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COMPUTER CONCEPTS Vocabulary Chapter 5 Computer Architecture CIS 120 Computer architecture The design and construction of a computer that is the basis for designating its platform. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Motherboard The circuit board in the computer that houses the chips that control the processing functions. CIS 120 Analog device A device that operates on continuously varying data, such as a dimmer switch or a watch with a sweep second hand. CIS 120 Digital device A device that works with discrete (distinct or separate) numbers or digits. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Character data Letters, symbols, or numerals that will not be used in arithmetic operations (name, social security number, etc.). CIS 120 Numeric data Numbers that represent quantities and can be used in arithmetic operations. CIS 120 EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code) A method by which digital computers represent character data. CIS 120 Address lines The circuitry on the data bus that carries a signal indicating the location or address of data. CIS 120 Data bus An electronic pathway or circuit that connects the electronic components (mainly the processor and RAM) on a computer's motherboard. CIS 120 Data lines The wires in the data bus that carry the signals that represent data. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 RAM (Random Access Memory) A type of computer memory circuit that holds data, program instructions, and the operating system while the computer is on. CIS 120 RAM address Like the address on a house, a RAM address identifies a specific area in RAM that can hold data. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Virtual memory A computer's use of hard disk storage to simulate RAM. CIS 120 CMOS memory A type of battery-powered integrated circuit that holds semi-permanent configuration data (acronym for complementary metal oxide semiconductor). CIS 120 ROM Read-only memory; one or more integrated circuits that contain permanent instructions that the computer uses during the boot process. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Plug and play The ability of a computer to automatically recognize and adjust the system configuration for a newly added device. CIS 120 Millisecond (ms) A thousandth of a second. CIS 120 Mils A measurement of the size of an integrated circuit, one mil is .001 inch. CIS 120 Accumulator A part of the ALU that holds the results of processing operations until they can be sent to RAM. CIS 120 ALU (arithmetic logic unit) The part of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations on the numbers stored in its registers. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Instruction register A location in the CPU's control unit that holds a processing instruction retrieved from RAM. CIS 120 Instruction Computer code that tells the computer to perform a specific arithmetic, logical, or control operation. CIS 120 Instruction set The collection of instructions that a CPU is designed to process. CIS 120 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). CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Instruction cycle The steps followed by a computer to process a single instruction; fetch, interpret, execute, then increment the instruction pointer. CIS 120 Cache Special high-speed memory that gives the CPU more rapid access to data (also called RAM cache or cache memory). CIS 120 Megahertz Megahertz (MHz) is a measure of frequency equivalent to one million cycles per second. CIS 120 System clock A device in the computer that emits pulses to establish the timing for all system operations. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 CISC CISC (complex instruction set computer) is a general-purpose microprocessor chip designed to handle a wider array of instructions than a RISC chip. CIS 120 Pipelining A technology that allows a processor to begin executing an instruction before completing the previous instruction. CIS 120 RISC RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is a microprocessor chip designed for rapid and efficient processing of a small set of simple instructions. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Parallel processing A technique by which two or more processors in a computer perform processing tasks simultaneously. CIS 120 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). CIS 120 Expansion card A circuit board that is plugged into a slot on a PC motherboard to add extra functions, devices, or ports. CIS 120 Expansion slot A socket or "slot" on a PC motherboard designed to hold a circuit board called an expansion card. CIS 120 Modem A device that sends and receives data to and from computers over telephone lines. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 AGP Short for accelerated graphics port, an AGP is a type of interface, or slot, that provides a high-speed pathway for advanced graphics. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Bootable floppy disk A disk that contains essential operating system files and that can be used to boot a computer. CIS 120 Default drive The drive that a computer attempts to read from or write to unless an alternate drive is specified. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 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. CIS 120 Return to Title Page Prepared by James Q. Jacobs CIS 120