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136 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
First digital computers
Engineers built the first digital computers during World War II for breaking codes and calculating missile trajectories. By the 1950s, a few computers were being used for business data processing applications, such as payroll and inventory management.
Internet
A global computer network originally developed as a military project, then handed over to the National Science Foundation for research and academic use.
E-Mail
A form of electronic communication, was an application for the masses and finally a reason to buy a computer and join the digital revolution.
Synchronous Communication
Takes place in real time similar to a phone conversation. Chat groups, web conferencing, and Skype.
Asynchronous Communication
Does not require both parties to be online at the same time. Instead, one person can post a message, which can later be accessed by one of more other people. Blogs and Facebook are both examples.
Computer Network
A group of computers linked by wired or wireless technology to share date and resources.
Web
Short for World Wide Web. It is a collection of linked documents, graphics, and sounds that can be accessed over the Internet.
Cyberspace
Refers to entities that exist largely within computer networks.
Digitization
The process of converting text, numbers, sound, photos, and video into data that can be processed by digital devices.
Download
The practice of copying a file from a remote computer to a local computer.
Convergence
A process by which several technologies with distinct functionalities evolve to form a single product. Cell phones have cameras.
Digital Cameras
More than 99 of all cameras sold are digital, and the market for camera film is dwindling rapidly.
Computer
A multipurpose device that accepts input, processes data, stores data, and produces output, all according to a series of stored instructions.
Computer Input
Whatever is typed, submitted, or transmitted to a computer system. Input can be supplied by a person, by the environment, or by another computer.
Computer Output
The result produced by a computer. Examples include reports, documents, music, graphs, and pictures.
Data
The symbols that represent facts, objects, and ideas.
Processing
The way computers manipulate data in many ways.
CPU
Most processing takes place in a component called the central processing unit.
Microprocessor
An electronic component that can be programmed to perform tasks based on data it received.
Memory
An area of a computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed, stored, or output.
Storage
The area where data can be left on a permanent basis when it is not immediately needed for processing.
File
A named collection of data exists on a storage medium, such as a hard disk, CD, DVD, or flash drive.
Computer Program
The series of instructions that tells a computer how to carry out processing tasks.
Software
A program that sets up a computer to do a specific task.
Stored Program
A series of instructions for a computing task can be loaded into a computer's memory.
Application Software
A set of computer programs that helps a person carry out a task. Word processing software and personal finance software
System Software
To help the computer system monitor itself in order to function efficiently.
Operating System
Essentially the master controller for all the activities that take place within a computer.
Personal Computer
A microprocessor-based computing device designed to meet the computing needs of an individual.
Workstation
To an ordinary personal computer that is connected to a network. Or a powerful desktop computers used for high-performance tasks, such as medical imaging and computer-aided design, that require a lot of processing speed.
Video Game Console
Includes circuitry similar to a personal computer's, but its input and output devices are optimized for gaming.
What is the difference between data and information?
Data are symbols that represent people, events, things, and ideas. Data becomes information when it is presented in a format that people can understand and use. Data is used by machines, information is used by humans.
Data Representation
The form in which data is stored, processed, and transmitted.
Digital Data
Text, numbers, graphics, sound, and video that has been converted into discrete digits such as 0s and 1s.
Analog Data
Represented using an infinite scale of values.
The difference between bits and bytes
Transmission speeds are typically expressed in bits, whereas storage space is typically expressed in bytes.
Byte
A group of eight bits.
Kilobyte
1,024 bytes. Small computer files
Megabit
1,048,576 bits
Megabyte
1,048,576 bytes. Often used when referring to the size of medium to large computer files.
Gigabit
1 billion bits
Gigabyte
1 billion bytes. Typically used to refer to storage capacity.
Integrated Circuit
Super thin slice of semiconducting material packed with microscopic circuit elements, such as wires, transistors, capacitors, logic gates, and resistors.
Semiconducting Materials
Substances with properties between those of a conductor and an insulator.
System Board
Houses all essential chips and provides connecting circuitry between them.
Programming Language
C, BASIC, COBOL, or Java are used to create programs to control digital devices.
Source Code
The human-readable version of a program created in a high-level language by a programmer.
DIP
It has two rows of pins that connect the IC circuitry to a circuit board.
PGA
Is a square chip package with pins arranged in concentric squares, typically used for microprocessors.
Complier
Converts all the statements in a program in a single batch
Object Code
The resulting collection of instructions is placed in a new file.
Interpreter
Converts and executes one statement at a time while the program is running.
Instruction Set
A collection of pre-programmed activities.
Machine Language
A list of codes for a microprocessor's instruction set.
Machine Code
A set of machine language instructions for a program.
Op Code
Operation Code is a command word for an operation such as add, compare, or jump.
Operand
An instruction specifies the data, or the address of the data, for the operation.
ALU
Arithmetic logic unit is the part of the microprocessor that performs arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction.
Registers
Hold data that is being processed.
Control Unit
Fetches each instruction.
Compute-Intensive
Problem is one that requires massive amounts of data to be processed using complex mathematical calculations.
PDA
Personal Digital Assistant is a pocket-sized digital appointment book with a small keyboard or a touch-sensitive screen, designed to run on batteries and be used while holding it.
Brute Force Attack
Password-Cracking software but has an extensive range
Sniffing
Intercepts information sent out over computer networks.
Phising
A hacker poses as a legitimate representative of an official organization such as your ISP, your bank, or an online payment service.
Keylogger
Software that secretly records a user's keystrokes and sends the information to a hacker.
Identity Theft
When someone gains unauthorized access to your personal data and uses it illegally
Dictionary Attack
Helps hackers guess your password by stepping through a dictionary containing thousands of the most commonly used passwords.
