VT Chapter 4

IEEE 1394

Fire Wire.

CMYK

The standard ink colors used by printers: cyan, magenta, yellow, key or black.

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.

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. aka adapter 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. used to connect computer to telephone line.

network interface card NIC

a communication device used to establish a connection with a network. the adapter may be on board, an expansion card, or a USB device and may be wired or wireless. aka network adapter.

network adapter

a communication device used to establish a connection with a network. the adapter may be on board, an expansion card, or a USB device and may be wired or wireless. aka network interface card NIC.

drive controller

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

port

a connection point that is used to attach a peripheral device to the motherboard.

hot-swappable

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

output device

a device that returns processed information 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.

input device

a device used to enter data into a computer system.

HDMI High-Definition Multimedia Interface

a digital port that can transmit both audio and video signals. It is the standard connection for high-def TVs, video game consoles, and other media devices.

DisplayPort

a digital video standard designed to replace DVI and VGA.

PCIe PCI Express

a faster version of PCI used to connect peripheral devices to a computer.

LCD liquid crystal display

a flat-panel display type found on most desktop and notebook computers that consist of two layers of glass glued together with a layer of liquid crystals between them.

optical disc

a form of removable storage where data is stored by using a laser to either melt the disc material or change the color of embedded dye.

FireWire

a hot-swappable port that can connect up to 63 devices, such as two video cameras, without the use of a computer. IEEE 1394

CRT monitor

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

EIDE Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics

a legacy drive interface found on the motherboards of older personal computers.

PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect

a legacy type of expansion slot on a motherboard used to connect peripheral devices to a computer.

VGA (video graphics array)

a legacy, video analog standard.

gigahertz GHz

a measure of the speed at which a processor executes the information cycle.

pipelining

a method used by a single processor to process multiple instructions simultaneously.

OLED organic light-emitting diode

a monitor composed of extremely thin panels of organic molecules sandwiched between electrodes.

flash memory

a non-volatile form of memory that can be electronically erased and programmed.

ROM (read-only memory)

a nonvolatile form of memory that does not need power to retain data.

heat sink

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

Thunderbolt

a port that carries both PCIe and DisplayPort video signals on the same cable, so it can be used to connect many different types of peripherals to a computer.

photoprinter

a printer designed to print high-quality photos on special photo paper. Photo printers can be inkjet printers or dye-sublimation printers.

multi-function device

a printer device with a built in scanner and sometimes fax capabilities. aka all in one printer.

three-dimensional printer

a printer that can create objects such as prototypes and models.

thermal printer

a printer that creates an image by heating specially coated heated-sensitive, which changes color where the heat is applied.

inkjet printer

a printer that sprays droplets of ink onto paper.

laser printer

a printer that uses a laser beam to draw an image on a drum.

dye-sublimation printer

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

plotter

a printer that uses one or more pens to draw an image on a roll of paper.

GPU Graphics-Processing Unit

a processor found on a video card.

multi-core processor

a processor that consists of two or more processors integrated on a single chip.

BIOS Basic Input Output System

a program stored on a chip on a motherboard that is used to start up a computer.

DLP digital light-processing projector

a projector that uses hundreds of thousands of tiny swiveling mirrors to create an image.

biometric scanner

a scanner that measures human characteristics such as finger prints and eye retinas.

pixel

a single point on a display screen. three colors: red, green and blue.

keypad

a small alternative keyboard that has a limited set of keys.

solid-state drive SSD

a small drive that uses flash memory to store data.

stylus

a special pen-like input tool that enables you to write directly on a touchscreen.

webcam

a specialized video camera that provides visual input for online communication, such as web conferencing or chatting.

USB

a standard port type that is used to connect many kinds of devices, including printers, mice, keyboards, digital cameras, cell phones, and external drives. Up to 127 devices can share a USB port.

memory card

a storage medium that uses flash memory to store data.

RFID tag

a tag that can be read by an RFID scanner. contains a tiny antenna for receiving and sending a radio-frequency signal.

