IB Computer Science C. Web Science Questionbank

(d) Evaluate the use of SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) versus WebP image formats in enhancing a website's performance and user experience.

The following information relates to ScholarSearch, an online academic repository that allows researchers to browse and download journals.

Users access the repository through the following URL:

http://scholarsearch.net/archive/search.php

When a user submits a search, the following PHP script processes the request to filter the library's catalog:

<?php
  if ($_SERVER["REQUEST_METHOD"] == "POST") {
    $vol_id = $_POST['volume_number'];
    $dept = $_POST['department_code'];
    
    $results = search_catalog($vol_id, $dept);
  }
?>

The repository uses a standard template for its headers to maintain a professional appearance across the portal. The web server handles thousands of requests daily for both static documents (PDFs) and dynamic search results.

(b) Outline the role of the <head> section within the HTML structure of the ScholarSearch web pages.

Laptops that only use cloud computing for all services and applications are now being marketed.

(a) Identify two features of this type of laptop relating to cloud computing.

(b) Outline two possible disadvantages to the user of this type of laptop.

(c) By looking at one positive and one negative aspect, discuss the effect of the lack of central control of the web.

(d) For one example of intellectual property, evaluate one measure that has been taken for its protection on the web.

A student posts images and videos on a public website of her friends at a party.

(a) Outline one ethical issue with the student posting these images and videos.

(b) Outline one technical issue that may prevent the images and videos from being viewed.

Search engines use a variety of techniques and data structures to index and retrieve web content efficiently.

(a) Outline the role of the 'frontier' (seed list) during the operation of a web crawler.

(b) Identify two reasons why a standard web crawler might be unable to access content located in the 'Deep Web'.

(c) Explain how the use of an inverted index optimizes the speed of search query processing.

(d) Explain, using three different criteria, how a search engine evaluates the 'relevance' or 'quality' of a web page's content for a specific user query (excluding link-based metrics).

(a) A user fills out a search form on the ScholarSearch website to find specific journals. Based on the provided PHP code, identify the two specific items of information that the user has submitted to the server.

(c) The ScholarSearch developers have included a robots.txt file in the root directory of the server. Describe how this file affects the behavior of web crawlers.

(d) Consider the following fragment of code used to generate the site's navigation menu dynamically:

$sections = ["Archive", "Submit", "Contact"];
foreach ($sections as $title) {
    $slug = strtolower($title) . ".php";
    echo "<a href='$slug'>$title</a> ";
}

Explain the function of this code fragment in the context of generating a web page.

(e) Identify the steps involved in the standard HTTP request-response cycle when a browser requests a static file, such as logo.png, from the ScholarSearch server.