Comp Tech Test #2

Optical Disc Drive

"optical" refers to lasers, which can "see" and read data on optical discs. These discs include CDs and DVDs, which are made up of millions of small bumps and dips. Optical drives have lasers that read these bumps and dips as ones and zeros, which the computer can understand.

Information

Anything that can be communicated. (Some more restrictive definitions of information say that it is data that is organized or processed.)

Megabyte

Approximately 1,000 KB, or 1 million bytes. An MB is a measurement used with computer storage media that can equal to 1,048,576 (220) bytes

Kilobyte

1,024 Bytes

Terabyte

1,024 GB

Petabyte

1,024 terabytes

Gigabyte

1024 MB

Bar-Code Reader

A barcode reader (BCR)or scanner, also known as a point of sale (POS) scanner is a hardware device capable of reading a barcode.

Trackpoint

A brand name for a tiny joystick-like device embedded in the keyboard of a laptop computer. Alternatively referred to as a pointing stick, style pointer, or nub, TrackPoint is a mouse solution used with portable computers that was first introduced by IBM in 1992. It is a small, isometric joystick that resembles a pencil's eraser head, located between the "G," "H," and "B" keys on the keyboard. This technology enables the user to keep their hands on the keyboard and still be able to control the mouse. The left and right buttons for this mouse are commonly located under the spacebar. The picture shows an example of the TrackPoint.

Digital Camera

A camera that captures images and stores them as bit patterns on disks or other digital storage media instead of using film.

Sound Card

A circuit board that allows the PC to accept microphone input, play music and other sound through speakers or headphones, and process sound in a variety of ways.

Cluster

A cluster may also be used to define a group of computers or servers that share the work. Making one big computer instead of multiple smaller computers.

Mouse

A computer mouse is a handheld hardware input device that controls a cursor in a GUI and can move and select text, icons, files, and folders. For desktop computers, the mouse is placed on a flat surface such as a mouse pad or a desk and is placed in front of your computer.

PC card

A credit-card-sized card that can be inserted into a slot to expand memory or add a peripheral to a computer; common in older portable computers. Sometimes called by its original name, PCMCIA.

Output Device

A device for sending information from the computer, such as a monitor or printer. An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for display, projection, or physical reproduction. For example, the image shows an inkjet printer, an output device that can make a hard copy of any information shown on your monitor, which is another example of an output device. Monitors and printers are two of the most common output devices used with a computer.

Sensor

A device that enables digital machines to monitor a physical quantity of the analog world, such as temperature, humidity, or pressure, to provide data used in robotics, environmental climate control, and other applications.

Magnetic ink character reader

A device that reads numbers printed with magnetic ink on checks.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tag

A device that, when energized by a nearby RFID reader, broadcasts information to the reader for input into a computer. Short for Radio Frequency IDentification, RFIDs are small tags that enable a store or company to keep track of inventory.

Digit

A digit is a single character in a numeric system. For example, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 are all digits.

Blu-ray drive

A drive that can read and write on optical media that hold up to 50 gigabytes on two layers.

File

A file is an object on a computer that stores data, information, settings, or commands used with a computer program. In a graphical user interface (GUI) such as Microsoft Windows, files display as icons that relate to the program that opens the file. For example, the picture is an icon associated with Adobe Acrobat PDFfiles. If this file was on your computer, double-clicking the icon in Windows would open that file in Adobe Acrobat or the PDF reader installed on the computer.

hard disk

A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as Hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile memory hardware device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a computer. A hard drive consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing.

Fax Modem

A hardware peripheral that enables a computer to send onscreen documents to a receiving fax machine by translating the document into signals that can be sent over phone wires and decoded by the receiving fax machine.

Ergonomic Keyboard

A keyboard that places the keys at angles that allow your wrists to assume a more natural position while you type, potentially reducing the risk of repetitive-stress injuries.

Multicore Processor

A multicore processor is a single computing component comprised of two or more CPUs that read and execute the actual program instructions. The individual cores can execute multiple instructions in parallel, increasing the performance of software which has been written to take advantage of the unique architecture.

Inkjet Printer

A nonimpact printer that sprays ink directly onto paper to produce printed text and graphic images.

Laser Printer

A nonimpact printer that uses a laser beam to create patterns of electrical charges on a rotating drum. The charged patterns attract black toner and transfer it to paper as the drum rotates.

