Practice B.1 The basic model with authentic IB Computer Science (CS) 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 city council is using a model to predict electricity demand in different neighborhoods during peak summer months. The model currently uses temperature and population size as primary variables.
Identify two additional variables that could be added to the model to improve prediction accuracy, and explain how each variable would help.
Describe one limitation of using this model to predict electricity demand over the next five years, and suggest an improvement to address this limitation.
A city planner develops a model to predict energy usage.
Identify three essential variables for this energy usage model.
Explain how grouping usage by time of day could improve the model’s insights.
Ralph owns a furniture store that trades in second-hand furniture, lamps and musical instruments. He buys these items, repairs them where necessary and then resells them. He calculates the value of each item using the information below: - type: furniture, lamp, musical instrument
Copy and complete the following table showing the variables, each variable's data type and range of values that would represent the information shown above.
Using the above rules, construct the pseudocode that will help Ralph in deciding whether to buy an item.
Describe two items that would have a calculated value of more than $90.
Calculate the selling price of a top brand guitar with a volume of 96 dm³ that was damaged. You should show your working.
With the help of a diagram, suggest an appropriate design for a spreadsheet used to calculate the final selling price, following this model.
Identify two tests that should be included in the test plan for this model.
With the aid of a diagram, explain how fractal algorithms are able to generate terrain that looks realistic, starting from a simple rectangle.
Explain how fractal algorithms are able to generate terrain that looks realistic, starting from a simple rectangle.
A healthcare organization creates a model to manage staffing requirements.
Outline three variables that would be essential in this model.
Explain why validating the model with real patient data is essential before implementation.
A town planner is using a computer model to predict the population of a rapidly growing town over the next decade. The current population is 25,000, and the town experienced a growth rate of 7% last year. The planner wants to use this model to anticipate future population sizes and to plan necessary infrastructure and resources.
State how a basic simulation could be set up to predict the town’s population over the next 10 years using only the current rate of growth.
Identify three additional factors that could affect population growth in the town over the next decade.
Outline how incorporating these three factors could improve the accuracy of the model’s predictions.
Discuss the limitations of using this type of simulation to predict population growth.
Identify two potential consequences of an inaccurate population growth prediction for town planning, and explain how each could impact the town.
A specific type of fish lives and breeds in a lake. It is important that the fish population in the lake has stability and does not decrease too much. Each year people who want to fish from the lake are issued licences under the following conditions. - The estimated number of fish in the lake has not fallen by more than 5% over the last five years.
Outline the steps involved in combining and recording the results from five separate samples taken from the lake in one year.
Identify the variables needed to create a model that can be used to decide whether or not licences should be issued.
Explain how the model from part could be constructed and used. You should make reference to specific software with which you are familiar.
Discuss how the model may be tested and corrected if necessary.
Define the term rendering equation.
Outline the use of cels in the construction of a 2D scene.
The electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle is an on-board computer that is constantly monitoring the performance of several components of a vehicle. For example, the ECU:
The software embedded in an ECU receives input data from a variety of sources when it runs auto-diagnostic tests.
Vehicles are tested for their exhaust gas emissions using simulation software at specialist garages. During a period of 5 minutes, a vehicle with the engine switched on is monitored for emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and fine particulates. The software uses 3D visualization techniques to display these parameters on a screen for the whole duration of the test.
Explain how emissions of CO2 and fine particulates could be represented in 3D by the software.
With relation to the activities that the software of an ECU has to perform, suggest one reason why the auto-diagnostic program in the ECU depends upon the make and model of the vehicle.
With relation to the activities that the software of an ECU has to perform, identify two of the sources that provide input data to the ECU.
An educational institution models student performance to improve curriculum design.
Define the term data grouping.
Provide two examples of data groupings that would be effective in this model.