UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018
ORDINARY EXAMINATION FOR THE DIPLOMA IN INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY/ DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DIT 0104: COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND ARCHITECTURE
DATE: DECEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTION: Answer Question ONE and any other TWO.
QUESTION ONE (30 MARKS)
a) Define the following terms and acronyms 9Marks
i. CPU
ii. bus
iii. byte
iv. register
v. word
vi. read
vii. PCI
viii. IAS computer
ix. clock
b) Describe key developments introduced by the following computer epochs 6Marks
i. vacuum tube computers
ii. transistor computers
iii. integrated circuit (IC) computers
c) Give the function of the following parts of a computer 4Marks
i. Processor
ii. Memory
iii. Input/Output
iv. Bus
d) List two types of data used by computer systems 2Marks
e) Name the function of the following computer circuits 3Marks
i. register
ii. counter
iii. adder
f) List and describe the function of the three parts that make up a microprocessor 6Marks
QUESTION TWO (20 MARKS)
a) Give the following acronyms in full 2Marks
i. EEPROM
ii. DRAM
b) Discuss “memory hierarchy”, hence give the four types of memory and their hierachy in the
modern computer 4Marks
c) Explain two reasons why computers use binary data 2Mark
d) Give at least two symptoms of faulty memory in a computer 3Marks
e) Give and explain two main differences between ROM and RAM memories 4Marks
f) Using hexadecimal addresses a processors fetches an 8-bit word at location 9AC3. 5Marks
i. Write down the memory location in binary form.
ii. Calculate the total number of memory locations that can be addressed by the system
iii. Calculate the memory size of the storage
QUESTION THREE (20 MARKS)
a) Convert the following decimal numbers into binary and hexadecimal numbers. Show all your
working. 4Marks
b) Give the symbols of the OR and NAND gates 2Marks
c) Briefly discuss the control bus features. Give examples of control lines 2Marks
d) Perform the following calculation using the two’s complement notation; -12 + 19 3Marks
e) Explain the term overflow 1mk
f) Describe the difference between SSI and ULSI integration 2Marks
g) Explain why data compression is extensively used with video data. Give examples of
compression methods used 6Marks
QUESTION FOUR (20 MARKS)
a) Programming languages have evolved over time
i. Outline three types of languages used in computers 3Marks
ii. Give the translation functions of compilers and assemblers 2Marks
b) Troubleshooting is an important task in computer maintenance. Give two symptoms of a faulty;
4Marks
i. microprocessor
ii. hard-disk drive
c) Give three components of a motherboard and their functions 3Marks
d) List two types of network in use today 2Marks
e) Explain the role of modems in computer communication 2Marks
f) Outline the two main types of software used in computers today. Give examples 4Marks
QUESTION FIVE (20 MARKS)
a) Describe Direct Memory Access (DMA) I/O method 3Marks
b) Give meaning to the acronym PCI 1mk
c) List four tips for preventative maintenance of a computer system 4Marks
d) A 3.5inch diameter disc has 6 plates, 512 bytes per sector,1024 sectors and 16384 tracks per
sector. Calculate the disc capacity. 2Marks
e) Explain why magnetic disc memories have discs in airtight packaging 2Marks
f) Discuss the construction and principles of operation of; 8Marks
i. Liquid Crystal Displays
ii. Hard Disk Drive