Plotter

A plotter is a computer hardware device much like a printer that is used for printing vector graphics. Instead of toner, plotters use a pen, pencil, marker, or another writing tool to draw multiple, continuous lines onto paper rather than a series of dots like a traditional printer. Though once widely used for computer-aided design, these devices have more or less been phased out by wide-format printers. Plotters are used to produce a hard copy of schematics and other similar applications.

Trackball

A pointing device that remains stationary while the user moves a protruding ball to control the pointer on the screen. An input device that looks like an upside-down mouse. The onscreen pointer is moved by the trackball with a thumb or finger. A trackball requires less arm and wrist motion that a regular mouse takes and therefore is often less stressful for the user to use, helping to prevent RSI. The picture of the Logitech cordless trackball mouse is an example of a trackball mouse that uses the thumb for movement.

USB flash drive

A portable storage device that stores data in flash memory and connects to a computer through a USB port. Also called thumb drives or jump drives.

Optical Computer

A potential future alternative to silicon-based computing, in which information is transmitted in light waves rather than in electrical pulses.

Printer

A printer is an external hardware output device that takes the electronic data stored on a computer or other device and generates a hard copy of it.

Video Projectors

A projector that can project computer screen images for meetings and classes.

Optical mark reader

A reading device that uses reflected light to determine the location of pencil marks on standardized test answer sheets and similar forms.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) reader

A reading tool that uses radio waves to communicate with RFID tags.

Tape drive

A storage device that uses magnetic tape to store information. A magnetically thin coated piece of plastic wrapped around wheels capable of storing data. Tape is much less expensive than other storage mediums, but it is a much slower solution that was typically only used for backup.

Magnetic Tape

A storage medium used with a tape drive to store large amounts of information in a small space at relatively low cost. A magnetically thin coated piece of plastic wrapped around wheels capable of storing data. Tape is much less expensive than other storage mediums, but it is a much slower solution that was typically only used for backup.

Random Access

A storage method that allows information retrieval without regard to the order in which it was recorded. Sometimes referred to as machine access or random access, direct access is a term used to describe a computer's ability to immediately locate and retrieve data from a storage device. This method is often contrasted with sequential access, in which the device must start at the beginning and read through all of the information in order until the requested data is found. A hard driveis a good example of a device capable of directly accessing data.

Sequential Access

A storage method that requires the user to retrieve information by zipping through it in the order in which it was recorded. Alternatively referred to as serial access, sequential access is a method of retrieving data from a storage device. With sequential access, the device must move through all information up to the location where it is attempting to read or write. This method is often contrasted with random access, in which the device may move directly to a specified location in memory

Sleep

A suspended animation state in which a system uses just enough power to preserve RAM.

Touch Screen

A touchscreen is a display device that allows the user to interact with a computer by using their finger.

Photo Printer

A type of newer inkjet printer specially optimized to print high-quality photos captured with digital cameras and scanners.

Microprocessor

Alternately referred to as a processor, central processor, or microprocessor, the CPU (pronounced sea-pea-you) is the Central Processing Unit of the computer. A computer's CPU handles all instructions it receives from hardware and softwarerunning on the computer.

Expansion Slot

Alternatively referred to as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion slot is a connection or port located inside a computer on the motherboard or riser board that allows a computer hardware expansion card to be connected. For example, if you wanted to install a new video card in the computer, you'd purchase a video expansion card and install that card into the compatible expansion slot.

Optical Disc

Alternatively referred to as a disc drive, optical media, optical storage, Optical disc drive (ODD), and optical disk, an optical disc is any media read using a laser assembly. The most common types of optical media are Blu-ray, CDs, and DVDs. Computers can read and write to CDs and DVDs using a CD Writer or DVD Writer drive, and a Blu-ray is read with a Blu-ray drive. Drives such as a CD-R and DVD-R drive that can read and write information to discs are known as magneto-optic (MO).

Graphics Tablet

Alternatively referred to as a drawing tablet and pen tablet, a graphics tablet is a hardware input device that enables an artist to draw or sketch digitally using a pen or stylus.

Touchpad

Alternatively referred to as a glide pad, glide point, pressure sensitive tablet, or trackpad, a touchpad is an input device on laptops and some keyboards to move a cursor with your finger. It can be used in place of an external mouse.

