2: The System Unit - Processing and Memory Flashcards
“natural language” of computers that can only understand two states, “on” and “off” (0s and 1s)
binary form
the smallest unit of data a digital (binary) computer can recognize - represented by a 0 or 1
bit
a group of 8 bits - often used in context of digital data storage
byte
a group of approximately 1,000 bytes (1,024 bytes exactly)
kilobyte (KB)
a group of approximately 1 million bytes
megabyte (MB)
a group of approximately 1 billion bytes
gigabyte (GB)
a group of approximately 1 trillion bytes
terabyte (TB)
numbering system that represents all numbers using 10 symbols (0-9)
decimal numbering system
numbering system that represents all numbers using only 2 symbols, 0 and 1 - used by ___ computers
binary numbering system
a fixed-length binary coding system used to represent text-based data for computer processing on many types of computers - focused on Latin alphabet and English language
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
an international coding system that can be used to represent text-based data in any written language - has been widely implemented
Unicode
image made up of a grid of small dots (pixels) that are colored appropriately to represent an image
bitmap image
digital representations of sound at particular moments that recreate audio when played back in proper order - thousands every second
samples
still image within video data that creates illusion of movement when played rapidly one after the other
frame
a binary-based language for representing computer programs that the computer can execute directly
machine language
the main box of a computer that houses the CPU, motherboard, memory, and other devices
system unit
the main circuit board of a computer, located inside the system unit, to which all computer system components connect
motherboard
special connector exposed through the exterior of the system unit case that connects external devices to the motherboard
port
the chip located on the motherboard of a computer that performs most of the processing for a computer
central processing unit (CPU)
the central processing unit (CPU) for a personal computer
microprocessor
CPUs that contain the processing components (cores) of multiple independent processors on a single CPU (2 in dual-core CPU, 4 in quad-core CPU)
multi-core CPUs
the chip that does the processing needed to display images on the screen - can be located on the motherboard, inside the CPU, or on a video graphics board
graphics processing unit (GPU)
the amount of data (measured in bits or bytes) that a CPU can manipulate at one time
word
group of fast memory circuitry located on or near the CPU to help speed up processing
cache memory
an electronic path on the motherboard or within the CPU or other computer component along which data is transferred
bus
the amount of data that can be theoretically transferred through a communications medium in a given period of time
bandwidth
the amount of data that is actually transferred through a communications medium under real-life conditions
throughput
chip-based storage that is located inside the system unit and used by computer to store data on a short-term, temporary basis
memory
a characteristic of memory or storage in which data is not retained when the power to the computer is turned off
volatile
a characteristic of memory or storage in which data is retained even when the power to the computer is turned off
nonvolatile
AKA system memory - chips connected to the motherboard that provide a temporary location for the computer to hold data and program instructions while they are needed
RAM (random access memory)
high-speed memory built into the CPU that temporarily stores data during processing
register
nonvolatile chips located on the motherboard into which data or programs have been permanently stored
read-only memory (ROM)
nonvolatile memory chips that can be used for storage by the computer or user, built into a computer or a storage medium - allows for firmware to be updated
flash memory
a location on the motherboard into which expansion cards are inserted
expansion slot
a circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot location on a computer’s motherboard to add additional functionality or to connect a peripheral device to that computer
expansion card
a bus on the motherboard used to connect peripheral devices
expansion bus
the bus used to connect the CPU directly to RAM
memory bus
the bus that connects the CPU to the chipset that connects to the rest of the bus architecture
frontside bus (FSB)
a bus used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices to a computer without requiring the use of additional expansion cards
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
a high-speed bus standard sometimes used to connect digital video cameras and other multimedia hardware to a computer - developed by Apple
FireWire
phenomenon describing how approximately every 18 months, technology advances to the point where the number of transistors in a modern CPU doubles
Moore’s Law
the part of a CPU core that performs logical operations and integer arithmetic - performs spell check, photo editing, burning CDs, etc.
arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)
the part of a CPU core that performs decimal arithmetic
floating point unit (FPU)
the part of a CPU core that coordinates its operations and activities - directs the flow of electronic traffic
control unit
the part of a CPU core that attempts to retrieve data and instructions before they are needed for processing in order to avoid delays
prefetch unit
the part of a CPU core that translates instructions into a form that can be processed by the ALU and FPU
decode unit
the part of a CPU core that allows it to communicate with other CPU components
bus interface unit
the timing mechanism within the computer system that synchronizes the computer’s operations - each tick is a “cycle”, and the number of cycles per second is measured in Hz
system clock
CPU’s ability to process more than one piece of microcode at a time (multiple instructions per cycle)
superscalar
the series of operations involved in the execution of a single machine-level instruction (fetch, decode, execute, store)
machine cycle
the capability of a CPU or CPU core to begin processing a new instruction as soon as the previous instruction completes the first stage of the machine cycle
pipelining
the capability to use multiple processors or multiple processing cores in a single computer, usually to process multiple jobs at one time faster than could be performed with a single processor
multiprocessing
a processing technique that uses multiple processors or multiple processing cores simultaneously, usually to process a single job as fast as possible
parallel processing
the science of creating tiny computers and components by working at the individual atomic and molecular levels
nanotechnology
a technology that applies the principles of quantum physics and quantum mechanics to computers to direct atoms or nuclei to work together as quantum bits (qubits), which function simultaneously as the computer’s processor and memory
quantum computing
a computer that uses light, such as from laser beams or infrared beams, to perform digital computations
optical computer
