Hardware Flashcards
___ ___ are very small, portable devices that can store anywhere from 500 M of data to over several gigabytes of data. The term “drive” is a bit of a misnomer as there are no moving parts to the “drive.” Rather, the memory in a flash drive is similar to the RAM used as primary storage for your CPU
flash drives (also known as jump drives or thumb drives)
Define “supercomputers”.
Computers at the leading edge of processing capacity. Their definition is constantly changing as the supercomputer of today often becomes the personal computer of tomorrow. They are generally used for calculation-intensive scientific applications, for example, weather forecasting and climate research.
____ devices transfer data from the processing unit to other formats.
output devices
Printers, plotters, monitors, flat panel displays, and CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) displays are examples of ___ ___.
output devices
___ are devices that transfer data to or from the CPU but do not take part in processing data.
Peripherals
___ are commonly known as input and output devices (I/O devices).
Peripherals
___ ___ are random access devices. Data can be stored on, and retrieved from, the disk in any order.
Magnetic disks
___ ___ are the most efficient way to store and retrieve individual records.
Magnetic disks
___ ___ are the most commonly used form of secondary storage.
Magnetic disks
A ___ ___ interprets program instructions.
control unit
What is the purpose of primary storage (main memory)?
To store programs and data until they are ready to be used by the computer’s processor.
Primary storage is divided into two main parts - ___ ___ ___ (___) and ___ ___ ___ (___).
random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM).
What is the purpose of secondary storage devices?
Provide permanent storage for programs and data. Depending on the way the devices are set up, they can either be online (the data on the device is available for immediate access by the CPU) or offline (the device is stored in an area where the data is not accessible to the CPU).
___ devices instruct the CPU and supply data to be processed.
Input devices
A keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch-screen technology, and point of sale (POS) scanners are examples of ___ ___
Input devices
What is the function of random access memory (RAM)?
It stores data temporarily while it is being processed.
What is the purpose of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?
To performs arithmetic calculations.
How is read-only memory (ROM) used?
Used to permanently store the data needed to power on the computer; includes portions of the operating system.
___ or ___ ___ (___) are computers comprise an extremely diverse group of devices ranging from handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) through desktop machines that can serve as components in large, networked environments.
microcomputers or personal computers (PCs)
Some of the more common classifications of microcomputers or personal computers (PCs) include ___ or ___ ___ and ____.
fat or thin clients and workstations.
___ are microcomputers or personal computers (PCs) that have been configured to provide resources to the network.
Servers
___ ___ use laser technology to “burn” data on the disk (although some re-writable disks use magnetic technology to record data).
Optical discs
In general, read-only and write-once ___ ___ are a more stable storage medium than magnetic disks.
optical disks
___ ___, like magnetic disks are random access devices.
Optical disks
Optical disks, like ___ ___ are random access devices.
magnetic disks
Optical disks, like magnetic disks are ___ ___ ___.
random access devices.
The ___ is the control center of the computer system. It has three principal components.
CPU (central processing unit)
___ ___ includes the physical equipment in your computer and the equipment that your computer uses to connect to other computers or computer networks.
Computer hardware
___ ___ are computers used by commercial organizations to support mission critical tasks such as sales and order processing, inventory management, and e-commerce applications.
Mainframe computers
Unlike ___, which tend to support processor-intensive activities (i.e., a small number of highly complex calculations), mainframe computers tend to be input/output (I/O) intensive (i.e., a very large numbers of simple transactions).
supercomputers
Unlike supercomputers, which tend to support processor-intensive activities (i.e., a small number of highly complex calculations), ___ ___ tend to be input/output (I/O) intensive (i.e., a very large numbers of simple transactions).
mainframe computers
___ ___ is a sequential access device. Data is stored in order of the primary record key (i.e. document number, customer number, inventory number, etc.) and must also be retrieved sequentially. Although once used for transaction processing, this medium is now used mostly for archiving data.
magnetic tape
Applications of supercomputers include ___ applications and___-___ applications in finance and business.
scientific; calculation-intensive
An ___ ___ ___ uses a laser to burn data onto a disk surface.
optical disc recorder
