Computer Science Vocab From Ch. 4

Front 1

System unit

Back 1

Is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data.

Front 2

Motherboard

Back 2

Or system board, is the main circuit board of the system unit.

Front 3

Chip

Back 3

Small piece of semiconducting material, usually silicon, on which integrated circuits are etched.

Front 4

CPU

Back 4

central processing unit, it interprets and carries out the basic instructions that operate a computer.

Front 5

Multi-core processor

Back 5

Is a chip with two or more separate processor cores.

Front 6

Control unit

Back 6

Is the component of the processor that directs and coordinates most of the operations in the computer.

Front 7

ALU

Back 7

Arithmetic logic unit, is a component of the processor, performs arithmetic, comparison, and other operations.

Front 8

System clock

Back 8

The processor that this relies on a small quartz crysal circuit that controls the timing of all computer operations.

Front 9

Clock speed

Back 9

Is the pace of the system clock, measured by the number of ticks per second.

Front 10

Binary system

Back 10

Number system that has just two unique digits, o and 1, called bits.

Front 11

Bit

Back 11

Smallest unit of data the computer can process.

Front 12

Byte

Back 12

8 bits as a group

Front 13

Memory

Back 13

Consists of electronic components that store instructions waiting to be executed by the processor.

Front 14

Volatile memory

Back 14

When computer power is turned off, it loses its contents.

Front 15

Nonvolatile memory

Back 15

Does not lose its contents when the power is removed from the computer.

Front 16

RAM memory

Back 16

Main memory-consists of memory chips that can be read from and written to by the processor and other devices.

Front 17

ROM memory

Back 17

Memory chips storing permanent data and instructions.

Front 18

Memory module

Back 18

RAM chips reside on, small circuit board.

Front 19

Memory slot

Back 19

It is on the motherboard that holds memory modules.

Front 20

Cache

Back 20

Two types of cache are memory cache and disk cache.

Front 21

Memory cache

Back 21

It helps speed the process of the computer because it stores frequently used instructions and data.

Front 22

L1 cache

Back 22

Is built directly in the processor chip. 8KB to 128KB.

Front 23

L2 cache

Back 23

Slower than L1 cache, larger capacity-64KB to 16MB.

Front 24

ROM

Back 24

Memory chips that store permanent data and instructions.

Front 25

Flash memory

Back 25

Is a type of nonvolatile memory that can be erased electronically and rewritten.

Front 26

CMOS

Back 26

Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor.

Front 27

Access time

Back 27

Amount of time it takes the processor to read data, instructions, and information from memory.

Front 28

Nanosecond

Back 28

One billionth of a second. (ns)

Front 29

Expansion slot

Back 29

Socket on the motherboard than can hold an adapter card.

Front 30

Adapter card

Back 30

Circuit board that enhances functions of a component of the system unit or provides connections to peripherals.

Front 31

Flash memory

Back 31

you can insert it and remove it from a slot in a personal computer that reads and writes.

Front 32

Peripheral

Back 32

Is a device that connects to the system unit and is controlled by the processor in the computer.

Front 33

Video card

Back 33

Converts computer output into a video signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, displays and image on the screen.

Front 34

Sound card

Back 34

Enhances the sound-generating capabilities of a personal computer by allowing sound to be input through a microphone and output through the speakers.

Front 35

Hub

Back 35

It attaches to a single port to expand multiple ports.

Front 36

Graphics card

Back 36

Converts computer output into a video signal that travels through a cable to the monitor, displays and image on the screen.

Front 37

Memory card

Back 37

Removable flash memory devices, that you can insert and remove from a slot.

Front 38

Port

Back 38

The point at which a peripheral attaches to or communicates with a system unit.

Front 39

USB port

Back 39

Universal serial bus port. Can connect up to 127 different peripherals together with a single connector.

Front 40

FireWire Port

Back 40

It can connect multiple types of devices that require faster data transmission speeds.

Front 41

SCSI port

Back 41

Allows you to attach SCSI peripherals such as disk drives and printers.

Front 42

Port replicator

Back 42

External device that provides connections to peripherals through ports built into the device.

Front 43

Docking station

Back 43

External device that attaches to a mobile computer or device.

Front 44

Bus

Back 44

Allows the various devices both inside and attached to the system unit to communicate with each other.

Front 45

System bus

Back 45

Part of the motherboard and connects the processor to the main memory.

Front 46

Front side bus

Back 46

FSB, Part of the motherboard and connects the processor to the main memory.

Front 47

Backside bus

Back 47

BSB, connects the processor to the cache.

Front 48

Expansion bus

Back 48

Allows the processor to communicate with peripherals.

Front 49

Bay

Back 49

An opening inside the system unit in which you can install additional equipment.

Front 50

Drive bay

Back 50

Rectangular opening that typically holds disk drives.

Front 51

Power supply

Back 51

The component of the system unit that converts the wall outlet Ac power into DC power.