AQA COMP2 7th June 2011 AM

We have a COMP1 thread but COMP2 is just over two weeks away....

Not looking forward to any questions about hardware. But for the most part fairly happy.

Anyone else?

Reply 1

User12399

5

This exam is so much easier than COMP1. Got an A last year. Just read the notes!

Reply 2

There are some questions which always seem to come up... it's very predictable. I'm happy with hardware etc, but the layer malarky can get me. I find COMP1 far easier, but all this needs is a bit of cramming... got 98% in my mock, so I should be OK.

Annoyingly, though, this clashes with my Government & Politics unit 2, also an exam to cram in. Half term is gonna be fun...

Reply 3

OP

Original post by @Jamie

Annoyingly, though, this clashes with my Government & Politics unit 2, also an exam to cram in. Half term is gonna be fun...

I have exactly the same clash! Politics first, then COMP2. Which is good cos I probably need more energy for a continuous 80 minutes of writing, than I do for COMP2.

And Physics the day before...

Reply 4

Original post by fluteflute

I have exactly the same clash! Politics first, then COMP2. Which is good cos I probably need more energy for a continuous 80 minutes of writing, than I do for COMP2.

And Physics the day before...

What other subjects do you take? I have exactly the same!

Reply 5

OP

Original post by @Jamie

What other subjects do you take? I have exactly the same!

(Furtherish) Maths and Music. You?

Reply 6

So you do Maths, Music, Politics, Physics, Computing and a bit more Maths? You nutter! I do exactly the same except Spanish instead of Music.

Reply 7

OP

Original post by @Jamie

So you do Maths, Music, Politics, Physics, Computing and a bit more Maths? You nutter! I do exactly the same except Spanish instead of Music.

It's all fun... :P
I'm actually only doing three maths modules, so that's not so insane. (Even if they are DE, FP2 and D2)

Reply 8

Original post by fluteflute

It's all fun... :P
I'm actually only doing three maths modules, so that's not so insane. (Even if they are DE, FP2 and D2)

Why are you doing those rather than the standard ones? Did you take AS early?

Reply 9

OP

Original post by @Jamie

Why are you doing those rather than the standard ones? Did you take AS early?

Yeah, my maths modules are messed up :wink:

Year 9: C1, C2, S1
Year 10: C3, C4, M1
Year 11: FP1, D1
This year: DE, FP2, D2

Reply 10

Original post by fluteflute

Yeah, my maths modules are messed up :wink:

Year 9: C1, C2, S1
Year 10: C3, C4, M1
Year 11: FP1, D1
This year: DE, FP2, D2

You started AS maths in year 9?! Wow!

Reply 11

Jampot

Hey guys, one thing I'm stuck with is the difference between von Nuemman architecture and the Havard stored program concept :confused:

Reply 12

Original post by Jampot

Hey guys, one thing I'm stuck with is the difference between von Nuemman architecture and the Havard stored program concept :confused:

The Von Neumann architecture has a processor and main memory. Addresses go from the processor to the main memory, and both data and instructions go from the main memory to the processor in a shared data bus.

The Harvard architecture is considered superior (and ultimately faster) because it essentially has two different main memories - one dedicated to instructions, and one dedicated to data. Consequently, there are two different data buses. This means that there is no competition for resources. In the Harvard architecture, data and instructions can be transferred at the same time (i.e., in parallel). Instructions are taken serially from the instruction memory to the processor, and the instructions are executed in the data memory.

The Von Neumann architecture only supports transfer of either data or instructions at one time (i.e., serial). The AS AQA textbook has good diagrams for this in section 7.2.

Reply 13

Messi3

1

Does anyone have any good revision notes on hardware devices?
It would be much appreciated!

Reply 14

compy

It's not yet fully finished, but the list is complete and expanded from the official AQA specification:
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/A-level_Computing/AQA/Computer_Components,_The_Stored_Program_Concept_and_the_Internet/Hardware_Devices

Reply 15

Messi3

1

Thank You!! :biggrin:

It looks really helpful.

Reply 16

Jampot

Original post by @Jamie

The Von Neumann architecture has a processor and main memory. Addresses go from the processor to the main memory, and both data and instructions go from the main memory to the processor in a shared data bus.

The Harvard architecture is considered superior (and ultimately faster) because it essentially has two different main memories - one dedicated to instructions, and one dedicated to data. Consequently, there are two different data buses. This means that there is no competition for resources. In the Harvard architecture, data and instructions can be transferred at the same time (i.e., in parallel). Instructions are taken serially from the instruction memory to the processor, and the instructions are executed in the data memory.

The Von Neumann architecture only supports transfer of either data or instructions at one time (i.e., serial). The AS AQA textbook has good diagrams for this in section 7.2.

Thanks!

Reply 17

OP

In the Jan 09 paper a question asks you to explain what "www.aqa.org.uk" means.

The correct answer is "address of Aqa’s World Wide Web server" however "domain name" is not an accepted answer. Is this because it has the "www" bit?

Reply 18

Original post by fluteflute

In the Jan 09 paper a question asks you to explain what "www.aqa.org.uk" means.

The correct answer is "address of Aqa’s World Wide Web server" however "domain name" is not an accepted answer. Is this because it has the "www" bit?

Yeah. I think that technically it's a fully qualified domain name.

Reply 19

OP