computer science

Request price quotation

Request price quotation is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Request price quotation rather than just read about it. In short: Request price quotation or RPQ is a long-standing IBM designation for a product or component that is potentially available, but that is not on the "standard" price list. Typical RPQ offerings are custom interfaces, hardware modifications, research or experimental systems, or variable-cost items.

Key takeaways

Request price quotation belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Request price quotation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Request price quotation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Request price quotation or RPQ is a long-standing IBM designation for a product or component that is potentially available, but that is not on the "standard" price list. Typical RPQ offerings are custom interfaces, hardware modifications, research or experimental systems, or variable-cost items. In the days of IBM's large mainframes, e.g. the System/360 and System/370 series, many unusual features were flagged as "RPQ". A special-order software item is known as a Programming Request Price Quotation or PRPQ.

Examples The standard punched card code for the groupmark character on the IBM 1401 computer system used punches in rows 12, 7, and 8 of a card column (written as 12-7-8). The older IBM 705 computer used 12-5-8 for this character. An RPQ was available for the 1401 for compatibility that allowed the system to read or punch the 705 code rather than the standard code. Since not all 1401 users would need this feature it was marketed as an RPQ. The features used by the Compatible Time-Sharing System to support time-sharing on the IBM 7090 and IBM 7094 were offered as RPQs.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Request price quotation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Request price quotation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Request price quotation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Request price quotation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Request price quotation

In research: Request price quotation appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Request price quotation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Request price quotation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing stubs, IBM, Procurement, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Request price quotation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Request price quotation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Request price quotation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Request price quotation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Request price quotation in simple terms?

Why does Request price quotation matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Request price quotation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Request price quotation.