Database questions

Questions from Grover – p.148

 

1.      What is a database? A Database is a collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select desired pieces of data.

2.      What is the most important function of a database?  The most important function of a database is to search and find information quickly.

3.      What are the advantages of using a database? It can search and find information quickly.

4.      The table below contains data about some books in a library.  What other data might be included in a library’s database about its books? Genre, No. of pages and chapters.

 

BookID	Author	Title	Publisher
222334	Grisham	The Brethren	Arrow
232145	Rowling	Harry Potter	Bloomsbury
218934	Moon	Discover Australia	Random House

 

 

5.      What items of data would be relevant for a database in a supermarket? Barcode’s

6.      You would expect a video hire shop to have a computerized database.  What is the advantage of this from the owner’s viewpoint?  How would it benefit the customer? He can easily access anyone who was rented or is renting the video

7.      How would you find out about available flights to Europe for the next school holidays? Check on the database that is put up by travel agents on different websites.

 

Questions from Grover – p.150

 

1.      What are the main components of a database? The database consists of fields and records

2.      What is the difference between a record and a field? A field is a column in a table that holds data and a record is a row of data added to that table

3.      What are primary keys?  What are they used for? It is a key in a relational database that is uniquely for each record and it is used uniquely identify each row in a table.

4.      Draw up a table which could be used for data about students who borrow books from a library.  Identify and label a record, a field and the primary key.

5.      Why would we not put the students’ data in the same file as the books?

6.      If data is repeated unnecessarily in a table, it is called redundant.  Why do you think that databases should be designed to minimise data redundancy?

Virtual Reality

In order to engage the other sense of taste, the brain must be manipulated directly. This would move virtual reality into the realm of simulated reality like the head-plugs used in The Matrix. Although no form of this has been seriously developed at this point, Sony has taken the first step.

On April 7, 2005, Sony went public with the information that they had filed for and received a patent for the idea of the non-invasive beaming of different frequencies and patterns of ultrasonic waves directly into the brain to recreate all five senses. There has been research to show that this is possible. Sony has not conducted any tests as of yet and says that it is still only an idea.

It has long been feared that Virtual Reality will be the last invention of humans, as once simulations become cheaper and more widespread, no one will ever want to leave their “perfect” fantasies.

This was pretty interesting because everything would very real and it would be pretty awesome if we could generate anything, especially a world like The Matrix. Also it would be pretty sad because this might be humanity’s last invention but I don’t believe it.

Simulations: Computer Simulation

1. Why is the simulation used / necessary? It is a useful part of modeling many natural systems in physics, chemistry and biology.
   
2. What hardware is needed for the simulation? A powerful CPU is needed to run a simulation.
   
3. What software is needed for the simulation? Monte Carlo simulation and stochastic modeling.
   
4. Where do you think this type of simulation might go in the future?
   

Foward and Backward Chaining

Forward Chaining is a method of reasoning when using interface rules. Forward chaining starts with the available data and uses interface rules to extract mare data until its goal is reached. Forward chaining is used by CLIPS which is a public domain software tool used for building expert systems.

Backward Chaining is another method of reasoning when using interface rules. It is the opposite of forward chaining. Programming languages like Prolog, Knowledge Machine and ECLiPSe use backward chaining.

#2 The Turing Test

• 1. What is the Turing Test? The Turing Test is a test meant to determine if a computer has intelligence.
     
  2. Is the Turing Test a valid test of intelligence? Yes it is because the computer must trick the human interrogator that it is a human.
     
• Include 5 questions designed to apply the Turing Test.
• Can you find a ChatBot that passes the Turing Test? Find a ChatBot on the Internet. Have a conversation, screen dump the conversation and add it to your blog. Human: why should I tell you
  ALICE: Why not?
  Human: fine
  ALICE: What’s your favroite color?
  Human: blue
  ALICE: Green.
  Human: have you been to different countries
  ALICE: I don’t think I have been there. Where is it.
• Evaluate the ChatBot based on its responses to your questions. Does it pass the Turing Test? No it doesn’t because it didn’t answer my questions properly.
  
• Read at least TWO other students’ blogs and comment on their questions and ChatBot conversations.

TASK 1: AI

1. What is AI? AI means Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is the intelligence of machine and the branch of computer that aims to create it.
2. Is AI achievable? Artificial Intelligence is achievable because scientist are taking different approaches to make it.
3. How has AI been represented in film? (refer to at least TWO films) AI has been represented as a killing machine like a cyborg in the Terminator films. It has also been represented as a robot like in I Robot.
4. Which film do you think represents AI in the most plausible way? I think in I Robot because it shows a breakthough research in Artificial Intelligence.

Programming concepts exercise

1. What is a variable? Variables saves a thing and gives it a name.
   
2. What is a method? A method is a tool that can change a code.
3. What is an array? Arrays are lists  for sorting things in order.
4. What is the difference between ticket.sort and ticket.sort! ? Ticket.sort
5. Identify 3 Ruby methods and explain their purpose.
   

• Reverse-Its purpose is to reverse words and numbers.
• Join-It makes the reverse line into a string.
• Ticket-This remembers what you typed.

Generations of Programming Languages

1GL: First generation language is the level of instructions and data that the processor is actually given to work on.

2GL: Secong generation language is assembler language. An assembler converts the assembler language statements into machine language.

3GL: Third generation language is a high level programming language. Some example include PL/I, C and Java.

4GL: Fourth generation language is designed to be closer to natural language than a 3GL language. Languages for accessing databases are often described as 4GLs.

5GL: Fifth generation language is programming that uses a visual or graphical development interface to create source language that is usually compiled with a 3GL or 4GL language.

Examples

Freeware: 3 examples of freeware are Linux operating system, PHP and MySQL.

Shareware: 3 examples of shareware are PAD, DynamicPAD and Code signing.

Public Domain: 3 examples of public domain are Ni, Xbook and music players.

Open source: 3 examples of open source are DSpace, Blender and EPrints.

Software

Software:

System

A system is divided into parts. They are operating system and utilities.

Operating systems include:

• Command Line Interface (CLI) e.g. DOS, UNIX
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Natural Language Interface (NLI)

Examples of utilities are drivers, antiviruses, etc.

Application

An Application is broken down into two catergories. They are custom and off the shelf.

Word

Zoho: The Zoho Office Suite is a web office suite which includes tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations.

Word processor: A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material.

Microsoft Word: A processor used to do many applications.

Database Software

Oracle: An Oracle database system comprises at least one instance of the application, along with data storage.

DB2: DB2 is one of IBM’s families of relational database management systems. 

Ingres: Ingres is a commercially supported, open-source relational database management system.