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.