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MicrosoftApplication
Module 1 - Hardware
| Term/Question | Definition/Answer |
|---|---|
| Binary Code | Building blocks used to program computer instructions |
| Bit | Binary digit, represented as either 1 or 0 |
| Boot | The process of starting up a PC |
| Bus | Electronic circuitry that connects a CPU with its internal components |
| Byte | A group of 8 bits taken together |
| CD-ROM | Compact Disc, Read-Only Memory |
| Central Processor | The brain of the computer that is responsible for interpreting and carrying out instructions |
| Device Controller | Chips or circuits that control a particular device such as a printer or a mouse |
| File | An organized collection of information |
| Floppy Disk | Round, flexible pieces of plastic mainly used for data storage |
| Gigabyte | 1,000,000 Kilobytes |
| Hard Disk | A series of rigid aluminium platters coated with a magnetic material used primarily for data storage |
| Impact Printer | A printer that hits the paper to make an image |
| Input | The process of entering data or information into a computer system |
| Integrated Circuit | Combination of thousands of circuits built on tiny pieces of silicon |
| Kilobyte | 1,024 bytes |
| Keyboard | The primary input device for communicating with a computer system |
| LCD | Liquid Crystal Display, used in some temporary output devices |
| Mainframe | Large computers used by many people at the same time for large and complex jobs |
| Megabyte | 1,048,576 bytes |
| Memory | Temporary storage for input data, programs, and processing results |
| Microcomputer | A computer system that uses one microprocessor |
| Minicomputer | A smaller version of a mainframe |
| Modem | A communications device that allows computers to communicate over telephone lines or fibre optic cables |
| Motherboard | A circuit board that contains the computer's microprocessor, memory, and most of the computer's control circuitry |
| Mouse | A pointing device used to make on-screen selections |
| Network | A system where many computers are connected, enabling them to share files and resources |
| Non-Impact Printer | A printer that uses a character forming method that does not hit the paper |
| Output | The process whereby processed information is sent to an output device |
| Peripherals | Devices that are external to the main computer system. (e.g. printers and tape storage drives) |
| Processor | A single integrated chip usually plugged into a socket on the motherboard |
| RAM | Random Access Memory is volatile or temporary memory |
| ROM | Read Only Memory is memory that is permanently encoded |
| Scanner | A device that can convert anything reasonably flat (like paper) into a computer-compatible electronic form |
| Sound Device | A device that can digitally record, edit, and manipulate sounds on a computer system |
| Storage | The components of a computer system that hold temporary and permanent data and information |
| System Unit | A box, usually rectangular, that contains the memory and processing units |
| Temporary Output | Devices like video displays that present output |
| Touch Screen | An input device used to make on-screen selections by touching the screen |
| Trackball | An input device used to make on-screen selections by rotating an enclosed ball |
| Volatile Memory | A type of memory that is temporary |
| Personal Computer | It is defined by HOW it is used. |
| Personal Computer defining characterstics | Interactive, dedicated, versatile, cooperative, accessible (problem-solver), affordable. |
| 2 broadest categories of computers | General Purpose & Embedded |
| General Purpose Computers | Mainframes, Minicomputers, Microcomputers |
| Two major events that led to introduction of microcomputer? | development of first microprocessor in 1969, creation of first general purpose microprocessor chip - 1971 |
| Processing speeds for microcomputers are measured in... | MegaHertz or GigaHertz (instead of MIPS) |
| Mainframe & Minicomputers processing speed is measured in... | MIPS |
| MegaHertz & GigaHertz | number of CPU cycles per second, or the number of instructions the CPU can execute per second. (Mega = million cycles/second; Giga = 1 thousand Mega or 1 billion cycles/second. |
| When a microcomputer is connected to a mainframe or computer network it is called a what? | work station |
| Embedded Computers - 1 function | to control the operations of the machine in which they are embedded |
| Embedded computers come in only one size - true or false | False - embedded computers can be tiny - like in a watch, or massive like the supercomputer in space shuttles, etc. |
| What are fault-tolerant computers? | Fault-tolerant computers are special-pupose computers, which are designed with duplicate hardware so they NEVER crash (i.e. hospitals & nuclear power plants) |
| The purpose of a computer is... | to process data and produce information |
| who developed the logical? | George Boole |
| Boole's theory of logic? | any mathematical expression was in one of two states: true or false |
| Each character or single piece of data is made up of __ bits. | 8 (or 1 byte) |
| distinction between hardware & software | Hardware is the actual machine itself, software is information |
| computer components & the main subsystems in a | input, processing, output, and storage subsystems (some hardware devices can be used for both input and output, such as communications and multimedia devices) |
| Input devices | the means by which you enter information into your pc - primary means by which you interact with your pc. |
| Keyboards primary shortcoming | relatively inefficient at relaying spatial information to your computer - they send symbols. But computers need to know 'where' sometimes, not just what - like mouse & trackballs provide. Scanners & digital camera allow us to bring photos to digital form |
| Primary input device for somputers is... | the keyboard |
| 2 types of keyboards | capacitive - no physical contact btw key & circuit board. Hard contact = contact with key & circuit board |
| Who developed the concept of the mouse? | Douglas C. Engelbart around 1957-1977 |
| 2 Variations of Mice (see other card for 3rd) | Mechanical - ball protrudes through bottom & rotates as pushed along surface. (not always enough space to move mouse) Optical Mouse - tiny camera compares photo of surface moving across. (dirty & break less, but not good on reflective surface) |
| Special Mouse designed by microsoft & special why? | Microsoft Wireless IntelliMouse Explorer - wireless & optical with scroll button & two extra side buttons for backwards & forwards or cut & paste, etc. |
Created by:
wsmk
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