Practice B. Modelling and simulation 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.
An airport authority is using a simulation to optimize passenger flow during peak travel seasons.
Outline two benefits of using a simulation to optimize passenger flow.
Identify two data inputs required for this simulation model.
Discuss how data inputs like passenger numbers and terminal layout could affect the simulation’s recommendations.
A research team is simulating the effects of rainfall on agricultural yields across a large geographic area.
Define the term simulation in the context of environmental research.
Outline two factors that could impact agricultural yield in the simulation and explain their significance.
Discuss one limitation of using simulations for predicting environmental outcomes.
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 hospital system is visualizing patient data to track the spread of infectious diseases.
Define the term "visualization" in a medical data context.
Identify two reasons why visualization is useful for tracking disease spread.
Explain two challenges that could arise when visualizing large sets of patient data.
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.
A supermarket chain is simulating the impact of new product lines on in-store sales.
Identify two types of data that could be used as inputs in the simulation.
Describe how each data type would influence the results of the simulation.
Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of using simulations for business decision-making.
A city council is planning to develop a model to simulate traffic flow in an urban area. They aim to reduce congestion and improve traffic signal timing based on traffic data collected from major intersections.
Define the term simulation in the context of traffic flow analysis.
Explain how a simulation differs from a model.
The initial model simulates traffic based on the following variables: number of cars, average speed, and signal timing. Identify two additional variables that would improve the accuracy of the simulation, and explain how each variable influences traffic flow.
Outline the software and hardware requirements necessary to implement this traffic simulation effectively.
Discuss two limitations of using this simulation to make decisions about real-life traffic flow improvements.
The traffic simulation produces data on peak traffic times and congestion points. Explain two test cases that could be used to evaluate the accuracy of the simulation’s predictions.
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.
Machine translators are regularly used to translate text from one language to another. In spite of the advances that have been made in this field, the output may still need to be proofread by a human.
Describe two problems that these translators may encounter when translating from one language to another.
An old set of 2D animated cartoons from the 1940s has been discovered and it is decided to modify them to turn them into 3D animation.
Define the term visualization.
Explain two technical implications of implementing a 3D animation in this way.
Outline the need for rendering in the creation of the animated 3D characters.