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D. Topics in Computer Science · Topics in Computer Science: Sustainability, Ethics, Emerging Technologies and Careers

Topics in Computer Science: Sustainability, Ethics, Emerging Technologies and Careers: Unit Review

D1.1 D1.2 D2.1 D2.2 D2.3 D3.1 D3.2 D4.1 D4.2 D4.3 D4.4About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain the environmental and health impacts of computing and evaluate initiatives that reduce them.
  • I can analyse ethical issues in computing and apply codes of ethics and practical strategies.
  • I can explain the impact of emerging technologies and investigate one.
  • I can describe research areas, careers and pathways in computer science and evaluate my own skills.

Bringing the unit together

This unit looked beyond the code at the responsibilities that come with computing: its environmental and health effects and the initiatives that reduce them (D1), the ethical issues of privacy, intellectual property, AI and everyday security, and the codes professionals follow (D2), the impact of emerging technologies and how to investigate one (D3), and research areas, careers and the skills you'll need (D4).

Each set below matches one lesson. Answer on paper first, then check.

How to use this review

Do one or two sets a day rather than all at once. For calculation questions, show every step and units. For ethics and impact questions, name the lens, stakeholder or principle you are using. Any time you miss a question, reread that lesson's explanation and worked example before trying its practice sets again. Facts about laws and data in this unit are current as of October 2026; for any report, check that they are still current.

The unit at a glance: four strands, sixteen lessonsD1 Sustainability (lessons 1 to 4)embodied vs operational emissions, PUEgreen software: three leversergonomics and the hierarchy of controlsEPR, right to repair, evaluating initiativesD2 Ethics (lessons 5 to 10)four lenses and stakeholder mapsprivacy, k-anonymity, IP and licencesACM and IEEE codes; AI fairness and lawphishing, passwords, cyberbullyingD3 Emerging technologies (11 to 12)who benefits and who pays?the digital divide and S-curve adoptiontechnical reports and lateral readingIEEE-style citationsD4 Research and careers (13 to 16)ACM and IEEE publications; edit distancegraphs, DFAs, the halting problemNOC codes, admission averages, P.Eng.OSP skills: criteria, evidence, SMART goals
How the unit fits together: environmental and health impacts (D1.1, D1.2), ethical issues and practices (D2.1 to D2.3), emerging technologies (D3.1, D3.2), and research, careers and skills (D4.1 to D4.4). Lesson numbers count from the first lesson of the unit.
Six calculations from this unitYearly footprintembodied ÷ years+ kWh × g CO2e/kWhLesson 1PUEtotal facility energy÷ IT energy (1.0 is ideal)Lesson 1k-anonymityk = size of the smallestquasi-identifier groupLesson 6Password strengthbits = length× log₂(number of symbols)Lesson 10Logistic adoption100 ÷ (1 + e^(−k(t − t₀)))50% at t = t₀Lesson 11Edit distancemin(above + 1, left + 1,diagonal + 0 or 1)Lesson 13
The six calculations you are most likely to be asked to do in this review, with the lesson where each one is taught. In every one, state the units or the meaning of the answer, not just the number.
Just for fun

If this unit review were a DFA from Theoretical Computer Science, it would have just one accepting state: "checked the date on every fact."

Every other path loops back to "look it up again."

The Full Footprint of Computing: Embodied Carbon, Data Centres and the Grid

1

A laptop has 240 kg CO2e embodied emissions and uses 30 kWh a year on a 53 g/kWh grid. Find its yearly footprint if kept 4 years.

2

A data centre's facility uses 1300 MWh and its IT equipment 1000 MWh. What is its PUE, and what does it mean?

3

Why does keeping devices longer matter more in Ontario than on a coal-heavy grid?

Green Software: Writing Code That Uses Less Energy

1

Name the three levers for greener software.

2

A 2 kWh job moves from 90 g/kWh to 40 g/kWh. How much CO2e is saved per run?

3

Why is binary search "greener" than linear search on a large sorted list searched many times?

Healthy Computing: Ergonomic Standards and Workplace Rules

1

Rank from most to least effective: wrist rests, automating a repetitive task, break schedules, adjustable desks.

2

What is CSA Z412?

3

Which two written policies must Ontario employers with 25 or more employees have under the Employment Standards Act?

Investigating Sustainability Initiatives: Governments, Companies and Communities

1

What did Bill C-244 (Royal Assent November 7, 2024) allow?

2

Explain extended producer responsibility in one sentence.

3

Classify: (a) ENERGY STAR labels; (b) a repair café; (c) Ontario's EEE Regulation.

Analysing Ethical Issues in Computing: Lenses, Stakeholders and Trade-offs

1

Name the four ethical lenses.

2

Options score [2, 2, −2] and [1, 1, 0]. Which has the higher total, and which is better for the worst-off?

3

Why is a secret keystroke logger a privacy problem for people other than its target?

