50 Computer Terms to Know
CPU
Central Processing Unit. The hard drive; the 'Brain' of the computer.
Output
Displaying, printing, or storing information produced by a computer.
Graphics
Electronic art and pictures. A graphic can be a drawing, lines or boxes created on the computer, a scanned image or photograph.
Download
Electronic transfer or information between computers.
Multimedia
The merging of traditional computer creation with other media such as laserdisc, television, CD-ROM, sound and video.
Diskette
The most common storage device used with microcomputers. It may be made of flexible plastic ('floppy disk') or rigid plastic.
Cursor
The on-screen pointer that shows where the next letter or character will appear.
Memory
The part of a computer system that can store information for later retrieval.
Hardware
The physical parts of a computer, such as the screen/monitor, the keyboard, the Central Processing Unit, and the storage devices.
Input
The process of entering information into a computer.
Software
The programs that run on the computer. The 'instructions.'
Bit
The smallest unit of information that a computer can hold.
Home Row Keys
The starting point for your hands when typing. The keys on the keyboard a, s, d, f, j, k, l, ; are home row keys.
Font
The style or design of the letters.
Network
Two or more devices that are able to electronically share information.
Double Space
Typing the 'enter' or 'return' key twice
Computer Virus
A computer program that can reproduce by changing other programs to include a copy of itself. It is a parasite program, needing another program to survive.
Modem
A device that permits a computer to transmit and receive data over a phone line.
Data
A general term for pieces of information that a computer processes.
Tab Key
A key on the keyboard that causes the cursor to jump to a specific place such as to indent paragraphs or make columns.
Scanner
A peripheral device that converts text or pictures into bit-mapped data that is put into a computer. The digitized images can then be edited.
Hard Drive
A permanent, non-removalbe disk that stores data in the computer.
Icon
A picture that represents a program, folder or action.
Program
A set of instructions describing actions for a computer to perform to accomplish to task; software.
Computer
An electronic machine that performs calculations and processes large amounts of information accurately and much more rapidly than the human brain.
Menu
An onscreen display that shows options such as SAVE or HELP.
Edit Menu
Holds the commands such as cut, copy, paste, and select all.
Return/Enter Key
Key on a keyboard that is used to enter information into a microcomputer or to return the cursor to beginning of a new line.
Caps Lock Key
Key on a keyboard that is used to key all capital letters.
Backspace or Delete Key
Key on a keyboard that moves the cursor to the left one space at a time and on some keyboards and with most word processing software, deletes characters.
Shift Key
Key to use to make a letter capitalized.
Arrow Keys
Keys on a keyboard that move the cursor left or right, up or down.
Select
Selecting text, graphics, icons or programs on the screen.
CD-ROM
Stands for Compact Disk Read Only Memory.
Menu Bar
The bar at the top of a computer screen that contains a series of pull down menus such as File and Edit.
Scroll Bar
The bar that you can move up and down to view different parts of a window.
Disk Drive
The device that reads from and writes to floppy or hard disk.
Mouse
The handheld device that moves the cursor around the screen.
Monitor
This is the display device of the computer.
Edit/Editing
To change or make corrections in a document.
Delete
To erase.
Copy
To highlight a section or whole document and leave it unaffected but make a duplicate and put it in another place.
Scroll
To move a display up and down. You use the scroll bar to scroll up and down the page.
Highlight/select
To move the cursor, with mouse button clicked, over a letter, word, paragraph or section of type in order to edit it in some way.
Paste
To place copied information in a document.
To produce a copy of the document onto a paper, computer screen, or diskette.
Click or Double Click
To push down a mouse button to make a selection. Two quick clicks is a 'double click.'
Move
To rearrange text in a document.
Drag/Dragging
To select something with the mouse, and while holding the mouse button down, move the mouse to a different location and let go.
Save as
To store data to disk with a new or different name.