| A | B |
|---|
| Memory Capacity | Amount of information a computer can store in memory. |
| Byte | One character. A character can be a number, letter or symbol. |
| Cache (Disk) | Section of RAM that allows your computer to operate faster. Retrieving data from your hard disk is a slow process. A disk caching program helps solve this problem by placing recently used data in your disk cache. Next time you need data, it may already be available in the disk cache, so a time-consuming search of the slow hard disk is avoided. |
| DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) | Also called RAM. All information stored in DRAM is temporary and is lost if there is a power failure. |
| Kilobyte (Kb) | Approximately one thousand characters, or one page of double-spaced text. |
| Log In or Log On | To gain acces to a computer system, usually be entering your user name (login) and password. One you are logged in, you can run programs, search databases, or transfer files. |
| Megabyte (MB) | Approximately one million characters, or one novel. |
| Gigabyte (GB) | Approximately one billion characters, or one thousand novels. |
| RAM (Random Access Memory) | Electronic memory that temporarily stores information inside a computer. The data stored in memory is temporary. If you do not save the data, it will disappear when you turn off the computer. |
| ROM (Read-Only Memory) | A type of memory chip that does not lose information, even when the power is turned off. Once data is programmed into the ROM chip, its contents cannot be altered. |
| VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) | A type of memory used in video adapters to create images on your screen. High-end applications such as desktop publishing and photo-retouching use VRAM. VRAM is faster, but more expensive, than DRAM. |
| Megahertz (MHz) | One million cycles per second--used to measure the speed of a CPU chip. |
| Central Processing Unit (CPU) | The part of the computer which executes the instructions given by a software program. The CPU is considered the "Brain" of the computer. (A 486, Pentium, Pentium II or Pentium III are examples of a CPU) |
| CD-ROM Drive | A removable data storage device for reading information. (There are some writable and re-writable CD's now available but they are still somewhat expensive.) |
| Chip | A small piece of silion containing millions of tiny electronic components, als called an integrated circuit (IC). Two common types of chips are CPU and RAM. |
| Floppy Disk | A removable storage device for reading and writing information. Most common size is the 3 1/2" high density. |
| Hard Disk | The part of the computer that can read and write information. This is where software programs and files are stored and retrieved. Hard disks hold more information than any other kind of disk. |
| Keyboard | The device used to manually key-in data into the system. The keyboard is one of the ways to communicate with the computer. It is an input device. |
| MODEM (Modulator-Demodulator) | A device that lets computers communicate through telephone lines. You can use a modemto exchange e-mail, use online services like CompuServe, and surf the Internet. The faster your modem, the better. |
| Monitor | The screen, or display which is how the computer communicates to you. It is an output device. It is not a TV. |
| Motherboad | The main circuit board inside a computer. The motherboard contains the CPU chip, memory chips, expansion slots, and other electronic components. |
| Mouse | A hand-held pointing device used to communicate with the computer. When you move the mouse, the mouse poinere on teh screen moves in the same direction. It is an input device. |
| Sound Card | A special card that lets you use speakers, a stereo, or a microphone with your computer. |
| Peripherals | Any external device that plugs into your computer, such as a printer, modem, scanner, or type driver. |
| Printer | A device that provides paper copies (or hard copies) from information stored in the computer. It is an output device. |
| Scanner | A peripheral device that is used to transfer or scan a picture, photograph, or image into a file on your computer. It is an input device. |
| Digital camera | A camera which produces photographs that can be saved as files on your computer. These cameras do not require film to be processed. It is an input device. |
| Stand-alone Computer | A computer that is not connected to a network. It is completely self-contained. It has its own hard drive loaded with all of the software used by the computer user. It generally has its own printer. |
| Network | A collection of at least two computers that are linked together so that they can communicate with each other or share a common resource, such as a printer or a shared folder. |
