Download COMPUTER CONCEPTS Vocabulary

COMPUTER CONCEPTS
Vocabulary
Chapter 5
Computer Architecture
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Computer architecture
The design and construction of a
computer that is the basis for
designating its platform.
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Chip package
The housing for an integrated circuit, a
chip package can be a single DIP or
PGA, or it can include a circuit board as
in a DIMM or SEC.
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Integrated circuit (IC)
A thin slice of silicon crystal containing
microscopic circuit elements such as
transistors, wires, capacitors, and
resistors; also called chips and
microchips.
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Motherboard
The circuit board in the computer that
houses the chips that control the
processing functions.
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Analog device
A device that operates on continuously
varying data, such as a dimmer switch
or a watch with a sweep second hand.
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Digital device
A device that works with discrete
(distinct or separate) numbers or digits.
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ASCII
American Standard Code for
Information Interchange
A code that represents characters as a
series of 1s and Os. Most computers
use ASCII code to represent text,
making it possible to transfer data
between computers.
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Binary number system
A method for representing numbers
using only two digits, 0 and 1. Contrast
this system to the decimal system,
which uses ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
7, 8, and 9.
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Character data
Letters, symbols, or numerals that will
not be used in arithmetic operations
(name, social security number, etc.).
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Numeric data
Numbers that represent quantities and
can be used in arithmetic operations.
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EBCDIC
(Extended Binary-Coded
Decimal Interchange Code)
A method by which digital computers
represent character data.
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Address lines
The circuitry on the data bus that carries
a signal indicating the location or
address of data.
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Data bus
An electronic pathway or circuit that
connects the electronic components
(mainly the processor and RAM) on a
computer's motherboard.
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Data lines
The wires in the data bus that carry the
signals that represent data.
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Capacitors
Electronic circuit components that store
an electrical charge; in binary code, a
charged capacitor represents an "on"
bit, and a discharged one represents an
'off" bit.
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RAM
(Random Access Memory)
A type of computer memory circuit that
holds data, program instructions, and
the operating system while the
computer is on.
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RAM address
Like the address on a house, a RAM
address identifies a specific area in
RAM that can hold data.
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DIMM
Short for dual in-line memory module, a
DIMM is a small circuit board that holds
RAM chips. A DIMM has a 64-bit path to
the memory chips.
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Virtual memory
A computer's use of hard disk storage to
simulate RAM.
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CMOS memory
A type of battery-powered integrated
circuit that holds semi-permanent
configuration data (acronym for
complementary metal oxide
semiconductor).
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ROM
Read-only memory; one or more
integrated circuits that contain
permanent instructions that the
computer uses during the boot process.
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ROM BIOS
A small set of basic input/output system
instructions stored in ROM, which cause
the computer system to load critical
operating files when the user turns on
the computer.
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Plug and play
The ability of a computer to
automatically recognize and adjust the
system configuration for a newly added
device.
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Millisecond (ms)
A thousandth of a second.
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Mils
A measurement of the size of an
integrated circuit, one mil is .001 inch.
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Accumulator
A part of the ALU that holds the results
of processing operations until they can
be sent to RAM.
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ALU (arithmetic logic unit)
The part of the CPU that performs
arithmetic and logical operations on the
numbers stored in its registers.
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Microprocessor
An integrated circuit that contains the
circuitry for processing data. It is a
single chip version of the Central
Processing Unit (CPU) found in all
computers.
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Registers
A sort of "scratch pad" area of the ALU
and control unit where data or
instructions are moved so that they can
be processed.
Control unit The part of the ALU that
directs and coordinates processing.
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Instruction pointer
A sort of placeholder that the CPU's
control unit uses to keep track of the
location of the instructions that are
scheduled for processing.
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Instruction register
A location in the CPU's control unit that
holds a processing instruction retrieved
from RAM.
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Instruction
Computer code that tells the computer
to perform a specific arithmetic, logical,
or control operation.
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Instruction set
The collection of instructions that a CPU
is designed to process.
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Op code
Short for operation code, an op code is
a command word that designates an
operation, such as add (ADD), compare
(CMP), or jump (JMP).
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Operands
An operand is the part of an instruction
that specifies the data, or the address of
the data, on which the operation is to be
performed.
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Instruction cycle
The steps followed by a computer to
process a single instruction; fetch,
interpret, execute, then increment the
instruction pointer.
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Cache
Special high-speed memory that gives
the CPU more rapid access to data
(also called RAM cache or cache
memory).
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Megahertz
Megahertz (MHz) is a measure of
frequency equivalent to one million
cycles per second.
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System clock
A device in the computer that emits
pulses to establish the timing for all
system operations.
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Word size
The number of bits the CPU can
manipulate at one time, which is
dependent on the size of the registers in
the CPU and on the number of data
lines in the bus.
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CISC
CISC (complex instruction set
computer) is a general-purpose
microprocessor chip designed to handle
a wider array of instructions than a
RISC chip.
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Pipelining
A technology that allows a processor to
begin executing an instruction before
completing the previous instruction.
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RISC
RISC (reduced instruction set computer)
is a microprocessor chip designed for
rapid and efficient processing of a small
set of simple instructions.
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Parallel computer
A computer that has more than one
processor and can process more than
one instruction at a time. Also called
non-von-Neumann machines.
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Parallel processing
A technique by which two or more
processors in a computer perform
processing tasks simultaneously.
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Expansion bus
The segment of the data bus that
transports data between RAM and
peripheral devices.
input/output The circuitry that allows a
computer to collect data (input) and the
transportation of the results to display,
print, or storage devices (output).
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Expansion card
A circuit board that is plugged into a slot
on a PC motherboard to add extra
functions, devices, or ports.
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Expansion slot
A socket or "slot" on a PC motherboard
designed to hold a circuit board called
an expansion card.
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Modem
A device that sends and receives data
to and from computers over telephone
lines.
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Sound card
A circuit board that gives the computer
the ability to accept audio input from a
microphone, play sound files stored on
disks and CD-ROMS, and produce
audio output through speakers or
headphones.
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AGP
Short for accelerated graphics port, an
AGP is a type of interface, or slot, that
provides a high-speed pathway for
advanced graphics.
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ISA
(Industry Standard
Architecture)
A standard for moving data on the
expansion bus. Can refer to a type of
slot, a bus, or a peripheral device. An
older technology, it is rapidly being
replaced by PCI architecture.
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PCI
(Peripheral Component
Interconnect)
A method for transporting data on the
expansion bus. Can refer to type of data
bus, expansion slot, or transport method
used by a peripheral device.
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Expansion port
A socket into which the user plugs a
cable from a peripheral device, allowing
data to pass between the computer and
the peripheral device.
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Boot process
The sequence of events that occurs
within a computer system between the
time the user starts the computer and
the time it is ready to process
commands.
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Power-on self-test (POST)
A diagnostic process that runs during
startup to check components of the
computer such as the graphics card,
RAM, keyboard, and disk drives.
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Bootable floppy disk
A disk that contains essential operating
system files and that can be used to
boot a computer.
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Default drive
The drive that a computer attempts to
read from or write to unless an alternate
drive is specified.
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Windows Registry
A crucial data file maintained by the
operating system that contains the
settings needed by a computer to
correctly use any hardware and
software that has been installed on the
system.
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Safe Mode
A menu option that appears when
Windows is unable to complete the boot
sequence. By entering safe mode, a
user can gracefully shut down the
computer, then try to reboot it.
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Prepared by James Q. Jacobs
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