| A | B |
| Applications Software | software that performs specific tasks |
| Central Processing Unit (CPU) | the primary hardware device that interprets and runs the commands you give to the computer |
| Computer | an electronic device used to store and process information |
| Data | text, numbers, sounds, and images entered into the computer to be processed |
| Desktop Computers | computers made up of individual components such as a monitor, a keyboard, a system unit, and a printer |
| Handheld Computer | computers that are smaller than laptops computers and provide fewer features than desktop computers or laptops computers |
| Hard Copy | a printed copy of output |
| Hard disk/drive | a magnetic disk that is usually the main storage device on most computers |
| Hardware | the physical components of a computer |
| Input Devices | used to provide information to a computer |
| Laptop Computers | computers that are lightweight and portable personal computers |
| Operating System | controls the computer’s hardware and provides services and access to the hardware to programs |
| Output Devices | used to get feedback from a computer after it performs a task |
| Personal Computer (PC) | the most common computer, typically used by individuals and small businesses |
| Processing Devices | used by computer users to process the input data and generate the desired output |
| Soft Copy | a machine readable form of data displayed on a monitor or other type of screen |
| Software | a sequence of instructions that a computer can execute |
| Storage Devices | devices are used to store data |
| System Unit | the box that holds the processor, motherboard, disk drives, power supply, and the expansion bus |
| Tablet Computer | computers that allow you to write directly on the screen by using a tablet pen |
| Motherboard | the main circuit board inside a computer |