My prof marked these questions wrong

[MDevellis]

I got these questions marked wrong on my midterm and want to see if the people of ltt forum agree with the prof's marking.

 

1. "A universal serial bus is an example of a solid state drive"   (I answered false)

   True or False? 

 

2. "A solid-state device store data in: " (I answered d, see reply to solution)

  a) "Memory chips"

  b) "Magnetic media"

  c) "Optical media"

  d) "Solid Objects"

  e) "Moving parts"

 

 

[Guest]

You should put the answers you chose, otherwise it looks like you're asking for help.

[Crunchy Dragon]

Universal Serial Bus(USB) is a protocol, not a device. It's like PCIe, you can connect a multitude of devices to it, including forms of solid state drives(such as USB drives). USB is just a protocol that devices use to communicate. If you answered "True" to this question, then yes, your answer was incorrect.

 

Solid state devices store data in memory chips, similar to how RAM or SD cards work. DRAM modules and SD cards are slightly different, but very similar to standard SSDs. USB flash drives are basically tiny SSDs that communicate via the Universal Serial Bus as opposed to SATA, PCIe, or NVMe.

If you answered anything other than "memory chips", your answer was incorrect.

 

CDs and DVDs are optical media, tape drives are magnetic, "solid objects" and "moving parts" are misdirections.

[TetraSky]

. "A universal serial bus is an example of a solid state drive"   

    False
(It's a connector/protocol. It's USB. USB is not a Solid State Drive. Though you have have SSDs that work through USB externally)

 

2. "A solid-state device store data in: "

  a) "Memory chips"

(NAND chips are memory chips.)

Any other answers are wrong.

Spoiler

 b) "Magnetic media"  -> Tapes

  c) "Optical media"  -> Compact Disc, DVDs, BluRay discs...

  d) "Solid Objects"  -> Everything except Jello and liquids are "solid objects". This doesn't represent SSDs enough.

  e) "Moving parts"  -> There's no such thing in a SSD. It's "solid state" as in no moving parts.

 

[MDevellis]

39 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

Universal Serial Bus(USB) is a protocol, not a device. It's like PCIe, you can connect a multitude of devices to it, including forms of solid state drives(such as USB drives). USB is just a protocol that devices use to communicate. If you answered "True" to this question, then yes, your answer was incorrect.

 

Solid state devices store data in memory chips, similar to how RAM or SD cards work. DRAM modules and SD cards are slightly different, but very similar to standard SSDs. USB flash drives are basically tiny SSDs that communicate via the Universal Serial Bus as opposed to SATA, PCIe, or NVMe.

If you answered anything other than "memory chips", your answer was incorrect.

 

CDs and DVDs are optical media, tape drives are magnetic, "solid objects" and "moving parts" are misdirections.

 

For the second one yes you are correct, I answered Solid Objects because of their nature relative to hard drives and also going off of what I thought was the definition of a solid was. I was on the fence between solid objects and memory chips and leaned towards solid objects because I knew that SSD's store data in NAND chips which I THOUGHT weren't specifically considered memory chips but even ignoring that, SSD's often use actual memory caches too and even though the data is stored temporarily, it is still stored in memory for some amount of time and after a very brief argument with the prof and some research, I admit I am wrong on this one.

 

But the first one was the one that really irked me. (I answered false btw) The prof's whole argument was that he/she meant Universal Serial Bus as in "USB" as in the laymen term for a flash drive which I thought was astronomically stupid. He/She told me that they purposefully wrote out the entire abbreviation to confuse us while also not specifying that they meant the slang word for what people call a flash drive.

[MDevellis]

26 minutes ago, TetraSky said:

(NAND chips are memory chips.)

  Reveal hidden contents

 b) "Magnetic media"  -> Tapes

  c) "Optical media"  -> Compact Disc, DVDs, BluRay discs...

  d) "Solid Objects"  -> Everything except Jello and liquids are "solid objects". This doesn't represent SSDs enough.

  e) "Moving parts"  -> There's no such thing in a SSD. It's "solid state" as in no moving parts.

 

Yea I didn't know that, I thought they were different types of flash. That was mb.

[Crunchy Dragon]

23 minutes ago, MDevellis said:

But the first one was the one that really irked me. (I answered false btw) The prof's whole argument was that he/she meant Universal Serial Bus as in "USB" as in the laymen term for a flash drive which I thought was astronomically stupid. He/She told me that they purposefully wrote out the entire abbreviation to confuse us while also not specifying that they meant the slang word for what people call a flash drive.

That's kinda crazy. Universal Serial Bus is not any specific device.

 

If you're learning anything in technology, it should be taught without using layman's terms so people actually know what they're learning and what they're talking about, then be able to translate the technical to the layman in a way that is understandable and not condescending.

[TetraSky]

39 minutes ago, MDevellis said:

But the first one was the one that really irked me. (I answered false btw) The prof's whole argument was that he/she meant Universal Serial Bus as in "USB" as in the laymen term for a flash drive which I thought was astronomically stupid. He/She told me that they purposefully wrote out the entire abbreviation to confuse us while also not specifying that they meant the slang word for what people call a flash drive.

So, your teacher marked your answer wrong when you answered False?

Get that grade reviewed, the teacher is a dumbass for thinking "usb" = flash drive = solid state drive. Completely different things.

