| A | B |
|---|
| hardware | The equipment that makes up a computer. |
| modem | A device that allows interaction to occur between computers over the telephone. |
| computer architecture | A term used to describe the way the many devices that make up a computer are put together. |
| RAM | An acronym for Random Access Memory. |
| ROM | An acronym for Read-Only Memory. |
| instruction set | A set of commands that a microprocessor is designed to "understand". |
| bus interface unit | Links the microprocessor to the bus |
| instruction fetch unit | Get instructions from RAM and ROM. |
| ALU | The calculator and decision maker in the microprocessor. |
| register | A memory circuit that holds data that is being manipulated by the execution unit. |
| megahertz | Millions per second. |
| RISC | Reduced Instruction Set Computer |
| CISC | Complex Instruction Set Computer |
| clock | A device that controls the computer's speed. |
| motherboard | Computers main circuit board |
