CH_1_Into_To_Computers_Programming Flashcards
Program
A set of instructions that a computer (CPU) follows to perform a task.
Software
Programs are commonly referred to as software. Software is essential to a computer because it controls everything the computer does.
Software Developer or Programmer
A person with the training and skills necessary to design, create, and test computer programs.
Hardware
All of the physical devices, or components, of which a computer is made.
Component
A physical device that is part of a computer system.
Typical components of a computer system
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- Main memory
- Secondary Storage Devices
- Input Devices
- Output Devices
Executing
The process of a computer performing the tasks that a program tells it to do.
Running
The process of a computer performing the tasks that a program tells it to do.
ENIAC
The world’s first programmable computer. Built in 1945 to calculate artillery ballistic tables for the US Army. Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.
Microprocessor
A computer chip that acts as a Central Processing Unit.
Main Memory
The computer’s “work area.” Where the computer stores a program while the program is running, as well as the data the program is working with.
Also know as Random Access Memory (RAM)
Random Access Memory (RAM)
A volatile type of memory that is used only for temporary storage while a program is running. RAM is stored in chips.
Secondary Storage
A type of memory that can hold data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer.
Disk Drive
The most common type of secondary storage.
Traditional Disk Drives
Stores data by magnetically encoding it onto a spinning circular disk.
Solid State Drive
Data is stored in solid-state memory. Has no moving parts and operates faster than a traditional disk drive.These are becoming increasingly popular.
USB Device
Small device that plugs into the computer’s USB port and appears to the system as a disk drive. These do not contain a disk, as they store data in a special type of memory known as flash memory.
Universal Serial Bus (USB)
An industry standard developed by USB Implementers Forum, that allows data exchange and delivery of power between many types of electronics.
Flash Memory
An electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electronically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types are NOR and NAND. USB drives used flash memory.
Two general categories of software
System Software and Application Software
System Software
The programs that control and manage the basic operations of a computer. System software typically includes the following types of programs:
- Operating systems
- Utility programs
- Software development tools
Application Software
Programs that make a computer useful for everyday tasks.
Operating System
The most fundamental set of programs on a computer. Controls the internal operations of the computer’s hardware, manages all of the devices connected to the computer, allows data to be saved to and retrieved from storage devices, and allows other programs to run on the computer.
Utility Program
Performs a specialized task that enhances the computer’s operation or safeguards data.
Software Development Tools
Programs that programmers used to create, modify, and test software.
Byte
A unit of memory that is large enough to store a letter of the alphabet or a small number.
Bit
Binary digit. Each Byte is divided into eight smaller storage locations known as bits. In most computer systems, bits are tiny electrical components that can hold either a positive or a negative charge.
Binary Numbering System
A numbering system in which all numeric values are written as sequences of 0s and 1s.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A set of 128 numeric codes that represent the English letters, various punctuation marks, and other characters.
UNICODE Character Set
Developed as a replacement to ASCII during the early 1990s. Unicode is an extensive coding scheme that is compatible with ASCII, but can also represent characters for many of the languages in the world.
Two’s Complement
An encoding technique used to store negative numbers as binary values.
Floating-point Notations
An encoding technique used to convert real numbers to binary format.
Digital
A term that can be used to describe anything that uses binary numbers.
Digital Data
Data that is stored in binary format.
Digital Device
Any device that works with binary data.
Pixel
“Picture Element”. The basic unit of a digital image, representing a single color or level of brightness.
Sample
The unit of binary number storage that collectively makes up digital music.
Machine Language
A set of instructions for a specific central processing unit, designed to be usable by a computer without being translated.
CPU Instruction Set
The entire set of instructions that a CPU can execute.
Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle
The process that a CPU uses to execute instructions.
Assembly Language
A low level programming language that uses short words known as mnemonics instead of binary instructions.
Assembler
A program that translates an assembly language program to a machine language program.
Low-level Language
A programming language that is close in nature to machine language.
High-level Language
A programming language that can be used to create programs without knowing how the CPU works and without writing large numbers of low-level instructions.
Keywords or Reserved Word
Restricted words and/or phrases in programming languages that are used with operators perform various operations.
Operators
A symbol or word that performs some operations on pieces of data.
Syntax
A set of rules that must be strictly followed when writing a program.
Statements
Individual instructions that you used to write a program in a high-level programming language. Consists of keywords, operators, punctuation, and other allowable programming elements, arranged in the proper sequence to perform an operation.
Compiler
A program that translates a high-level program into a separate machine language program.
Interpreter
A program that both translates and executes the instructions in a high-level program.
Source Code
The statements that a programmer writes in a high-level language.
Syntax Error
The error returned to the programmer that is found by the PC during compilation or interpretation.
