| A | B |
|---|
| Hardware | Physical components |
| Input devices | Keyboard, mouse, cd/dvd, diskette drive, light pen |
| Peripheral devices | Scanner, printer |
| Output device | Monitor, printer |
| Desktop computers | are single-user systems designed with microprocessor technology where an entire CPU is contained on a single chip. Designed to fit on or under a desk. |
| Mobile computing devices | Long-lasting batteries to allow them to be portable |
| Notebook computers | Portable, light-weight computers comparable to a desktop in capability |
| Tablet PCs | Similar to pad/pencil. Write on screen with stylus (pen). Handwriting recognition software. |
| Handheld computers | PDAs. Palm-sized. Contains applications for storing contact information, schedules, lists and games. Use stylus for input |
| Smart phones | Cellular phones that are able to read and receive email and access the Internet. Some have cameras, video, mp3 players. |
| Wearable computer | Designed to be worn. In clothing. Wristband. MP3 players, hands-free cell phones. Monitor health problems. |
| Base Unit | Contains many storage devices such as a diskette drive, a cd/dvd drive, and a hard disk drive. Contains the motherboard which contains |
| Central Processing Unit | AKA CPU. Processes data and controls the flow of data between the computer’s other units. |
| Arithmetic Logic Unit | AKA ALU. Performs logic and arithmetic operations. Makes comparisons. So fast that the time need to carry out a single addition is measured in nanoseconds (billionths of a second). |
| Cache | (pronounced cash) is high speed memory. |
| Expansion boards | Circuit boards that connect to the motherboard to add functionality. (sound and video) **2005 |
| Clock rate | Determines the speed at which a CPU can execute instructions Megahertz (million of cycles per second) MHz Gigahertz (billion of cycles per second)GHz |
| Memory | Stores data electronically |
| Read Only Memory | AKA ROM-Contains most basic operating instructions for computer Cannot be changed – permanent |
| Random Access Memory | AKA RAM-Memory where data and instructions are stored temporarily |
| Static Random Access Memory | AKA SRAM-High-speed memory referred to as cache Used to store frequently used data for quick retrieval |
| Bus | Set of circuits that connect the CPU to other components |
| Data Bus/Address Bus | Transfers data between the CPU, memory and other hardware addresses that indicate where the data is located and where it should go |
| Control Bus | Carries control signals |
| Bytes | The unit used to measure memory and storage on a computer is a byte. |
| Kilobyte | Thousand (1000 bytes) |
| Megabyte | Million (1000 KB, 1,000,000 bytes) |
| Gigabyte | Billion (1000 MB, 1,000,000 KB) |
| Terabyte | Trillion (1000 GB, 1,000,000 MB) |
| Petabyte | Quadrillion |
| Exabyte | Quintillion |
