Practice A2.3 Data transmissions with authentic IB Computer Science (First Exam 2027) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 structure, covering key topics like programming concepts, algorithms, and data structures. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
A data centre implements various error detection and correction mechanisms for high-reliability storage systems.
Describe the capabilities and limitations of different error handling methods:
| Method | Detection Capabilities | Correction Abilities | Overhead Costs | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parity Bits | Detects single-bit errors (simple parity); may detect odd number of errors | Cannot correct errors | Very low (1 bit per data unit) | Simple error detection in memory, serial communication |
| Checksums | Detects most errors, especially burst errors depending on algorithm | Cannot correct errors | Low to moderate (varies with checksum size) | Network protocols (TCP/IP), data integrity in files |
| CRC | Detects single-bit errors and burst errors up to polynomial length | Cannot correct errors | Moderate (e.g., 16 or 32 bits typical) | Data link layer protocols (Ethernet, USB), storage devices |
| Hamming Codes | Detects and corrects single-bit errors; detects double-bit errors | Corrects single-bit errors | Moderate (depends on block size, ~log₂(n) bits) | ECC RAM, low-error-rate communication systems |
| Reed-Solomon | Detects and corrects multiple symbol errors including burst errors | Corrects multiple errors | High (depends on block size and error correction strength) | CDs/DVDs, QR codes, satellite, deep-space comms, storage |
Explain why Reed-Solomon codes are specifically chosen for satellite communications and optical storage media.
A financial trading firm implements ultra-low latency networking for high-frequency trading operations.
Evaluate different latency optimization techniques including kernel bypass, RDMA, hardware timestamping, dedicated fiber, and FPGA processing. Discuss their latency reduction potential, implementation costs, complexity, and typical performance gains.
Explain the business impact of microsecond latency differences in high-frequency trading.
An autonomous vehicle manufacturer develops vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems for traffic safety. Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications:
| Load Balancing Method | Decision Criteria | Response Time | Scalability | Complexity | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | Predictable | Low | Medium | Low | Simple, evenly distributed traffic |
| Least Connections | Active connections | Medium | High | Medium | When server loads vary |
| Weighted Round Robin | Different server capacities | Low | High | Medium | Servers with varying power |
| Geographic | Geographic location | Low | High | High | User proximity-based routing |
Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications:
| Technology | Range | Latency | Bandwidth | Reliability | Infrastructure Required | Safety Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSRC (802.11p) | Not specified | <100 ms | High | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
(b) Evaluate the trade-offs between direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication and infrastructure-based communication for emergency braking scenarios.
A live streaming platform optimizes video transmission quality across varying network conditions.
(b) Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming. [4]
Design an adaptive streaming protocol analysis table:
| Streaming Protocol | Adaptation Method | Buffer Requirements | Latency | Quality Switching | Network Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) | High | Good | |||
| DASH | Bitrate adaptation | Medium | Fast | ||
| WebRTC | Low | High | |||
| RTMP | High | Manual | |||
| SRT | Smooth |
Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming.
A satellite communication company optimizes data transmission protocols for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
Compare the effectiveness of TCP, UDP, SCTP, QUIC, and custom protocols for satellite communications, considering reliability, overhead, latency tolerance, error recovery mechanisms, and optimal use cases.
Explain why traditional TCP performs poorly in satellite communications and propose two specific modifications that would improve performance.
A financial trading firm implements ultra-low latency networking for high-frequency trading operations.
Evaluate different latency optimization techniques including kernel bypass, RDMA, hardware timestamping, dedicated fiber, and FPGA processing. Discuss their latency reduction potential, implementation costs, complexity, and typical performance gains.
Explain the business impact of microsecond latency differences in high-frequency trading.
A data centre implements various error detection and correction mechanisms for high-reliability storage systems.
Describe the capabilities and limitations of different error handling methods: parity bits, checksums, , Hamming codes, and Reed-Solomon codes. Include their detection capabilities, correction abilities, overhead costs, and typical applications.
Explain why Reed-Solomon codes are specifically chosen for satellite communications and optical storage media.
A live streaming platform optimizes video transmission quality across varying network conditions.
Complete the following adaptive streaming protocol analysis table by identifying the missing characteristics labeled (i) to (vi):
| Streaming Protocol | Adaptation Method | Buffer Requirements | Latency | Quality Switching | Network Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) | Segment-based | (i) | High | Smooth | Good |
| DASH | Segment-based | Medium | (ii) | Smooth | Very Good |
| WebRTC | Real-time | Low | (iii) | Dynamic | High |
| RTMP | (iv) | Low | Low | Manual | Medium |
| SRT | Packet-level | Medium | Low | (v) | (vi) |
Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming.
A satellite communication company optimizes data transmission protocols for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
Compare the effectiveness of TCP, UDP, SCTP, QUIC, and custom protocols for satellite communications, considering reliability, overhead, latency tolerance, error recovery mechanisms, and optimal use cases. [6 marks]
Explain why traditional TCP performs poorly in satellite communications and propose two specific modifications that would improve performance. [4 marks]
An autonomous vehicle manufacturer develops vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems for traffic safety.
Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications by completing the missing characteristics in the table below:
| Technology | Range | Latency | Bandwidth | Reliability | Infrastructure Required | Safety Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSRC (802.11p) | — | Medium | — | — | — | |
| C-V2X (LTE) | Long | — | High | — | Cellular towers | — |
| 5G mmWave | — | — | — | Dense deployment | High-speed coordination | |
| WiFi 6 | Short | — | High | — | — | — |
Evaluate the trade-offs between direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and infrastructure-based (V2I) communication for emergency braking scenarios.
