Computer Fundamentals

Daffodil International University Faculty of Engineering Department of Information & Communication Engineering (ICE) Mid-Term Examination, Fall 2026 Course Code: ICE 1141 Course Title: Computer Fundamentals Level: 1 Term: 1 Course Teacher: Adnan Ibney Faruq (AIF) Time: 1:30 Hrs Marks: 25 Answer to question No. 01 and 02 is Compulsory. Answer any three from Questions 03-06 [The figures in the right margin indicate the full marks and corresponding course outcomes. All portions of each question must be answered sequentially.] 1) a) Justify that adding the same numbers in hexadecimal and in octal leads to different results with given example. [3] [CLO-2, C/4] 234.65 + 66.03 b) Outline the functions of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), Control Unit (CU), and Central Processing Unit (CPU), and show how they work together to form a computer system. [2] [CLO-3, C/2] 2) a) Formulate a new number system using a base of your choice, excluding bases 2, 8, 10, and 16. Define the symbols (digits) used in your number system and represent a suitable number using your newly created system. [2] [CLO-2, C/5] b) Perform the binary subtraction of (1000001000)2 - (0101000111)2 show all intermediate borrow operations and carry values clearly, and express the final answer in binary. [3] [CLO-2, C/3] 3) a) Define BCD and EBCDIC and list the number of bits used in each encoding scheme. [2] [CLO-2, C/1] b) Perform the subtraction of (51)8 from (13)8 using the complement method. Show all necessary calculations and express the final answer in base 8. [3] [CLO-2, C/3] 4) a) Analyse the differences between primary storage and secondary storage in terms of their characteristics, accessibility, speed, and data retention. Support your analysis with suitable examples. [2] [CLO-3, C/4] b) Convert the decimal numbers 1234 and -8976 into their respective zoned decimal representations, and then convert them into packed decimal format. Show all the steps clearly. [3] [CLO-2, C/3] Character | EBCDIC Code Zone | EBCDIC Code Digit | Hexadecimal Equivalent 0 | 1111 | 0000 | F0 1 | 1111 | 0001 | F1 2 | 1111 | 0010 | F2 3 | 1111 | 0011 | F3 4 | 1111 | 0100 | F4 5 | 1111 | 0101 | F5 6 | 1111 | 0110 | F6 7 | 1111 | 0111 | F7 8 | 1111 | 1000 | F8 9 | 1111 | 1001 | F9 Figure 1: Supporting table for question 4(b) 5) Explain the different generations of computer, highlighting the key hardware technologies, software developments, and major characteristics of each generation. [5] [CLO-3, C/2] 6) Calculate the product of (10100)2 and (111)2 using the binary multiplication method. Show all intermediate steps and express the final answer in binary. [5] [CLO-2, C/3]