computer exam 1
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134 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 microprocessor | a single silicon chip containing all of a computer's computational components |
| Silicon Valley | the area around San Jose, California that has become a hotbed of the computer industry since the 1970s, when dozens of microprocessor manufacturing companies sprouted and grew there |
| semiconductor | another name for a silicon chip |
| personal computers (PCs) | in the late 1970s Apple, Commodore, Tandy, and other companies introduced low-cost, microprocessor-based microcomputers as powerful as many of the room sized computers that had come before and now are very common |
| Moore's Law | In 1965, the chairman of chipmaker Intel predicted that the number of transistors that can be packed into a silicon chip of the same price would roughly double every two years |
| embedded system | a microprocessor used as a component of a larger system (thermostats, traffic lights, wristwatches, toys, etc) |
| desktop computer | a personal computer designed to sit on a desk or table for extended periods of time |
| workstation | a high-end desktop computer with massive computing power |
| laptop (notebook) computer | personal computer designed with portability in mind |
| subnotebooks | extra-light notebooks |
| peripherals | an external device, such as keyboard or monitor, connected via cables to the system central processing unit |
| personal digital assistant (PDA) | a pocket-sized computer used to organize appointments, tasks, notes, contacts, and other personal information |
| server | a computer that provides other computers connected to the network with access to data, programs, or other resources |
| mainframe computer | room-sizedx machines with price tags to match, and used by banks and airlines for big computing jobs |
| terminal | a combination keyboard and screen with little local processing power that transfers information to and from a mainframe computer or server |
| timesharing | a mainframe computer can communicate with several users simultaneously through this technique |
| supercomputers | a super-fast, super-powerful, and super-expensive computer used for applications that demand maximum power |
| networks | a computer system that links two or more computers |
| Internet | a global interconnected network of thousands of networks linking academic, research, government, and commercial institutions, and other organizations and individuals |
| Electronic mail | allows internet users to send mail messages, data files, and software programs to other Internet users and to users of most commercial networks and online services |
| World Wide Web | part of the Internet, a collection of multimedia documents created by organizations and users worldwide |
| browsers | programs such as internet explorer and firefox that serve as navigable windows into the web |
| hypertext links | a web connection to another document or site, like the many that loosely tie together millions of web pages |
| paradigm shift | a change in thinking that results in a new way of seeing the world |
| agricultural age | the era covering most of the past ten thousand years, during which humanity lived mainly by domesticating animals and growing food using plows and other agricultural tools |
| industrial revolution | the era of rapid change advances in machine technology that began at the end of the eighteenth century and ushered in the industrial age |
| industrial age | the recent modern era, characterized by the shift from farms to factories |
| information age | the current era, characterized by the shift from an industrial economy to an information economy and the convergence of computer and communication technology |
| applications | software tool that allows a computer to be used for specific purposes |
| web applications | an application that is stored on a web server and typically accessed via a web browser |
| digital divide | a term that describes the divide between the people who do and do not have access to the internet |
| input devices | information taken in by the computer |
| output devices | device for sending information from the computer, such as a monitor or printer |
| central processing unit (CPU) | part of the computer that processes information, performs arithmetic calculations, and makes basic decisions based on information values |
| memory | stores programs and the data they need to be instantly accessible to the CPU |
| storage devices | long-term repository for data. disks and tapes are examples |
| random access memory (RAM) | memory that stores program instructions and data temporarily |
| digital | information made up of discrete units that can't be counted |
| digits | a discrete, countable unit |
| binary | a choice of two values, such as yes and no or zero and one |
| binary number system | a system that denotes all numbers with combinations of two digits |
| American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) | a code that represents characters as 8-bit codes. allows the binary computer to work with letters, digits, and special characters |
| Unicode | a 65,000-character set for making letters, digits, and special characters fit into the computer's binary circuitry |
| Kilobyte (KB) | about 1000 bytes of information |
| Megabyte (MB) | approximately 1 million bytes |
| Gigabyte (GB) | 1000 MB |
| Terabyte (TB) | 1 million MB |
| Petabyte (PB) | 1024 terabytes, or 1 quadrillion bytes |
| motherboard | the circuit board that contains a computer's CPU |
