Information technologies questions

1. When did Videogames appear and what did they look like? Lisa

Videogames  appeared in the 40s, after the Second World War. The firsts videogames were very simple, without movements in the screen and with very few options to play.

2.What is a MODEM and what is it used for?  Jandro

The modem is a device that modulates an analog signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. It is used for produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data.

3.Why ADSL can transmit the digital information at the same time than conversations? Jandro

Because ADSL uses frequencies that aren't used by a voice telephone call. A splitter, or DSL filter, allows a single telephone connection to be used for both; ADSL service and voice calls can occur at the same time.

4.What are artificial satellites used for? Name the first one. Suany

Artificial satellites are used to send information through the air. The first satellite was the Sputnik (1957).

5.How the GPS receiver calculates the position?Suany

The GPS send the information to three satellites that calculate the position of the GPS and send the information another time to the device.

6. Which devices are used as external memories? Javi

The most common device used as external memories is the hard disc but there are other devices: flash drives (pendrives), memory cards...

7.Explain the four generations of mobile technology, indicating the improvements of each. Ana

1^st generation: It appear the first cellular phone and the first telephone companies. The first phone call was made it by Vodafone in 1985.

2^nd generation: In this generation, phones became smaller and have new applications as batteries or electronics. Telephonic companies insert SMS that are text messages. The first SMS was sent in Finland, 1993.

3^rd generation: Mobiles became smaller and started to be more usefull and a leisure device. Phones with radio and television or Internet and Wi-Fi were common in this generation.

4^th generation: This generation was important because, mobiles of the 4G were about 10 times faster than the 3G ones. New applications and tools were disegned on the phone, now cellulars had camera, Mp3 recording, video player, videogames, large memory...

8.Which are the differences by means of signal speed between optical and cupper wires? Jandro

The main difference is that optical wires are especially advantageous for long-distance communications, because light propagates through the fiber with little attenuation compared to electrical cables (cupper wires). Because of its advantages over electrical transmission (faster) , optical fibers have largely replaced copper (Cu) wire communications in in the developed world.

9.Explain the basis of image generation in cathode ray tube screen. Differences in colour and black-and-white TV. Annika

10. Which is the role of Modem in LAN? Federico

The role of Modem in LAN is to increase the speed of the users and a bigger access than the analogical connection.

11.  Why are internet models OSI and TCP/IP divided into layers? How do these protocoles work? Laia

This Internet models are divided into layers because each layer provides specific services and makes the results available to the next layer. Theoretically each layer should be independent of all others.

12. What is a MAC address? Ashley

A MAC address is a hardware identification number that uniquely identifies each device on a network. Each device needs to have a unique MAC address. MAC addresses are made up of six two-digit hexadecimal numbers, separated by colons. Like for example; 00:0d:83:b1:c0:8e

13.Who invented the screw-press and why was it so important? How written information was broadcasted before it? Explain these ideas. Claudia

The screw-press was invented by Johann Gutemberg and it was so important because now, books, information, could be stamped in paper. Before the invention of the screw-press, information was broadcasted through paintings, sounds, signals, shouts...

14.  What do we call Multimedia to? What is it used for? Lisa

 Multimedia is any combination of text, graphic art, sound, animation, and video that is delivered by computer. It is used to describe multiple forms of media and content.

15. Differences between first and last generation of cellular phones. Ana

In the 1^st generation, phones could only made calls from person to person in short distances. The last generation of cellular phones is caracterized because those phones have lots of applications as radio, internet, lots of tools as GPS, Mp3 recorder, video player.. and are much faster and usefull.

16.What is a network protocol and how does it work? Federico

A network protocol is a rule or a convention that facilitates device identification and data transfer. Protocoles use packet techniques to send and receive the information. A protocole work through independent layers that have specific functions.

17. Which are the applications for instant communication? How do them work in terms of network? 

18. Which were the first machines that made numeric calculations for the first time? Explain a little their working. Ellie.

The first machines that made numeric calculations were the Abacus, the Napiers Bones and the Slide Rule.

The Abacus works: Each bead above the beam in the middle is the equivalent to 5 and each bead below is the same as 1. It was a very simple way of adding and subtracting. You use either the units, tens, hundreds or thousands as you would if you were writing them down. You push the beads that you use closer to the beam and those are the ones you subtract or add.

The Napiers Bones it was a very complicated way to do complex equations.

The slide rule is used mainly for multiplication, division, square roots, logarithms and trigonometry.

19. Which devices became more important from screw-press up to telephone? Explain them a little. Isabella.

20. Which was the first wire transmission? Explain its evolution and the phone networking nowadays. Nico

The telegraph was the first wire transmission. With the pass of time, the information sended through wires, was sended by larger distances and then it appears the telephone. Nowadays, the information can be sent in lots of ways: optical fiber, satellites, cellular networks, microwave transmission or by wires.