| A | B |
|---|
| computer | electronic device that accepts data, performs computation, and makes logical decisions to produce useful information. |
| general purpose computers | computers where both computation and input/output processing support a wide array of applications |
| information | knowledge of some fact or circumstance that is given or received. |
| information(data) procesing | the sharing of information between humans and computers. It includes sorting, classyfying, calculating, summarizing, and comparing data. |
| information utilities | America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy. (use large computers to store vast amounts of info. about many subjects and is available to the public. |
| application program | instructs the computer to perform a specific, user-defined task. |
| computer system | hardware and software working together to accomplish a common goal. |
| hardware | the tangible, physical equipment that can be seen and touched. |
| input | data that enters the computer system via an input or storage device. |
| input device | a hardware device that enables the computer to accept data (example: a keyboard) |
| microminiaturization | the ongoing technological process of size reduction that has enabled an entire microprocessor to occupy the space of a tiny chip. |
| output | useful information that leaves the computer. |
| output device | a hardware device that reports information in an understandable form (examples: a monitor, a printer). |
| processing | activity within the computer's processor where detailed instructions tell the computer what to do to produce the desired information. |
| processor | a hardware device that processes data into meaningful information. |
| program | a series of detailed, step-by-step instructions that tell the computer what to do. |
| raw data | data fed into the computer for processing. |
| software | the intangible instructions that tell the computer what to do. |
| source documents | paper forms on which data may be written before being entered into the computer. |
| storage device | a hardware device that permits storage of data. |
| system program | a program that controls the computer's circuitry and hardware devices. |
| Information Superhighway | a global network of computers that provides access through digital, voice, and video communication to information resources anywhere in the world. |
| megahertz | one million cycles, or pulses, per second; this measurment is used to state the internal clock speed of a computer. |
| local area network (LAN) | computer networks limited to a small area such as a school or an office building and generally connected with cables. |
| Internet | the worlds largest Wide Area Network. Begun by the U.S. Defense Department, it is now worldwide and includes governmental, educational, commercial, and personal users. |
