Computer Literacy / Basic IT
Computer literacy questions are practical: hardware versus software, storage units, operating-system basics, word-processing and spreadsheet shortcuts, and internet terminology. Most items can be answered from a small set of conversions and definitions.
Core concepts
- CPU executes instructions; RAM is volatile working memory; ROM is non-volatile; the hard disk is secondary, persistent storage.
- Input devices: keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone. Output: monitor, printer, speaker, plotter.
- Storage ladder: 1 byte = 8 bits; 1 KB = 1024 bytes; 1 MB = 1024 KB; 1 GB = 1024 MB; 1 TB = 1024 GB.
- System software (Windows, Linux, macOS) versus application software (MS Word, Excel).
- Internet terms: URL is the address of a resource; HTTP/HTTPS is the transfer protocol; IP address identifies a device; ISP provides connectivity; email needs a valid address with @ and a domain.
- Common shortcuts: Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+V paste, Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+S save, Ctrl+P print; in Excel, Ctrl+; inserts today's date.
Worked example
"Convert the binary number 1101 to decimal." Read place values from the right: 1×2⁰ = 1, 0×2¹ = 0, 1×2² = 4, 1×2³ = 8. Sum = 13. The reasoning is positional weighting - the same logic that makes 1024, not 1000, the multiplier in storage units.
Traps
- Saying 1 KB = 1000 bytes; in the standard binary convention it is 1024.
- Calling RAM non-volatile.
- Confusing the URL (address) with the browser (software that opens it).
- Mixing Ctrl+Z (undo) with Ctrl+Y (redo).