[Jazzified]

So I just started my computer applications course, and I have some questions to answer that I am completely stuck on, and I was wondering if any of you are computer-knowledgeable and would be able to help me out...

1. A man bought a computer and when he booted it up he realized that the OS is not loading into RAM. Can you suggest what could be wrong with the computer? (Yes, the computer was plugged into the outlet and the power was turned on.)

2. Describe the process by which the CPU multiples 2 by 5, assuming that numbers are stored in cache.

3. Draw a flow chart for finding the smallest of the 3 given numbers using standard flow chart symbols. (I know the symbols, but I just need help setting the whole thing up.)

Please let me know if you are able to help. Thanks in advance!

[Borek]

Please read forum rules.

[Controlled Substance]

1. A ton of things can go wrong. Research the boot process.

2. I have no idea. You might want to look at things like assembly language.

3. A computer program is basically a step-by-step sequence of simple instructions. The program flow is guided by the results of Boolean tests and conditional jumps. Important information is stored in variables. Inevitably, some instructions are only relevant if other conditions are true, so jumps are needed to make the processor execute the right instructions. It is kind of like those "choose your own adventure" novels; you jump all around the book, meaning that the physical location of the page is unimportant, yet, you may also never read a given page and still be able to finish the book.

[billnotgatez]

I looked at these questions and cannot understand how they could be from the beginning of a computer applications course. I am just shaking my head.

1 – seems like an A+ certification question
2 – seems to be an assembler question
3 – seems to be a programming logic question

I must be really behind the times

[Borek]

My take is that these questions are just to assess your computer knowledge and they are not part of the grading.

A checks what you know about internal architecture of the computer. B is not an assembler question, it is rather asking what you know about how data is fetched into registers and what logic lies behind ALU operations. C checks if you know how to algoritmize simple operations.