Privacy and Personal Data: Law, Re-identification and Privacy by Design

1

A dataset's quasi-identifier groups have sizes 6, 2, 4. What is k, and how could you raise it?

2

As of October 2026, which federal law governs private-sector privacy, and what is Bill C-36's status?

3

Give one example of data minimization.

Intellectual Property: Piracy, Downloading, Licences and Plagiarism

1

Can you use a GPL library in a closed-source app you sell? Explain.

2

How long does copyright generally last in Canada?

3

How should adapted code be credited?

Codes of Ethics for Computing Professionals: ACM, IEEE and Beyond

1

Define a logic bomb.

2

Name the four sections of the ACM Code of Ethics.

3

Find the Jaccard similarity of {a, b, c, d} and {c, d, e}.

Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Bias, Accountability and Regulation

1

Of 12 qualified people in a group, a model selects 9. What is the true positive rate?

2

What happened to Canada's proposed Artificial Intelligence and Data Act?

3

When do most EU AI Act obligations for Annex III high-risk systems apply after the 2026 amendments?

Ethical Computing in Practice: Phishing, Passwords and Cyberbullying

1

What is the registered domain of https://cra.gc.ca.refund-now.info/claim?

2

How many bits of strength does a password of 6 random words from a 7776-word list have?

3

List three steps for someone being cyberbullied.

Emerging Technologies and Society: Who Benefits and Who Pays?

1

Using adoption(t) = 100 ÷ (1 + e^(−0.5(t − 8))), what is adoption at t = 8?

2

Define the digital divide.

3

Give one benefit and one cost of biometric face recognition for a specific group.

Investigating an Emerging Technology: Technical Reports and Evidence

1

What is lateral reading?

2

Which part of a technical report is written last?

3

Rewrite as an attributed claim: "This chip is 10 times faster."

Interdisciplinary Research: Reading ACM and IEEE Publications

1

Find the edit distance between "form" and "from".

2

Name one ACM and one IEEE publication suitable for a student.

3

What does a computer scientist typically contribute to a bioinformatics project?

Theoretical Computer Science: Graphs, Automata and the Limits of Computing

1

In the graph A–B, B–C, A–D, D–C, C–E, what is the BFS distance from A to E?

2

Trace the divisible-by-3 DFA on 111 (seven). Accepted?

3

What is the halting problem, and is it solvable?

Careers and Postsecondary Pathways in Computer Science

1

What is NOC 21231?

2

Required: ENG4U 82, MHF4U 88, MCV4U 85. Others: 93, 90, 76, 70. Top-six average?

3

What does a research computer scientist usually need beyond a bachelor's degree?

Evaluating Your Essential Skills and Work Habits

1

What makes a self-evaluation believable?

2

Make SMART: "I'll do better at teamwork."

3

Ratings before {Writing: 2} and after {Writing: 3}. What is the growth?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A phone has 80 kg CO2e embodied emissions and 2 kg per year operational emissions. What is its yearly footprint if kept 4 years?

2.

Which is a carbon-aware strategy?

3.

Which is the most effective control in the hierarchy of controls?

4.

What did Canada's Bill C-244 (2024) change?

5.

A dataset's quasi-identifier groups have sizes 3, 1 and 5. What is k?

6.

Which licence allows use in a closed-source commercial product if the notice is kept?

7.

Which ACM principle says to avoid harm?

8.

As of October 2026, which statement about AI law is accurate?

9.

Where does the link https://bank.ca.secure-login.net/ really go?

10.

What is the edit distance between "cat" and "cart"?

For parents and teachers

How to use this review: Let your teen work through one or two sets a day and mark their own answers. Use the mistakes to decide what to revisit:

  • Footprint, kWh or PUE calculation errors: revisit The Full Footprint of Computing.
  • Confusing energy with emissions, or efficiency questions: Green Software.
  • Mixing up levels of the hierarchy of controls or Ontario workplace rules: Healthy Computing.
  • Unsure about producer responsibility or right-to-repair laws: Investigating Sustainability Initiatives.
  • Ethical reasoning that uses only one viewpoint: Analysing Ethical Issues in Computing.
  • k-anonymity or privacy-law errors: Privacy and Personal Data.
  • Licence or copyright confusion: Intellectual Property.
  • Malicious-code types or ACM/IEEE principles: Codes of Ethics.
  • Fairness rates or AI regulation dates: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
  • Reading links, password strength or cyberbullying responses: Ethical Computing in Practice.
  • Logistic model or digital-divide questions: Emerging Technologies and Society.
  • Report structure, citations or claim-checking: Investigating an Emerging Technology.
  • Edit-distance tables or research publications: Interdisciplinary Research.
  • BFS, DFA traces or the halting problem: Theoretical Computer Science.
  • Admission averages, NOC codes or pathways: Careers and Postsecondary Pathways.
  • Vague self-evaluations or goals: Evaluating Your Essential Skills and Work Habits.

Laws, programs and statistics in this unit were checked in October 2026; encourage your teen to recheck them before using them in a report.