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49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What is the brain of a computer system?
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The central processing unit.
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How many sections make up the central processing unit?
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Three.
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What are the names of the sections that make up the cpu?
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Control section, internal storage section, and arithmetic-logic section.
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The control section can be compared to what?
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A telephone exchange.
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What are the four major types of instructions in the control section?
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Transfer, arithmetic, logic, and control.
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What capability allows the arithmetic/logic section to test various conditions encountered during
processing and take action based on the result? |
Logic.
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In the arithmetic/logic section, data is returned to what section after processing?
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Internal storage.
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What is the process by which instructions and data are read into a computer?
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Loading.
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Magnetic core storage is made up of what?
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Tiny doughnut-shaped rings made of ferrite iron.
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A semiconductor memory consists of what?
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Hundreds of thousands of tiny electronic circuits etched on a silicon chip.
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What is another name for semiconductor memory chips?
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Integrated circuits.
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In computer storage, what does volatile mean?
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All data in memory is lost when the power source is removed.
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What type of storage can retain its data even if there is a power failure or breakdown?
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Nonvolatile (magnetic core storage and bubble memory are examples).
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Bubble memory consists of what?
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A very thin crystal made of semiconductor material.
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How are the magnetic domains of a bubble memory switched?
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By passing a current through a control circuit imprinted on top of the crystal.
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What do we mean when we say that reading from bubble memory is nondestructive?
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The data is still present after being read.
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In what type of memory are often used instructions and programs permanently stored inside the
computer? |
Read-only memory (ROM).
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Who provides the programs stored in ROM?
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Only the manufacturer.
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Can programs in ROM be changed?
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No.
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What is another name for random-access memory (RAM)?
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No.
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How is data read from or written into RAM?
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By giving the computer the address of the location where the data is stored or is to be stored.
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In what two states can programmable read-only memory (PROM) be purchased?
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Already programmed by the manufacturer or in a blank state.
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What is the main disadvantage of PROM?
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If a mistake is made and entered, it cannot be corrected or erased.
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What does EPROM stand for?
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Erasable programmable read-only memory.
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How is EPROM erased?
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With a burst of ultra-violet light.
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Why are disk storage devices popular?
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Largely because of their direct access capabilities.
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How is data stored on all disks?
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In a number of invisible concentric circles called tracks.
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What precedes each record on a disk?
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A disk address.
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How is the storage capacity of a disk determined?
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By the bits per inch of track and the tracks per inch of surface.
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What two ways can data be physically organized on a disk pack?
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By cylinder or sector.
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The amount of data that can be stored on a linear inch of tape is known by what term?
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Recording density.
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The length of tape between BOT and EOT is referred to by what term?
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The usable recording (reading/writing) surface or usable storage area.
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How does a magnetic drum differ from a magnetic disk?
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The tracks in which the data is stored are assigned to channels that form circular bands around
the drum. |
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Tracks on each channel of a magnetic drum are grouped into what?
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Sectors.
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What is the purpose of any magnetic tape unit?
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To write data on or read data from a magnetic tape.
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What are the major differences between magnetic tape units?
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The speed at which the tape is moved past the read/write head and the density of the recorded
information. |
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Why is direct accessing of data a big advantage over the sequential accessing of data?
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It gives us fast, immediate access to specific data without having to examine each and every
record from the beginning. |
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What is a floppy disk?
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A thin, flexible platter coated with magnetic material so characters can be recorded.
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What are the three most common sizes of floppy disks?
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8 inch, 5 1/4 inch, and 3 1/2 inch.
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What output device expresses coded characters as hard copy (paper documents)?
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Printers.
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What four types of printers are commonly used with personal computers?
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Daisy-wheel, dot-matrix, ink jet, and laser.
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What is the primary purpose of a keyboard?
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To enter or input alphanumeric character codes.
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Raster scan or tv scan video monitors are used extensively for what purpose?
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The display of alphanumeric data and graphics.
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How many fields make up a frame?
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Two.
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A field is approximately how many horizontal lines?
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525.
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What are picture elements often called?
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Pixels or pels.
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Vertical resolution depends on what?
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The number of horizontal scan lines used.
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Flat panel displays are designed to reduce what problem of a crt display?
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Reduce the depth of the crt display caused by the length of the tube.
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What does the liquid crystal display require for computer applications?
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An external light source, called a backlight.
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