terms for chapter 2 (hardware)

display

A display provides visual computer output for observation on a monitor or screen.

general-purpose input device

A general-purpose input device is one that is designed to be used for a wide variety of computing activities.

Multicore Processor

A multicore processor, such as a dual-core, triple-core, or quad-core processor, combines multiple CPUs on one chip to share the workload and speed up processing.

printer

A printer is an output device dedicated to providing computer output on paper or three-dimensional output in plastic.

Transistor

A small electronic device used in a circuit as an amplifier or switch.

solid-state storage

A solid-state storage device stores data using solid-state electronics such as transistors, and unlike magnetic and optical media, does not require any moving mechanical parts.

special-purpose input device

A special-purpose input device is designed to provide input for one specific type of activity.

video card

A video card (graphics card) combines video processing and storage onto an expansion card, or integrated onto the motherboard to manage video images for display.

input device

An input device assists in capturing and entering data into a computer system.

Integrated Circuit/Processor

An integrated circuit (processor or chip) connects tiny transistors and other electronics components on a thin piece of semiconductive material such as silicon.

output device

An output device allows a user to observe the results of computer processing with one or more senses.

Magnetic Storage

Magnetic storage is a storage technology that uses the magnetic properties of iron oxide particles rather than electric charges to store bits and bytes more permanently than RAM.

Input/Output (I/O)

I/O refers to input and output—the manner in which data is received into a computer system, and the manner in which information and the results of processing are provided to the user from a computer system.

input/output

I/O refers to input and output—the manner in which data is received into a computer system, and the manner in which information and the results of processing are provided to the user from a computer system.

expansion

Expansion refers to a computer's capacity to interface with a variety of external devices such as I/O devices, network devices, and storage devices by connecting through ports, slots, and wireless technologies.

storage

In computing and digital technologies, storage refers to the ability to maintain data within the system temporarily or permanently.

Moore's Law

Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years.

Multiprocessing

Multiprocessing is processing that occurs using more than one processing unit to increase productivity and performance.

Optical storage

Optical storage media, such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, store bits by using an optical laser to burn pits into the surface of a highly reflective disc. A pit in a specified location represents a 0, and the lack of a pit represents a 1.

Processing

Processing carries out the instructions provided by software using specially designed circuitry and a well-defined routine to transform data into useful outputs.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Random access memory (RAM) is temporary, or volatile, memory that stores bytes of data and program instructions for the processor to access.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

Read-only memory (ROM) provides permanent storage for data and instructions that do not change, such as firmware—programs and data from the computer manufacturer, including the boot process used to start the computer.

Bus

The bus is a subsystem on the motherboard that transfers data among system components.

Central Processing Unit

The central processing unit (CPU) is a group of circuits that perform the processing in a computer, typically in one integrated circuit called a microprocessor.

Machine Cycle

The machine cycle provides an orderly method of processing software instructions.

Motherboard

The motherboard is the primary circuit of a computer to which all core components are connected, including the CPU.

audio and special media

There are a number of audio and special media output devices designed to provide output to all of the senses.

Video Memory

Video memory, sometimes called video RAM, VRAM, or graphics memory, is used to store image data for a computer display in order to speed the processing and display of video and graphics images.