| A | B |
|---|
| Mouse | A small, hand-held device used to control the pointer on the screen. |
| Computer | a machine that collects, processes, stores, & produces information |
| Keyboard | A device used to enter data and issue commands to the computer. |
| Printer | output device that prints letters, numbers, & symbols on a piece of paper |
| Central Processing Unit | brain of the computer |
| CD | a device that stores data |
| CD-rom drive | part of the computer that reads information from a CD |
| Monitor | device that displays computer output on a screen |
| Trackpad | input device that is a flat pad on some computers that you slide your finger over in order to move the cursor. |
| Processor (CPU) | part of the computer that handles all processes and instructions supplied by memory unit (RAM) |
| Memory (RAM) - Random Accessed Memory | area of the computer that holds the instructions (processes) and information system gives it. When you turn the computer off, everything in RAM disappears |
| Read Only Memory (ROM) | A chip or disk that holds information that cannot be changed. Ex CD-ROM, DVD-ROM |
| Disk drive | input device that reads & writes into & from a disk |
| Zip disk | A magnetically removable coated disk on which information can be stored and retrieved. Capacity is 100 or 250MB or more - requires a zip-drive |
| Hard disk | A large capacity storage area that offers access to store and retrieve information, very slow compare to RAM |
| Scanner | A device that help to make hard copies o scan documents into the computer |
| Software | Instructions that tell your computer how to perform a task. |
| Application software (program) | Software that does specific task, such as word processing. (Word, Power Point) |
| Firmware | A kind of system software - instructions that are built into the computer system on ROM chips |
| Operating System (OS) | software that acts as a link between you, application software (programs), and hardware. (Windows 98, Mac OS 9, Linux 7.2) |
| Graphical User Interface (GUI) | A phrase that is commonly used to describe Microsoft Windows and other OS that use pictures to help you communicate with the computer. |
| Motherboard(mainboard) | connects all peripheral devices, cpu, memory, hard drive etc. |
| Peripheral | electronic equipment connected by cable to the CPU of a computer |
