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COMPUTING AT CARNEGIE MELLON
CERTIFICATION EVALUATION 2026
PREPARATION PACKET
โ program counter. Answer: A register that holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched in the fetch execute cycle. โ register. Answer: A part of internal storage that has a specified storage capacity and is usually intended for a specific purpose. โ sector. Answer: The smallest accessible storage unit on a disk. The point at which the sector intersects with a track is used to reference the location. โ serial interface. Answer: An interface through which a computer transmits or receives data, one bit at a time. See also the definition for "parallel interface". โ verification (data input). Answer: A method of ensuring that the data in the computer system is the same as the original source data. This may be done by double entry.
โ von Neumann Architecture. Answer: The computer design built upon the principle that data and instructions to manipulate data were logically the same and could be stored in the same place. Another major characteristic is that the units that process information are separate from the units that store information. โ memory. Answer: A collection of cells, each with a unique physical address. Its addressability varies from one machine to another. โ input device. Answer: A device through which data and programs from the outside world are entered into the computer. Modern examples include: keyboards, mice, cameras (also known as, simply, webcams), and scanning devices. โ output device. Answer: A device through which results stored in the computer memory are made available to the outside world. Examples include printers and screen monitors. โ Fetch, Decode, Execute. Answer: The process includes four steps: fetch the next instruction, decode the instruction, execute the instruction. โ RAM. Answer: Memory in which each cell (usually a byte) can be directly accessed. Inherent in the idea of being able to access each location is the ability to change the contents of each location. That is,
โ Central Processing Unit (CPU). Answer: Brain of the computer that performs instructions defined by software โ Hard Drive. Answer: Storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid disks with magnetic surfaces. The device is either permanently installed within the computer case or can be portable โ Motherboard. Answer: Printed circuit board on which the CPU, RAM chips and other electronic circuit elements of a digital computer are frequently located. โ RAM. Answer: Random Access Memory - temporary place to store material that works quickly. erased when computer turns off. Volatile. โ Software. Answer: Set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task. โ Wireless Network. Answer: Any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind.
โ Operating System (OS). Answer: Software used to control the computer and its peripheral equipment. โ Power Supply. Answer: A device that provides power to a computer. โ Input. Answer: device used to insert data into a computer or other device (ex: keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, voice recognition) โ Output. Answer: device that projects images, gives sound, and basically gives out the info from the computer so the user can obtain it (ex: monitor, printer, projector, speakers) โ Binary Code. Answer: Groupings of 1's and 0's that makes information that a computer can understand. โ ROM. Answer: Read Only Memory- Permanent instructions that cannot be changed. It makes the BIOS function. Checks your OS. โ User Friendly. Answer: Something anyone can operate โ Order of bytes from least to greatest. Answer: bits, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte.
โ Web Browser. Answer: A program that allows a user to view and interact with web pages โ Network. Answer: a set of computers which are connected to each other and operate as part of the same system, able to exchange information and messages โ Client. Answer: a desktop computer capable of obtaining info and applications โ Server. Answer: software capable of accepting requests โ Dialog Box. Answer: temporary window an application created to retrieve user inpur โ Paint. Answer: to create graphic art โ Quick launch icon/ pinning and arranging. Answer: section where user can launch programs โ Notification Area. Answer: system tray where time and other applications can be accessed
โ Show Desktop Button. Answer: minimizes and maximizes all windows โ Status Bar. Answer: bottom partition of internet browsers that display state of page โ Quick Access Toolbar. Answer: quick access to commonly used features โ Customize Quick Access Toolbar. Answer: add or remove features โ Windows Explorer. Answer: The main tool for finding, viewing, and managing the contents of your computer by showing the location and contents of every drive, folder, and file. โ Jump List. Answer: view recent documents in program pinned to taskbar โ Gadgets. Answer: Windows component can be used to display information such as weather forecasts, time, and news headlines on the desktop โ Shake Title Bar. Answer: Shake title bar to close window
โ Bug. Answer: Unexpected problem with hardware or software โ Copy/Move. Answer: duplicating text, data, files, or disks and putting it into another location โ Menu/Submenu. Answer: List of commands or choices offered to user. โ Enhanced Screen Tip. Answer: an on-screen note that provides the name of the command, available keyboard shortcuts, a description of the command, and sometimes instructions for how to obtain help about the command โ Collapse a folder. Answer: Close a folder and close access to documents inside โ Expand a folder. Answer: To open a folder to access its contents โ File Extension. Answer: A tag of three or four letters, preceded by a period, which identifies a data file's format or the application used to create the file. โ Pixel. Answer: Smallest portion of a display or image
โ Adjacent Files. Answer: A file not broken apart โ Non- Adjacent Files. Answer: A broken up file โ Calculator. Answer: something used for making mathematical calculations, in particular a small electronic device with a keyboard and a visual display โ Taskbar. Answer: A bar normally located at the bottom of the Windows desktop, displaying information about open programs and providing quick access to others. โ Desktop. Answer: (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear โ Accessories. Answer: things that attach onto the computer/ add onto the computers functional capabilities โ Algorithm. Answer: A set of step-by-step instructions that describes how to perform a particular task. โ Boolean Expression. Answer: A question with only two possible answers, such as "True" and "False".
