Computer Science

00001010

Binary Code for 10

Broadband

A communications medium on which multiple signals are simultaneously transmitted at different frequencies. Also refers to switching capability implemented on this medium that allows communication between devices connected to it. In telecommunications it is defined as any channel with a bandwidth greater than voice grade (4 KHz).

Server

A computer that serves up information to other computers on a network

Computer

A device or system that is capable of carrying out a sequence of operations in a distinctly and explicitly defined manner.

Power Supply

A device that provides electricity to a computer.

GPS

A network of 24 orbiting satellites used primarily for precise navigation. Three satellites "triangulate" an object and determine its exact location using the global positioning system.

Cyber

A prefix that means "computer" or "computer network"

Motherboard

A printed circuit board containing the principal components of a computer or other device, with connectors into which other circuit boards can be slotted.

Algorithm

A procedure or formula for solving a problem, based on conducting a sequence of specified actions.

Encryption

A process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it.

Logarithm

A quantity representing the power to which a fixed number (the base) must be raised to produce a given number.

Virtual

A resource available on the internet or on software; not physical.

Cipher

A secret or disguised way of writing; a code.

Transistor

A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power, and is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices.

Binary Code

A simple code that computers use to send and receive data made from electrical signals and represented by 1s and 0s.

Flash Drive

A small data storage device that uses flash memory and has a built-in USB connection.

Firmware

A software program or set of instructions programmed on a hardware device. It provides the necessary instructions for how the device communicates with the other computer hardware.

Program

A specific set of ordered operations for a computer to perform.

RAM

A temporary place to store material that works quickly. Random Access Memory is erased when computer turns off.

Router

A type of computer that forwards data across a network.

Hertz

A unit of frequency (of change in state or cycle in a sound wave, alternating current, or other cyclical waveform) of one cycle per second. It replaces the earlier term of "cycle per second (cps)."

Byte

An 8-bit word

HTML

An abbreviation of the language that webpages are written in. Also known as hypertext documents, webpages must conform to the rules of this language in order to be displayed correctly in a web browser. This syntax is based on a list of tags that describe the page's format and what is displayed on the webpage.

Microwaves

An electromagnetic wave with a wavelength in the range 0.001-0.3 m, shorter than that of a normal radio wave but longer than those of infrared radiation. Used in radar, in communications, for heating food, and in various industrial processes.

Microcomputer

Any computer using a microprocessor as its central processing unit.

00010101

Binary Code for 21

00010000

Binary Code for 32

00001111

Binary code for 15

00010011

Binary code for 19

Video Graphics Array (VGA)

Cable and connector that carries analog component RGBHV (red, green, blue, horizontal sync, vertical sync) video signals, and VESA Display Data Channel (VESA DDC) data.

CD-ROM

Compact Disk-Read Only Memory

Information Technology

Computer-based technology used for storing and processing information.

Analog

Conveys data as electronic signals of varying frequency or amplitude that are added to carrier waves of a given frequency.

Information

Data that is processed, organized, structured, or presented in a context so as to make it useful.

Encoder

Device that changes the message into another form for transmission.

Output Device

Device that projects images, gives sound, and basically gives out the info from the computer so the user can obtain it (ex: monitor, printer, projector, speakers)

Transmitter

Device that sends the encoded message toward it's destination.

Decoder

Device that translates the encoded message into an understandable form.

Input Device

Device used to insert data into a computer or other device (ex: keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, voice recognition)

Monitor

Displays images and text on the screen.

Syntax

Each computer programming language uses a different ________. In computer programming languages, this serves the same purpose, defining how declarations, functions, commands, and other statements should be arranged.

Software

General term that describes computer programs. It is virtual, not physical like computer hardware, and is essentially data and information.

Protocols

Information is transmitted over the Internet using computer languages called ______________.

Firewall

Limits the data that can pass through it and protects a networked server or client machine from damage by unauthorized users.

Cybersecurity

Measures taken to protect a computer or computer system against unauthorized access or attack.

RFID tags

Microchips equipped with radio transmitters. Radio frequency identification tags can be attached or embedded in order to track locations or store information for a wide range of applications.

Modum

Modulates outgoing digital signals from a computer or other digital device to analog signals for a conventional copper twisted pair telephone line and demodulates the incoming analog signal and converts it to a digital signal for the digital device.

One Billion

Number of bytes in a Gigabyte

One Thousand

Number of bytes in a Kilobyte

One Million

Number of bytes in a Megabyte

Infrared

On the electromagnetic radiation spectrum, a wavelength just below that of the red end of the visible light spectrum but less than that of microwaves, with a wavelength from about 800 nm to 1 mm, and is emitted particularly by heated objects.

Hardware

Physical elements of a computing systems (printer, circuit boards, wires, keyboard, etc)

HDMI

Provides a digital interface for transmitting audio and video data in a single cable. It is supported by most HDTVs and related components, such as DVD and Blu-ray players, cable boxes, and video game systems. It is an acronym for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.

Data

Raw, unorganized facts that need to be processed. It can be something simple and apparently random and useless until it is organized.

Macro

Recording a series of keystrokes.

Fiber-Optics

Refers to the medium and the technology associated with the transmission of information as light pulses along a glass or plastic strand or fiber.

Antivirus Software

Software designed to detect and destroy computer viruses

Malware

Software programs designed to damage or do other unwanted actions on a computer system. Refers to "malicious software" and includes viruses, worms, trojan horses, and spyware.

Operating System (OS)

Software used to control the computer and its peripheral equipment.

Bluetooth

Specification that allows mobile phones, computers, and PDAs to be connected wirelessly over short ranges.

Hard Drive

Storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid disks with magnetic surfaces. The device is either permanently installed within the computer case or can be portable

American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

Text files that you read and write are actually stored, loaded into memory, and manipulated by computers as a sequence of numbers. When the computer displays the data on screen as text, it changes the numbers into characters so that humans can understand it. This is done using a code for representing 128 English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127. This code is known as ASCII, which stands for____________ _____________ ________ _____ ______________ ___________________.

hypertext

Text that links to other information.

Receiver

The device that accepts the encoded information and relays it to the decoder.

Bandwidth

The difference between the upper and lower frequencies in a continuous set of frequencies. It is typically measured in hertz and is one of the determinants of the capacity of a given communication channel. In computer networks, __________ is used as a synonym for data transfer rate, the amount of data that can be carried from one point to another in a given time period (usually a second).

ASCII

The form in which text characters are handled in most computer systems and networks.

Triangulation

The method of using three satellites to determine the exact location of an object.

2 Million

The number of Kilobytes in 2 Gigabytes.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The part of a computer in which operations are controlled and executed, located on the motherboard.

Source

The person or machine that has a message to be delivered.

Destination

The person or machine that receives the decoded message.

HTTP

The protocol used to transfer data over the World Wide Web. All website addresses begin with this. It stands for Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol.

Download

The transfer of information from a remote computer system to the user's system.

Analytical Approach

The use of an appropriate process to break a problem down into the smaller pieces necessary to solve it.

Medium

The wired or wireless means used to send information.

Modulate

To change the amplitude or frequency of waves.

Upload

To transfer information from a user's system to a remote system.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

Used primarily for computing 3D functions.

Network

When two or more computers connected to each other, you have a _________, with the purpose of sharing files and information between multiple systems. The Internet could be described as a global example of this.

Digital

__________ information is stored using a series of ones and zeros.