Question | Answer |
fast Internet connection that uses the same wires as a telephone company | ADSL |
a platform designed to run older versions of software | backward compatible |
a program designed for use with Apple Corporation products that allows the user to choose either the Mac OS or the Windows operating system when the computer is turned on | Boot Camp |
fast connection to the Internet that is always active; about 30 times faster than telephone voice lines | Broadband |
cuts off power on a power strip in case of a short circuit in the equipment; helps to eliminate a potential fire hazard | circuit breaker |
the range between the darkest black and the brightest white on a screen | contrast ratio |
rearranging data on a hard disk to eliminate fragmented files and to maximize the storage capacity of a hard drive by writing files on adjacent sectors | defragmenting |
program that enables the computer’s processor commands to be carried out by a device such as a printer, camera, scanner, or smartphone; written for specific platforms and devices | driver |
used to transfer digital signals directly from the PC to a monitor; part of the computer’s video card | DVI port |
a type of network connection that provides fast, wired network connectivity using a port on the computer; wires are larger than wires used for telephone line connections | Ethernet |
files that are broken up and stored in different places on the disk causing a computer to take longer to access the files | fragmented |
software that is copyrighted by the programmer but is available for use without charge | freeware |
a stack of thin, rigid metal disks that are read and written to in magnetic form | hard disk |
the complete unit of hard disks and heads sealed in a metal box used to store data | hard drive |
a port that transfers digital image data used by multimedia devices such as DVD players and laptop computers | HDMI |
component of a hard drive used to read and write data in magnetic form to a hard disk | head |
fins (radiator) attached to a processor; used to channel heat away from the motherboard | heat sink |
platform that uses Intel processors and DOS or Microsoft Windows operating systems; currently referred to as PC-compatible | IBM-compatible |
connectors that fit over pairs of pins on a computing device such as a hard drive | jumpers |
older version of software or an older model of a device | legacy |
open-source, free operating system that works with Intel-compatible processors | Linux |
model of personal computer made by Apple Corporation; a computer operating platform for computers made by Apple Corporation | Mac (Macintosh) |
the main circuit board of the computer where the CPU is located | motherboard |
two or more microprocessors on one integrated circuit chip that increases the performance of a computer | multi-core processor |
source code for software that is available to anyone for use or modification such as the Linux operating system | open source |
suite of free productivity applications that run on the Linux platform and other platforms | OpenOffice |
operating system from Apple Corporation that works with processors made to its specifications | OS X |
the combination of an operating system and hardware; the three most common personal computer platforms are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux | platform |
extension cord with additional electrical receptacles; may contain a circuit breaker or surge protectors | Power Strip |
amount of time it takes to change the color of a pixel on an LCD monitor; also referred to as response rate | response time |
measurement of the spin rate of hard disks | revolutions per minute (rpm) |
free software for which the user voluntarily pays a fee if the software is continued to be used | shareware |
extension cord with a box of additional electrical receptacles; often includes a circuit breaker that cuts off power to the computer in case of a short circuit in the equipment | Surge Suppressor |
a video card port used to connect video devices to a computer that uses two analog signals and has limited resolution | S-Video port |
converts electrical voltage from high to low or low to high; often used when traveling internationally | transformer |
software that is available for a limited period of time after which the software stops working unless a license is purchased | trial version |
unit with battery power that provides temporary power during power outages and includes functions of a plug strip with surge suppression | UPS |
video connection standard between computers and monitors that uses an analog signal for each of the primary colors | VGA |
type of memory specifically dedicated to the display, housed on the motherboard or on a graphic card | video RAM (VRAM) |
memory designated on the hard drive when RAM has been exhausted by the current computing session | virtual memory |