Chapter 10 Vocabulary

Front 1

network

Back 1

Collection of computers and devices connected together, often wirelessly, via communications devices and transmission media, allowing computers to share resources.

Front 2

local area network

Back 2

Network that connects computers and devices in a limited geographical area such as a home, school computer laboratory, office building, or closely positioned group of buildings.

Front 3

wireless local area network

Back 3

Local area network that uses no physical wires.

Front 4

wide area network

Back 4

Network that covers a large geographic area (such as a city, country, or the world) using a communications channel that combines many types of media such as telephone lines, cables, and radio waves.

Front 5

personal area network

Back 5

Network consisting of multiple devices and computers connected together in a home

Front 6

network topology

Back 6

Layout of computers and devices in a communications network.

Front 7

ethernet

Back 7

Network standard that specifies no central computer or device on the network should control when data can be transmitted.

Front 8

token ring

Back 8

Network standard in which computers and devices on the network share or pass a special signal, called a token, in a unidirectional manner and in a preset order.

Front 9

TCP/IP

Back 9

Short for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol; network standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how messages (data) are routed from one end of a network to the other, ensuring the data arrives correctly.

Front 10

RFID

Back 10

Short for radio frequency identification; standard, specifically a protocol, that defines how a network uses radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to an object, an animal, or a person.

Front 11

Wi-Fi

Back 11

Short for wireless fidelity; term for any network based on the802.11 series of standards.

Front 12

communications devise

Back 12

Any type of hardware capable of transmitting data, instructions, and information between a sending device and a receiving device

Front 13

router

Back 13

Communications device that connects multiple computers or other routers together and transmits data to its correct destination on a network.

Front 14

network card

Back 14

Adapter card, PC Card, ExpressCard module, USB network adapter, or flash card that enables the computer or device that does not have built-in networking capability to access a network. Also called a network card.

Front 15

hub

Back 15

The device that provides a common central connection point for nodes on a network.

Front 16

bandwidth

Back 16

The amount of data, instructions, and information that can travel over a communications channel

Front 17

twisted pair cable

Back 17

Transmission media that consists of one or more twisted-pair wires bundled together.

Front 18

coaxial cable

Back 18

A single copper wire surrounded by at least three layers: (1) an insulating material, (2) a woven or braided metal, and (3) a plastic outer coating. See also coax.

Front 19

fiber optic cable

Back 19

Dozens or hundreds of thin strands of glass or plastic that use light to transmit signals.

Front 20

microwaves

Back 20

Radio waves that provide a high-speed signal transmission.

Front 21

brodcaste radio

Back 21

Wireless transmission medium that distributes radio signals through the air over long distances such as between cities, regions, and countries and short distances such as within an office or home.

Front 22

cellular radio

Back 22

Form of broadcast radio that is used widely for mobile communications, specifically wireless modems and cell phones.

Front 23

communications satellite

Back 23

Space station that receives microwave signals from an earth-based station, amplifies (strengthens) the signals, and broadcasts the signals back over a wide area to any number of earth-based stations.