Display/monitor

Alternatively referred to as a video display terminal (VDT) and video display unit (VDU), a monitor is an output device that displays video images and text. A monitor is made up of circuitry, a screen, a power supply, buttons to adjust screen settings, and casing that holds all of these components.

Expansion card

Alternatively referred to as an add-on card, expansion board, internal card, interface adapter, or card, an expansion card is a PCB that fits into an expansion slot on a desktop computer. An expansion card is used to give a computer additional capabilities, such as enhanced video performance via a graphics card.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which represents characters as 8-bit codes. Allows the binary computer to work with letters, digits, and special characters. Short for American Standard Code for Information Interexchange, ASCII is an standard that assigns letters, numbers, and other characters within the 256 slots available in the 8-bit code. The ASCII decimal (Dec) number is created from binary, which is the language of all computers.

Multifunction printer

An all-in-one output device that usually combines a scanner, a laser or inkjet printer, and a fax modem.

Digital

An electronic signal that is sent as binary digits of either ON (the number one) or OFF (the number zero). In the illustration, a digital signal is the segments that are up or down for either ON or OFF and discontinuous; unlike an analog signal, which is continuous and more like a wave.

Bay

An expansion bay or bay is an open section on the computer used for expansion for add-ons to your computer, such as a hard drive and CD-ROM drive. Drive bays are available in 3.5-inch and 5.25-inches.

Peripheral

An external device, such as a keyboard or monitor, connected via cables to the system central processing unit. Alternatively referred to as an auxiliary device, a peripheral is hardware input device or output device that gives a computer additional functionality. Peripheral devices, however, are not essential for the computer to perform it's basic tasks; they can' be though of as an enhancement to the user's experience.

Line Printer

An impact printer used by mainframes to produce massive printouts. They print characters only, not graphics. A line printer is a high-speed printer capable of printing an entire line of text at once.

FireWire

An industry standard for a fast serial communications protocol developed by Apple, especially well-suited for multimedia applications such as digital video. See IEEE 1394.

Input Device

An input device is any hardware device that sends data to a computer, allowing you to interact with and control the computer.

Multitouch

An input device that allows you to use multi-finger or multi-hand gestures to accomplish complex tasks quickly.

Scanner

An input device that makes a digital representation of any printed image. See flatbed scanners, slide scanners, drum scanners, and sheet-fed scanners. When referring to hardware, a scanner or optical scanner is a hardware input device that optically "reads" and image and converts it into a digital signal. For example, a scanner may be used to convert a printed picture, drawing, or document (hard copy) into a digital file which can be edited on a computer.

Facsimile/Fax Machine

An output device capable of sending, in effect, a photocopy through a telephone line, allowing for fast and convenient transmission of information stored on paper.

Binary

Binary is a base 2 number system invented by Gottfried Leibniz that is made up of only two numbers: 0 and 1. This number system is the basis for all binary code, which is used to write data such as the instructions that computer processors use, or the digital text you read every day.

Blu-ray Disc

Blu-ray was first introduced at the CES on January 4, 2006 and can store up to 25 GB single-layer disc and 50 GB on a dual-layer disc, each disc being the same size as a standard CD. The picture shows a blue laser in a Blu-ray disc player.

Unicode

Coding scheme that supports 65,000 unique characters

CD-ROM

Compact Disc-Read Only Memory, a CD-ROM is an optical disc which contains audio or software data whose memory is read only.

Quantum Computers

Computers based on the properties of atoms and their nuclei and the laws of quantum mechanics. A quantum computer is a device that uses quantum-mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement to perform operations on data. A conventional digital computer uses electronic circuits on a plate of semiconducting material (e.g. silicon) to represent binary digits (bits), each in a state of either 1 or 0. In contrast, quantum computers use qubits that can represent a "superposition" of both 1 and 0, simultaneously.

Repetitive-stress injuries

Conditions that result from repeating the same movements over long periods, such as keyboarding-induced carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful affliction of the wrist and hand.

Resolution

Density of pixels, measured by the number of dots per inch. Resolution is the image quality produced by a printer or displayed on a monitor. With monitors, the resolution is measured by the number of pixels horizontal by pixels vertically as shown in the picture. Printers also have a measure of resolution called DPI (dots per inch).

