1. Write your own description of what the term information systems hardware means. a. Answers will vary, but should say something about information systems hardware
consisting of the physical parts of computing devices that can actually be touched. 2. What is the impact of Moore’s Law on the various hardware components described in this
chapter? a. The student should pick one of the components and discuss the impact of the fact that
computing doubles in speed every two years. Most devices are getting smaller, faster, cheaper, and this should be indicated in the answer.
3. Write a summary of one of the items linked to in the “Integrated Computing” section. a. The student should write a summary of one of the linked articles.
4. Explain why the personal computer is now considered a commodity. a. The PC has become a commodity in the sense that there is very little differentiation
between computers, and the primary factor that controls their sale is their price. 5. The CPU can also be thought of as the _____________ of the computer.
a. brain 6. List the following in increasing order (slowest to fastest): megahertz, kilohertz, gigahertz.
a. kilohertz, megahertz, gigahertz 7. What is the bus of a computer?
a. The bus is the electrical connection between different computer components. 8. Name two differences between RAM and a hard disk.
a. RAM is volatile; the hard disk is non-volatile. Data access in RAM is faster than on the hard disk.
9. What are the advantages of solid-state drives over hard disks? a. The main advantage is speed: an SSD has much faster data-access speeds than a
traditional hard disk. 10. How heavy was the first commercially successful portable computer?
a. The Compaq PC was 28 pounds.