CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY-HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

BINARY DIGITS

(BITS) a one or a zero; binary digits are used to represent data and information in the computer

GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

An operating environment or interface used by Windows and Macintosh OS that allows users to interact with the computer by clicking on icons with a mouse

DIRECT-ENTRY DEVICES

Input devices including scannning and pointing devices and sensors

MAIN CIRCUIT BOARD

MOTHERBOARD

USER INTERFACE

Operating Environment defines how the user communicates with the computer

APPLICATION SOFTWARE

Programs that perform specific tasks for teh user, also called productivity software; include processing, spreadsheet, database management, graphics, and communication programs

FIRMWARE

a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device

EXTRANET

a corporate intranet connected to other intranets outside the corporation

INPUT DEVICES

a device that translates data into a form the computer can process (bits)

SENSOR

a direct-entry input device that collects date directly from the environment and sends it to the computer; used to collect patient information for clinical monitoring systems

MOUSE

a direct-entry input device, pointing device; used to select items from a menu and position the insertion point

INTERNET

a global network of networks, connecting innumerable smaller networks, computers and users

HEALTHFINDER

a listing of sites handpicked by health professionals

WAN

a network that may span a state, country or even the world

INTRANETS

a private corporate network that uses the same structure as the Internet and the same TCP/IP protocols

ARPAnet

a project of the Advanced Research Project Agency of the US Department of Defense; an attempt to create both a national network of scientists and a communications system that could withstand nuclear attack; later became the Internet

EMBEDDED COMPUTER

a single-purpose computer on a chip of silicon, which is embedded in anything from appliances to humans. An embedded computer may help run your car, microwave, pacemaker, or watch

WI-FI

a wireless technology that allows you to connect a PDA to a network if you are close enought to a Wi-Fi access point

BLUETOOTH

a wireless technology that can connect digital devices from computers to medical devices to cell phones

URL

address of a Web page

COMPUTER

an electronic device that can accept data as input, process or alter them in some way, and produce useful information

KEYBOARDS

an input device

COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE

application software that allows the connection of one computer to other computers

WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE

application software that allows the user to create, edit, format, save, retrieve, and print text documents

DATABASE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

application software that allows the user to enter organized lists of data and easily edit, sort, and search them

ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEETS

application software that allows the user to sotre and manipulate numbers

EXPANSION BOARDS

circuit boards that are plugged into the expansion slots on the main circuit board; they include the electronic circuitry needed by add-on hardware

OPEN ARCHITECTURE

computer design that allows harward devices to be added by plugging expansion boards into exansion slots on the main circuit board

NETWORK

computers and other hardware devices linked together via communciations media

PROCESSOR

contains the CPU and memory; does the actual manipulation of data

CPU

contains the arithmetic-logic unit and control unit

SCANNING DEVICES

direct-entry input devices; include fax machines, optical character recognition, optical mark recognition, magnetic ink character recognition, image scanners

COMPUTER LITERACY

familiarity with and knowledge about computers, the Internet, and the WWW; the ability to use computers to perform tasks in one's own field

WEBSITES

files in which information on the Web is stored

PDA

hand-held computer

OUTPUT DEVICES

hardware that presents information in a form a human user comprehend

CD

high capacity optical disks store data as pits and lands burned into a plastic disk

SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICE

include disk drives and tapes drives that, with their media, allow tht emore permanent storage date, programs, and information than primary storage

SOLID-STATE MEMORY DEVICES

include flash memory cards used in notebooks, memory sticks, and very compact key chain devices; they have no moving parts, are very small, and have a high capacity. USB flash drives have a huge capacity for information

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

includes computers, communication networks, and computer literacy

BOOT

load the operating system into memory

LAN

local area network a small private network that spans a room or building

TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

network using telephone lines as media

DVD

optical medium with enormous storage capacity

PRINTERS

output device that produces hard copy

PLOTTERS

output device that produces hard copy; used for graphics, such as maps and architectural drawings

SOFT (DIGITAL) COPY

output on a monitor or voice output

ROM

part of internal memory; firmware; permanent instructions that the user normally cannot change

HARD COPY

printed output

SYSTEM UNIT

processor, contains the CPU and memory

SOFTWARE

programs step by step instructions to tell what the computer to do

SYSTEM SOFTWARE

programs that control hardware operations and interact between the applications and the computer; includes the operating system, utility programs, and language translators

RFID tags

radio frequency identification tags are becoming mroe and more common; can be incorporated into products; they receive and send a wireless signal

AUTOMATIC RECALCULATION

refers to the fact that when one value in a spreadsheet is changed, any cell that refers to it is automatically changed

MONITOR

screen

PubMed

search engine for Medline

OPTICAL DISKS

secondary storage device on which data are representeed by pits and lands burnt in by a laser

EXPANSION SLOTS

slots in the main circuit board that allow expansion boards to be inserted

PORTS

socket, usually on the back of the computer

WEB BROWSER

software needed to browse the web

SEARCH ENGINE

software that allows you to search the Web

FIREWALL

software used to protect LANs from unauthorized access through the internet

PROGRAM

step by step instructions; also called software

MAGNETIC DISK

storage medium that stores data as magnetic spots

PROTOCOLS

technical standards governing communication between computers

MEMORY

temporary storage area used during processing; internal storage made up of RAM and ROM

CONNECTIVITY

the fact that computerse can be connected to each other

CELL PHONE

the most common wireless device in use today; allows text messaging, music, videos, and telephone calls

ARITHMETIC-LOGIC UNIT

the part of teh central processing unit that performs arithmetic and logical operations

RAM

the part of temporary, volatile internal storgate that holds the work you are currently doing while you are doing it, including the program and data you are using; the operating system must be in RAM for other programs to run

WWW

the part of the Internet that is most accessible and easiest to navigate, organized as sites with hyperlinks to one another

CONTROL UNIT

the part of the central processing unit that controls processing following the instructions of a program; it directs the movement of electronic signals between parts of the computer

HARDWARE

the physical components fo a computer

TCP/IP

the protocols that govern the internet

BIOMETRICS

the science that measures body characteristics; enables security devices to indentify a user by these characteristics

OPERATING SYSTEM

the system software that controls the basic operation of the computer hardware, manageing the resources of the computer including input and output, the execution of programs, and processor time; provides the user interface

DIGITIZE

to translate into zeroes and ones that the computer can understand