Computer Science- Basics 101

Megabyte (MB)

1 million bytes of data

Boot Process

starting up a computer from a halted or powered down condition.

Hardware

the physical parts of a computer system such as the monitor, keyboard, and hard drive

software

the programs and other operating information used by a computer.

Server

(computer science) a computer that provides client stations with access to files and printers as shared resources to a computer network

bit

A contraction of "Binary Digit". A bit is the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1.

Power Supply

A device that provides power to a computer.

Router

A device that transfers data from one network to another in an intelligent way

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that connects devices in geographically separated areas.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

An image compression standard for photographs. This is how a computer stores a photo document.

Wireless Network

Any type of computer network that is not connected by cables of any kind.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Brain of the computer that performs instructions defined by software

Local Area Network (LAN)

Connects a group of computers in close proximity, such as in an office building, school, or home

Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in your algorithm or program.

Binary Code

Groupings of 1's and 0's that makes information that a computer can understand.

operating system software

Programs that organize/command the computer work. ex: Windows, vista, GUI, Linux.

programming language

Provides the standards, syntax, statements, and instructions for writing computer software. examples: Java Script, HTML, C++, Scratch, Python, Java

Software

Set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. It is what guides the hardware and tells it how to accomplish each task.

Pixel

Short for "picture element" it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image.

Operating System (OS)

Software used to control the computer and its peripheral equipment.

processor

The component of a computer that follows instructions

Byte

a group of 8 bits

computer programmer

a person who designs, writes and installs computer programs and applications

WiFi (wireless fidelity)

a standard for transmitting information in the form of radio waves over distances up to about several miles

artificial intelligence

a subdiscipline of computer science that attempts to simulate human thinking

Order of bytes from least to greatest

bits, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte.

Brainstorming

coming up with as many solutions to a problem as possible in a short period of time with no censoring of ideas

Output

device that projects images, gives sound, and basically gives out the info from the computer so the user can obtain it (ex: monitor, printer, projector, speakers)

computer circuit

represents the 0 or the 1 electronically by the presence or absence of an electrical charge

Looping

running a sequence of code over and over

Computer Network

A number of computers that are linked together so that they can exchange data. Local area networks link computers in the same building, wide area networks like the internet connect computers that may be far apart.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem, especially by a computer.

Motherboard

Printed circuit board on which the CPU, RAM chips and other electronic circuit elements of a digital computer are frequently located.

RAM

Random Access Memory - temporary place to store material that works quickly. erased when computer turns off. Volatile.

Abstraction

Reducing information and detail to focus on essential characteristics.

Hard Drive

Storage device that stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating rigid disks with magnetic surfaces. The device is either permanently installed within the computer case or can be portable

conditional statement

This type of statement states if.... else.... If something is true then x happens. If something is false; a different command happens like "y"

Input

device used to insert data into a computer or other device (ex: keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, voice recognition)

Auxiliary Storage Devices

ex: network drive, hard drive, flash drive, google drive.

troubleshooting

finding a problem and removing or fixing the problem