1. Data, Information, and the Data Life Cycle Free Online FlashCards

What is the difference between data and information?

Data are recorded facts or symbols; information is data interpreted in a meaningful context.

What is knowledge in the data-to-understanding sequence?

Knowledge is a conclusion or understanding developed from information, such as recognizing that practice improved a score.

What is a bit?

A bit is a binary digit with one of two possible values, conventionally written as 0 or 1.

How many bits are in a byte?

A byte contains eight bits and can represent 256 different patterns, from 00000000 through 11111111.

What decimal number does 01011010 represent?

01011010 represents 90 because its 1-valued positions contribute 64 + 16 + 8 + 2.

What are metadata?

Metadata are data that describe other data, including their structure, format, meaning, origin, and processing history.

Why is 02139 usually stored as text?

A ZIP code such as 02139 should usually be stored as a text string because its leading zero matters and arithmetic is not normally performed on it.

How do structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data differ?

Structured data follow a defined schema; semi-structured data use markers such as key-value labels; unstructured data lack a regular tabular schema.

What are raw data?

Raw data are observations or records in their original or minimally processed form, before cleaning, transformation, summarization, or interpretation for a purpose.

What happens during the planning stage?

The planning stage defines the purpose, required data, responsibilities, ethical constraints, quality requirements, storage, security, and retention period.

How should missing values be handled?

Missing values should be identified by meaning—such as blank, unknown, not applicable, or suppressed—rather than automatically treated as zero.

What does lossless compression preserve?

Lossless compression preserves every original value and reconstructs an exact copy after decompression.