ITPEC IP October 2021 Question 23
Which of the following is a computer that is used for tasks such as global scale environmental simulations and DNA analysis, and was developed with the objective of processing a large amount of calculations at ultra high speed?
Explanation
Super computer — the computer built to process huge volumes of calculation at ultra high speed, for work such as global climate simulation and DNA analysis.
A supercomputer links thousands to millions of processor cores that calculate in parallel, and its performance is measured in floating-point operations per second (FLOPS). It serves science and engineering: weather and climate models, genome analysis, fluid dynamics, drug discovery. Japan's K computer and its successor Fugaku are examples.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) Virtual computer — a computer emulated by software on a physical host (a virtual machine); it adds no computing power of its own
- •(c) General purpose computer — designed to handle a wide range of business and scientific jobs, such as a mainframe, not specialised in ultra-high-speed calculation
- •(d) Microcomputer — a small computer built around a microprocessor, typically embedded in appliances and machines to control them
Key rule: Match each type of computer to its purpose: supercomputer for massive scientific calculation, general purpose computer (mainframe) for broad business processing, microcomputer for embedded control, virtual computer for running several machines on shared hardware.
Computer Component · AI-written, may contain errors
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