COMPUTER CONCEPTS Vocabulary

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COMPUTER CONCEPTSVocabulary

• 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