Computer Awareness: Hardware, Software and Safe Practice
Core areas
Computer awareness covers hardware, software, memory, operating systems, office applications, internet and networking, and cyber hygiene. Know input/output devices, CPU components (ALU, control unit, registers), primary memory (RAM, ROM) vs secondary storage (hard disk, SSD, pen drive), and units from bit to terabyte. Revise Windows basics, MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint, shortcut keys, file extensions, email fields, browsers, search operators, IP addresses, protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, TCP/IP), and threats such as phishing, malware and ransomware.
Traps
RAM is volatile; ROM is non-volatile. A byte is 8 bits; storage manufacturers sometimes use decimal units, but exam questions usually use 1 KB = 1024 bytes. Do not confuse Ctrl+C (copy) with Ctrl+X (cut), or 'Save As' with 'Save'. In networking, HTTP is not secure; HTTPS encrypts traffic. 'www' is not a protocol. An IP address identifies a device; a domain name is a human-readable label.
Rule of thumb
For shortcut questions, group by first letter: Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print, Ctrl+F find, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Y redo. For memory, remember the hierarchy: registers → cache → RAM → secondary storage, from fastest and smallest to slowest and largest.
Worked example
Convert binary 1011₂ to decimal. Write place values 8, 4, 2, 1. Multiply: 1×8 + 0×4 + 1×2 + 1×1 = 8 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 11. The answer is 11.