Intro to Computers - Study Guide

ARPANET

A U.S. Department of Defense ARPA project that later became the internet. A communications system designed to have multiple pathways through which information could travel so that losing one part of the system—for example, in a nuclear strike—would not cripple the whole system.

BitLocker

A Windows feature that encrypts an entire drive.

Add-on

A browser extension created for a specific browser to add features to it.

AutoSum

A button that provides quick access to the SUM function.

Autofocus

A camera feature that automatically adjusts the focal length by using a small motor to move the lens in or out.

Absolute cell reference

A cell reference that refers to cells by their fixed position in a worksheet; an absolute cell reference remains the same when the formula is copied.

Backstage view

A centralized space for file management tasks; for example, opening, saving, printing, publishing, or sharing a file.

AAC (advanced audio coding)

A codec used to compress audio files that creates files that are somewhat higher quality than MP3 files.

Bookmark

A command that marks a word, section, or place in a document so that you can jump to it quickly without scrolling. Also, the term used to describe saved links to commonly visited webpages that allow for efficient web browsing.

All-in-one computer

A compact desktop computer with an integrated monitor and system unit.

Between ... And operator

A comparison operator that looks for values within a range.

AND condition

A compound criteria used to display records that match all parts of the specified criteria.

Application

A computer program that helps you perform a task for a specific purpose.

AutoNumber data type

A data type that describes a unique sequential or random number assigned by Access as each record is entered and that is useful for data that has no distinct field that can be considered unique.

Blank desktop database

A database that has no data and has no database tools—you must create the data and tools as you need them; the database is stored on your computer or other storage device.

Analog input device

A device that converts data signals into continuous electronic waves or pulses.

Backlit

A device that includes an internal light source.

AutoCorrect

A feature that corrects common typing and spelling errors as you type, for example changing teh to the.

AutoCalculate

A feature that displays three calculations in the status bar by default—Average, Count, and Sum—when you select a range of numerical data.

AutoComplete

A feature that speeds your typing and lessens the likelihood of errors; if the first few characters you type in a cell match an existing entry in the column, Excel fills in the remaining characters for you.

Antivirus software

A form of security software that protects against viruses, Trojan horses, worms, and spyware.

Antispyware software

A form of security software used to prevent and remove adware and spyware infections.

Alignment guide

A green vertical or horizontal line that displays when you are moving or sizing an object to assist you with object placement.

Axis

A line that serves as a frame of reference for measurement and which borders the chart plot area.

Bibliography

A list of cited works in a report or research paper; also referred to as Works Cited, Sources, or References, depending upon the report style.

Analytical Engine

A mechanical computer designed, but not built, in the early 19th century by mathematician Charles Babbage that could be programmed using punch cards.

All-in-one printer

A multifunction device that has a built-in printer and scanner, and that may also have fax capabilities.

Ad hoc network

A network created when two wireless devices connect to each other directly.

3D models

A new kind of shape that you can insert from an online library of ready-to-use three-dimensional graphics.

Binary number system (base 2)

A number system that has only two digits—0 and 1.

Acceptable use policy (AUP)

A policy that computer and network users in a business or school must abide by that forces users to practice safe computing.

Algorithm

A procedure for solving a problem.

Backup utility

A program that makes copies of important files.

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

A program, stored on a chip on the motherboard, that starts the computer.

Active matrix OLED (AMOLED) screen

A screen type found in mobile devices that has a sharper display with a wider viewing angle than an LCD and is ideal for watching movies and sports.

Boolean search

A search that use logical operators—AND, OR, and NOT—to link the words you are searching for.

App

A self-contained program usually designed for a single purpose and that runs on smartphones and other mobile devices.

Airplane mode

A setting that disables or turns off all network adapters on a device.

Bevel

A shape effect that uses shading and shadows to make the edges of a shape appear to be curved or angled.

.txt file

A simple file consisting of lines of text with no formatting that almost any computer can open and display.

Black slide

A slide that displays after the last slide in a presentation indicating that the presentation is over.

Adapter card

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

Ascending order

A sorting order that arranges text alphabetically (A to Z) and numbers from the lowest number to the highest number.

Binary code

A system that represents digital data as a series of 0s and 1s that can be understood by a computer.

Bluetooth

A technology that connects peripherals wirelessly at short range.

Administrator account

A user account that should be used only when necessary, for such tasks as configuring and troubleshooting the system, and that should be protected by a strong password.

Avatar

A virtual body used to interact with others in virtual worlds and games.

Blogosphere

All the blogs on the web and the connections among them.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

An 8-bit binary code set with 256 characters.

