Computer Knowledge
What is asked
Hardware and software basics, generations of computers, input and output devices, memory and storage units, operating-system and office-suite operations, keyboard shortcuts, internet and e-mail, networking types, computer viruses, cyber safety and e-governance. The level is awareness, not programming.
Core facts
- Memory: RAM is volatile and holds running programs; ROM is non-volatile. 1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 MB = 1024 KB, 1 GB = 1024 MB.
- Devices: keyboard, mouse and scanner are input; monitor and printer are output; a touchscreen is both.
- Networking: LAN is confined to a building or campus, WAN spans cities, and the internet is the largest WAN.
- Shortcuts: Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo, Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print.
- Safety: https and a padlock indicate an encrypted connection; never share an OTP; a virus needs a host file while a worm self-replicates.
Worked example
In a spreadsheet cell A1 holds 10 and B1 holds 20. What does =A1+B1*2 return? Reasoning: spreadsheet operators follow mathematical precedence, so multiplication is evaluated before addition: B1*2 = 40, then 10 + 40 = 50. If the intention were to double the sum, the formula would need brackets: =(A1+B1)*2, giving 60.
Traps
- Treating 1 KB as 1000 bytes - in the conventional binary convention it is 1024.
- Swapping undo and redo shortcuts.
- Confusing RAM (temporary) with ROM (permanent firmware).
- Assuming any e-mail asking for a password or OTP is genuine; banks never ask for it.