| compatible | the ability of a software program to run on a specific computer system. Also, the ability of a hardware device to function with a particular type of computer. |
| gigahertz (GHz) | billions of clock cycles per second, a measurement of a computer's clock speed |
| architecture | design that determines how individual components of the CPU are put together on a chip. More generally used to describe the way individual components are put together to create a complete computer system |
| word size | the number of bits a CPU can process at one time, typically 8, 16, 32 or 64 |
| parallel processing | using multiple processors to divide jobs into pieces and work simultaneously on the pieces |
| multicore processors | a microprocessor containing multiples CPUs |
| cluster | a grouping of multiple processors or servers to, for example, improve graphic rendering speeds or increase reliability |
| read-only memory (ROM) | memory that includes permanent information only. The computer can only read information from it; it can never write any new information on it |
| flash memory | a type of erasable memory chip used in cell phones, pagers, portable computers, and handheld computers, among other things |
| access time | the amount of time, measured in nanoseconds, it takes for a CPU to retrieve a unit of data from memory. Also the amount of time, measured in milliseconds, it takes for the CPU to retrieve a unit of data from a disk drive |
| nanoseconds | a billionth of a second; a common unit of measurement for read and write access time to RAM |
| milliseconds | a thousandth of a second |
| buses | group of wires on a circuit board. Information travels between components through this. |
| bays | an open area in the system box for disk drives and other peripheral devices |
| expansion slots | an area inside the computer's housing that holds special-purpose circuit boards |
| expansion cards | special-purpose circuit boards that can be inserted in a computer's expansion slots |
| external buses | a cable designed to transmit data back and forth between a computer and its external peripherals |
| USB ports | a computer port that can be used to attach keyboards, mice, printers, cameras, disk drives, portable storage devices, and more |
| repetitive-stress injuries | conditions that result from repeating the same movements over long periods, such as keyboarding-induced carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful affliction of the wrist and hand |
| ergonomic keyboards | the science of designing work environments that enable people and things to interact efficiently and safely |
| touchpad | a small flat-panel pointing device that is sensitive to light pressure. The user moves the pointer by dragging a finger across the pad. |
| pointing stick | a tiny joysticklike device embedded in the keyboard of a laptop computer |
| trackball | pointing device that remains stationary while the user moves a protruding ball to control the pointer on the screen |
| graphics tablet | a pressure-sensitive touch tablet used as a pointing device |
| touch screen | pointing device that responds when the user points to or touches the screen |
| multi-touch | a type of input device that involves using multi-finger or multi-hand gestures to accomplish complex tasks quickly. It might be a touch-sensitive screen, a touch tablet, or a trackpad that can recognize the position, pressure, and movement of more than one finger or hand at a time |
| optical mark readers | a reading device that uses reflected light to determine the location of pencil marks on standardized test answer sheets and similar forms |
| magnetic ink character readers | a device that reads numbers printed with magnetic ink on checks |
| bar code readers | a reading tool that uses light to read universal product codes, inventory codes, and other codes created out of patterns of variable-width bars |
| radio frequency identification readers | a reading tool that uses radio waves to communicate with RFID tags |
| digitize | converting information into a digital form that can be store in the computer's memory |
| scanner | an input device that makes a digital representation of any printed image |
| digital camera | a camera that captures images and stores them as bit patterns on disks or other digital storage media instead of using film |
| video digitizer | a device that converts analog video signals into digital data |
| webcam | a type of digital video camera that is either attached to or built into a computer monitor. It can't function as a standalone camera. |
| audio digitizers | hardware devices or software programs that capture a sound and store it as a data file on a disk |
| voice input | use of a microphone to speak commands and text data to a computer, which uses speech-recognition software to interpret the input |
| speech recognition | the identification of spoken words and sentences by a computer, making it possible for voice input to be converted into text files |
| sensors | a device that enables digital machines to monitor a physical quantity of the analog world, such as temperature, humidity, or pressure, to provide data used in robotics, environmental climate control, and other applications |
| display (monitor) | an output device that displays text and graphics onscreen |
| resolution | density of pixels, measured by the number of dots per inch |
| color depth | bit depth, the number of bits devoted to each pixel |
| bit depth | color depth, the number of bits devoted to each pixel in a color display |
| monochrome monitors | monitors, now dated, that can display only one color, such as green or white |
| gray-scale monitors | monitor that displays black, white, and shades of gray but no other colors |
