Answers to Chapter 1 Review Questions | C Primer Plus (5th Edition)

Chapter 1

1:	Give a reason why computers pervade our society today.
A:	Computers are versatile and can be programmed to solve a wide range of problems.
2:	What are the differences between being a computer programmer and an end user?
A:	The computer programmer uses a programming language to write the exact instructions that make up the computer program the end user will apply.
3:	Give a brief description of how the world is viewed from an object-oriented programmer's point of view.
A:	The object-oriented world consists of objects that interact to solve various tasks.
4:	What are the two basic parts of a computer?
A:	Hardware and software.
5:	What is software?
A:	Software consists of instructions the computer executes.
6:	How does the computer user interact with the computer?
A:	The user provides data (called input) to the computer (via a keyboard or something similar) which the computer processes. The computer responds to the user with output (for example, via the screen).
7:	What is a processor?
A:	The processor is an important piece of computer hardware that executes a computer program's instructions.
8:	Name the two computer memory categories. Briefly describe each one of them.
A:	Auxiliary memory and main memory. Auxiliary memory stores data permanently, whereas the main memory represents temporary storage containing the running program parts and its associated intermediate calculation results.
9:	What data would be involved in calculating the average monthly rainfall in New York during year 2000?
A:	The total rainfall during year 2000, which then can be divided by 12 to find the average.
10:	What are bits and bytes?
A:	A bit can have one of two values, often referred to as 1 and 0. A byte consists of eight bits.
11:	How many different numbers can be represented by one byte?
A:	Each of the eight bits in a byte can represent two values. So a byte can represent 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 256 different numbers.
12:	How does the main memory organize the data it is storing?
A:	Through a list of numbered locations called bytes. Each location has an address for easy reference.
13:	What are files used for?
A:	To permanently store different kinds of data.
14:	What is a source program?
A:	A source program consists of text with high-level instructions that are translated into machine level instructions executed by the computer. The source program is kept in a source program file.
15:	How can you recognize a C# source program file?
A:	A C# source program file has the extension `.cs` (for c sharp) as in `YourProgram.cs`.
16:	Describe what a compiler does?
A:	A compiler translates the high-level instructions of the source program file into low-level machine language that can be executed by the computer processor.
17:	List a few of the services provided by .NET
A:	Among many other services, .NET: Contains an execution engine that can execute the MSIL instructions that represent the high-level instructions of a C# program Holds a vast selection of pre-written program parts that you can utilize in your programs Manages the computer memory used by your computer program
18:	What is MSIL? How does it improve the .NET architecture over previous architectures?
A:	Microsoft Intermediate Language (MSIL) provides a middle layer between the high-level source program and the low-level machine language and is thereby able to decouple these two parts.