1. What is an Embedded System? What makes it different from a general-purpose computer? 2. List five attributes of embedded systems. 3. What was the first electronic computing device designed with the modern structure of an embedded system? 4. What were the three pioneering designs that defined the first microprocessors? 5. Which design can be credited as the first microcontroller design? Why is this design considered a milestone in embedded systems design? 6. Write a list of at least ten tasks that you perform regularly that are enabled by embedded systems. 7. What are the fundamental components of an embedded system? Briefly describe how each is structured. 8. Think about the functionality of one simple embedded system enabled device you regularly interact with (for example, a video game console, cellular phone, digital camera, or similar) and try to come up with the following system-level items: a. Functional hardware components needed. b. Software tasks performed by the device. c. Identifiable services that could be requested by each task and the hardware resource it uses. 9. Select one specific embedded system application you are familiar with and enumerate at least three important issues arising in each of its five life cycle stages. Rank them in order of relevance. 10. Perform an internet search to identify at least three commercially available verification tools for the Texas Instruments MSP430 family of microcontrollers. Categorize them by the verification method they use. Comment on the cost-effectiveness of each. 11. Explain the difference between clock frequency and system performance in an embedded design. Depict a scenario where increasing the clock speed of an application would not result in an increase in performance. Explain why.