Connect Chapter 2

Traditional Hard Drive

- A hard drive is a computer's primary storage device. - A hard drive uses fixed disk platters to store data and information. - The terms "hard drive" and "hard disk" are used synonymously. - Hard drives are the primary storage device in a variety of digital devices including laptops and servers.

Bluetooth

- Bluetooth is a short-distance wireless communication technology that uses relatively short-wavelength radio waves to transfer data. - Because it uses short-wavelength radio waves, Bluetooth signals easily pass through walls, furniture, etc. - Most Bluetooth transmissions remain strong up to 10 feet away and then start to reduce in signal strength.

bus width

- Bus width is the amount of data that can be transmitted at a given time. - The wider the bus, the more information that can travel along the bus, which creates faster transmission speeds. - Bus width is measured in bits.

FireWire

- FireWire ports are a type of Thunderbolt port. - Thunderbolt ports allow for up to 6 different peripherals to be connected to one device. - FireWire is commonly found on Apple computers and devices.

Memory Cache

- High speed memory used by the CPU to store frequently accessed data and instructions - Referred to by levels (L1 - small and integrated into the CPU, L3 - larger larger and next to the PCU)

IrDA

- IrDA stands for the Infrared Data Association which establishes the protocols for infrared communication transfer. - Longer wavelength waves don't easily pass through walls or furniture (line-of-sight only). - IrDA is a wireless connection that uses Infrared (relatively long) radio waves to transmit data.

RAM

- Random Access Memory - largest memory in a computer - computer's main memory - located on the motherboard, connected to the CPU - solid state electronics (fast, no moving - the memory available to programs to execute task - a temporary storage area, cleared when device is powered off

ROM

- Read Only Memory - Storage for data and instructions installed by a manufacturer - Not generally re-writable (can't be altered or removed)

SSD

- Solid State Drives - All electronic storage devices - used in a variety of products - smartphones, cameras, tablets, and many laptop computers - Unlike traditional hard drives, SSD has no moving parts which makes it fast, efficient, and durable - SSDs tends to be more expensive than a traditional hard drive - usually measured in gigabytes (GBs- billions of bytes)

USB

- Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a type of interface that enables communication between digital devices. - USB allows for data transfer between devices and for devices to be electrically charged. - USB drives are sometimes referred to as thumb drives, flash drives or jump drives. - USB drives use solid-state flash memory to store information on an internal memory chip. - USB drives allow for fast data transfer, are inexpensive, and durable.

WiFi

- WiFi is a wireless local area network. - The word WiFi is a play on the old audio term High-Fi. - A WiFi transmission site is called a Hotspot. - Most computers, tablets, smartphones, and gaming platforms are WiFi capable. - WiFi uses the 802.11 protocol - 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz radio waves.

Wireless Ports

- Wireless ports allow for the transmission of data between fixed and mobile devices using short-range radio waves or light waves. - Most Bluetooth transmissions remain strong up to 10 feet away and then start to reduce in signal strength. - Infrared requires line-of-sight transmission.

Protocol

- a set of rules for communication between devices that determines how data is transmitted and received ------there are many protocols that are used to help streamline the communication of all digital devices - WiFi uses the 802.11 protocol. This protocol ensures that devices enabled with WiFi can connect to any WiFi network.

Cache

- high speed storage area usually located directly on the CPU - smaller but faster than RAM - used quickly access repeated instructions

Internal storage

- integral to the computer - called the computer's hard drive

native resolution

- maximum number of pixels of the display - Pixel perfect = pixels from incoming signal matches native resolution of display

Unicode

- most common computer code - unicode uses at least 16 bits (2 bytes) per character - virtually limitless characters - allows for foreign languages

Ethernet port

- most commonly used port for a wired network connection - used for local are networks or for connecting modems and routers to the Internet

Clockspeed

- number of instructions a computer can process in a second - sometimes called clock rate - measured in hertz - modern processors - billions of instructions each second (GHz)

