| A | B |
|---|
| Abacus | a calculating machine that is about 5,000 years old |
| Charles Babbage | In the early 1800's, designed the Analytical Engine that didn't work. |
| Four components essential to modern computing | input, output, storage and processing |
| microprocessor | The main processing unit of a computer or information processing device; the "brains" of the machine carrying out instructions, performing calculations, and interacting with the components used to operate the computer. |
| input | The data that is entered into a computer. The act of entering data into a computer. |
| output | The computer generated information that is displayed to the user in some discernible form such as a screen display, printed page, or sound. |
| processing | The manipulation of data by a microprocessor or embedded processor according to instructions given to it by a program or embedded in the chip itself. |
| storage | In computing, any device in which (or on which) information is stored. |
| electronic | Adjective for describing a device or result that is dependent on the action of electrons to work. |
| hardware | The physical parts of the computer system that you can touch and feel such as the keyboard, monitor, and computer case. |
| software | The programs and data that make computer hardware function. |
| information processing | Capturing, storing, updating and retrieving data and information. A computer is an information-processing machine. |
| Random Access Memory (RAM) | The memory that is available on a computer for storing data and programs currently being processed. It is automatically erased when the power is turned off. Information in the RAM that needs to be stored for future use must be saved onto a disk or a tape. |
| ROM (Read Only Memory) | Stored permanent systems instructions, which are never changed; it holds its contents even when the power is turned off. |
| hard drive | The main device that a computer uses to store information. |
| CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) | A disk that is physically the same as an audio CD but contains computer data. Storage capacity is about 650-680 megabytes. |
| floppy disk | A small, portable, flexible magnetic disk used for data storage on many computers. Diskettes come in 3½" and 5¼" sizes, with several densities and formats. |
