Chapter 1 1. What is the most important difference between a computer and a calculator? [RQ, no. 2] 2. How are computers today similar to those from World War II? How are they different? [RQ, no. 3] 3. The way people use the Internet has changed since the early days. How? [RQ, no. 4] 4. Is a smart phone a computer? Explain your answer. [RQ, no. 7] Chapter 2 5. Draw a block diagram showing the major components of a computer and their relationships. Briefly describe the function of each component. [RQ, no. 3] 6. Why is the international computer industry shifting from ASCII to Unicode for representing text? [RQ, no. 4] 7. Why do many PC manufacturers include graphics-processing units (GPUs) in their machines? [RQ, no. 5] Chapter 3 8. List five input devices and three output devices that might be attached to a PC. Describe a typical use for each. [RQ, no. 2] 9. Name and describe three special-purpose input devices people commonly use in public places, such as stores, banks, and libraries. [RQ, no. 4] 10. What are the advantages and disadvantages of flash memory devices over hard disks as storage media? [RQ, no. 6] Chapter 4 11. What is the relationship between higher level languages and machine language? [RQ, no. 1] 12. Most computer software falls into one of three categories: compilers and other translator programs, software applications, and system software. Describe and give examples of each. [RQ, no. 2] 13. Write an algorithm for washing the dishes. Check your algorithm carefully for errors and ambiguities. [RQ, no. 4] 14. Is the character-based interface completely obsolete? Explain your answer. [RQ, no. 8]