CS008 Midterm 2- Chapter 4 Hardware

Output devices

- *Headphones*: converts digital signals into sound - *Monitor*: A video output device that works by lighting up pixels on a screen - *Projector* - *Soundcard*:An expansion card that provides audio connections for both input devices (microphones and synthesizers) and output devices (speakers and headphones). - *Speakers*

Input Devices

- Game controller - Joystick: mounted on a base that consists of a stick, buttons/trigger (used as game controller) - Keyboard: translates keystrokes into a signal a computer understands (primary input device for entering text into a comp.) - microphone: converts sounds into digital signals - Mouse - Scanner: converts info into a digital format that can be saved, copied/manipulated - soundcard: expansion card that provides audio connections for both (microphones/synthesizers)/ output devices (speakers/headphones) - Sylus: a special pen-like input tool - Touchpad: (instead of a mouse) - Touchscreen: can accept input from a finger/stylus - video card: An expansion card that provides the data signal and connection for a monitor or projector. - webcam

expansion card

A card that plugs directly into an expansion slot on a motherboard and enables you to connect additional peripheral devices to a computer. Also called adapter cards.

Adapter Card

A card that plugs directly into an expansion slot on a motherboard and enables you to connect additional peripheral devices to a computer. Also called an expansion card.

Modem

A communication device that modulates digital data into an analog signal that can be transmitted over a phone line and, on the receiving end, demodulates the analog signal back into digital data.

Drive controller

A component located on the motherboard, that provides a drive interface which connects disk drives to the processor.

hot-swappable

A device that can be plugged and unplugged without turning off the computer.

Output device

A device that returns processed info to the user

Communication device

A device that serves as both an input and output device and enables you to connect to other devices on a network or to the Internet. - include; network adapters, modems, and fax devices

input device

A device used to enter data into the computer system so that it can be processed.

FireWire

A hot-swappable port that can connect up to 63 devices per port. It also allows for peer-to-peer communication between devices, such as two video cameras, without the use of a computer. Also known as IEEE 1394.

EIDE (enhanced integrated drive electronics)

A legacy drive interface found on the motherboard of older personal computers.

Heat sink

A part of the cooling system of a computer, mounted above the CPU and composed of metal or ceramic to draw heat away from the processor.

dye-sublimation printer

A printer that uses heat to turn solid dye into a gas that is then transferred to special paper.

pipelining

A process used by a single processor to process multiple instructions simultaneously. As soon as the first instruction has moved from the fetch to the decode stage, the processor fetches the next instruction.

BIOS (basic input/output system)

A program stored on a chip on the motherboard that's used to startup the computer

DLP (digital light-processing) projector

A projector that uses hundreds of thousands of tiny swiveling mirrors to create an image. - produces high-contrast images with deep blacks but are limited by having weaker reds/yellows

flash drive

A small, portable, solid-state drive that can hold up to 128 GB of information. They have become the standard for transporting data. Also called key drives, thumb drives, pen drives, or jump drives.

CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)

A volatile form of memory that uses a small battery to provide it with power to keep the data in memory even when the computer is turned off. It stores settings that are used by the BIOS.

DVD (digital video disc/digital versatile disc)

An optical disc that can hold about 4.7 GB of information (single-layer [SL]). Double-layer (DL) DVDs have a second layer to store data and can hold about 8.5 GB.

Blu-ray disc (BD)

An optical disc with about five times the capacity of a DVD, which it was designed to replace. The single-layer disc capacity is 25 GB, and the double-layer disc capacity is 50 GB.

________ measure human characteristics such as fingerprints and eye retinas.

Biometric scanners

A(n) ________ is a wire on a motherboard over which information flows.

Data bus(es) - wires that allow information flow between the components of the computer

Which type of printer produces the highest quality photos?

Dye-Sublimation printers

Hyper-threading requires multiple processors or cores. True or False

False - Single CPU (execution core) appears as two logical processors. -This technology is considered to be partially parallel execution. Also known as simultaneous multithreading

Hard drives store data optically on metal platters. True or False

False - stored magnetically

The terms CPU and system unit mean the same thing. True or False

False CPU: Central Processing Unit System unit: the case that encloses and protects a computer's internal components (the power supply, motherboard, CPU, and memory of a computer)

QWERTY keyboards were designed to improve ergonomics. True or False

False Dvorak layout is designed for Ergonomics - more efficient but not widely used

SSDs store data magnetically. True or False

False SSDs (Solid-State Drives) can be used in desktop/NB computers instead of regular hard drive --> Hard Drives (aka Hard Disk) store data magnetically on metal platters

cache memory

Fast memory that stores frequently accessed information close to the processor

A(n) ________ is a processor found on a video card.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) - reduces processing required of the system CPU for graphics- intensive processes

________ are used to connect a computer to a telephone line for dial-up Internet access.

Modems (Analog Modems, Cable/DSL Modems, Fax Machines)

Which type of monitor is composed of extremely thin panels of organic molecules sandwiched between two electrodes?

OLED (organic light-emitting diode)

Data is stored on ________ using a laser to either melt the disc material or change the color of embedded dye.

Optical discs - A form of removable storage - A laser beam can read the variations as binary data.

Which is a volatile form of memory that holds the operating system, programs, and data the computer is currently using?

RAM (Random Access Memory) - temporary (i.e. volatile) storage used by a computer to hold instructions and data *while they are in use*

CPU (central processing unit)

The brain of a computer; housed inside the system unit on the motherboard. It consists of two parts: the arithmetic logic unit and the control unit.

CD (compact disc)

The oldest type of optical disc in use today, with a storage capacity of about 700 MB

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The part of a processor that performs arithmetic (addition and subtraction) and logic (AND, OR, and NOT) calculations.

boot

The process of loading the operating system when starting up a computer

parallel processing

The process of using multiple processors, or multi-core processors, to divide up processing tasks.

clock speed

The speed at which the processor executes the instruction cycle

AGP (Accelerated Graphics Port)

The standard analog video port on computers manufactured before 2009.

CMYK

The standard ink colors used by printers: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black)

SATA (serial ATA)

The standard internal drive interface.

flash memory

The technology used by solid-state storage devices, such as flash drives and memory cards, to store data. The data is stored on a chip.

Bluetooth is a short-range, wireless technology used to connect peripheral devices to a computer. True or False

True

Digital signals are superior to analog signals because they don't have to be converted for use by computers and other digital devices True or False

True

Adaptive technology includes the hardware and software used by individuals with disabilities to interact with technology. True or False

True - also called assistive technology

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitors consist of two layers of glass that are glued together with a layer of liquid crystals between them. True or False

True Found on most desktop and notebook computers. When electricity is passed through the individual crystals, it causes them to pass or block light to create an image.

gigahertz (GHz)

Used to measure the speed at which a processor executes the information cycle. A GHz is equal to one billion cycles per second.

CTR monitor

a legacy technology that uses a cathode ray tube to excite phosphor particles coating a glass screen to light up the pixels.

The ________ is part of the processor that manages the movement of data through the CPU.

control unit

Read-only memory (ROM) loses the information stored in it when power is turned off. True or False

false - it uses BIOS (Basic Input/ Output System) chip that keeps data from being erased when the computer is turned off

A(n) ________ is an input device typically found on a notebook computer instead of a mouse.

touchpad - Motion is detected by moving your finger across the touch-sensitive surface.