Bluetooth

a technology that connects peripherals wirelessly at short ranges.

near field communication NFC

a technology that enables devices to share data with each other by touching them together or bringing them within a few centimeters of each other.

QR (Quick Response) code

a two-dimensional barcode found in ads an on merchandise tags that can be scanned using an app on a mobile device to learn more about the item.

monitor

a video output device that works by lighting up pixels on a screen. each pixel contains three colors: red, green and blue.

projector

a video output device typically used when making a presentation or sharing media with a group in such places as classrooms, businesses, and home theaters because they can produce larger output than a monitor.

RAM random access memory

a volatile form of memory that holds the operating systems, programs, and data the computer is currently using.

CMOS complementary medal 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.

data bus

a wire on a motherboard over which information flows between the components of a computer.

sound card

an expansion card that provides audio connections for both audio input devices and output devices.

video card

an expansion card that provides the data signal and connection for a monitor or projector. It may also include input ports to connect a TV tuner or another video device to the system.

joystick

an input device mounted on a base that consists of a stick, buttons and sometimes a trigger.

touchscreen

an input device that can accept input from a finger or a stylus.

scanner

an input device that can increase the speed and accuracy of data entry and convert information into a digital format that can be saved, copied, and manipulated.

microphone

an input device that converts sound into digital signals and is used to chat in real time.

game controller

an input device that is used to interact with video games.

mouse

an input device that may include one or more buttons and a scroll wheel that works by moving across a smooth surface to signal movement of the pointer.

keyboard

an input device that translates keystrokes into a signal a computer understands; the primary input device for entering text into a computer.

touchpad

an input device typically found on a notebook computer instead of a mouse.

expansion slot

an interface on a motherboard that expansion cards plug into.

DVI digital visual interface

an older digital, video standard that was designed to replace VGA.

DVD digital video disk

an optical disc that can hold more information than a CD.

Blu-ray disc

an optical disk that uses a violet laser to read and write data. The single layer disc capacity is 25GB, double is 50GB, triple is 100GB.

speakers

an output device that converts digital signals from a computer or media player into sound.

processor

brain of the computer. CPU

central processing unit CPU

brain of the computer. control all functions performed by other components, and process all the commands it receives. Housed inside the system unit on the motherboard.

peripheral device

components that serve the input, output and storage functions of a computer system.

cache memory

fast memory that stores frequently accessed information close to the processor.

legacy technology

old technology that's still used alongside its more modern replacement because it works and is cost effective.

headphones

output devices that convert digital signals into sound. They come in several different sizes and styles, ranging from tiny earbuds that fit inside your ear to full-size headphones that completely cover your outer ear.

flash drive

small, portable, solid-state drive with a USB interface.

adaptive technology

software and hardware used by individuals with disabilities to interact with technology. Assisstive technology.

memory

temporary storage that a computer uses to hold instructions and data.

system unit

the case that encloses and protects the power supply, motherboard, CPU, and memory of a computer.

motherboard

the main circuit board of a computer, which houses the CPU and contains drive controllers and interfaces, expansion slots, data buses, ports and connectors, the BIOS, and memory. Provides a way for devices to attach to the computer.

resolution

the number of horizontal by vertical pixels.

CD compact disc

the oldest type of optical disc. storage capacity 700MB.

arithmetic logic unit ALU

the part of a processor that performs arithmetic and logic calculations.

control unit

the part of the processor that manages the movement of data through the CPU.

hardware

the physical components of a computer.

hard drive

the primary mass-storage device in a computer that stores data magnetically on metal platters. hard disk or hard disk drive.

booting

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 a processor executes the instruction cycle.

SATA Serial Advanced Technology Attachment

the standard interval drive interface.

instruction cycle

the steps a CPU uses to process data: fetch, decode, execute, store. Aka fetch and execute or the machine cycle.

overclock

to run a processor at speeds higher than it was designed to perform.