Chapter 4: Business Hardware Flashcards
______ refers to the physical components of computers and related electronic devices.
Hardware
________ receives signals from outside the computer and transfer them into the computer.
Input devices
The _________ is the most important part of any computer. It accepts instructions and data, decodes and executes instructions, and stores results (output) in memory for later display.
central processing unit (CPU)
______ is also called primary memory, is located near the CPU and stores data and instructions just before and immediately after the CPU processes them.
Internal memory
________ holds data and program instructions, and is volatile by design, that is, it’s contents are cleared when the computer is turned off.
RAM (random access memory)
______ is nonvolatile. It contains data and instruction that do not change.
ROM (read-only memory)
The ______ is the circuit board containing the CPU and primary memory.
Motherboard
______ is different types of media that store data and information permanently.
Storage
_______ is the storing of data on remote devices over the Internet or a private network.
Cloud storage
_______ are devices that deliver information from the computer to the user.
Output devices
A ______ is a binary digit, a 0 or 1.
bit
A ______ is a combination of eight bits.
byte
________ are the most powerful computers at any given time, but are built especially for assignments that require arithmetic speed.
Supercomputers
________ is when multiple processors (CPUs) are processing different data simultaneously. It is sometimes called multiprocessing.
Parallel processing
Instead of a single machine with multiple processors, _______ uses the CPU power of multiple computers, with the same effect.
clustering
_______ are less powerful in computational speed and significantly less expensive than supercomputers. However, they do store large amounts of data and business transactions.
Mainframe computers
A midrange category of computers, often referred to as _______, are smaller than mainframes and less powerful. They are usually used as a shared resource, connecting hundreds of users to a variety of computers from desktops, laptops, and other servers.
servers
_________ is the collective name for several types of computers: notebook computers, desktops etc.
Personal computers (PCs)
More powerful personal computers are sometimes called _______. These are normally used for CAD, CAM, complex simulation etc.
Workstations
The ______ (also called laptop) is a compact, light, personal computer that can be powered by a rechargeable battery.
notebook computer
Handheld computers called _______ were small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
personal digital assistants (PDA)
A _____ is a pen-like pointing and drawing device used to enter data through a touch screen.
stylus
By the mid 2000s, almost all new PDAs also served as mobile phones, and were increasingly called by the new term, ________.
smartphone
_______ is a mobile computing device that uses a touch screen to execute commands.
Tablet computer
________ means building several technologies into a single piece of hardware.
Technology convergence
The CPU consists of two units: the ______ and the _____. These units store and process data.
control unit
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
A CPU is often called a ______ because the chip is so small.
microprocessor
_______ are processors that combine two or more CPU or “cores” on a single chip.
Multicore processors
Processing more than one program, or processing several parts of a program, at the same time is often called _______, whereby each process is a thread.
multithreading
A _______ is a semiconductor that can represent binary code’s two states.
transistor
______ refers to the four operations performed every cycle by the CPU. They are fetch, decode, execute, and store.
Machine cycle
________ is a special circuitry on the processor that synchronizes all tasks.
CPU clock
The number of pulses per second is called frequency, or _______.
clock rate
The _______ is the maximum number of bits that the control unit can fetch from primary memory in one machine cycle.
data word (or “word” for short)
________ is the part the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations.
ALU
The ______ is the electronic lines or traces used for communication inside the computer.
bus
_______ is the number of bits per second that the bus can accommodate.
Throughput
A common measure of computer speed is ______.
MIPS (millions of instructions per second)
_______ is the standard keyboard layout.
QWERTY
________ is the keyboard layout that allows faster typing.
DVORAK
_______ is the study of the comfort and safety of humans in the workplace.
Ergonomics
_______ are split in the middle, and the two parts are twisted outward to better fit the natural positions of the forearms and prevent injury.
Ergonomic keyboard
A _____ is an input device that controls an on-screen pointer to facilitate the point-and-click approach to executing different operations.
mouse
A ______ is similar to mouse, but user manipulates a ball within the device to indicate movement on the screen.
trackball
With a _____, a user controls the cursor by moving his or her finger along a touch-sensitive pad.
