16.2.4 Sending data
As the items are scanned into the checkout computer, information about the price of each item may be shown on a small display so that the customer can see the price. Sometimes there is a beep as each item passes the bar code reader, to tell the checkout operator the item has been identified. Once all the items have been scanned, the total amount is displayed. Once the customer has paid, they are given a printed till receipt which shows all the items purchased, the price of each and total expenditure.
Activity 14 (self-assessment)
In Table 3 I have listed some of the different activities carried out at the checkout. Match each of these with one of the ICT processes associated with a stand-alone computer: receives, sends, stores, retrieves and manipulates.
I've completed the first as an example.
| Activity | Process | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scanning a bar code | Receives |
| 2 | Providing a receipt | |
| 3 | Calculating total cost of items purchased | |
| 4 | Subtracting the total cost from money tendered by the customer |
Answer
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Receives – the checkout terminal receives data from the bar code scanner.
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Sends – the checkout terminal sends data to the user.
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Manipulates – the checkout terminal manipulates the data to obtain the total cost.
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Manipulates – the checkout terminal manipulates the data to obtain by subtraction the amount of change required.