5. Which two categories of computer graphics do you know? Give their characteristics.

Computer graphics are pictures created, changed or processed by computers. There are two categories.

• Bitmapped graphics represent images as bitmaps; they are stored as pixels and can become a bit distorted when they are manipulated. The density of dots, known as the resolution and expressed in dots per inch, determines how sharp the image is.

• Vector graphics represent images as mathematical formulae, so they can be changed or scaled without losing quality. They are ideal for high-resolution output.

6. Speak about different types of graphics software (image manipulating programs, illustration packages, dtp, presentation software, computer animation, cad, gis)

There are different types of graphics software.

• Image manipulation programs let you edit your images. You can add different effects, or filters for example

• Painting and drawing programs, also called illustration packages, offer facilities for freehand drawing, with a wide choice of pens and brushes, colours and patterns.

• Business graphics programs, also called presentation software, let you create pie charts, bar charts and line graphs of all kinds for slide shows and reports.

• Computer-aided design (CAD) is used by engineers and architects to design everything from cars and planes to buildings and furniture. First they make a wireframe, a drawing with edges and contour lines. Then if they want to colour the objects and add texture, they create a surface for the object; Rendering is a process that adds realism to graphics by using shading, light sources and reflections.

• Desktop publishing (DTP) is based around a page layout program, which lets you import text from a word processor, clip-art from graphics packages, and images from scanners or cameras, and arrange them all on a page. It is used to design and publish books, newspapers, posters, advertisements, etc.

• Computer animation uses graphics programs to create or edit moving pictures.

• Geographic information systems (GIS) allow cartographers to create detailed maps.

7. What is multimedia? What multimedia applications do you know?

Multimedia refers to the technologies and applications that integrate different media: text, graphics, sound, video and animation. Its power resides in interactivity, hypertext and hypermedia. Multimedia software is usually interactive, so you can choose what you want to watch, listen to or write. Hypertext means that you can click on a word and jump to another screen with more information; hypermedia is similar, but works with sounds and images.

Multimedia used in different areas of our life. For example: computer-based training courses, RealPlayer, virtual reality, video games (возможно не самые удачные примеры, см в Multimedia)

8. What are the main features of lan? What types of architecture do laNs have? What is a node?

Networking allows two or more computer systems to exchange information and share resources and peripherals. Local Area Networks are usually placed in the same building. They can be built with two main types of architecture: peer-to-peer, where the two computers have the same capabilities, or client-server, where one computer acts as the server containing the main hard disk and controlling the other workstations or nodes, all the devices linked in the network (e.g. printers, computers, etc.). Computers in a LAN need to use the same protocol, or standard of communication. Ethernet is one of the most common protocols for LANs.