IS52 Chapter 2

Internal bus

A subsystem that transfers data between computer components inside a computer or between computers.

Express card

An interface to allow peripheral devices to be connected to a computer, usually a laptop computer.

Unicode

Supports more than 100,000 unique characters allowing use for languages like Chinese or Arabic.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

• Most common type of primary storage • Stores program instructions and data temporarily • Memory locations have unique addresses

ASCII

(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) common format for text files in computers and on the Internet. • Each character is a unique 8-bit code • 256 unique codes • Different for upper and lower case

Bit

(binary digit) the smallest unit of information a computer can process Can have one of two values: 0 or 1

Peripheral

-Slots and ports make it easy to add peripherals -keyboards and printers, serve as communication links between people and computers. - link computer to other machines. - provide long-term storage media.

TB (terabyte)

1 million MB or 1,000,000,000,000 bytes

PB (petabyte)

1 quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) bytes

GB (gig or gigabyte)

1,000 MB or 1,000,000,000 bytes

KB (K, kilobyte)

1000 bytes

MB (meg, megabyte)

1000 kilobytes or 1 million bytes

Expansion slot

A long narrow socket in a computer into which an expansion card can be inserted.

Input device

A peripheral device, as a keyboard or mouse, used to enter data into a computer for processing.

File

A resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program.

Graphics processing unit (GPU)

A specialized electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a screen.

Information

Bits and bytes (data) processed in a way that makes it valuable and useful to people. Communication that has value because it informs. Anything that can be communicated, whether it has value or not.

Quantum Computer

Computers based on the properties of atoms and their nuclei and the laws of quantum mechanics

storage device

External hardware used to store and retrieve data, such as a disk drive, CD/DVD drive, flash drive, or tape drive

data

Items stored on a digital electronics device

Output device

Output device...

PC card

PC card...

Multicore Processor

Single chip contains multiple CPUs (cores)

Byte

a collection of 8 bits Can represent 256 different things

cores

a single ship that contains multiple CPU's

Microprocessor

a single silicon chip containing all of the computer's computational components

Backward Compatible

able to be used with an older piece of hardware or software without special adaptation or modification

compatible (compatibility)

capable of being used with or connected to other devices or components without modification

Binary

consisting of two (units or components or elements or terms) or based on two things

volatile

disappears when power is turned off

digit

discrete, countable units

Multiprocessing

employing two or more microprocessors in a computer in order to improve overall performance, also known as symmetric multiprocessing

Sleep

entering a sleep state is roughly equivalent to "pausing" the state of the machine. When restored, the operation continues from the same point, having the same applications and files open.

cluster

grouping together processing resources of multiple servers

Bus

groups of wires, typically 32 or 64, that work as the bridge between the processor and RAM

Parallel processing

has been used in high-end servers and workstations for some time

digital

information put into digital form, as for use in a computer

expansion card

inserting special-purpose circuit boards

Bay

open areas in the system box for disk drives and other devices

Processor

processor...

Symmetric multiprocessing

sames as parallet processing, wheith processors working side by each, on different parts of same task

Memory

stores programs and the data they need to be instantly accessible to the CPU

Nanotechnology

technology employed by today's cutting edge chips that approaches the molecular or atomic level

Motherboard

the circuit board that contains a computer's CPU . Also called a system board

central processing unit (CPU)

the computer's brain -Performs transformations of input into output -Interprets and executes instructions in programs -Performs arithmetic and logical data manipulations -Communicates with other parts of the computer system indirectly through memory

Architecture

the design of the processor that determines how individual components of the CPU are put together and work together on the chip

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

• Information is etched on chip when manufactured • Stores start-up instructions and other critical information

Port

• Video port(s) to connect monitors • Audio ports to connect speakers or headphones • USB ports (Universal Serial Bus): connect keyboards, pointing devices, printers, cameras, disk drives, portable storage devices -Some ports connected directly to system board/expansion cards