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

IoT Protocols

Link Layer Protocols

• 802.3 Ethernet Standards

  A collection of wired Ethernet standards that provide data rates from 10 Mb/s to 40 gigabits per second. The shared medium in Ethernet can be a coaxial cable, twisted-pair wire, or optical fiber. This shared medium carries communication for all devices on the network.

• 802.11 Wi-Fi Standards

  A collection of wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) communication standards.

Network/Internet Layer

• Responsible for sending IP datagrams from the source network to the destination network.
• Handles host addressing and packet routing based on IPv4 or IPv6.
• Datagrams contain a source and destination address, which are used to route them from the source to the destination across multiple networks.
• IPv4 uses 32-

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) in Blockchain

Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is a public-key cryptography technique based on the mathematics of elliptic curves over finite fields. It is widely used in blockchain systems such as Bitcoin and Ethereum for generating secure public-private key pairs and digital signatures. The main advantage of ECC is that it provides high security with smaller key sizes, making it faster and more efficient.

The Mathematical Equation of ECC

The general equation of an elliptic curve is:

y2 = x3 + ax + b

• a and b are constants that define the shape of the curve.
• The curve is defined over a finite field Fₚ (where p is a prime number) for cryptographic applications.
• To be a valid elliptic curve, it must satisfy the condition:

Operating System Memory Management Fundamentals

The Operating System (OS) is responsible for crucial memory decisions: determining which programs reside in memory, where they are placed, how memory is protected, and what actions to take when memory resources are exhausted.

Parkinson's Law Applied to Computing

Parkinson’s Law states that programs expand to fill the memory available to hold them.

Models for Organizing Memory

Three primary models exist for structuring memory:

• Model A (User on Top, RAM on Bottom):
  • Pros: Fast execution.
  • Cons: No protection (e.g., used in MS-DOS).
• Model B (ROM on Top, User on Bottom):
  • Pros: OS protected.
  • Cons: Slow and not flexible.
• Model C (Drivers at Top, User in Middle, RAM at Bottom):
  • Pros: Fast and secure.
  • Cons: Complex

Software Engineering and Processes

Agile Manifesto

• Individuals/Interactions over Processes
• Working software over documentation
• Collaboration over negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Requirements Engineering

Descriptions of the services that a system should provide and the constraints on its operation.

Functional

What the system should do.

Non-functional

Not directly concerned with the specific services delivered by the system to its users.

Quality Attributes

A scenario describing quality attributes typically involves these elements:

1. Source: Origin of the stimulus.
2. Stimulus: The event arriving.
3. Artifact: Where the event arrives.
4. Environment: Conditions in which the scenario takes place.
5. Response: The result of the event.
6. Response Measure: Must

Classes (الصفوف)

• A class consists of variables (fields) and methods.
• Variables are data members of a class.
• Methods are functions that define the class's behavior.

Variables (المتغيرات)

• Declared with a data type and a name.
• Can be public or private.
• Examples: int age, String name.

Methods (الأساليب)

• Functions that perform specific tasks.
• Can have parameters and return values.
• Types:
  • Void methods: Don't return a value.
  • Return type methods: Return a value.
  • Static methods: Can be called without creating an object.
  • Instance methods: Require an object to be called.
  • Abstract methods: Declared without a body; used in abstract classes.
  • Overloaded methods: Multiple methods with the same name but different parameters.

Constructors (البناؤون)

1. Vector Databases — High-Dimensional Embeddings

Store and search high-dimensional vector embeddings. Used in semantic search, similarity search, and RAG pipelines.

Indexing Techniques

• Flat Index (Brute Force) → accurate but slow.
• Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) → fast and scalable.
  • Algorithms: HNSW, FAISS, Annoy.
  • 

3. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Overview

Enhances LLM output by integrating retrieved external knowledge.

• Reduces hallucination and outdated responses.
• Improves factual grounding.

RAG Workflow

1. Indexing: Convert raw data (PDF, HTML, Word) → embeddings.
2. Retrieval: Retrieve relevant document chunks using similarity search.
3. Generation: LLM synthesizes results with the query to produce the final answer.

Retrieval Types

1. Why Study Programming Language Concepts?

• Expressiveness: Leverage diverse language features

• Selection: Match language to task (e.g., LISP for AI, PHP for web)

• Learning: Foundations ease uptake of new languages

• Efficiency: Choose constructs (recursion vs. iteration) for performance

• Maintenance: Better code reuse and understanding

2. Programming Domains and Typical Languages

3. Language Categories

• Imperative: Variables + assignment + iteration (C, Java, Python, Perl)

• Functional: Computation

When to Use For Loops vs. While Loops

A for loop and a while loop are both used for iteration in programming, but they serve different purposes and are used in different scenarios. Here are three key points to consider when deciding which loop to use:

• Known vs. Unknown Iterations

  For Loop: Use a for loop when the number of iterations is known beforehand. For example, iterating over a fixed range of numbers or elements in a collection (like an array or list).

  While Loop: Use a while loop when the number of iterations is not known in advance and depends on a condition being met. This is useful for scenarios where you need to continue looping until a specific condition changes (e.g., reading input until a user decides to stop).

• Control Structure Differences

  For

Core OOP Definitions

Class and Object

• Class: A user-defined data structure that binds data members and operations (methods) into a single unit.
• Object: An instance of a class. Objects are used to perform actions or allow interactions based on the class definition.

Variables and Attributes

• Method: An action performed using the object's attributes.
• Attributes: Characteristics or properties of a class. Also known as instance variables (declared outside methods, belonging to one object). They are accessible through static and public methods.
• Class Variable: Declared using the static keyword; shared among all objects of the class.
• Local Variables: Declared inside methods, constructors, or blocks; they exist only while the method runs. They cannot be accessed

PHP Core Concepts: Quick Answers

PHP Array Types

• Indexed Array: A normal array with numeric keys.
• Associative Array: An array with named keys (strings).
• Multidimensional Array: An array containing one or more other arrays.

PHP Arithmetic Operators

• + (Addition): Adds two operands.
• - (Subtraction): Subtracts the second operand from the first.
• * (Multiplication): Multiplies two operands.
• / (Division): Divides the first operand by the second.
• % (Modulus): Returns the remainder of a division.

Understanding PHP Abstract Classes

An abstract class in PHP is a class that cannot be directly instantiated. It may contain abstract methods that must be defined (implemented) in any child classes that inherit from it.

What is a Sticky Form?

A sticky form is a web form that... Continue reading "PHP & Web Development Essentials: Core Concepts" »