unit 3 notes for introduction to computers

volatile

Although accessing an app's instructions from RAM results in increased performance, the contents of RAM are lost when power is removed. Memory that loses its contents when power is removed is said to be

CPU

Central Processing Unit; the brain of the computer.

firmware

Computer manufacturers often update the instructions on the ROM chip, which are referred to as

nonvolatile

Memory that preserves data contents even when not powered. With such devices, you can turn the computer off and back on, and the contents will be unchanged.

multi-core processors

Processors with multiple cores are referred to as

Virtual Memory

Space on a hard disk or other storage device that simulates random access memory.

power-on self test (POST)

The ROM chip contains the BIOS, which tells your computer how to start. The BIOS also performs a

output device

allows the user to view or listen to the data a computer processes such as a monitor, printer, headphones, or speakers

input device

any hardware component that allows you to enter data and instructions into a computer or mobile device

Data travels in and out of the CPU through embedded wires called a

bus

voice synthesizer

converts text to speech

bus width

determines the speed at which data travels, and is also referred to as the WORD SIZE

plug-and-play

devices, will begin functioning properly as soon as you connect them to your computer

CPU machine cycle

fetch, decode, execute, store

central processing unit (CPU)

is a complex integrated circuit consisting of millions of electronic parts and is primarily responsible for converting input (data) into meaningful output (information)

surge supressor

is a device that prevents power fluctuations from damaging electronic components.

device driver

is a program that controls a device attached to your computer, such as a printer, monitor, or video card

uninterruptable power supply (UPS

is a short-term battery backup that comes on automatically in case of power loss.

benchmark

is a test run by a laboratory or other organization to determine processor speed and other performance factors

When you run your operating system and other apps on your computer, the operating system and each app will require a certain amount

is called ram

Read-only memory (ROM)

is permanently installed on your computer and is attached to the motherboard

Computer memory

is responsible for holding data and programs as they are being processed by the CPU

arithmetic logic unit (ALU)

is responsible for performing arithmetic operations. Instructions executed by the CPU go through a series of four steps, often referred to as a machine cycle or an instruction cycle

Random access memory (RAM)

is stored on one or more chips connected to the main circuit board of the computer (also referred to as the motherboard

cycle

is the smallest unit of time a process can measure

control unit

manages the flow of instructions within the processor

clock speed

measures the speed at which it can execute instructions

If a processor uses specific data frequently it can store that data in a

processor cache

processor cache

stores this data next to the processor so that it can easily and quickly be retrieved.

The area of the hard drive temporarily used to store data that cannot fit in RAM is called a

swap file or paging file.