Term | Definition |
Peripheral | hardware used for input, output, connectivity, or storage that you plug in or connect to your computer wirelessly |
Motherboard | the main circuit board in the computer. |
Expansion Cards | a device that plugs into an expansion slot on the motherboard to provide or improve functionality. |
Data Buses | wires that allow data to travel between the components on the motherboard to the CPU and memory. |
Parallel Processing | a procedure that involves having multiple microprocessor chips or a multi-core processor to execute multiple instructions simultaneously. |
Instruction Cycle | an action in which the CPU retrieves, the codes, executes, and stores an instruction. |
Clock Speed | the number of instruction cycles the CPU can process per second, typically measured in gigahertz (GHz) |
Read-Only Memory | memory built on the motherboard that is used for storing computer instructions that do not change. |
BIOS | programming code stored on a ROM chip that includes instructions used when starting a computer. |
Touch-Enabled Display | a technology that accepts input from finger gestures and is found on many of today's mobile devices. Also known as touch screen. |
Stylus | a digital pen. |
Network Adapter | any device used to connect a computer to a network. Also known as a network card. |
Bar Code Readers | a device that optically scans barcodes to identify products in warehouses or at check out counters. |
Magnetic Strip Readers | a device that can read data from the magnetic strip on the backs of cards such as debit cards, credit cards, or cards used to open doors or parking gates. |
Biometric Scanners | a tool that authenticates a persons identity using physical characteristics such as fingerprints, iris scan, or voice recognition. |
Radio Frequency Identification Readers (RFID) | a device that scans an embedded RFID tag to identify an object. |
Quick Response Codes (QR) | a type of barcode that looks like a matrix of black square dots. |
Voice Recognition Technology | technology used to recognize voice commands as input for hands- free operation at work, with your car's, navigation and communications system, or with your mobile device. Also known as speech recognition technology. |
Binary System | the location for the digital data temporarily stored in RAM, processed by the CPU, and eventually saved to permanent storage when you save the document. In the binary system, only two possible values exist- zero and one. |
Solid-State Drive | a newer type of hard disk drive technology that uses flash memory. |