Question 1 (30 marks)

This question allows you to demonstrate your ability to carry out calculations such as those introduced in Block 3 Parts 1 and 2 and the Using Numbers (maths) booklet.

In each case you should demonstrate how you worked out your answer, as well as giving the answer. You must show your working to gain full marks. In each case about half of the marks awarded are for a clear explanation of your working.

• a.You saw in Part 1 of Block 3 that frequency is the number of cycles per second and period is the duration of a cycle.
  • i.If a sine wave completes one cycle in 10µs, how many cycles are completed in 1 second?
  • ii.Now convert your answer to scientific notation.

(6 marks)

• b.Convert the following hexadecimal MAC address to binary form (as shown in the ‘Using Numbers (maths)’ booklet).

A4-C6-FF-56-B3-12

(8 marks)

• c.Convert the following binary IP address to dotted decimal form (as shown in Block 3 Part 2):

10101010.10010101.00111111.01100110

(8 marks)

• d.IPv4 and IPv6 addresses are each divided into a network and host part. How many possible host addresses are available for:
  • i.an IPv6 address?
  • ii.an IPv4 address where the first and second octets are reserved for network addresses?

Express your final answers in scientific notation to four significant figures.

(8 marks)

Question 2 (30 marks)

• a.Home automation and outdoor environmental monitoring are two possible contexts for the Internet of Things. Each has particular requirements in relation to networking provision and power, and these requirements have implications for convenience and cost. Briefly summarise these differing requirements, and their implications, under the headings ‘Home automation’ and ‘Outdoor environmental monitoring’. For example, under each heading your answer should include a discussion of suitable power sources, and an exploration of their implications for cost and convenience. Note that the choice of network type could have implications for power requirements.
• b.
  • i.At 150m from the antenna of a cellular base station in open country, measurements show that the power per square metre is 200µW m^-2. What power per square metre could be expected at 300m from the base station? Show your working and explain any assumptions you make.
  • ii.A base station is located in an urban environment, and the power per square metre at 150m is measured to be 3µW m^-2. What would be a reasonable value to expect at 300m? (You will have to make an assumption to calculate your answer. State the assumption that you make.)
  • iii.Block 3 Part 3 explains that urban environments are more obstructive to radio waves than rural environments, reducing the range that a single base station can cover. This turns out to be an advantage in urban areas with high demand for cellular communication services. Briefly explain why reduced range is advantageous in this context.

The maximum word limit for Question 2(a) is 350 words.

(15 marks, of which 6 are for home automation, 6 for environmental monitoring, and 3 for the quality of your discussion)

(5 marks)

(5 marks)

The maximum word limit for Question 2(b)(iii) is 100 words.

(5 marks)

Question 3 (30 marks)

• a.
• b.In this part of Question 3 you will be working with the following extract from The Financial Times.

As your answer to this part of Question 3:

• paste into your TMA document a copy of the text in your wiki section

• make a screenshot showing your wiki section and paste it into your TMA document.

(6 marks)

As your answer to this part of Question 3:

• paste into your TMA document a copy of your comment

• make a screenshot showing your comment in the wiki section and paste it into your TMA document.

(3 marks)

Relate your answer to two of the following concepts that you learnt about in Block 1 Part 6.5.1, ‘What is usability?’:

• effectiveness

• efficiency

• satisfaction

• learnability

• recoverability

The maximum word limit for Question 3(a) (iii) is 250 words.

(6 marks)

The doctor will see you now — on your smartphone

Could telemedicine change the way we manage our health?

(Aliya Ram, Financial Times, March 22, 2018)

Remember the last time you went for a medical check-up? The chances are you waited a week for an appointment, had a long wait to see the doctor, and nervously wondered which of the people around you in the waiting room were the most infectious.

As governments cut public spending in the aftermath of the financial crisis, health services across Europe and the US have come under enormous pressure to cope with the basic medical needs of ageing populations.

Waiting times have increased, satisfaction has fallen and the quality of healthcare has come under strain. Even simple things, such as updating a prescription or requesting a routine appointment, have added to the burden for overworked doctors and nurses.

This is despite the fact that basic technologies, such as videoconferencing and online chat, have simplified communication in most other parts of life and business. “We are really, really strained and we need to look at ways to do things more efficiently,” says Dawn Harper, a doctor with the UK’s National Health Service.

Dr Harper increasingly offers email and telephone consultations to reduce the workload generated by patients with routine requests. But she says video consultations and other technology could help cover even more ground.

“What you get from is much more than from email or the telephone,” she says. “If we could take away lots of the problems that could be dealt with online, that would free up NHS time and keep doctors working.”

[…]

• • i.The extract quotes Dr Dawn Harper saying “If we could take away lots of the problems that could be dealt with online, that would free up NHS time and keep doctors working.”
  • ii.Dr Harper also mentions video consultations as having potential value, saying “What you get from video consultations is much more than from email or the telephone”. In Block 3 Part 5, you learned that telepresence technology can be used for video consultations. State which technical characteristics of telepresence you think would be particularly important for a medical consultation and explain some of the reasons that you would get much more from video than from email or telephone.

From your study of Block 3 Part 6, describe some of the services available online via NHS websites and how they free up NHS time. You should discuss both central services and those for local GP surgeries. Suggest two disadvantages of asking patients to deal with problems online.

The maximum word limit for Question 3(b) (i) is 200 words.

(7 marks)

(8 marks)

The maximum word limit for Question 3(b) (ii) is 250 words.

Question 4 (10 marks)

What you should have already completed:

You should have completed your PDP action plan form as part of Activity 6.21 in Block 1 Part 6, and submitted it in TMA02. You will find it helpful to revisit Steps 4 and 5 of Section 6.6.3 Reviewing your goals and action plan before answering this question.

Your tasks for this question are to:

• review and reflect on your progress in relation to the PDP action plan (which you submitted as part of TMA02)
• comment briefly on the knowledge and skills that you have gained as a result of your studies
• assess your progress towards your goals, and/or state clearly why/how they have changed.

You should use the PDP action plan review template for this purpose, and you should then make an updated version of your PDP action plan form.

Your commentary must include the goal(s) relating to improving your learning or study skills while studying TM111.

You should copy and paste both the completed PDP action plan review template and your updated PDP action plan form into your TMA03 document as your answer to this question.