Chapter 2- Hardware Flashcards
Motherboard
The largest circuit board in a personal computer
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Microprocessor, the main processor of a computer. It is responsible for organizing and carrying out instructions to produce a desired output.
Clock rate
Measures the frequency of speed at which it can process instructions. Measured in hertz.
Memory
General term for electronic chips that store data and program instructions that can be accessed quickly by the CPU
Random access memory (RAM)
Temporary workspace
Read-Only memory (ROM)
A small chip that contains device-specific information.
Firmware
Instructions on ROM
Cache
A form of high-speed memory that stores a small, frequently used set of instructions and data. Located inside modern CPUs.
Virtual memory
Portion of your hard drive that is used as RAM
Drives
Devices that can read, write, and erase data
Media
Physical locations where things are stored
Bit
Most fundamental unit of computing
Byte
A collection of eight bits
Hard drive
The primary device of a personal computer
Tape drives
Uses magnetic tape to store data, are popular for organizations that have large quantities of information to back up or archive
Compact discs (CDs)
Capable of storing up to 700 MB of data.
Digital versatile discs (DVDs)
Can store either 4.7 or 8.5 GB of data
Blu-Ray (BD)
Typically stores 25-50 GB of data
USB Flash Drive
Small storage stick that plugs into a USB port
Memory cards
Used to store data in tablets, smartphones, and devices such as digital cameras and digital photo frames
Solid state drives (SSDs)
Can be found as both internal and external drives
System unit
Case that houses the computers critical parts, such as the processing and storage devices.
Ergonomic keyboards
Designed to be comfortable and tailored for the human body, have angled keys and a palm rest at the base to keep your wrists straight
Keyboard shortcuts
Keystrokes that can quickly perform an operation within software
Cursor
Insertion point, appears as a blinking vertical line
Optical mouse
The most common pointing device for desktop computers
Trackball
A pointing device that works like an upside down mouse. Requires less space than a mouse
Touchpad
A stationary, rectangular pointing surface that is typically found on laptop computers
Touchscreen
Accepts input by allowing the user to place a fingertip directly on the computer screen.
Stylus
A pen-like input tool that is used with a variety of touchscreen devices.
Graphics tablets
Offers extra-sensitive touch surfaces that translates an artists motions into drawings on the computer screen.
Scanner
A device that uses optical technology to convert objects that it analyzes into a digital format
Optical character recognition (OCR)
Can translate the document image into text that can be edited and formatted
Document feeder
A tray that allows you to scan several sheets of paper automatically
QR Code
Appears as a square filled with dots and lines.
RFID Tag
A tiny chip or label that contains electronically stored data.
Multimedia capabilities
Computers that are able to input and output sounds, music, images, and video
Speech recognition
Computers ability to recognize human speech
Digital cameras
Portable devices that electronically capture and store still images and videos
Megapixels
A unit of graphic resolution equivalent to one million pixels
Webcam
A small video camera, typically attached to a monitor that is commonly used for online video chats or conversations.
Videoconferencing
Voice and video communication that allows multiple individuals to hold meetings and converse over a network.
TV tuner
A device that can capture television signals for viewing on a computer
digital video recorders (DVR)
A device that allows you to record television shows for future playback
Game controller
An input device for a computer game
Biometrics
The measurement of patterns or characteristics found in the human body
Fingerprint scanners
A biometric technology that can detect the unique patterns and swirls of an individual’s finger
Facial recognition
A biometric technology that looks for unique measurements in an individual’s face
Pixels
Tiny dots on a display screen, each with its own unique address that the computer uses to locate it and control its appearance.
Resolution
The number of pixels that are displayed on the screen
Response time
The amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for a pixel to change from black to white
Contrast ratio
Measures how close the monitor can get to the brightest white and the darkest black
CRT monitors
Rarely used today, these large and bulky displays used cathode-ray tube (CRT) technology
LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor
A common type of flat panel monitor that contains a light source and a screen of special crystals aced in the monitor between the user and the light source
LED monitor
A thinner, lighter and more energy-efficient type of LCD monitor that is lit by a grid of tiny electronic lights called light emitting diodes
Video card
An intermediary device between the CPU and the monitor that contains a processor, video-dedicated memory and other circuitry
Graphic processing unit (GPU)
A video cards microprocessor
Sound card
A circuit board that converts sound from analog to digital form, & vice versa, for recording or playback.
Dots per inch (dpi)
A measurement of image quality for printers
Pages per minute (ppm)
Measures printer speed
Duplex inch
Ability to automatically prong to both sides of a piece of paper
Dot matrix printers
A printer that creases output by striking an inked ribbon against paper using metal pins
Inkjet printers
A type of printer that creates an image directly on the paper by spraying ink through tiny nozzles
