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| Computer hardware as a system of input, processing, output, storage, and control components. |
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| A very small computer, ranging in size from a "computer on a chip" to handheld, laptop, and desktop units, and servers |
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1) A computer system designed to support the work of one person.
2) A high-powered computer to support the work of professionals in engineering, science, and other areas that require extensive computing power and graphics capabilities. |
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Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
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| Handheld microcomputer devices that enable you to manage information such as appointments, to-do lists, and sales contacts; send and receive email; access the Web; and exchange such information with your desktop PC or network server |
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| Small Web-enabled microcomputer devices with specialized functions, such as handhelf PDAs, TV set-top boxes, game consoles, cellular and PCS phones, wired telephone apppliances, and other Web-enabled home appliances. |
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| A computer category between microcomputers and mainframes. Examples include minicomputers, network servers, and technical workstations |
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| A larger computer system, typically with a separate cenral processing unit; as distinguished from microcomputer and minicomputer systems |
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| A special category of large computer systems that are the most powerful available. They are designed to solve massive computational problems. |
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| The unit of a computer system that includes the circuits that control the interpretation and execution of instructions. In many computer systems, the CPU includes the arithmetic-logic unit, the control unit, and the primary storage unit |
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| Storage that supplements the primary storage of a computer. Synonymous with auxilary storage. |
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| One billionth of a second |
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| One trillionth of a second |
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| A software interface that relies on icons, bars, buttons, boxes, and other images to initiate computer-based tasks for users. |
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| In a computer system, any unit of equipment, distinct from the central processing unit, that provides the system with input, output, or storage capabilities |
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| An input device that accepts data input by the placement of a finger on or close to the CRT screen |
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| Direct conversion of spoken data into electronic form suitable for entry into a computer system. Also called voice data entry |
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| A device that optically scans characters or images and generates their digital representations |
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| A plastic, wallet-sized card with a strip of magnetic tape on one surface; widely used for credit/debit cards |
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| Pertaining to a characteristic or property involving a selection, choice, or condition in which there are two possibiliteis, or pertaining to the number system that utilizes a base of 2 |
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Definition
| A contraction of "binary digit". It can also have the value of either 0 or 1 |
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Term
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| A sequence of adjacent binary digits operated on as a unit and usually shorter than a computer word. In many computer systems, a byte is a grouping of eight bits that can represent on alphabetic or special character or that can be packed with two decimal places. |
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Term
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Definition
| A method of storage in which each storage position has a unique address and can be individually accessed in approximately the same period without having to search through other storage positions. Same as Random Access. Contrast with Sequential Access. |
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Term
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Definition
| A sequential method of storing and retrieving data from a file. Contrast with Random Access and Direct Access. |
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Definition
| One million bytes. More accurately, 2 to the 20th power, or 1,0248,576 in decimal notation |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Direct Access of Memory ( Direct Access Storage Device (DASD)) |
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Definition
| A storage device that can directly access data to be stored or retrieved, for example, a magnetic disk unit |
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Term
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Definition
| Microelectronic storage circuitry etched on tiny chips of silicon or other semiconducting material. The primary storage of most modern computers consists of microelectronic semiconductor storage chips for random-access memory (RAM) and read-only material (ROM). |
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Term
| Random Access Memory (RAM) |
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Definition
| One of the basic types of semiconductor memroy used for temporary storage of data or programs during processing. Each memory posiiton can be directly sensed (read) or changed (written) in the same length of time, regardless of its location on the storage medium. |
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Term
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Definition
| A basic type of semiconductor memory used for permanent storage. Can only be read, not written that is, changed. Varaitions are Programmmable Read-Only Memory (PROM) and Erasable Programmable Read ONly Memory (EPROM) |
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Definition
| Memory (such as electronic semiconductor memory) that loses its contents when electrical power is interrupted |
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Definition
| A flat, circular plate with a magnetic surface on which data can be stored by selective magnetization of portions of the curved surface. |
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Definition
| A small plastic disk coated with iron oxide that resembles a small phonograph record enclosed in a protective envelope. It is a widely used form of magnetic disk media that provides a direct access storage capability for microcomputer systems. |
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Term
| Redundant array of independent disks (RAID) |
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Definition
| Magnetic disk units that house many interconnected microcomputer hard disk drives, thus providing large, fault-tolerant storage capacities. |
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Definition
| A plastic tape with a magnetic surface on which data can be stored by selective magnetization of portions of the surface |
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Definition
| A secondary storage medium using CD and DVD technologies to read tiny spots on plastic disks. The disks are currently capable of storing billions of characters of information |
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| Grid computing technologies avoid the need for expensive, dedicated hardware by distributing hte processing load among commodity-priced equipment |
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Definition
| it was the first electronic digital computer |
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Definition
| a microcomputer category designed primarily for use with the Internet and corporate intranets by clerical workers, operational employes, and knowledge workers with specialized or limited computing applications |
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Definition
| moore observed an exponential growth (doubling every 18 to 24 months) in the number of transistors per integrated circuit and predicted that this trend would continue. Through a number of advances in technology, the doubling of transistors every couple of years, has been maintained and still holds true today |
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| more than 1 quadrillion bytes |
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Term
| radio frequency identification (RFID) |
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Definition
| a system for tagging and identifying mobile objects such as store merchandise, postal packages, and sometimes even living organisms. |
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