2. Basic Computer Principles Flashcards
1
Q
a programmable electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data
A
Computer
2
Q
In its basic form, a computer consists of:
A
input, output, and processing devices
3
Q
Input devices
A
keyboards, mice, microphones, barcode readers, touch screens, and image scanners
4
Q
Common output devices
A
monitors, printers, and speakers
5
Q
The processing of information is done in the ______
A
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
6
Q
The computer takes data from the user and processes it using a machine language of 1s and 0s, known as ______
A
Binary Code
7
Q
is performed by a series of transistors, which are switches that are either on or off
A
Computer Processing
8
Q
If the transistor circuit is closed and current passes through, it is assigned a value of _____
A
1
9
Q
If no current passes because of the circuit being open, it is assigned a value of ____
A
0
10
Q
Each 1 and 0 represents a ____
A
bit
11
Q
is a single unit of data
A
Bit
12
Q
is made up of eight bits and is the amount of memory needed to store one alphanumeric character
A
Byte
13
Q
is made from a heavy metal and has two major functions
A
The Box/The computer encasement
14
Q
The Box/The computer encasement has two major functions:
A
- To hold all of the components in a relatively cool, clean, and safe environment
- To shield the outside environment from the radio frequencies being emitted by the electronic components of the computer
15
Q
The box comes in two major configurations:
A
Desktop model and Tower model
16
Q
_____ is generally positioned in a horizontal box, whereas a _____ is in a vertical box
A
Desktop model,
Tower model
17
Q
- is generally placed underneath the desk within arm’s reach of the operator.
- are placed on the desk underneath the monitor
A
- Tower model
2. Desktop models
18
Q
is the largest circuitry board inside the computer, and
it contains many important small components to make the computer function properly
A
Motherboard
19
Q
BIOS
A
Basic Input/Output System
20
Q
CMOS
A
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor
21
Q
CPU
A
Central Processing Unit
22
Q
Central Processing Unit (CPU) is also known as
A
Microprocessor
23
Q
is a small chip found on the motherboard
A
Central Processing Unit (CPU), or Microprocessor
24
Q
is the brain of the computer
A
Microprocessor
25
it consists of a series of transistors that are arranged to manipulate data received from the software.
Microprocessor
26
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
27
The CPU’s basic tasks are:
to read data from storage,
manipulate the data,
and then move the data back to storage or send it to external devices, such as monitors or printers
28
is named after its manufacturer and the speed at which it manipulates data
Microprocessor
29
The first microprocessor to be placed in a computer was made in ____ by ____
1979,
| Intel
30
The first microprocessor to be placed in a computer was called the
8088
31
8088 had a clock speed of a mere _____
4.77MHz
32
The more modern Pentium 4 microprocessor has speeds upward of _______
3.2 to 3.8GHz
33
To put these speeds in perspective, the 8088 needed about ____ cycles to complete one basic instruction, and the modern Pentium processor can complete ____ instruction per cycle.
12, one
34
contains a simple set of instructions for the computer
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
35
is the intermediary between the operating system (OS) and the hardware
BIOS
36
is a series of connections, controllers, and chips that creates the information highway of the computer
The Bus
37
Most modern PCs have what is called a ____________ bus on the motherboard to serve as the connection of information to the various adapters
Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)
38
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect
39
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface
40
AGP
Accelerated Graphics Port
41
provides the connections for the information to flow within the computer.
The Bus
42
is used to store information currently being processed within the CPU
Memory
43
Memory also known as
Random Access Memory (RAM)
44
short-term storage for open programs
RAM
45
measured in bytes and can be found in configurations such as 128MB, 512MB, and 1 GB
Memory
46
a collection of connectors sticking out of the back of the PC that link adapter cards, drives, printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, and other peripherals that may be used
Ports
47
Types of ports
parallel, serial, USB, integrated drive electronics (IDE), and SCSI
48
is a 25-pin connector found on the back of most modern PCs
parallel port
49
is synonymous with a printer port because it is most
| often used for this purpose
parallel port
50
can send 8 bits of data through the connection
parallel port
51
can only send 1 bit of data down a single wire
serial port
52
can be universally used for many of the components plugged into the computer, such as a mouse, which does not require the speed of a parallel port
serial port
53
Most serial ports are of the ____-pin variety, but some can have up to ____-pin connectors
9,
| 25
54
a common interface connection used between most devices commonly
used today
USB
55
By using USB ports the user can connect up to ____ devices to one single USB port
127
56
can be found on the motherboard and connect the hard drive, floppy drive, and CD-ROM drive to the board.
IDE ports
57
It is the fastest and most versatile way for a PC to communicate with its peripherals
SCSI
58
The most common SCSI devices are
hard drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, and printers
59
is a special type of memory chip that uses a small rechargeable or lithium battery to retain information about
the PC’s hardware while the computer is turned off
Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS)
60
is also the location of the system clock that keeps track of the date and time
CMOS
61
contains all of the circuitry for recording and reproducing sound on
the PC
Sound Card
62
It may be in the form of an expansion card, or it may be built into several chips found on the motherboard
Sound Card
63
The sound card interprets many different file types such as
```
waveform audio (WAV)
files,
moving picture experts group audio layer 3 (MP3) files,
musical instrument
digital interface (MIDI) files
```
64
NIC
Network Interface Card
65
will have an RJ-45 adapter jack at the rear of the PC for the acceptance of a
twisted-pair wire with RJ-45 connector
Network Interface Card (NIC)
66
can come either as an expansion card plugged into a slot or as part of the PC motherboard circuitry
Network Interface Card (NIC)
67
will enable
| this PC to connect to other PCs that are on the same network
Network Interface Card (NIC)
68
delivers all electricity to the PC and contains a fan
| to help keep the inside of the computer cool
Power Supply
69
it contains a transformer that converts the wall outlet alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) in the voltages appropriate for each powered device
Power Supply
70
Power supply are rated in
Watts
71
designed to take the brunt of the force if the computer ever receives a power surge.
