Computer Science 455
Quiz 1
Instructor: R. P. Burton

1. The display system used by Ivan Sutherland in the early days of computer graphics was capable of plotting approximately 1500 points flicker-free. Given the significant advances in the interim, to vector displays, for example, an awareness of point-plotting techniques (for drawing lines and circles, for example) are historically interesting, but without practical contemporary value.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

2. Terms such as “computer graphics,” “visualization,” and “image processing” all are synonyms for the same collection of activities.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

3. The objective of CS 455 this semester is to
        a. pick a few specific computer graphics activities and explore them in depth
        b. survey the spectrum of computer graphics for the purpose of achieving awareness, but not implementation capability
        c. explore the spectrum of computer graphics activities in enough detail to understand how they work, but to explore them using implementations provided by third parties
        d. explore the spectrum of computer graphics activities in enough detail to be able to implement many of these activities
(d)

4. When computer graphics first was offered to industries such as the animation industry, the flight training industry, the automotive design industry, etc. it was received with
        a. resistance
        b. skepticism
        c. indifference
        d. interest
        e. a high level of enthusiasm
(a)

5. An individual trained or experienced in producing video games can port his skills over to (auto) accident reconstruction almost seamlessly, and vice versa.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

6. When computer graphics was used in architectural design, it was applied first to residences (the least expensive common structures), then to business complexes, etc., advancing from the small to the large.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

7. In determining what kinds of vehicles should be simulated (and for which trainers should be built), the dominant consideration is
        a. the number of operators needing training
        b. the simplicity of the simulation
        c. the savings to be realized with a simulation
(c)

8. As would be expected, computer graphics is limited to the presentation of phenomena which can be observed visually in the real world.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

9. Computer displays, for the most part, present two-dimensional information. Any sense of 3 (or more) dimensions must be done using cues, etc.
        a. true
        b. false
(a)

10. For most of the history of computer graphics, the dominant output device has been the
        a. Mechanical plotter
        b. CRT
        c. Plasma panel
        d. LED display
        e. LCD display
(b)

11. Inside a CRT, an electron is “aimed” at a particular point on the phosphor-coated screen by
        a. the cathode
        b. the anode
        c. the focusing mechanism
        d. the deflection mechanism
(d)

12. Which early device was capable of producing lines more close to what a draftsman might produce with a pen?
        a. a random scan display
        b. a raster scan display
        c. (both produced lines of equivalent quality)
(a)

13. Which early device was more likely to flicker?
        a. a random scan display
        b. a raster scan display
        c. (both were equally susceptible to flicker)
(a)

14. Which early device offered the broader spectrum of colors?
        a. a beam-penetration CRT
        b. a shadow-mask CRT
        c. (both produced roughly the same spectrum of colors)
(b)

15. What was the principal advantage of the direct view storage tube?
        a. no need for a phosphor
        b. no need for a deflection system
        c. no need to refresh the image(s)
(c)

16. The plasma panel, when introduced in the early 1970s presented only a single intensity of orange, but evolved very quickly into a high-resolution, rapid-refresh, multi-color, multi-intensity display and now represents the technology behind (what many consider to be) the best of the large-screen television monitors.
        a. true except for the “very quickly” part
        b. true except for the “best of the large-screen television monitors” part
        c. true; no exceptions
        d. mostly false
(a)

17. What happens in a liquid crystal display to turn pixels “off”?
        a. a voltage is applied to take the electrodes out of alignment
        b. a voltage is applied so that the molecules align and the light is not twisted
        c. the voltage is removed so that the crystal hardens and becomes opaque
        d. the voltage is removed so that the pixel cells cease to fluoresce.
(b)

18. All 3D displays capable of dynamic scenes have mechanically moving parts.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

19. There are no devices that produce true 3D output. There are only devices that either present a different image to each eye or that present different 2D slices of an object at different (often closely spaced) time intervals.
        a. true
        b. false
(b)

20. Suppose you are inside a large tetrahedral room, with sensitive point microphones in each corner of the room. If you extend your arm and snap your fingers, this configuration of microphones can be sufficient to determine the position of your fingers.
        a. true
        b. false
(a)

21. Continuing the previous question, this configuration could be programmed to accept (as input, the identification of) a subvolume of the room and then to amplify sound coming from this subvolume.
        a. true
        b. false
(a)

22. Suppose you have a tablet with 1024 wires distributed in x and 1024 wires in y embedded in the surface and forming a grid, and a stylus capable of detecting the signal in a wire. How many distinct signals (different permutations of 1s and 0s) are needed to use this system to determine an x and y position, accurate to the precision of the 1024 x 1024 grid?
        a. 1
        b. 2
        c. 1024
        d. 2048
(a)

23. What would be sufficient to convert a 2D acoustic tablet (with two strip microphones along adjacent edges) to a 3D acoustic tablet?
        a. a third microphone along either of the remaining edges
        b. microphones along both of the remaining edges
        c. a third microphone at intersection of the two microphones, but perpendicular to them
        d. any of (a), (b), and/or (c)
        e. none of the above
(d)

24. The state-of-the art of tracking points moving in 3D space
        a. requires light or sound emitters at each point
        b. requires reflectors at each point
        c. tracks without requiring emitters or reflectors and can, in fact, follow individual fish in an aquarium
(c)

25. The state of the art of mouses (mice?) is
        a. optical tracking over a grid with a unique color or texture for the lines running in each of two perpendicular directions
        b. optical tracking, and at least some surface pattern
        c. optical tracking and no surface pattern whatsoever
(b)