Hardware CIS

gigabyte

1 billion bytes

megabyte

1 million bytes

kilobyte

1 thousand bytes

terabyte

1 trillion bytes

arithmetic/logic unit

ALU (acronym)

compact disc-recordable

CD-R (acronym)

compact disc read-only memory

CD-ROM (acronym)

compact disc-rewritable

CD-RW

central processing unit

CPU (acronym)

control unit, ALU, registers, cache, clock speed

CPU components

cathode ray tube

CRT (acronym)

Digital Video

DV (acronym)

input/output

I/O (acronym)

liquid crystal display

LCD (acronym)

musical instrument digital interface

MIDI (acronym)

Random access memory

RAM (acronym)

Read only memory

ROM (acronym)

solid state drive

SSD (acronym)

processor, memory, adapter cards, drive bays, power supply, SSD

What are common components inside the system unit?

when electricity is flowing

When does a transistor represent 1?

CPU

a group of circuits that perform the processing in a computer, typically in one integrated circuit called a microprocessor

video capture card

adapter card that converts analog video signal into digital signal that computer can use

output device

allows a user to observe the results of computer processing with one or more senses

smart card

also called biometric data; stores personal data on microprocessor embedded in card

Transistor

an electronics component typically composed of silicon that opens or closes a circuit to alter the flow of electricity to store and manipulate bits

midi

an external device, such as electronic piano keyboard, to input music and sound effects

printer

an output device dedicated to providing computer output on paper or three-dimensional output in plastic

input device

assists in capturing and entering data into a computer system

biometrics

authenticates person's identity by verifying personal characteristic

volatile vs non-volatile, local vs network, primary vs secondary, sequential vs direct access

basic categories of storage

CD-ROM

cannot erase or modify contents, typically holds 700 MB, commonly used to distribute multimedia and software

fingerprint scanner

captures curves and indentations of fingerprint

processing

carries out the instructions provided by software using specially designed circuitry and a well-defined routine to transform data into useful outputs

system unit

case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data

multicore processor

combines multiple CPUs on one chip to share the workload and speed up processing

video card

combines video processing and storage onto an expansion card, or integrated onto the motherboard to manage video images for display

audio output device

computer component that produces music, speech, or other sounds

integrated circuit

connects tiny transistors and other electronics components on a thin piece of semi conductive material such as silicon

general-purpose input device

designed to be used for a wide variety of computing activities

Special-Purpose input device

designed to provide input for one specific type of activity

solid state storage

device stores data using electronics such as transistors, and does not require any moving mechanical parts

audio and special media output

devices designed to provide output to all of the senses

control unit

directs and coordinates operations in computer

CD-R

disc you can only write on once; cannot erase disc's contents

dots per inch

dpi (acronym)

CD-RW

erasable disc you can write on multiple times

voice verification system, signature verification system, iris recognition system

examples of biometric technology

nonimpact printer

forms characters without striking paper

laser printer

high speed, high quality nonimpact printer; prints text and graphics in high quality

voice recognition

is the computer's capability of distinguishing spoken words

motherboard

is the primary circuit of a computer to which all core components are connected, including the CPU. Enables all computer components to communicate.

quad-core

latest generations of smartphones are equipped with what type of processor?

scanner

light-sensing device that reads printed text and graphics

memory slot

located on the motherboard; holds memory modules

tape

magnetically coated plastic ribbon capable of storing large amounts of data at low cost

track

narrow recording band that forms full circle on disk; found on magnetic storage

capacity

number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can hold

resolution

number of horizontal and vertical pixels in a display device

multiprocessing

occurs using more than one processing unit to increase productivity and performance

head crash

occurs when read/write head touches platter surface; spinning creates cushion of air that floats read/write head above platter

haptic output

output that you can feel (i.e vibration)

Arithmetic logic unit

performs arithmetic, comparison, and logical operations

disk cache

portion of memory that processor uses to store frequently accessed items

formatting

prepares disk for use

video input

process of entering full-motion images into computer

voice input

process of entering input by speaking into a microphone

firmware

programs and data from the computer manufacturer, including the boot process used to start the computer

machine cycle

provides an orderly method of processing software instructions

ROM

provides permanent storage for data and instructions that do not change; stores data using circuits with states that are fixed

display

provides visual computer output for observation on monitor or screen

sequential access

reads and writes data consecutively, like music tape; used on hard disks, CDs, and DVDs

DV camera

records video as digital signals

storage

refers to the ability to maintain data within the system temporarily or permanently

pit in a specified location

represents a zero in optical storage

hard drive

single movement of read/write head arms accesses all platters in cylinder

ink-jet printer

sprays tiny drops of liquid ink onto paper

moore's law

states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years

circuit board controls movement of head actuator and a small motor

step 1 of how hard disks work

small motor spins platters while computer is running

step 2 of how hard disks work

software requests a disk access

step 3 of how hard disks work

head actuator arms over correct location to read or write data

step 4 of how hard disks work

fetch, decode, execute, store

steps in a machine cycle

miniature mobile storage media

storage for small mobile devices using flash memory

magnetic storage

storage technology that uses the magnetic properties of iron oxide particles rather than electric charges to store bits and bytes more permanently than RAM

optical storage

store bits by using an optical laser to burn pits into the surface of a highly reflective disc

sector

stores up to 512 bytes; found on magnetic storage

RAM

temporary, or volatile, memory that stores bytes of data and program instructions for the processor to access

I/O

the manner in which data is received into a computer system, and the manner in which information and the results of processing are provided to the user from a computer system

hardware

the tangible parts of a computer or digital device, and typically includes support for processing, storage, input, and output

PC video camera

used to capture video and still images, and to make video telephone calls on the Internet

video memory

used to store image data for a computer display in order to speed the processing and display of video and graphic images

Web cam

video camera whose output displays on a web page

Resolution, response time, pixel pitch, contrast ratio

what does quality of LCD depend on?

adapter cards, processor chips, memory chips

what does the motherboard contain?