Architecture

Design that determines how individual components of the CPU are put together on the chip. More generally used to describe the way individual components are put together to create a complete computer system. The word "architecture" typically refers to building design and construction. In the computing world, "architecture" also refers to design, but instead of buildings, it describes the design of computer systems. Computer architecture is a broad topic that includes everything from the relationship between multiple computers (such as a "client-server" model) to specific components inside a computer.

Digitize

Digitize describes the process of converting an image or text into digital data. A good example of digitizing is when a computer scanner converts a non-digital image, such as a picture family picture, into a binary image file on the computer.

Multiprocessing

Employing two or more microprocessors in a computer in order to improve overall performance. Also known as symmetric multiprocessing. Multiprocessing is an ability of a computer to utilize two or more processors for computer operations. With multiple processors, the computer performance can be significantly increased.

Express Card

ExpressCard is a new standard replacing the PC Card standard in laptop computers. ExpressCard is also a standard that has been developed by PCMCIA and supports a much higher speeds, supports USB 2.0, smaller, uses less voltage, lower cost, and is hot-swappable.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

Flat-panel displays, once primarily used for portable computers but now replacing bulkier CRT monitors for desktops. Short for Liquid-Crystal Display, LCD is a flat display technology used in laptops, cell phones, calculators, digital cameras, and flat screen displays. The LCD is made of two sheets of a flexible polarizing material and a layer of liquid crystal solution between the two. An LCD is available as an active matrix, dual-scan, or passive-matrix display and are most common with laptop computers

Hot Swap

Hot-swappable is the capability of being able to disconnect and connect devices while the computer or another device is on and have those devices be detected without having to reboot the computer or device. For example, eSATA, FireWire, and USB are examples of interfaces that are hot-swappable on computers.

Data

In general, data is any set of characters that has been gathered and translated for some purpose, usually analysis. It can be any character, including text and numbers, pictures, sound, or video. If data is not put into context, it doesn't do anything to a human or computer.

Cores

In relation to computer processors, a core is the processing unit which receives instructions and performs calculations, or actions, based on those instructions. A set of instructions can allow a software program perform a specific function. Processors can have a single core or multiple cores. A processor with two cores is called a dual-core processor and four cores is called a quad-core processor. Processors for home computers can even have six or eight cores. The more cores a processor has, the more sets of instructions the processor can receive and process at the same time, which makes the computer faster.

Keyboard

Input device, similar to a typewriter keyboard, for entering data and commands into the computer.

Internal Drive

Internal is a term used to describe a device that is installed within the computer. For example, a video card is an internal device and a printer is an external device. When referring to a drive, an internal drive (e.g. internal hard drive) is any drive inside the computer.

Barcode

Lines of different widths and sizes representing data, that when read determine what the scanned object is.

Storage Device

Long-term repository for data. Disks and tapes are examples. Alternatively referred to as digital storage, storage, storage media, or storage medium, a storage device is any hardware capable of holding information either temporarily or permanently.

ROM (Read only memory)

Memory that includes permanent information only. The computer can only read information from it; it can never write any new information on it. Short for Read-Only Memory, ROM is a storage medium that is used with computers and other electronic devices. As the name indicates, data stored in ROM may only be read. It is either modified with extreme difficulty or not at all. ROM is mostly used for firmware updates. A simple example of ROM is the cartridge used with video game consoles, which allows one system to run multiple games.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Memory that stores program instructions and data temporarily. Alternatively referred to as main memory, primary memory, or system memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) is a hardware device that allows information to be stored and retrieved on a computer. RAM is usually associated with DRAM, which is a type of memory module. Because information is accessed randomly instead of sequentially like it is on a CD or hard drive, the computer can access the data much faster. However, unlike ROM or the hard drive, RAM is a volatile memory and requires power to keep the data accessible. If the computer is turned off, all data contained in RAM is lost.

External Drive

More commonly referred to as an external drive, external storage is storage that is not part of the computer. Examples of external storage are floppy disk drives, hard drives, tape drives, etc.

Open architecture

Open architecture refers to a hardware specification or design that is publicly released, allowing other manufacturers to produce similar products that are compatible and usually compliant with one another. A good example of open architecture is IBM compatible computers; these computers allow anyone to purchase a product from any manufacturer with the understanding it will work with their compatible computer.

Processor

Part of the computer that processes information, performs arithmetic calculations, and makes basic decisions based on information values.