โ Integer. Answer: A whole number, positive or negative, that does not contain a decimal point and that is not written as a fraction. โ Loop. Answer: Part of a program that repeats itself, to prevent the need for the same piece of code to be typed out multiple times. โ Module. Answer: A section of code that performs a single part of an overall program. โ Operating System (OS). Answer: A computer's operating system provides the basis for other programs to run. โ Operator. Answer: A symbol that performs a specific function: for example, +(add) or - (subtract). โ Output. Answer: Data produced by a computer program and viewed by the user. โ Program. Answer: A set of instructions that a computer follows in order to complete a task. โ Programming Language. Answer: A language that is used to give instructions to a computer.
โ Run. Answer: The command to start a program. โ String. Answer: A series of characters (numbers, letters, or symbols). โ URL. Answer: A web address. โ Variable. Answer: A placeholder for a piece of information that can change. โ Bug. Answer: An error in a program that prevents the program from running as expected. โ Debugging. Answer: Finding and fixing errors in programs. โ Computer Science. Answer: Using the power of computers to solve problems. โ Binary. Answer: A way of representing information using only two options. โ Digital Citizen. Answer: Someone who acts safely, responsibly, and respectfully online.
โ Hardware. Answer: Physical elements of a computing systems (printer, circuit boards, wires, keyboard, etc) โ Machine Language. Answer: Programs written in binary code โ Assembly Language. Answer: Problems written using mnemonic code โ Systems Programmers. Answer: writes translators for high-level languages โ Applications Programmers. Answer: use high-level languages to solve problems โ Systems software. Answer: Utility programs(loaders and linkers), language translators, operating systems โ Registers. Answer: temporary storage areas in CPU for data being processed โ 1 byte is ___ bits. Answer: 8
โ Compiler/Translator. Answer: translates high-level language into machine code โ High-level language. Answer: easier for humans to understand โ Query language. Answer: databases โ Interpreter. Answer: translates source code into machine code one line at a time โ Binary Number System. Answer: Base โ Decimal Number System. Answer: Base โ Octal Number System. Answer: Base โ Hexadecimal Number System. Answer: Base โ Convert Binary to Decimal. Answer: Use positional notation โ Convert Decimal to Binary. Answer: Divide by 2, use remainders
โ Central Processing Unit (CPU). Answer: Brain of the computer that performs instructions defined by software โ Software. Answer: Set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task. โ Operating System (OS). Answer: Software used to control the computer and its peripheral equipment. โ Input Device. Answer: device used to insert data into a computer or other device (ex: keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, voice recognition) โ Output Device. Answer: device that projects images, gives sound, and basically gives out the info from the computer so the user can obtain it (ex: monitor, printer, projector, speakers) โ Binary Code. Answer: Groupings of 1's and 0's that makes information that a computer can understand. โ Hardware. Answer: Physical elements of a computing systems (printer, circuit boards, wires, keyboard, etc)
โ Machine Language. Answer: Programs written in binary code โ High-level language. Answer: easier for humans to understand โ Interpreter. Answer: translates source code into machine code one line at a time โ Binary Number System. Answer: Base โ Decimal Number System. Answer: Base โ Octal Number System. Answer: Base โ Hexadecimal Number System. Answer: Base โ Convert Binary to Decimal. Answer: Use positional notation โ Convert Decimal to Binary. Answer: Divide by 2, use remainders โ Convert Binary to Octal. Answer: Group binary number into 3s, use table