Authentication Protocol
Any method that confirms a person's identity using something the person knows, something the person possesses, or something the person is.
Smartphones
These cell-phones contain a microprocessor and have many characteristics of computers.
Portable Media Players
Their main strength is playing music, showing videos, and storing photos.
Microcontroller
A special purpose microprocessor that is built into the machine it controls.
Peripheral Device
Designates input, output, and storage equipment that might be added to a computer system to enhance its functionality.
Form Factor
The size and dimensions of a component, such as a system board or system unit.
Desktop Computer
Fits on a desk and runs on power from an electrical wall outlet.
Tower Case
Provides plenty of space for gamers and modders who want to soup up their machines by adding storage decides, lighted power cables, or accelerated graphics cards.
Mini Case
Smaller than a tower unit and sometimes sports a handles.
All-in-one computer
This form factor is handy but has limited space for expansion.
Portable Computer
A small, lightweight personal computer with screen, keyboard, storage, and processing components integrated into a single unit that runs on power supplied by an electrical outlet or a battery.
Notebook Computer
A small, lightweight portable computer that opens like a clamshell to reveal a screen and keyboard.
Gaming Computers
They feature the fastest processors, stuffed with memory, include state of the art sound capabilities, and feature multiple graphics processors.
GHZ
Indicates the speed of the microprocessor clock. Gigahertz means a billion cycles per second.
Multi-Core Processor
A single microprocessor that contains a circuitry for more than one processing unit
Front Side Bus
The circuitry that transports data to and from the microprocessor.
Megahertz
FSB speed is measured in megahertz. MHz means one million cycles per second.
CPU Cache
Special high speed memory that allows a microprocessor to access data more rapidly than from memory located elsewhere on the system board. A large cache can increase computer perfomance.
Word Size
The number of bits that a microprocessor can manipulate at one time.
64-bit processor
It has 64-bit registers and processes 64 bits at a time.
CISC
Complex Instruction Set Computer
RISC
Reduced instruction set computer. A RISC processor performs most instructions faster than a CISC processor.
Serial Processing
The processor must complete all steps in the instruction cycle before it begins to execute the next instructions.
Pipelining
A processors can begin executing an instruction before it completes the previous instruction.
Parallel Processing
Multiple instructions are executed at the same time.
Benchmarks
Are the results from various testing laboratories that run a series of tests to gauge the overall speed of a microprocessor.
Overclocking
A technique for increasing the speed of a computer component, such as the processor, graphics card, system board, or memory.
RAM
Random Access Memory is a temporary holding area for data, application program instructions, and the operating system.
Capacitors
They hold the bits that represent data.
Volatile
It requires electrical power to hold data.
Virtual Memory
To store parts of programs or data files until they are needed.
Nanosecond
One-billionth of a second. 8 ns RAM is faster than 10 ns RAM.
ROM
Read-only memory is a type of memory circuitry that holds the computer's startup routine.
ROM Bios
ROM contains a small set of instructions. Basic input/output system.
EEPROM
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory is a non-volatile chip that requires no power to hold data.
Access Time
The average time it takes a computer to locate data on the storage medium and read it.
Random Access
The ability of a device to jump directly to the requested data.
Sequential Access
It reads through the data from the beginning of the tape.
Storage Density
The amount of data that can be stored in a given area of a storage medium, such as the surface of a disk.
Hard disk controller
Positions the disk, locates data, and interfaces with components on the system board.
How do CDs and DVDs work?
CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray technologies are classified as optical storage which stores data as microscopic light and dark spots on the disc surface. The dark spots are pits. The lighter, non-pitted surface areas of the disc are called lands.
Pointing Device
Allows you to manipulate an on-screen pointer and other screen based graphical controls.
Mouse
The primary pointing device.
Trackball
Consists of a ball resting in a stationary base.
Joystick
Looks like a small version of a car's stick shift. Moving the stick provides input to on-screen object.
Trackpad
Touch-sensitive surface on which you can slide your fingers to move the on-screen pointer.
Touch Screen
The most commonly used touch screen technology is a transparent panel coated with a thin layer of electrically conductive material that sense a change in the electrical current when touched.
LCD Display
Produces an image by filtering light through a layer of liquid crystal cells.
LED Display
Low-power light-emitting diodes.
Dot Pitch
Measure of image clarity
Pixels
The small dots of light that form an image.
Viewing angle width
Indicates how far to the side you can still clearly see the screen image
Response Rate
The time it takes for one pixel to change from black to white then back to black.
Color Depth
The number of colors a monitor can display.
Screen Resolution
The number of horizontal and vertical pixels that a device displays on the screen.
Graphics Card
Graphics circuitry can also be supplied by a small circuit board.
Graphics Processing Unit
It stores screen images as they are processed but before they are displayed.
Dot Matrix Printer
Produces characters and graphics by using a grid of fine wires.
Duty Cycles
It determined how many pages a printer is able to churn out.
Duplex Printer
Can print on both sides of the paper. It saves paper but can slow down the print process.
Printer Control Language
The most widely used language for communication between computers and printers.
PostScript
An alternative printer language that many publishing professionals prefer. The data that arrives at a printer along with its printer language instructions require memory.
Data Bus
Data travels from one component to another over circuits.
Expansion Bus
The segment of the data bus to which peripheral devices connect.
USB
Universal Serial Bus. It is a peripheral device.
FireWire ports
Used for external storage devices and for transferring data from digital video cameras to a computer for editing, printing, or storage.
eSATA
Another type of port, popular for connecting high-speed external devices.
What is VGA, DVI, HDMI?
Video Graphics Array, Digital Visual Interface, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface ports are designed for audiovisual devices, They are primarily used for connecting a monitor to a desktop computer, and for connecting an external monitor to a notebook computer.