CPU

Part of the computer that processes information, performs arithmetic calculations, and makes basic decisions based on information values. Stands for "Central Processing Unit." The CPU is the primary component of a computer that processes instructions. It runs the operating system and applications, constantly receiving input from the user or active software programs. It processes the data and produces output, which may stored by an application or displayed on the screen.

Impact Printer

Printer that forms images by physically striking paper, ribbon, and print hammer together.

Point-of-sale (POS) terminal

Short for "Point of Sale," POS is the process of using computer technology to record all pertinent data about an item, normally by scanning the Universal Product Code (UPC) on the item. When the scanner picks up that code, it not only tells the user the price of the item, it also records that item as being sold, so the store's inventory can be updated accordingly.

Cathode-ray tube monitor

Short for Cathode-Ray Tube, a CRT is the electron beams within a monitor that move across your screen either interlaced or non-interlaced hitting phosphor dots on the inside glass tube. The picture is an example of the inside of a computer monitor that shows the CRT connected to the screen.

DVD

Short for Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc, a DVD or DVD-ROM is a disc capable of storing large amounts of data on one disc the size of a standard Compact Disc.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

Short for Graphics Processing Unit, GPU is an electronic circuit used to speed up the creation of both 2D and 3D images. GPUs can either be integrated, meaning they are built into the computer's CPU or motherboard, or they can be dedicated, meaning they are a separate piece of hardware known as a video card. By having a separate processor, the GPU allows the computer's CPU resources to be used for other important tasks. In the picture is an example of a GPU on a video card without the heat sink.

Nonimpact printer

Short for Non-Impact Printer, an NIP prints without making contact with the paper. They are generally quieter and more efficient than their impact counterparts. Laser and Inkjet printers are both good examples of a non-impact printer.

Optical character recognition (OCR)

Short for Optical Character Recognition or Optical Character Reader, OCR is the process of taking an image of letters or typed text and converting it into data the computer understands. A good example is companies and libraries taking physical copies of books, magazines, or other old printed material and using OCR to put them onto computers. While far from perfect, OCR is currently the best method of digitizing typed pages of text.

CD-RW

Short for Read/Write, R/W is a drive and CD media that was first introduced in 1997 that is capable of being written to and read. Unlike a traditional CD-R disc that can only be written to once, these discs allow data to be erased and re-written multiple times.

Solid-state storage

Short for Solid-State Drive or Solid-State Disk, SSD is a drive that uses non-volatile memory as a means of storing and accessing data, much like computer RAM. Unlike a hard drive, an SSD has no moving parts, which gives it advantages such as accessing stored information faster, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD made by Crucial.

USB (universal serial bus)

Short for Universal Serial Bus, USB (pronounced yoo-es-bee) is a plug-and-play interface that allows a computer to communicate with peripheral and other devices. USB-connected devices cover a broad range; anything from keyboards and mice, to music players and flash drives.

Port

Socket that allows information to pass in and out. When referring to a physical device, a hardware port or peripheral port is a hole or connection found on the front or back of a computer. Ports allow computers to access externaldevices such as printers. Below is a short listing of the different computer ports you may find on a computer. The picture shows an example of a type of port on the back of a computer.

handwriting Recognition Software

Software that translates the user's handwritten forms into ASCII characters.

Bit

Sometimes abbreviated as b, a bit is short for binary digit and is a single unit of information that can have a value of either 0 or 1 (off or on, false or true, low or high). Eight bits make a byte, as shown in the picture. So, if you had two bytes (word) it would be 16 bits (2 x 8=16) and 10 bytes would be 80 bits (10 x 8=80).

Backward compatible

Sometimes called downward compatibility, backward compatibility is a term used to describe software or hardware that is compatible with previous versions of software or operating systems. Without backward compatibility, a program that works with one computer processor or operating system would stop working with the new version. For example, almost all software running on a Windows 7 computer would work after you upgrade to Windows 10.

Interface Standards

Standards for ports and other connective technology agreed on by the hardware industry so devices made by one manufacturer can be attached to systems made by other companies.

Memory

Stores programs and the data they need to be instantly accessible to the CPU. Computer memory is any physical device capable of storing information temporarily or permanently. For example, Random Access Memory (RAM), is a volatile memory that stores information on an integrated circuit used by the operating system, software, and hardware.

compatible/compatibility

The ability of a software program to run on a specific computer system. Also, the ability of a hardware device to function with a particular type of computer.

