Computer Systems Flashcards
Machine that uses electronic components and instructions to the components to perform:
1. Calculations
2. Repetitive and complex procedures
3. Process text
4. Manipulate data and signals
Computer
The largest type of computer
Super computers
First developed by Seymour Cray in 1972
Supercomputers
Designed primarily for analysis of scientific and engineering problems and for tasks requiring millions or billions of computational operations and calculations, they are huge and expensive.
Super computers
The most common fast, large, and expensive type of computer used in large businesses for processing, storing, and retrieving data.
Mainframes
It is a large multiuser central computer that meets the computing needs of large- and medium-sized public and private organizations.
Mainframes
The machines and software that process transactions in high-volume businesses are known as
transaction processing systems (TPS).
Computers designed to support a single user
Microcomputera
small, special function computers, although a few “full function” handheld computers were introduced in the late 1990s.
Handhel computers
Other name for microcomputera
Personal computer
refer to how the machine stores information at the lowest, or “closest to machine registers and memory,” level.
Bit and bytes
unit of data in the binary numbering system.
And Are grouped into collections of 8, which then function as a unit.
Bit
It is made up of 8 bits.
Byte
There are how many different combinations of 0 and 1 in an 8-character (or 1-byte) unit.
255
The CPU speed is measured in cycles per second, which are called the
Clock speed of the computer
One million cycles per second is called
1 megahertz MHz
is one important measure of the power of a computer
Clock speed
four types of cycles, or operations of a CPU:
Fetch
Decode
Execute
Store
A set of cooperative interconnected computers for the purpose of information interchange. The networks of greatest interest include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet, which is a network of networks.
Network hardware
defined as all of the physical components of a computer
Hardware
Examples of hardwares
CPU
Memory Card
Input and output devices
a square or rectangular board with circuits into which are plugged the main electronics of the
Motherboard
A thin, flat sheet made of a firm, non-conducting material on which the internal components—printed circuits, chips, slots, and so on—of the are mounted.
Motherboard
Brains of th computer
CPU
motherboard’s storage media
Memory
form of permanent storage in the computer.
carries instructions that allow the to be booted (started), and other essential machine instructions.
READ ONLY MEMORY ROM
refers to working memory used for primary storage.
It is used as temporary storage.
Also known as main memory, it can be accessed, used, changed, and written on repeatedly.
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY RAM
RAM is also called as
Volatile memory
a smaller form of RAM.
to speed up processing by storing frequently called items in a small, rapid access memory location.
Cache
allow the computer to receive information from the outside world.
Input devices
The most common input devices are the
Keyboard and mouse
Allow the to report its results to the external world.
Output devices
Defined as any equipment that translates the computer information into something readable by people or other machines.
Output devices
The most obvious output devices are the
Monitor and printer
Usb drive
The most common storage media
Computer Hard drive
a peripheral device that has very high speed and high density.
the main storage device of a computer.
Hard drive
i s actually a form of a small, removable hard drive that is inserted into the USB port of the computer.
Usb drive
The USB drive is also known as
Pen drive, jump drive, thistle drive, pocket drive
Optical media includes
CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray
An extension of the online storage service offered by individual vendors is the
Cloud storage
It refers to a distributed system of many commercial, networked servers that communicate through the Internet, and work together so closely that they can essentially function as one large system.
Cloud
is a computer circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network.
Network adapter
It is the means by which actual transfer of data from one site to another takes place.
Communication medium
the choice of a communication medium is based on the following:
Distance
Amount of data transfer
How often the transfer is needed
Availability
the general term applied to the instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to perform work.
Software
consists of a variety of programs that control the individual and make the user’s application programs work well with the hardware.
It consists of a variety of programs that initialize, or boot up, the computer when it is first turned on and thereafter control all the functions of the computer hardware and applications software.
System software
helps speed up the computer’s processing, expands the power of the by creating cache memory, reduces the amount of confusion when multiple programs are running together, “cleans up” the hard drive so that storage is managed efficiently, and performs other such system management tasks.
System software
includes the main memory but also external devices on which programs and data are stored.
Storage media
Examples of microcomputers
Phone
Laptop
Desktop computer
Notebook
Tablet
small, special function computers, although a few “full function” handheld computers were introduced in the late 1990s.
Handheld computers
More popular are the __________________, including personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are the smallest of the handheld computers.
Palm sized computers
a very small special function handheld computer that provides calendar, contacts, and note-taking functions, and may provide word processing, spread sheet, and a variety of other functions
Personal Digital Assistant
