Study Opportunities Computers, part of your life – Grade 12, 2nd Edition

Module 1.1 Computers in our

everyday lives
Written module activity
1. Computers are often criticised as being costly and adding significantly to the running costs of a
business or company.
Give three broad areas where computers can actually save a company money.
1. Computers can save on labour costs by reducing the need to employ many employees.
They can save on the cost of paper because electronic versions of documents are used instead of hard
copies.
They can save on communication costs by using VoIP technologies such as Skype for communication.
They are more reliable and can work 24/7/365, which leads to improved production.
2. Give two examples of tasks or activities that cannot be performed by humans and that computers are
used for instead, irrespective of the time it might take to complete the tasks.
2. Humans cannot perform hazardous tasks such a monitoring a nuclear reactor.
Humans cannot perform complex tasks that need to happen in real-time such as controlling a
spacecraft landing on Mars.
3. Give two practical examples where computers need to be used to ensure accuracy in completing a
task.
3. Computers can be used in factories for manufacturing and assembly lines.
They can be used in determining which students pass or fail their academic year.
They can be used in laser surgery, e.g. in cataract operations.
4. Give three types of resources that can be saved through the use of computers, and refer to
appropriate examples of how they can be saved.
4. Computers can help save on paper and paper costs in paperless offices.
Computers can control the electricity and power use in energy efficient buildings that use sensors to
switch the lights and air conditioning on and off automatically depending on whether people are
detected in the room (or building) or not.
Technology can also be used to monitor and limit carbon emissions in factories and motor cars.
5. Explain what is meant when it is said that computer technology virtually eliminates time and distance
as business constraints.
5. Distance is now only relevant when transferring physical goods because of the availability of global
communication.
Businesses can conduct business at any time of the day and across different time zones across the
world.

1
Study Opportunities Computers, part of your life – Grade 12, 2nd Edition

6. Outline a situation where ICT enables you to collaborate more effectively with others.
6. You can ‘see’ the person you are talking to no matter where they are in the world by using video
conferencing. You can share files, use the same desktop and even work on the same document
simultaneously.
7. How could VoIP software like Skype save a company money?
7. They can make overseas calls at a fraction of the cost of a traditional telephone call. People can skype
in stead of travelling to meetings.
8. List three examples of social networking tools (besides wikis) that can be used to facilitate interaction
with other people.
8. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, blogs, etc.
9. Name the two hardware components of a computer that generally make it more or less powerful than
another computer.
9. CPU and RAM
10. What do we mean when we say a computer runs on a Linux platform?
10. It means the computer runs a Linux operating system.
11. How does a server differ from the ‘ordinary’ PCs linked in a network?
11. It is generally more powerful than ordinary PCs and provides services to users on a network. Other
computers are intended for the users to use to type their documents directly, etc.
12. What are the two main advantages that a laptop computer provides over a desktop computer?
12. It is portable and can be used on battery power for a few hours if there is no electricity available, e.g.
during a power outage.
13. Give two advantages of a tablet over a smartphone.
13. They have a larger screen (which enables more productivity applications and is great for reading or
watching videos) and they have a longer battery life.
14. Give one reason why a person would choose to use a smartphone rather than a phablet.
14. A smartphone is slightly smaller than a phablet, and fits more easily into a pocket etc. The larger size of
a phablet might actually be inconvenient for the user.
15. What is meant by the term ‘power user’? Give three typical examples of power users to support your
answer.
15. Power users have computing needs which require top-of-the range hardware (and software) for their
specific needs. In addition, they may need specific hardware related to their interests or job. A power
user will also typically use all the advanced functions of the software they use.
Power users can be hardcore gamers, architects, engineers, video editing professionals and scientists.
16. It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between different categories of computers and
computer devices because of convergence.
Explain what convergence is in this context and give an example to support your answer.
16. Convergence refers to the trend where separate technologies and functions that required different
devices in the past are combined into one single device that has all or some of the functionality of each
2
Study Opportunities Computers, part of your life – Grade 12, 2nd Edition

of the separate devices. Convergence is therefore the ‘bringing together’ or combining of multiple
technologies into a single, multi-purpose device.
An example of convergence is the smartphone and the tablet. The smartphone and tablet combine
various devices and gadgets into a single ‘super gadget’ that allows us to do a whole range of tasks
without carrying around many different devices.