Motherboard

The motherboard is a printed circuit board that is the foundation of a computer, located on the back side or at the bottom of the computer chassis. It allocates power and allows communication to the CPU, RAM, and all other computer hardware components.

Ergonomics

The science of designing work environments that enable people and things to interact efficiently and safely.

Dot Matrix Printer

The term dot matrix refers to the process of using dots to form an image. In a dot matrix image, the image quality is determined by the number of dots per inch.

Flash Memory

This type of memory is an integrated circuitthat does not need continuous power to retain the data, but is a bit more expensive than magnetic storage. Today, flash memory is becoming more popular, and solid-state drives are a practical replacement for large hard drives if you have the extra money. Flash memory is widely used with car radios, cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, solid-state drives, and printers. The picture is an example of a MicroSD flash memory card.

USB 2.0

USB 2.0, also known as hi-speed USB, was developed by Compaq, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Lucent, Microsoft, NEC and Phillips and was introduced in 2001. Hi-speed USB is capable of supporting a transfer rate of up to 480 megabits per second (Mbps), or 60 megabytes per second (MBps). Hi-speed USB is backward compatible, meaning it is capable of supporting USB 1.0 and 1.1 devices and cables.

USB 3.0

USB 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB, was first made available in November 2009by Buffalo Technology, but the first certified devices weren't available until January 2010. USB 3.0 improved upon the USB 2.0 technology with speed and performance increases, improved power management and increased bandwidth capability. It provides two unidirectional data paths for receiving and sending data at the same time. USB 3.0 supports transfer rates up to 5.0 gigabits per second (Gbps), or 640 megabytes per second (MBps). Following the release of USB 3.1, it has been officially renamed to "USB 3.1 Gen1" for marketing purposes. The first certified devices included motherboards from ASUS and Gigabyte Technology. Dell began including USB 3.0 ports in their Inspiron and Dell XPS series of computers in April 2011.

USB Type-C

USB Type-C was developed around the same time as USB 3.1 and is a reversible-plug, 24-pin, double-sided connector for use with USB devices.

parallel Processing

Using multiple processors to divide jobs into pieces and work simultaneously on the pieces. Parallel processing is the method of evenly distributing computer processes between two or more computer processors. This requires a computer with two or more processors installed and enabled. It also requires an operating system capable of supporting two or more processors, and software programs capable of evenly distributing processes between them.

Bus

When referring to a computer, the bus also known as the address bus, data bus, or local bus is a data connection between two or more devices connected to the computer. For example, a bus enables a computer processor to communicate with the memory or a video card to communicate with the memory. While the wheels on the bus may go "round and round," data on a computer's bus goes up and down. Each bus inside a computer consists of set of wires that allow data to be passed back and forth. Most computers have several buses that transmit data to different parts of the machine. Each bus has a certain size, measured in bits (such as 32-bit or 64-bit), that determines how much data can travel across the bus at one time. Buses also have a certain speed, measured in megahertz, which determines how fast the data can travel.

When you are working on an unsaved document on a PC, where is the document temporarily stored? a. RAM b. ROM c. The CPU d. The Internet e. The CD-ROM

a

Which of these is the best indicator of real-world performance of a computer? a. Benchmark tests published in computer magazines b. The CPU's clock speed c. The number of cores in the CPU d. The amount of memory e. The bus speed

a

CD-R (Compact disc)

a writable disc and drive that is capable of having information written to the disc once and then having that disc read many times after that.

Hard disk drives have the disadvantage that a. they hold less information than CDs do. b. they are more likely to fail than other computer components. c. they cannot be backed up. d. their contents are lost when they lose power. e. All of the above

b

USB flash drives have all of the following advantages over other storage options except a. they are small and portable. b. they are cheaper per MB than other storage options. c. they can be used to access and store your data on virtually any computer with a USB port. d. they can plug into almost any modern digital camera. a. they are less prone to being damaged if dropped or scratched.

b

When you first turn on a computer, the CPU is preset to execute instructions stored in a. RAM. b. ROM. c. flash memory. d. the CD-ROM. e. the ALU.

