| A | B |
|---|
| liquid crystal display | A thin, flat display that uses liquid crystals—an organic, oil-like material—placed between two pieces of glass to form characters and graphic images on a backlit screen. |
| magnetic storage | Uses magnetic properties of iron oxide particles to store bits and bytes more permanently than RAM. |
| megahertz | Millions of cycles per second. |
| Moore’s Law | Continuing advances in technological innovation will make it possible to reduce the size of transistors, doubling their density on a processor chip every two years. |
| motherboard | The primary circuit board of a computing device. |
| optical storage | Stores bits by using an optical laser to burn pits into the surface of a highly reflective disc surface. |
| output device | Device that allows you to observe the results of computer processing with one or more of your senses. |
| random access memory | Temporary, or volatile, memory that stores bytes of data and program instructions for the processor to access. |
| read-only memory | A type of system memory that provides permanent storage for data and instructions that do not change, such as programs and data from the computer manufacturer, including the boot process used to start the computer. |
| solid state storage | Stores data using transistors; can be volatile (as with RAM), or nonvolatile (as with flash memory) |
| touch screen | Allows you to select items on the screen by touching them with your finger or a stylus. |
| transistor | An electronics component composed typically of silicon; opens or closes a circuit to alter the flow of electricity to store and manipulate bits. |
| Universal Serial Bus | Standard that allows a wide array of devices to connect to a computer through a common port. |
| application software | Programs written to perform tasks or solve problems for people, groups, and organizations. |
| artificial intelligence | Refers to the science and engineering of creating computer systems that simulate human thought and behavior. |
| boot process | Stored in ROM; when the computer is powered up, it runs system checks, then transfers the operating system from the hard drive to RAM. |
| command-based user interface | Requires that text commands be typed at a prompt in order to perform basic tasks. |
| computational intelligence | Artificial intelligence methodologies such as neural networks, fuzzy systems, and evolutionary computation that set up a system whereby the software can develop intelligence through an iterative process. |
| computer vision | Combines hardware (cameras and scanners) and AI software that permit computers to capture, store, and interpret visual images and pictures . |
| conventional AI | Artificial intelligence methodologies such as expert systems, case-based reasoning, Bayesian networks, and behavior-based AI that rely on the programmer to instill the software with logical functionality to solve problems. |
