Hardware Flashcards
Braille
A technique that allows blind people to read by feeling a
pattern of raised dots with their fingers
Braille keyboard
An input device with a small number of keys that can be
used to enter characters as a combination of these keys
Braille printer
An output device that produces Braille documents by
impressing raised dots on a sheet of paper.
Digital camera
An input device that makes electronic images or video clips.
Eye tracker
An input device that allows a user to control a computer by
moving their eye, for example by working out what the user
is looking at on a display.
Ink-jet printer
A type of printer that works by projecting tiny droplets of ink
onto a sheet of paper
Input device
A device that is used to enter data into a computer. It takes
data that a user presents and converts it into binary code.
Joystick
An input device, often used in games, that allows a user to
move a pointer or a character by tilting a handle backwards,
forwards, left or right
Keyboard
An input device that consists of a set of keys that can be
pressed by a user to enter characters into the computer system.
Laser printer
A type of printer that works by using a laser to cause
powdered ink to form the desired pattern on a sheet of paper
Microphone
An input device that converts sound into an electrical signal
which can be processed by a computer
Monitor
A screen used to display the output of a computer as a
series of individual dots or pixels which can be updated as
necessary
Mouse
An input device that can be moved by a user to move a
pointer on a screen. It has one or more buttons to allow the
user to perform actions on the items on the screen
Multitouch monitor
A touchscreen monitor capable of recognising several points
of contact at the same time.
Optical Character
Recognition (OCR)
A technique for converting images of printed text into
electronic text by identifying the characters in the image
according to their shape.
Output device
A device that presents the result of processing. It converts
binary data into a form which can be read by a user, or into
a result in the external world.
Plotter
A type of printer that uses a mechanical ‘arm’ and a pen to
make very precise drawings.
Printer
An output device for producing hard copies of documents
and images on paper.
Scanner
An input device that converts printed documents and
images into a digital form.
Speaker
An output device that converts an electrical signal into sound.
Speech recognition
A technique that recognises a user’s speech and converts it
into text.
Speech synthesis
A technique that converts text into speech.
Touchpad
An input device that is used to move a pointer on the screen
by making similar movements across a flat surface.
Touchscreen monitor
An input/output device that allows a user to interact with the
image displayed by touching it.
Tracker ball
An input device that allows a user to move a pointer by
moving a ball which is fixed in a socket.
Webcam
A digital camera that is used to capture images or, more
usually, video, for transmitting immediately over the internet.
Internal storage
Storage that is built into the main computer unit.
Loading
Moving a program or data from secondary storage to
primary memory, so that it can be used by the processor
Magnetic storage
Storage that uses a surface which can be magnetised to
store data.
Removable storage
Storage that can be disconnected from the main
computer unit, for example to transfer files between
computers.
Saving
Moving a data, program or file from memory onto
secondary storage for later use.
Secondary storage device
A device that is used to store data when it is not in use,
including after the computer has been switch off.
Solid state drive
Storage that works by storing the data in electronic
circuits.
Boot program
The program that is used to start the computer. It
is automatically loaded so that its instructions can
be fetched when the computer is turned on, and it
eventually loads the operating system.
Central Processing Unit
CPU
The main component of the computer. It carries out all
the processing by fetching and executing instructions.
Clock speed
The speed at which the processor carries out instructions,
measured in Megahertz (MHz) or Gigahertz (GHz).
Core
Each single processor circuit capable of fetching and
executing instructions
CPU cache
Memory buffer on the processor that stores instructions
which have been fetched before and allows them to be
fetched more quickly the next time.
Fetch–Execute cycle
The process by which programs are run on a computer.
The processor repeatedly fetches the instructions of the
program from memory and executes them.
Multi-core processor
A processor with more than one core (processor circuit)
which means it can fetch and execute more than one
instruction at a time