It could be argued that a USB flash drive is technically a solid state drive. But, taking a page out of that teacher's book, when we think SSD, we think either a 2.5" drive in a computer or an NVME SSD. The kind of drive with super faster read/writes performances. Which you don't get with the typical USB flash drives. Hence, not a flash drive.

 

My game controller is "USB". My wifi adapter is "USB". The cable that charges my smart watch is "USB". My keyboard and mouse are "USB", Etc.
I have never once associated plain old "USB" with "flashdrive". I'm sure there might be someone out there who does, likely a boomer. But that doesn't make it right and in a learning context, you should be learning the PROPER definitions, not what someone thinks is correct in "laymen term".
 

"pass me the USB"

"which one? *thinking cable, microB, usbA, USBC*"
"the 8GB one"
"... Bruh"

[cmndr]

Quote

 

1. "A universal serial bus is an example of a solid state drive"   (I answered false)

   True or False? 

 

False; the bus is a bus, not a drive

 

 

Quote

 

2. "A solid-state device store data in: " (I answered d, see reply to solution)

  a) "Memory chips"

  b) "Magnetic media"

  c) "Optical media"

  d) "Solid Objects"

  e) "Moving parts"

 

 

 

memory chips is likely the most correct response. 

magnetic media usually corresponds with tape or potentially a floppy disk

optical media = CD, DVD, BRD, HDDVD and so on

Solid objects - technically correct but far too broad
Moving parts - there are no moving parts (unless you count thermal expansion/contraction and other negligible effects)

[starsmine]

58 minutes ago, MDevellis said:

 

For the second one yes you are correct, I answered Solid Objects because of their nature relative to hard drives and also going off of what I thought was the definition of a solid was. I was on the fence between solid objects and memory chips and leaned towards solid objects because I knew that SSD's store data in NAND chips which I THOUGHT weren't specifically considered memory chips but even ignoring that, SSD's often use actual memory caches too and even though the data is stored temporarily, it is still stored in memory for some amount of time and after a very brief argument with the prof and some research, I admit I am wrong on this one.

 

But the first one was the one that really irked me. (I answered false btw) The prof's whole argument was that he/she meant Universal Serial Bus as in "USB" as in the laymen term for a flash drive which I thought was astronomically stupid. He/She told me that they purposefully wrote out the entire abbreviation to confuse us while also not specifying that they meant the slang word for what people call a flash drive.

Argue for points back on USB, but also, grades dont matter, learning and mastering the material does. Its kinda bullshit to lose points on that, but no the end of the world. 

Bring up all the adaptors you can do with USB like thats how you plug in your printer, your mouse and your keyboard and headphones, but if you can just eat the points at the end of the day, do so, one true/false question aint gonna be worth many points. 

[MDevellis]

14 hours ago, cmndr said:

 

False; the bus is a bus, not a drive

 

Solid objects - technically correct but far too broad
 

Exactly.

[Needfuldoer]

16 hours ago, MDevellis said:

1. "A universal serial bus is an example of a solid state drive"   (I answered false)

   True or False? 

Is your professor the type who calls this device "a USB"?

 

 

If so they're definitely wrong, but I can see how their logic brought them to the wrong answer. USB has been around for over twenty-five years how are people STILL getting this wrong grumble grumble grumble...

 

16 hours ago, MDevellis said:

2. "A solid-state device store data in: " (I answered d, see reply to solution)

  a) "Memory chips"

  b) "Magnetic media"

  c) "Optical media"

  d) "Solid Objects"

  e) "Moving parts"

This one's just pedantic. Technically yes, NAND flash memory chips are "solid objects", but so are optical discs and mechanical hard drives. So far, we haven't mastered recording data on liquid.

 

I don't see how anything but "A" is the correct answer.

[starsmine]

12 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

This one's just pedantic. Technically yes, NAND flash memory chips are "solid objects", but so are optical discs and mechanical hard drives. So far, we haven't mastered recording data on liquid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delay-line_memory

It be volatile tho. 

Edited April 18, 2023 by starsmine

[Poinkachu]

26 minutes ago, Needfuldoer said:

Is your professor the type who calls this device "a USB"?

 

 

If so they're definitely wrong, but I can see how their logic brought them to the wrong answer. USB has been around for over twenty-five years how are people STILL getting this wrong grumble grumble grumble...

 

This one's just pedantic. Technically yes, NAND flash memory chips are "solid objects", but so are optical discs and mechanical hard drives. So far, we haven't mastered recording data on liquid.

 

I don't see how anything but "A" is the correct answer.

More like ....

USB has been around for over twenty-five years how a teacher STILL getting this wrong grumble grumble grumble...

 

I usually just say "Pass me that flashdisk" or "Pass me that thumbdrive", and I'm not a prof :x

[MDevellis]

On 4/18/2023 at 12:52 PM, Poinkachu said:

More like ....

USB has been around for over twenty-five years how a teacher STILL getting this wrong grumble grumble grumble...

 

I usually just say "Pass me that flashdisk" or "Pass me that thumbdrive", and I'm not a prof :x

I mean yea that's why I'm not super mad. I get the how the prof came to this conclusion and even I say USB stick or USB drive and sometimes even just "USB" but when the whole abbreviation is written out AND it's on a test paper(where everything is meant to be taken literally) there's no excuse. It's just stupid to think he/she meant anything but the protocol.