| color monitors | a monitor capable of displaying a wide range of colors, with greater depth than a grayscale monitor |
| video adapter | a circuit board installed inside the main system unit connecting the monitor to the computer |
| cathode-ray tube monitors (CRT) | a computer display made from a large electronic vacuum tube, similar to the classic television display |
| liquid crystal displays (LCDs) | flat-panel displays, once primarily used for portable computers but now replacing bulkier CRT monitors for desktops |
| video projectors | a projector that can project computer screen images for meetings and classes |
| printer | output device that produces a paper copy of any information that can be displayed on the screen |
| impact printer | printer that forms images by physically striking paper, ribbon, and print hammer together |
| line printer | an impact printer used by mainframes to produce massive printouts. They print characters only, not graphics |
| dot matrix printers | a type of impact printer, which forms images by physically striking paper, ribbon, and print hammer together, the way a typewriter does |
| nonimpact printers | a printer that produces characters without a physically striking the page |
| laser printers | a nonimpact printer that uses a laser beam to create patterns of electrical charges on a rotating drum. The charged patterns attract black toner and transfer it to paper as the drum rotates |
| inkjet printers | a nonimpact printer that sprays ink directly onto the paper to produce printed text and graphic images |
| photo printers | a type of newer inkjet printer specially optimized to print high-quality photos captured with digital cameras and scanners |
| multifunction printers (MFP) | an all-in-one output device that usually combines a scanner, a laser or inkjet printer, and a fax modem |
| plotter | am automated drawing tool that produces finely scaled drawings by moving pen and/or paper in response to computer commands |
| fax machine | an output device capable of sending, in effect, a photocopy through a telephone line, allowing for fast and convenient transmission of information stored on paper |
| fax modem | hardware peripheral that enables a computer to send onscreen documents to a receiving fax machine by translating the document into signals that can be sent over phone wires and decoded by the receiving fax machine |
| sound card | a circuit board that allows the PC to accept microphone input, play music and other sound through speakers or headphones, and process sound in a variety of ways |
| synthesizers | a device that can produce music and other sounds electronically |
| force feedback | tactile feedback, such as jolts, scrapes, and bumps, transmitted via signals, between a computer and a controller |
| storage devices | long-term repository for data. disks and tapes are examples. |
| tape drives | storage device that uses magnetic tape to store more information |
| magnetic tape | a storage medium used with a tape drive to store large amounts of information in a small space at relatively low cost |
| sequential-access | storage method that requires the user to retrieve information by zipping through it in the order which it was recorded |
| magnetic disk | storage medium with random-access capability, accessed by the computer's disk drive |
| disk drive | device used to retrieve information from a disk and, in some cases, to transfer data to it |
| floppy disk drive | a drive found mostly on older computers that enables them to store small amounts of information on pocket-sized plastic-covered diskettes |
| hard disk | a rigid, magnetically sensitive disk that spins rapidly and continuously inside the computer chassis or in a separate box attached to the computer housing |
| optical disc drive | a disk drive that uses laser beams to read and write bits of information on the surface of an optical disc |
| CD-ROM | compact disc read only memory, a type of optical disc that contains data that cannot be changed; commonly used to distribute commercial software programs |
| CD-RW drive | a disc drive that can read and write on rewritable optical discs |
| internal drives | disk drives that are included in a system unit |
| solid-state storage | storage, such as flash memory, with no moving parts; likely to replace disk storage in the future |
| flash memory | a type of erasable memory chip used in cell phones, pagers, portable computers, and handheld computers, among other things |
| USB flash drives | a portable storage device that stores data in flash memory and connects a computer through a USB port |
| interface standards | standards for ports and other connective technology agreed on by the hardware industry so devices made by one manufacturer can be attached to systems made by other companies |
| legacy ports | the most common standard ports on PC system boards, including the serial port, parallel port, and keyboard/mouse port |
| open architecture | a design that allows expansion cards and peripherals to be added to a basic computer system |
| USB (universal serial bus) | a data path standard that theoretically allows up to 126 devices, such as keyboards, digital cameras, and scanners, to be chained together from a single port, allowing for data transmission that is much faster and more flexible than through traditional serial and parallel ports |
| hot swapped | to remove and replace peripheral devices without powering down the computer and peripherals. Some modem interface standards such as USB and FireWire allow this. |
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