Characteristics of a traditional hard drive

-contains platters -contains read/write heads -stores data magnetically

Single core processor

1 core = usually 1 ALU + 1 control unit Single core processor = 1 core

Computer Bus

A bus is a channel over which information flows. Think of a bus as a highway on which data travels in a computer. A bus has two parts: - Address bus - Data bus

Embedded Computer

A computer that is integrated (a part of) a larger device or system Examples: - A digital watch - A programmable thermostat or even a coffee pot! - Anti-lock breaks and ignition systems in vehicles Typically these have small operating systems referred to as Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) with limited capability

Define computer

A digital device that: - Accepts input - Processes data into information - Stores data - Provides information output

Pixel

A pixel is the smallest element in an electronic image. The more pixels in an image, the better the image quality.

Ports

A port is a slot that matches the cord or expansion card being connected to the port. You always plug into a port

Gigabyte - (GB)

About 1 billion bytes - One gigabyte is equal to 341 digital images (3 MB average file size.

Megabyte (MB)

About 1 million bytes - One megabyte is equal to about 875 pages of text.

Kilobyte (KB)

About 1 thousand bytes - One kilobyte is equal to about one page of text.

Terabyte (TB)

About 1 trillion bytes - One terabyte is equal to about 349,000 digital images (3 MB average file size) or 40 single-sided Blu-ray discs.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (pronounced AS-key) is a common encoding standard. ASCII code is capable of representing 26 uppercase and lowercase letters used in the English language, numbers, and many different symbols. ASCII can represent a total of 256 characters.

Categories of ethernet cables

CAT5 - up to 100 Mb/sec CAT5e - up to 1 Gb/sec CAT6 - up to 10 Gb/sec

Multicore processor

CPU with two or more cores (ALU + control unit) Capable of "hyperthreading"

Processor

Central processing unit (CPU) "Brains" of the computer 2 main components: - Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) - Control Unit

2-in-1 Computer

Combines the mobility of a tablet with the power of a laptop - Full operating system - Solid-state hard drive - very fast with strong battery life - Less storage than a traditional laptop

Server

Computer system in a network that is shared by multiple users. Also referred to as host computers

Input

Computers accept data from many sources including keyboards, camera, microphones - even other computers!

Bit

Computers communicate using their own language. This language is called binary. Binary language consists of two digits - 0 and 1. Each 0 or 1 is called a bit. Bits are the smallest unit of data a computer can process. anything that can be either on or off can make a bit

Process

Computers compile and transform data into useful information

Output

Computers display information in many forms - images, video, audio

Store

Computers have the ability to store data for future use

Storage Device

Digital devices need to store information temporarily and indefinitely. Storage devices allow for the storage of data and information that can be retrieved for future use. Data remains intact when the computer is turned off.

Byte

Eight bits grouped together are called a byte. Each number, special character, and letter of the alphabet is represented by a unique combination of bits. For example, an ampersand (&) is represented as 00100110.

Petabyte (PB)

Equals 1,000 terabytes - One petabyte is equal to about 358,000,000 digital images (3 MB average file size) or about 42,000 single-sided Blu-ray discs.

Graphics

Graphics are the depiction of image data on a display or output device. Graphics are usually created by a separate processor within the computer known as the graphics processing unit (GPU).

Hertz

Hertz is used to measure frequency, or how often something occurs. Hertz is abbreviated Hz. The speed of most modern processors is measured in Gigahertz, or billions of computer operations each second. It is named for Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the first person to provide proof of electromagnetic waves

HDMI

High Definition Multimedia Interface allows for the transmission of high-definition audio and video

Computer Layout

In blue are the computer's two processors, the central processing unit, known as the CPU or the processor; and the graphics processing unit, known as the GPU. Memory is depicted in light green. The system cache provides memory for data that the CPU is using repeatedly. RAM holds data for the CPU's use. Note that the GPU has its own memory. Storage is shown in dark green. This is the computer's hard drive that keeps data even after the computer is powered down.

