Chapter 2 - Hardware and Software Flashcards
What are the 2 phases that a processor uses to complete an instruction?
Instruction and execution
What unit of measurement is clock speed measured in?
Gigahertz (GHz)
What is a low-cost approach to parallel computing?
Grid computing
What is the chief function of memory?
Rapidly providing data and instructions to the CPU
Instructions or data can be temporarily stored in and read from where?
Random Access Memory (RAM)
What’s it mean when a memory’s contents are not lost if the power is turned off or interrupted?
The memory is nonvolatile
What is critical to an organization’s success?
Storing data safely and effectively
What is the best overall data storage solution for most organizations?
A combination of different secondary storage options
Is secondary storage less expensive than primary memory on a cost per-megabyte basis?
Yes
Is secondary data storage directly accessible by the CPU?
No
What do computers usually use to access secondary storage?
Input/output channels
What are the 3 most critical mechanical components inside an HDD storage device?
The disk drives, the fans, and read/write heads
How do the optical storage devices’ lasers record data?
By physically burning pits in the disc
What are 3 examples of optical storage devices?
CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays
Fill in the Blank: More/Less and Faster/Slower
A solid-state storage device’s memory chips require ____ power and provide _____ data access than magnetic data storage devices
- Less
2. Faster
What is one example of a commonly used SSD?
USB
What does USB stand for?
Universal Serial Bus
Which flash drives are external to the computer and are removable and rewritable?
USBs
What is a large-scale secondary storage that stores large amounts of data created throughout an organization?
Enterprise storage
What are the 2 most common forms of enterprise storage?
Storage area networks and storage as a service
An organization can centralize the people, policies, procedures, and practices for managing storage, and a data storage manager can apply the data consistently across an enterprise using what?
A storage area network
What enables users to store and back up their data without requiring a major investment to create and maintain their own data storage infrastructure?
Storage as a service
What are the gateways to the computer system?
Input/output devices
What does getting data into a computer (input) often require?
Transferring human readable data into a computer system
What are 2 common devices used for entry and input of data?
A keyboard and a computer mouse
What are major video game makers basing their game controllers on?
Motion-sensing input devices
What captures image and character data?
Scanning devices
Individuals and organizations can also use what to scan documents?
An optical data reader
What are 2 categories of optical data readers?
Optical mark recognition and optical character recognition
What is used for tasks such as grading tests and scanning forms?
Optical mark recognition
What uses reflected light to recognize and scan various machine-generated characters?
Optical character recognition
What did the banking industry develop to process paper checks, loan applications, bank statements, and other financial documents?
Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)
What is a system for reading banking data quickly?
Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)
What stores a limited amount of data by modifying the magnetism of tiny iron-based particles contained in a band on the card?
Magnetic stripe cards
Is the magnetic stripe a secure place for sensitive consumer information?
No
What are frequently used in retail operations to enter sales information into computer systems?
Point-of-sale devices
What is a terminal that bank customers use to perform transactions with their bank accounts?
ATM
Is the ATM an input/output device?
Yes