C's Flashcards
CAD
(Computer-Aided Design)
Software that makes technical drawings and schematics easier to produce and revise.
CAM
(Computer Aided Manufacturing)
Software that can control machine tools found in manufacturing environments.
CAN
(Campus area network)
A network that spans multiple nearby buildings.
CATV
(Cable Access TV)
Access to television stations over a coaxial cable connected to a TV, set-top box, or computer.
CCD
(Charge Coupled Device)
A type of microchip widely used as a digital image sensor. Each element in a CCD converts light captured by a photodiode into a proportional electric charge, which is then amplified, sampled, and stored as a digital value. The number of elements determines the resolution.
CCFL
(Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp)
A type of lamp providing a bright, clear light source. CCFLs are used for LCD backlights and scanners.
CD-ROM
(Compact Disc - Read Only Memory)
An optical storage technology. The discs can normally hold 700 MB of data or 80minutes of audio data. Recordable and re-writable CDs (and DVDs) are a popular backup solution for home users. They are also useful for archiving material. Unlike magnetic media, the data on the disc cannot be changed (assuming that the disc is closed to prevent further rewriting in the case of RW media). This makes them useful for preserving tamper-proof records.
CDMA
(Code Division Multiple Access)
Method of multiplexing a communications channel using a code to key the modulation of a particular signal. CDMA is associated with Sprint and Verizon cellular phone networks.
CIFS
(Common Internet File System)
Another term for SMB.
CIS
(Contact Image Sensor)
A type of digital imaging sensor. An array of LEDs strobing between red, blue, and green light are used to illuminate an object. The reflected light is captured through a lens onto an image sensor.
CMOS
(complementary metal oxide semiconductor)
A type of integrated circuit with a wide range of applications, including static RAM (for firmware and flash memory) and imaging sensors.
CMP
(Chip-level MultiProcessing)
Multiple processors combined on the same die.
CMTS
(Cable Modem Termination System)
Equipment used by cable companies to allow computers to send and receive IP packets by inserting the packets into MPEG frames over an RF signal and reverses the process for data coming from a cable modem.
CMYK Color Model
(Cyan Magenta Yellow Key [Black] color model)
Subtractive color model used by print devices. CMYK printing involves use of halftone screens. Four screens (or layers) of dots printed in each of the colors are overlaid. The size and density of the dots on each layer produces different shades of color and is viewed as a continuous tone image.
COM port
(communications port)
Windows’ representation of a computer’s serial port(s), numbered sequentially (COM1,COM2…).