b

Which of these peripherals is generally connected to a standard desktop PC through a port that's not a USB port? a. Mouse b. Monitor c. Keyboard d. External drive e. Digital camera

b

Why are program instructions represented in binary notation within the computer? a. Binary notation is more compact than other representations. b. Computer memory is made out of binary digits (bits). c. There are only two different directions for electricity to move along a wire. d. Computer programmers prefer to think in binary. e. A CPU can execute no more than two instructions at one time.

b

Byte

byte is a term first coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 and later became more of a standard thanks to Bob Bemer and others. A byte is data equal to either seven or eight bits depending if it needs error correction (parity). You can think of a byte as one letter, for example, the letter 'h' is one byte or eight bits and the word 'hope' as four bytes or 32 bits (4*8). When looking at the size of a file, a byte is the smallest measurement size listed in operating systems.

A coding scheme that supports 100,000 unique characters has the name a. parallel processing. b. binary. c. Unicode. d. ASCII. e. HTML.

c

A computer's internal bus can be connected to an external bus through a a. depot. b. CPU. c. port. d. flash. e. megabit.

c

A multifunction printer generally includes all of these except a. a scanner. b. an inkjet or laser printer. c. a port for connecting to a phone line. d. a port for connecting to a PC or a network. e. a hard disk drive.

c

ExpressCards are a. cards that are designed to be inserted into expansion slots on desktop PCs. b. high-speed cards that are designed to work with multicore CPUs. c. compact cards that are designed to work with portable computers. d. cards that are necessary for parallel processing to work. e. None of the above

c

LCD technology is used in a. notebook computer displays. b. desktop computer displays. c. video projectors. d. smart phone displays. e. All of the above

c

Which of these is both an input and an output device? a. A bar-code reader b. A flatbed scanner c. A touch screen d. A sensor e. A plotter

c

Which of these is most like the open architecture of the modern PC? a. A modern car with a computer-controlled emissions system that can be adjusted by factory-authorized mechanics b. A "smart" microwave with an embedded computer that allows for complex recipes and scheduling c. A stereo system that allows speakers, disc players, and other components to be replaced by the owner d. A handheld computer with built-in firmware for all of the most common PDA tasks e. A music keyboard that includes a built-in synthesizer and an LCD display

c

Why will software written for the Core 2 Duo CPU generally run on the Core i7 CPU? a. Microsoft uses special encoding techniques when they build Core CPUs. b. The Core 2 Duo has special compatibility registers in RAM. c. The Core i7 is designed to be backward compatible with earlier Core chips. d. Every CPU is, by definition, compatible with the Core processor. e. It doesn't; software written for one processor won't run on another CPU.

c

A collection of bits in the computer's memory might be treated as a. binary numbers that can be added and subtracted. b. ASCII codes representing letters and other characters. c. program instructions that tell the computer what to do. d. Any of the above e. None of the above

d

External drives are typically connected to the computer by a. USB. b. FireWire. c. VGA. d. Both A and B e. None of these

d

Information travels between components on the motherboard through a. flash memory. b. CMOS. c. bays. d. buses. e. peripherals.

d

One terabyte equals approximately a. 1,000 bits. b. 1,000 bytes. c. 1,000 megabytes. d. 1,000 gigabytes. e. 1,000 terabits.

d

Storage devices can be connected to the CPU and memory via a. expansion slots. b. ports. c. bays. d. All of the above e. None of the above

d

The mouse is standard equipment on virtually all modern PCs except a. PCs without USB or FireWire ports. b. tower PCs. c. all-in-one PCs. d. laptop and tablet PCs. e. The mouse is standard equipment on all PCs

d

Transformation of input into output is performed by a. peripherals. b. memory. c. storage. d. the CPU. e. the ALU.

d

Which of these input devices is least likely to use multi-touch technology? a. A touch-sensitive display b. A touch tablet c. A keyboard d. A trackpad e. A smart phone

d

How many values can be represented by a single byte? a. 2 b. 8 c. 16 d. 64 e. 256

e

Optical character recognition can be used to extract text from writing on a. smart whiteboards. b. tablet PCs. c. photographs of typewritten documents. d. scanned letters. e. All of the above

e

The size of a display is measured a. across the top of the display. b. down the left side of the display. c. across the middle of the display. d. down the center of the display. e. from the upper-left corner to the lower-right corner of the display

e

What does the speed of a processor depend on? a. The architecture of the processor b. The clock speed of the processor c. The word size of the processor d. The number of cores in the processor e. All of the above

e