Ch. 2 INF 104 Terms

solid-state storage

a non-mechanical storage format that stores data using flash memory on a chip

BIOS (basic input output system)

a program stored on a chip on the motherboard that is used to start up the computer

Ethernet adapter

a wired network adapter with a port that resembles a telephone jack

scanner

an input device that increases the speed and accuracy of data entry and converts information into a digital format that can be saved, copied, and manipulated

USB

can connect up to 127 devices and is hot swappable

RAM

memory that stores the operating systems, programs, and data the computer is currently using

LCD

monitor that consists of 2 layers of glass that are glued together with a layer of liquid crystals between them

adapter cards

plug directly into expansion slots on the motherboard and allow you to connect additional peripheral devices to a computer

biometric

scanners read human characteristics such as fingerprints and retinas

CPU (central processing unit)

the brain of a computer housed inside the system unit on the motherboard

system unit

the case that encloses and protects the power supply, motherboard, processor (CPU), and memory system of a computer

machine cycle

the four part process used by the CPU to process each instruction: fetch, decode, execute, store aka instruction cycle

motherboard

the main circuit board of a computer that houses the processor (CPU); contains drive controllers and interfaces, expansion slots, data buses, ports and connectors, BIOS, and memory

resolution

the number of horizontal pixels by vertical pixels on a display screen or image

hardware

the physical components of a computer

hard drives

the principal mass-storage devices in a computer system

dye-sublimation

type of printer that produces the highest quality photo prints

cache memory

very fast memory that is used to store frequently accessed information close to the processor