50 Computer Terms to Know

Ace your homework & exams now with Quizwiz!

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.

Print

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.


Related study sets

Comm 101 Chapter 7 Organizing and Outlining Your Speech

View Set

History - Chapter 8 - Lesson Review 5

View Set

Exam 4 Families with Children: Neurosensory/Neuromuscular

View Set

Chapter 50, Adaptive Quizzing Chapter 50

View Set

Series 7 Final 1 Missed Questions

View Set

15H PALLIATIVE AND END-OF-LIFE CARE PART I

View Set