Instructions for Hands-On Assignment 1

CISC 310 – Introduction to Computer Information Science Professor Geissler

To practice what you have learned in Units 1 and 2 your task is to a) shop online for a computer that meets the
following Computer Qualifications and b) create a word processing document that contains a table and uses
paragraph styles.

The computer you select must meet the following qualifications:

a) You must be able to easily take it with you on business trips, and accessories should be integrated except
for a power adapter.
b) Its main processor must be able to process 8 or more bytes of data at a time at a speed of at least 2
billion cycles per second.
c) Its main memory must hold the equivalent of at least 16 billion characters at one time.
d) It must be able to hold the equivalent of at least 250 billion characters at one time on an internal storage
device that has no moving parts.
e) You must be able to manipulate elements that appear on the display with your fingers or with a stylus.
f) It must be able to connect to an industry standard WLAN and, under ideal conditions, transfer more than
30 million characters to another computer in one second.
g) You must be able to transfer data at more than 100 million characters per second to at least two
peripheral devices that are connected to the computer via a wired connection. (List the details of the
connection, not those of possible devices.)
h) Its display should be able to display at least one million dots of different colors at one time.
i) You must be able to use a modern television as a second monitor and an external speaker for it.
j) You must be able to participate in remote meetings during which you can both hear and see the other
participants, and they can hear and see you. (Be sure to separately list all required hardware devices
needed to accomplish this.)

Create your submission by completing the following steps:

1. Using a word processing application (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs, OpenOffice Writer), create a
new word processing document.

Note: Neither OpenOffice nor Google Docs implement paragraph styles as flexibly as Microsoft
Word. I would therefore strongly recommend that you use Microsoft Word for this assignment.

2. Type your name and Student ID number near the top left of the page.

3. Then save your file in a recent Microsoft Word file format (with a .docx or .doc extension) using the
filename (your last name and first initial)-HOA1 (e.g. GeisslerM-HOA1). Be sure to format, spell and
capitalize the filename precisely as instructed. (3 points)
If you are using OpenOffice, Google Docs, or another word processing application software, you must
Instructions for Hands-On Assignment 1 CISC 310 Prof. Geissler Page 2

save your file in a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file format using that application's Save As… or
Export features.

Note: Save your document frequently!

4. Translate the above criteria into correct computer specifications. If you are not sure what some of the
above criteria mean, refer to Unit 2 of your course materials, consult a friend, or talk with a computer
salesperson in at a store or via online chat on the website. (12 points)

5. Using the website of a business that sells computers, find a computer that meets all of the above criteria.
Then insert the Specifications of your Selected Computer, as they correspond to the Computer
Qualifications listed above, into the appropriate rows in the right column of the table. (10 points)

6. Below your name and Student ID number insert a table with three columns and enough rows to be able
to list the column titles and all qualifications/specifications, each in a separate row. The three cells of the
first row should contain the following column titles, respectively: Computer Qualifications, Minimum
Computer Specifications, and Specifications of the Computer I selected. Copy the Computer
Qualifications provided above into the left table column (one qualification per table row), place the
Minimum Computer Specifications which you developed from the above criteria into the middle
column, and place the corresponding specifications of the computer you selected into the right column.
(3 points)

The top part of your table should look as follows:

Minimum Computer Specifications of my

Computer Qualifications
Specifications Selected Computer
a) You must be able to easily Portable computer Laptop computer
take it with you on business
trips.
b) Its main processor must be … …
able to process 8 or more bytes
of data at a time while using at
least 1 billion cycles per second.

Important: You must spell out all terms to demonstrate to me that you know what they mean,
including all abbreviations (for example, GB should be spelled out as Gigabyte.) Especially keep in
mind that DVD and USB are abbreviations and must as such be spelled out. (5 points)

5. Find the price, sales tax, environmental fee (Yes, California charges a fee through which you prepay to
recycle certain electronic products later, and you must include it in your total! If the source you are
working with does not provide this information, you need to look up the appropriate fee online.),
shipping and handling as applicable, and the total cost of the computer you selected. List these costs in a
separate paragraph located below the table you created above. (4 points)
Instructions for Hands-On Assignment 1 CISC 310 Prof. Geissler Page 3

Create a new paragraph style named HOA1-Costs that has the following configuration: green 14-point
bold Times New Roman (or a similar serif typeface). Format the entire paragraph containing the costs
using the HOA1-Costs style. (5 points)

If you do not know how to create a paragraph style, click here for assistance on how to do so in
Microsoft Word 2016. The process for creating a paragraph style is very similar in other recent versions
of Microsoft Word.

6. Using a short paragraph (one or two sentences should suffice in most cases), describe precisely where
you found this computer (online, retail store, newspaper insert, etc.) so that I can locate your source, if
necessary. If you used an online source, you must include the detailed URL on which I can click to
directly access a detailed listing of the specifications for computer you selected. (3 points)

Create another new paragraph style named HOA1-Details that has the following configuration: blue
14-point italic Arial (or a similar sans serif typeface). Format the entire description of where you found
the computer using the HOA1-Details style. (5 points)

7. Just like your current or future manager at work, I expect you to produce high-quality documents. Since
each spelling and/or grammatical error will reduce your score by 5%, up to 30% of the assignment's
total possible point value, you should
a) review the above instructions to ensure that you have accurately completed all required
components of this assignment,
b) double-check that the information you developed or found is accurately listed in your document,
c) use the spelling and grammar checking features of your word processing software,
d) thoroughly edit and proofread your submission, and/or
e) have another person check your assignment for errors.

8. Ensure that your file is saved in a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) file format (Use your word processing
application's Save As… or Export features, if necessary.), close the file, and submit it through the
appropriate Assignment in Canvas.

Important: Please save your file in one of the formats mentioned above. If I cannot open your file,
I cannot assign you any points.