| A | B |
|---|
| hardware | physical parts of the computer |
| device | refers to any piece of hardware |
| user | computer operators |
| mother board | the main circuit board in the computer |
| CPU | the main chip in the computer; the brain |
| RAM | memory that is temporarily |
| byte | amount of memory that takes up a single character |
| keyboard | most popular input device |
| printer | most popular output device |
| joystick | input device; not most popular |
| touch screen | input and output device |
| speakers | output device; not most popular |
| hard drive | storage device found on most all PCs |
| CD-ROM | compact disk that can only be read |
| CD-R | compact disk that can only be recorded once |
| CD-RW | compact disk that can be recorded on many times |
| POST | first step of booting the computer |
| ROM | chip that has the start up instructions |
| supercomputer | most powerful computer |
| mainframe | large computer mostly used by large organizations |
| minicomputer | large computer between the mainframe and the PCs |
| PC | personal computer |
| notebook | a smaller PC; portable |
| docking station | some notebook systems can be plugged into these |
| personal digital assistants (PDAs) | smallest of portable computers |