Power Supply
72
main repository for programs and documents on a PC
Hard Drive
73
made up of many hard, thin magnetic platters that are stacked one on top of the other with only enough space for a read-write head to glide over the surface of
the disks
Hard Drive
74
is a thin injection-molded polycarbonate plastic disk
CD
75
is impressed from a mold to form microscopic bumps that indicate either a 1 or 0 to the computer
CD
76
CD
Compact Disk
77
DVD
Digital Versatile Disk
78
GB of single sided DVD
9.4 GB
79
GB of double sided DVD
17 GB
80
_____ is used behind the inner layers, and _____ is used behind the outer layers
Aluminum,
| Gold
81
is semireflective so that it allows the laser to penetrate through to the inner layers of plastic
Gold
82
three main types of CD/DVD drives available in today’s market:
ROM (read-only memory), R (write once–read many),
| RW (read and write many times)
83
is found on the front of the encasement of a computer
CD/DVD drive
84
There are two basic types of keyboards:
soft and click
85
If there is an audible sound when
| the keys are depressed, it is a
click keyboard
86
The first keyboards made by IBM were
click keyboards
87
a device with two or sometimes three buttons that allow the user to move the
computer’s cursor to activate and perform functions within the computer’s software
Mouse
88
There are five types of mouse connections (all are serial-type connections):
```
Serial mouse
Bus mouse
PS/2 mouse
USB mouse
Infrared mouse
```
89
uses a standard serial connection
Serial mouse
90
uses a dedicated controller card that is connected to the motherboard
Bus mouse
91
a special connection for mice that does not use the standard serial port
PS/2
92
attaches to a USB port
USB mouse
93
uses the computer’s infrared port (wireless)
Infrared mouse
94
There are three types of mice commonly used:
Mechanical,
Optical,
Optomechanical
95
this mouse uses a hard rubber ball inside an opening on the bottom
that is surrounded by sensing devices
Mechanical
96
this mouse has a high-intensity diode that bounces light off surfaces and
back to a receiver inside the mouse
Optical
97
this mouse is a hybrid of mechanical and optical mouse. It uses a rubber ball that interacts with rollers that trigger the optical sensors within the mouse
Optomechanical
98
are devices that capture drawings or written paper documents and convert them into a digital image or document that can be edited
Scanners
99
are used to convert an analog (film) image into a digital image
Special Image Scanners
100
receive sound data from a sound card that is either built into the motherboard or is an expansion card
Speakers
101
are used to record voice or to use voice dictation software
Microphones
102
4 types of Monitors
CRT,
LCD,
OLED,
AMOLED
103
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube
104
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display
105
OLED
Organic Light-Emitting Diode
106
AMOLED
Active Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode
107
A basic picture element on a display is known as
Pixel
108
is an individual
| controllable set of dot triads
Pixel
109
is a grouping of one red dot, one green dot, and one blue dot
Dot Triad
110
The number of pixels on a display is known as its
resolution
111
can also be defined as the process or capability
| of distinguishing between individual parts of an image that are adjacent.
Resolution
112
Pixels are
| arranged in a _____,
Matrix
113
a rectangular or square table of numbers that represents the pixel
intensity to be displayed on the monitor
Matrix
114
Common screen resolutions are
1024 × 768,
1280 × 1024,
2048 × 1536, and
2048 × 2560
115
common in image viewing applications
2048 × 1536, and
| 2048 × 2560
116
is the measurement of how close the dots are located to one another within a pixel
Dot pitch
117
the most important measurements of a monitor is
Refresh rate or vertical scanning rate
118
is the measure of how fast the monitor rewrites the screen or the number of times that the image is redrawn on the display each second
Refresh rate
119
Most refresh rates on today’s computers are set between ___ and
___Hz; the image is redrawn ___ to ___ times per second
60, 75
120
is the ratio of the width of the monitor to the height of the monitor
Aspect Ratio
121
Most CRT monitors have an aspect ratio of
4:3
122
LCD monitors have a ratio of
16:9
123
is measured diagonally from one corner of the display to the opposite corner
Viewable area
124
are the most popular monitors on the market
CRT monitors
125
produces images by shining or reflecting light through a layer of liquid crystal and a series of color filters
LCD monitor
126
are still new to the consumer market
Plasma Displays
127
have been heavily used in government and military applications since the late 1960s
Plasma Displays
128
are made up of many small fluorescent lights that are illuminated to form the color of the image
Plasma Displays
129
is the software that controls the computer hardware and acts as a bridge between applications and the hardware
operating system (OS)
130
There are three major OSs in use today:
Windows by Microsoft, the Macintosh OS, and UNIX/Linux.
131
There are four types of OSs:
Real-time OS,
Single-user, single-task,
Single-user, multitask,
Multiuser
132
used to control specific machinery, scientific instruments, and industrial systems, such as digital x-ray consoles found on modern x-ray equipment
Real-time OS
133
designed so that a computer can effectively do one task for one person at a time, such as a Palm OS for the hand-held personal organizer
Single-user, single-task
134
designed for one user to perform multiple functions at the same time, such as the OS on a PC
Single-user, multitask
135
designed to handle multiple users and multiple tasks at the same time, such as UNIX running on a large server or as a mainframe computer supporting
an entire company
Multiuser
136
UNIX was first developed by _____ and was given out free to universities
Bell Laboratories
137
is known as open-source software; programmers can make changes in the code as long as the changes are shared with others
Linux
