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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
system unit
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Case that contains the electronic components of a computer that are used to process data.
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motherboard
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Main circuit board of the system unit, which has some electronic components attached to it and others built into it. See also system board.
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chip
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Small piece of semiconducting material, usually silicon, on which integrated circuits are etched.
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CPU
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Electronic component on a computer's motherboard that interprets and carries out the basic instructions that operate the computer. See also processor.
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multicore processor
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Single chip with two or more separate processor cores.
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control unit
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Component of a processor that directs and coordinates most of the operations in the computer.
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ALU
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Component of a processor that performs arithmetic, comparison, and other operations.
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system clock
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Small quartz crystal circuit that is used by the processor to control the timing of all computer operations.
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clock speed
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Pace of the system clock, measured by the number of ticks per second.
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binary system
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Number system used by computers that has just two unique digits, 0 and 1, called bits.
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bit
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The smallest unit of data a computer can process. Bit is short for binary digit
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byte
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Eight bits that are grouped together as a unit. A byte provides enough different combinations of 0s and 1s to represent 256 individual characters.
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memory
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Electronic components in a computer that store instructions waiting to be executed by the processor, the data needed by those instructions, and the results of processing the data.
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volatile memory
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Type of memory that loses its contents when a computer's power is turned off.
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non volatile memory
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Type of memory that does not lose its contents when a computer's power is turned off.
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RAM
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RAM
Type of memory that can be read from and written to by the processor and other devices. Programs and data are loaded into random access memory from storage devices such as a hard disk and remain in random access memory as long as the computer has continuous power. See also main memory. |
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ROM
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Type of nonvolatile memory that is used to store permanent data and instructions.
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memory module
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Small circuit board that houses RAM chips and is held in a memory slot on the motherboard.
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memory slot
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Slots on the motherboard that hold memory modules.
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cache
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Area of memory that stores the contents of frequently used data or instructions.
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memory cache
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Cache that helps speed the processes of a computer by storing frequently used instructions and data.
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l1 cache
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A type of memory cache that is built directly into the processor chip, with a capacity of 8 KB to 16 KB.
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l2 cache
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A type of memory cache that is slightly slower than L1 cache, but has a much larger capacity, ranging from 64 KB to 16 MB.
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flash memory
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Type of nonvolatile memory that can be erased electronically and rewritten.
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CMOS
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Technology used by some types of memory chips that provides high speeds and consumes little power by using battery power to retain information even when the power to a computer is off.
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access time
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Measurement of the amount of time it takes the process to read data, instructions, and information from memory.
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nanosecond
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One billionth of a second.
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expansion slot
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Socket on a motherboard that can hold an adapter card.
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adapter card
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Circuit board that enhances functions of a component of a system unit and/or provides connections to peripherals.
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flash memory
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Type of nonvolatile memory that can be erased electronically and rewritten.
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peripheral
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Device that connects to a system unit and is controlled by the processor in the computer.
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video card
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Adapter card that converts computer output to a video signal that travels through a cable to a monitor, which displays an image on the screen. See also graphics card.
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soundcard
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Adapter card that enhances the sound generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through external speakers or headset.
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HUB
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device that connects to usb ports and creates multiple ports
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