Practice A2.3 Data transmissions with authentic IB Computer Science (First Exam 2027) exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1, 2, 3 structure, covering key topics like programming concepts, algorithms, and data structures. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
A data centre implements various error detection and correction mechanisms for high-reliability storage systems.
Describe the capabilities and limitations of different error handling methods:
| Method | Detection Capabilities | Correction Abilities | Overhead Costs | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parity Bits | Detects single-bit errors (simple parity); may detect odd number of errors | Cannot correct errors | Very low (1 bit per data unit) | Simple error detection in memory, serial communication |
| Checksums | Detects most errors, especially burst errors depending on algorithm | Cannot correct errors | Low to moderate (varies with checksum size) | Network protocols (TCP/IP), data integrity in files |
| CRC | Detects single-bit errors and burst errors up to polynomial length | Cannot correct errors | Moderate (e.g., 16 or 32 bits typical) | Data link layer protocols (Ethernet, USB), storage devices |
| Hamming Codes | Detects and corrects single-bit errors; detects double-bit errors | Corrects single-bit errors | Moderate (depends on block size, ~log₂(n) bits) | ECC RAM, low-error-rate communication systems |
| Reed-Solomon | Detects and corrects multiple symbol errors including burst errors | Corrects multiple errors | High (depends on block size and error correction strength) | CDs/DVDs, QR codes, satellite, deep-space comms, storage |
Explain why Reed-Solomon codes are specifically chosen for satellite communications and optical storage media.
A financial trading firm implements ultra-low latency networking for high-frequency trading operations.
Evaluate different latency optimization techniques including kernel bypass, RDMA, hardware timestamping, dedicated fiber, and FPGA processing. Discuss their latency reduction potential, implementation costs, complexity, and typical performance gains.
Explain the business impact of microsecond latency differences in high-frequency trading.
An autonomous vehicle manufacturer develops vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems for traffic safety. Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications:
| Load Balancing Method | Decision Criteria | Response Time | Scalability | Complexity | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round Robin | Predictable | Low | Medium | Low | Simple, evenly distributed traffic |
| Least Connections | Active connections | Medium | High | Medium | When server loads vary |
| Weighted Round Robin | Different server capacities | Low | High | Medium | Servers with varying power |
| Geographic | Geographic location | Low | High | High | User proximity-based routing |
Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications:
| Technology | Range | Latency | Bandwidth | Reliability | Infrastructure Required | Safety Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSRC (802.11p) | Not specified | <100 ms | High | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
(b) Evaluate the trade-offs between direct vehicle-to-vehicle communication and infrastructure-based communication for emergency braking scenarios.
A live streaming platform optimizes video transmission quality across varying network conditions.
(b) Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming. [4]
Design an adaptive streaming protocol analysis table:
| Streaming Protocol | Adaptation Method | Buffer Requirements | Latency | Quality Switching | Network Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) | High | Good | |||
| DASH | Bitrate adaptation | Medium | Fast | ||
| WebRTC | Low | High | |||
| RTMP | High | Manual | |||
| SRT | Smooth |
Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming.
A satellite communication company optimizes data transmission protocols for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
Compare the effectiveness of TCP, UDP, SCTP, QUIC, and custom protocols for satellite communications, considering reliability, overhead, latency tolerance, error recovery mechanisms, and optimal use cases.
Explain why traditional TCP performs poorly in satellite communications and propose two specific modifications that would improve performance.
A financial trading firm implements ultra-low latency networking for high-frequency trading operations.
Evaluate different latency optimization techniques including kernel bypass, RDMA, hardware timestamping, dedicated fiber, and FPGA processing. Discuss their latency reduction potential, implementation costs, complexity, and typical performance gains.
Explain the business impact of microsecond latency differences in high-frequency trading.
A data centre implements various error detection and correction mechanisms for high-reliability storage systems.
Describe the capabilities and limitations of different error handling methods: parity bits, checksums, , Hamming codes, and Reed-Solomon codes. Include their detection capabilities, correction abilities, overhead costs, and typical applications.
Explain why Reed-Solomon codes are specifically chosen for satellite communications and optical storage media.
A live streaming platform optimizes video transmission quality across varying network conditions.
Complete the following adaptive streaming protocol analysis table by identifying the missing characteristics labeled (i) to (vi):
| Streaming Protocol | Adaptation Method | Buffer Requirements | Latency | Quality Switching | Network Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) | Segment-based | (i) | High | Smooth | Good |
| DASH | Segment-based | Medium | (ii) | Smooth | Very Good |
| WebRTC | Real-time | Low | (iii) | Dynamic | High |
| RTMP | (iv) | Low | Low | Manual | Medium |
| SRT | Packet-level | Medium | Low | (v) | (vi) |
Analyse how Quality of Experience (QoE) metrics guide adaptive bitrate decisions in video streaming.
A satellite communication company optimizes data transmission protocols for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations.
Compare the effectiveness of TCP, UDP, SCTP, QUIC, and custom protocols for satellite communications, considering reliability, overhead, latency tolerance, error recovery mechanisms, and optimal use cases. [6 marks]
Explain why traditional TCP performs poorly in satellite communications and propose two specific modifications that would improve performance. [4 marks]
An autonomous vehicle manufacturer develops vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems for traffic safety.
Analyse different wireless communication technologies for V2X applications by completing the missing characteristics in the table below:
| Technology | Range | Latency | Bandwidth | Reliability | Infrastructure Required | Safety Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSRC (802.11p) | — | Medium | — | — | — | |
| C-V2X (LTE) | Long | — | High | — | Cellular towers | — |
| 5G mmWave | — | — | — | Dense deployment | High-speed coordination | |
| WiFi 6 | Short | — | High | — | — | — |
Evaluate the trade-offs between direct vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and infrastructure-based (V2I) communication for emergency braking scenarios.