Processor manufacturers

Intel NVIDIA AMD

Media players

Media players allow you to listen to audio files such as music, podcasts, read books, and watch videos - Often referred to as personal media Players (PMP) due to their transportability and customization. Popular Personal Media Players include the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPod - The term Personal Media Player is now being used to describe streaming media players such as Google Chromecast and Apple TV

L1 Cache

Memory located on the processor itself

Mainframe computers

More powerful than servers and are used by organizations to process large amounts of data Mainframe computers are very expensive costing from $100,000 to over $1 million dollars

Major Components of a desktop

Motherboard CPU RAM Hard disk Adapter cards with ports Power Supply Unit

MIDI

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) allows for the interface and connectivity of digital musical devices to computers. MIDI is capable of carrying digital music signals and are common in today's music scene.

Computer system unit

Part of the computer that houses the motherboard

SSD Capacity

SSD capacity is the amount of storage you have available to save data and information. Capacity is usually measured in gigabytes (billions of bytes). The more SSD capacity you need, the more money it will cost. SSD capacity is one of the most determinant factors of price when buying a tablet or smartphone.

All-in-One

Stationary device (like a desktop) Computer within a large monitor Separate keyboard and mouse Usually a touchscreen monitor (like a big tablet) Full operating system A neat, clean look for a desk or office A large monitor without the large system unit Not easily upgradable - not a popular with computer experts or serious gamers

Boot Process

The boot process is the loading of an operating system into the main memory of a device.

4 steps of boot process

The device is powered on and the CPU activates BIOS. The Power-On Self-Test is executed. The OS is loaded into RAM. The OS checks the registry settings and loads saved configuration settings.

Video Card

The graphics adapter performs graphics processing and creates video output. A video card is sometimes refereed to as a graphics card or graphics adapter.

Supercomputers

The most powerful type of computer. Supercomputers can evaluate complex data very quickly Many of the supercomputers in the United States are owned by the government

Processor speed

The speed of a digital device's processor is determined by a number of factors. - Clock speed - Bus width

Word Size

Word size refers to the amount of data a processor can hold and process at one time. Today's processors generally have word sizes of 32 or 64 bits. A 64-bit processor can process information faster than a 32-bit processor.

Hard drive capacity

amount of available storage usually measured in gigabytes (GBs - billions of bytes or even terabytes TBs - trillions of bytes) Computer applications such as Microsoft Office and multimedia files need a lot of storage capacity

Video Graphics Array (VGA) connectors

analog connectors used for monitors and televisions during the 1990s largely replaced by HDMI connectors Since most LCD monitors and TVs now accept digital signals, VGA connectors are becoming rare

Motherboard

circuit board that holds the computer's central processing unit

Web server

controls access to resources on the Web

Network server

controls access to resources such as printers and applications on a network

ripping

copying data from a disk to a computer's hard drive

Hyperthreading

executes multiple instructions simultaneously

Machine Cycle

fetch, decode, execute, store

DISK cache

high-speed memory used by the hard drive to store frequently accessed data

overclocking

increasing the clock speed of a processor

Gigahertz

is abbreviated GHz and is equal to one billion cycles (or instructions) per second. 3.8 GHz is 3.8 billion instructions per second.

Megahertz

is abbreviated MHz and is equal to one million cycles (or instructions) per second. 1 MHz is one million instructions per second.

All computations and activities in a digital device are conducted by the

processor

External storage

resides outside the computer itself external hard drives, USB drives (thumb drives)

Central processing unit (CPU)

the computer's main microprocessor

Resolution

the number of horizontal and vertical pixels on a display screem -----clarity of an image -----measured in lines of pixels -----more pixels = higher resolution

computer hardware

the physical parts of a computer

File server

used for data storage

Optical drive

used in DVD, Blu-ray, and CD players writes and reads data using laser speed measured in RPM of the spinning disc actual disc = optical media

Burning

writing data onto a disk