming the BIOS (Basic Input Output System).

Input/Output Units

These units facilitate communication between the CPU, internal components, and external devices.

Buses

Buses enable efficient information exchange between computer components. Types... Continue reading "Understanding Computer Hardware and Software Essentials" »

Semantics in Programming

Semantics indicate the meaning of the code, specifically:

• What the code will actually do
• Can we effectively define this in a formal way?

In essence, semantics refers to the meaning of a statement.

Characteristics of Effective Programming Languages

1. Clarity, Simplicity, and Unity

   A programming language should be clear and simple, enabling users to understand it easily. Unity contributes to understandability.

2. Orthogonality

   This term refers to the ability to combine various features of a language in all possible combinations, with each combination being meaningful. For example, if a language provides an expression that can produce a value and a conditional statement that evaluates an expression to yield a true or false result, these

Fundamental Concepts in Knowledge and Data

• The most fundamental combiner is the unification of the Self with itself, which gives rise to the knower, the process of knowing, and the known.
• Normalization is a mathematically interesting, bottom-up technique for producing a set of relations with desirable properties from a set of mathematical dependencies in the data.
• A graphical technique employed by Vedic science is the unified field chart, which provides a holistic overview of a discipline and links all knowledge with the Self.

Data Compression Techniques

Variable-Length Integer Coding (VarInt)

A simple approach to compression is to use only as many bytes as necessary to represent an integer. This technique is known as variable-length integer coding... Continue reading "Core Concepts in Data Processing and Information Retrieval" »

Define SDLC models? What are the most known SDLC model?

An SDLC model defines implementation of an approach to the project. It defines the various processes, and phases that would be carried out throughout the project to produce the desired output. There are a variety of SDLC models that exist catering to different needs and characteristics of a project. Some are of iterative nature (Prototyping), whereas some are sequential (waterfall).

Some of the well-known SDLC models are:
Waterfall model, Software prototyping, Rapid application development,

Extreme programming, and End user development. 

List Advantages of using system analysis and design techniques in approaching computerized info system?

• Identifies and solves the right problems
• Implement