| A | B |
|---|
| computer | an electronic device used to process data |
| hardware | electronic devices of the computer; parts you can see and touch |
| device | any piece of hardware used by a computer |
| software | programmed instructions that tell the computer what to do |
| data | facts which the computer can manipulate and process |
| CPU | the brains or the central processing unit that manages all devices and process data |
| memory | chips where data and program instructions are held; measured in bytes |
| RAM | Volatile memory that holds instructions for processing data |
| byte | smallest unit of measurement of a storage device |
| kilobyte | 1,000 bytes |
| megabyte | 1,000,000 bytes |
| gigabyte | 1,000,000,000 bytes |
| input device | device used to access data and instructions |
| output device | device used to return processed data |
| storage device | stores data not currently being used |
| system software | refers to operating system and utility programs that manage computer resources |
| application software | instructions to computer on how to accomplish specific tasks, such as word processing |
| chip | a small piece of semiconducting material on which electronic components are stored |
| hard disk | Fixed or not portable storage device |
| megahertz | measures speed of the processor |
| motherboard | the main circuit board of the computer |
| monitor | An output device; display screen |
| ROM | Read Only Memory; nonvolatile |
| terabyte | one trillion bytes |
| USB flash drive | Portable flash memory storage device |
| user | People who operate computer systems |
