Computer Science 112
The Art & Science of Computer Graphics

Spring 2016, The College of Saint Rose

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Lecture 1: Introduction and Overview
Date: Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Agenda

Lecture 1 Assignment

Due at the start of class, Monday, January 25.

Please submit answers to these questions either as a hard copy (typeset or handwritten are OK) or by email to terescoj AT strose.edu by the start of class. Please use a clear subject line when submitting by email (e.g., CSC 112 Lecture 1 Assignment , Joe Student). We will discuss these questions at the start of class, so no late submissions are accepted.

To answer some of these, you will need to read the "Computer Structures" notes. We will not cover the topics in those notes specifically in class, but you are responsible for the terminology. Please ask if you have any questions.

  1. In an effort to get to know you and to make sure you know how to find me, please stop by my office (Albertus Hall 400-6) and introduce yourself as a Computer Science 112 student (within a week). (1 point)
  2. Tell me about your experience with computers. (4 points)
  3. What movies and/or other media that make extensive use of computer-generated images or animation stand out in your mind? What is it about these that made you think of them as an answer to this question? (3 points)
  4. Suppose you have 4 terabytes of disk space available. Express this amount of storage in gigabytes, megabytes, kilobytes, and bytes. (2 points)
  5. Investigate the capabilities of a computer you own or use. What kind of processor does it have (brand and model would be good)? How much random access memory does it have? How much persistent storage? What input and output devices can you use with it? (4 points)
  6. In the early days of home Internet access, most users gained access with a modem that operated over telephone lines. At best, this was a "56K" connection, which meant a 56 kilobit ("Kbit/sec" or "Kbps") transfer rate. Today's cable modem connections commonly have a 2 megabit ("Mbit/sec" or "Mbps") transfer rate, and top-tier home connections are around 300 Mbps. Given this information, please answer the following questions. In all cases, be sure to consider the difference between bits and bytes (1 byte = 8 bits) in addition to the differences in the SI prefixes. (5 points).

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