Trackpad
A ______ may serve both as an input and output device. It allows the user to navigate and select by touching the screen.
touch screen
In some business where speed of data entry is top priority, they use machine reading devices, such as a barcode scanner, known as _______.
source data input devices
_______ detect positions of marks or characters.
Optical mark recognition devices
_______ try to interpret handwritten and printed text.
Optical character recognition (OCR)
The fastest growing source data technology is ________.
radio-frequency identification (RFID)
_______ is a bar code on a product in a grocery store.
Universal Product Code (UPC)
A device called a magnetic-ink reader uses _______ to detect these numbers at the bottom of each bank check to automate check processing.
magnetic-ink character recognition (MICR)
______ is also known as image processing. It converts documents into images.
Imaging
_______ is the process of translating human speech into computer-readable data and instructions.
Speech recognition (also called voice recognition)
______ is currently employed by many companies for customer service as it can understand simple commands from telephone callers, who can utter answers to questions and receive recorded responses.
Interactive voice recognition (IVR)
_____ are small dots that make up the images in a monitor.
Pixel (picture element)
In a ______ monitor, the inner side of the screen has a layer of phosphoric dots, which make up the pixels. Electron gun receives instructions from computer and sweeps the pixel.
CRT (cathode-ray tube)
________ ‘s advantages include lower power use, sharper images, and slim profile.
Flat-panel monitor
_______ monitor uses a liquid crystal filled screen.
Liquid crystal display (LCD)
______ is a measure of picture sharpness. It is shown as number of pixels in the width and height of the screen.
Resolution
________ creates images on a page without mechanically impacting the paper.
Nonimpact printer
_______ reproduces image by using mechanical impact.
Impact printer
_______ is the only impact printer you might still encounter. It consist of tiny pins that strike ink ribbon against paper.
Dot-matrix printer
In _______, data is organized one record after another. Must read through all records that are stored prior to the desired record.
sequential storage
In ______, records are not organized sequentially, but by the physical address in the device, and can be accessed directly without going through other records.
direct access
_______ are small storage devices that connect to a computer via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) receptacle.
Flash drives
______ are similar to tapes used in tape recorders and VCRs, usually as cartridges.
Magnetic tapes
The most widely used storage medium is the ______. It includes hard disks and floppy disks.
magnetic disk
A ______ consists of one or more rigid platters installed in the same box that holds the CPU. It can be internal or external.
hard disk
________ are recorded by treating the disc surface so it reflects or does not reflect light.
Optical discs
______ are available as read-only, recordable, and rewritable.
Compact discs (CDs)
Standard ______ can store 4.7 GB per side while more advanced ones using blue laser can store up to 50 GB.
digital video discs (DVDs)
______ is also known as flash memory. It is a rewritable memory chip that can hold content without electric power.
Solid-state storage
A _____ is sometimes called a thumb drive or USB flash drive.
USB drive
A _______ is an alternative to magnetic disks, that does not have latency time.
solid state disk (SSD)
_______ is a disk or array of disks or tapes directly connected to server.
Direct-attached storage (DAS)
_______ is the ability to add more hardware or software to accommodate changing business needs.
Scalability
______ is a device designed for networked storage.
Network-attached storage (NAS)
_______ is a network fully devoted to storage and transfer of data between servers and storage devices.
Storage area network (SAN)
DAS, NAS, and SAN often include ________, whereby data is replicated in different disks to enhance processing speed and fault tolerance.
RAID (redundant array of independent disks)
_______ is the ability of the system to sustain failure of a disk, because the same data also appears on another disk.
Fault tolerance
______ is the availability of network-accessible storage from an off-site computer or technology device.
Cloud storage
Cloud storage vendors are sometimes called _______.
Storage-as-a-service
______ are sockets that connect external devices to a computer.
Ports
_______ refers to newer hardware that works with older hardware.
Backward compatibility
