Computer Hardware and History Flashcards
What generation of computers relied on vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory?
First Generation
What generation of computers replaced vacuum tubes with transistors?
Second Generation
What generation of computers oversaw the development of higher-level programming languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL?
Second Generation
What generation of computers started with the invention of integrated circuits?
Third Generation
What generation of computers started with the creation of microprocessors?
Fourth Generation
Which two generations of computers used punched paper for input and had printed output?
First and Second Generations
What generation of computers introduced the keyboard for input and monitor for output?
Third Generation
What generation of computers had the development of graphical user interface, the mouse, and handheld devices?
Fourth Generation
What manages all of the hardware and software on a computer?
Operating System
What is responsible for processing all of the information from programs run by a computer?
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
What languages did the first generation computers run on?
Machine languages
What made it possible for third generation computers to run multiple programs and share memory and other resources?
Operating Systems
What marked the start of the fifth generation of computers?
Artificial Intelligence
What is the speed of a processors processing measured in?
Gigahertz (GHz)
What hardware component temporarily stores information created by programs and does so in a way the makes this data immediately accessible?
RAM (Random Access Memory)
What is the storage device responsible for storing permanent and temporary data?
Hard drive
What are the two types of storage devices?
HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and SSD (Solid State Drive)
What storage device writes binary data on spinning magnetic disks called platters?
Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
What storage device stores data by using static flash memory chips?
Solid State Drive (SSD)
What hardware component processes huge amounts of graphical data and focuses almost exclusively on graphics rendering but can also extend the CPU?
GPU (Graphics processing unit)
A keyboard, a mouse, and a microphone are all examples of what?
Input devices
A monitor, a speaker, and a printer are all examples of what?
Output devices
What part of the CPU contains circuitry that performs operations on data such as addition and subtraction?
Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU)
What part of the CPU contains the circuitry coordinating the machine’s activities?
Control Unit (CU)
What type of storage is volatile?
RAM
What type of storage is nonvolatile?
ROM
What are the various units that support the input and output features of a computer called?
Peripheral Devices
What are the wires that serve as electrical roadways, transmitting information between the CPU and other components?
Buses/Bus lines
What are the three different types of buses?
Address buses, Data buses, and Control buses
What type of bus carries the destination address of where the data is assigned to be processed?
Address bus
What type of bus carries data between the processor memory unit, and the input/output devices?
Data bus
During which generation did computers see widespread use in business?
Third generation