Best Fit

An Access command that adjusts the width of a column to accommodate the column's longest entry.

AutoFit

An Excel feature that adjusts the width of a column to fit the cell content of the widest cell in the column.

Auto Fill

An Excel feature that generates and extends values into adjacent cells based on the values of selected cells.

AVERAGE function

An Excel function that adds a group of values, and then divides the result by the number of values in the group.

AutoSave

An Office 365 feature that saves your document every few seconds—if saved on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online—and enables you to share the document with others for real-time co-authoring.

Bitcoin

An anonymous, digital, encrypted currency.

Android

An embedded version of Linux that runs on many smartphones and tablets.

.png file

An image file type that can be transferred over the internet, an acronym for Portable Network Graphic.

Biometric scanner

An input device that measures human characteristics such as fingerprints and eye retinas.

Biometric scanner

An input device that measures human characteristics such as fingerprints, retinal patterns, and voice patterns.

Bar code scanner

An input device that scans barcodes such as those found on merchandise and library books.

Blog

An online journal.

Blu-ray disc

An optical disc with about five times the capacity of a DVD; the single-layer disc capacity is 25 GB, and double-layer disc capacity is 50 GB.

Analog output device

An output device such as a telephone, television, or CRT monitor that translates the digital electronic pulses back into audio and video signals.

Augmented reality (AR)

An overlay of virtual content on the physical world. The virtual content does not interact with the physical world.

Accounting software

Business software that tracks business finances such as expenses, invoicing, payroll, and inventory management, and generates reports and graphs to help you make business decisions.

Aggregate functions

Calculations such as Min, Max, Avg, and Sum that are performed on a group of records.

Asynchronous communication

Communication that does not require the participants to be online at the same time.

Artistic effects

Formats applied to images that make pictures resemble sketches or paintings.

Alignment guides

Green lines that display when you move an object to assist in alignment.

Bitmapped graphics

Images composed of tiny squares or dots that correspond to one pixel.

Backing up

Making copies of important files.

Bing

Microsoft's search engine.

American Psychological Association (APA)

One of two commonly used style guides for formatting research papers.

Application software

Programs that direct the computer to carry out specific tasks; for example, word processing, playing a game, or computing numbers on a worksheet.

Alternative text

Text added to a picture or object that helps people using a screen reader understand what the object is; also called alt text.

Alt text

Text added to a picture or object that helps people using a screen reader understand what the object is; also called alternative text.

Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)

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

Alignment

The placement of text or objects relative to the margins.

Analytics

The process of detecting patterns in data.

Booting

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

Boot

The process of turning on a computer that has been completely shut down and during which the BIOS program will run.

Booting the computer

The process of turning on the computer.

Aspect ratio

The ratio of the width of a display to the height of the display.

3-D

The shortened term for three-dimensional, which refers to an image that appears to have all three spatial dimensions—length, width, and depth.

Bit (binary digit)

The smallest unit of digital information.

Base

The starting point when you divide the amount of increase by it to calculate the rate of increase.

Arithmetic operators

The symbols +, −, *, /, %, and ^ used to denote addition, subtraction (or negation), multiplication, division, percentage, and exponentiation in an Excel formula.

Body

The text of a letter.

Bandwidth

The theoretical speed or data transfer rate of a network and is measured in kilobits per second (Kbps), megabits per second (Mbps), or gigabits per second (Gbps).

Arguments

The values that an Excel function uses to perform calculations or operations.

Append

To add on to the end of an object; for example, to add records to the end of an existing table.

Bcc

is an abbreviation for blind carbon copy (or blind courtesy copy), and is used to send a copy of the message to one or more recipients who would be interested in the message and whose name is not visible to other recipients of the message.

Accounting Number Format

The Excel number format that applies a thousand comma separator where appropriate, inserts a fixed U.S. dollar sign aligned at the left edge of the cell, applies two decimal places, and leaves a small amount of space at the right edge of the cell to accommodate a parenthesis for negative numbers.

Backward compatibility

The ability to run some older programs on a newer system.

Backstage tabs

The area along the left side of Backstage view with tabs to display screens with related groups of commands.

Address bar

The area, at the top of the browser window, in which you can type a URL to visit a website. Also, in a File Explorer window, the area that displays your current location in the folder structure as a series of links separated by arrows.

Artificial intelligence

The branch of science concerned with making computers behave like humans.

Active cell

The cell, surrounded by a black border, ready to receive data or be affected by the next Excel command.

Application programming interface (API)

The feature of an operating system that enables an application to request services from the operating system, such as a request to print or save a file.

APFS

The file system found on Macs running macOS.