Scratch Project

Follow the Mouse!

Flowcharts

The above flowchart is showing how a machine is reading and printing the temperature of something or someone.

The above flowchart is showing the response to a switch being turned on, it only takes one second.

Algorithms

Opening a Door and entering a room

1. Reach for door knob
2. Turn door knob
3. Push or Pull door open
4. Take needed steps forward 
5. Enter room

Definitions

1.       Algorithms

A process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem solving operations (esp. by computer)

2.       Pseudocode

Compact and informal high-level description of a computer programming algorithm

3.       Machine Language

A programming language designed for use on a specific class of computer 

4.       High Level Computer Language

A computer language with strong abstraction from the details of the computer

5.       Flowchart

A diagram of a specific sequence of operations in a computer program

6.       Sequence

A particular order in which related  events movements or things follow each other

7.       Selection

Also called a decision, one of the three basic logic structures of computer programming.

8.       Repetition

The recurrence  of an action or event.

Phone Advice

1.       “My daughter insists that her phone be Wifi capable? What does this mean? Why does she need it?”

Your daughter’s phone simply means that it is able to connect to a wifi signal towards the internet. It is not essential but she is capable of checking her email and browse the internet.

2.       The mother says “She wants the camera in the phone to be at least 5 Meg thingys, what does this mean? Does she need it?”

Megapixels? The number of megapixels determines the quality of the picture, the higher the megapixels the clearer the picture will be.

3.       “My daughter wants a phone with a capacitive touch screen. They seem more expensive, what advantages do they offer over other types of touch screens?”

A touch screen with capacitive sensors means that it senses the human body electric “touch” through materials such as gloves or anything else. They also offer quicker response than resistive touch screens.

4.       “Are all phones as smart as one another? What is the smartest phone at the moment and why?”

Different smart phones have different features and capabilities. According to Samsumg.com, the smartest Smartphone at the moment is SAMSUNG GALAXY SII. It features:

·         1.2GHz Dual-Core processor-Faster browsing, highly efficient gaming, quicker multi-tasking

·         4.3” SUPER AMOLED Plus Screen

·         Sleek and Lightweight Design

·         Enhanced Readability

·         Slimmer Design

·         Better Battery Consumption

·         NAVIGON’s turn-by-turn navigation system

5.       “She wants to take lots of video and photos. How do I know which phone can store the most videos and photos?”

To determine the amount of storage a phone has, just look at how many gigabytes (GB) or storage the phone can carry, for example: The iPhone4 can either carry 16GB or 32GB.

6.       “She says she wants to be able to buys apps. What are apps? What sort of useful apps could she access? What types of phones can buy and use apps?”

Apps with just short for Applications, there are really useful ones like TripView, which displays train, bus and ferry timetables. But there are also some that aren’t essential like games e.g. DoodleJump or AngryBirds. Most Smartphones can access an online apps store, Apple iPhones (and iPod Touches) can access the Apple Apps Store with Wifi-there you can buy Apps and then use them.

Online quiz – Handheld devices + bits & bytes

5 Multiple Choice Questions

1. A popular operating sysytem for mobile internet devices
   1. Bit
   2. Byte
   3. WiFi
   4. CORRECT: Vista
2. allows connection to a wireless network
   1. Bit
   2. CORRECT: WiFi
   3. MID
   4. Digit
3. Is the software that controls the hardware and software resources of a PC
   1. Digit
   2. CORRECT: Operating System
   3. Megabyte
   4. Gigabyte
4. Consumer-class lifestyle device that runs a lightweight opearting system & that is optimized for things like media playback and web surfing
   1. UMPC
   2. WiFi
   3. Bit
   4. CORRECT: MID
5. approximately 1 million bytes
   1. CORRECT: Megabyte
   2. Byte
   3. Gigabyte
   4. Digit

5 True/False Questions

1. Notebook → a UMPC device
   CORRECT: This is true.
2. UMPC → Business-class device for enterprise users that runs a heavy operating system & that is optimized for office-use applications like Excel, Word, etc.
   CORRECT: This is true.
3. Gigabyte → approximately 1 billion bytes
   CORRECT: This is true.
4. Digit → a single place that can hold numerical values between 0 and 9
   CORRECT: This is true.
5. Binary number system → A system in which numbers are represented using only the digits 0 and 1
   CORRECT: This is true.