Part 2: Computer Systems Flashcards
A______ is a machine that uses electronic
components and instructions to the components
to perform:
a. Calculations
b. Repetitive and complex procedures
c. Process text
d. Manipulate data and signals
computer
_____ has evolved from huge,
room sized electronic calculators developed
with military funding during World War II to
palm sized machines.
Computer technology
The basic hardware of a computer composes
the computer’s architecture, and includes:
a.
b.
Electronic circuits
Microchips, processors
The basic hardware of a computer composes
the computer’s architecture, and includes:
c.
d.
Random Access Memory (RAM) Read Only Memory (ROM)
The basic hardware of a computer composes
the computer’s architecture, and includes:
e.
Graphic and sound cards
These are attached to a component called a motherboard, a square or rectangular board with circuits into which are plugged the main electronics of the computer.
Computer Hardware
Devices that may be inside the computer case
but are not part of the architecture include:
a.
b.
Main storage device (which is usually an
internal hard drive)
Cooling system
Devices that may be inside the computer case
but are not part of the architecture include:
c.
d.
Modem.
Ethernet connectors
Devices that may be inside the computer case
but are not part of the architecture include:
e.
f.
Optical drives
Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors
Devices that may be inside the computer case
but are not part of the architecture include:
g.
Multi format media card readers
Devices attached or linked to a computer
that are______ to the main computer
box are part of the system’s hardware:
peripheral
Parts of a computer hardware (Peripheral)
a. Input and output devices - including the
keyboard, touch screen, mouse, printer, and fax
b. Storage components - such as external hard
drives, thumb drives, floppy drives, tape drives,
sound systems (earphones, microphones,
speakers, subwoofers)
c. Computer monitor
The group of required and optional hardware
items that are linked together to make up a
computer system is called a ______.
configuration
A thin, flat sheet made of a
firm, nonconducting material on which the
internal components printed circuits, chips,
slots, and so on of the computer are mounted.
motherboard
Electric conducting lines are etched or soldered
onto the bottom of the ____
motherboard
3 types of computer memories
Random Access Memory
Read Only Memory
Cache
Refers to working memory used for primary
storage.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Also known as main memory
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Can be
accessed, used, changed, and written on
repeatedly.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Is the work area available to the CPU for
all processing applications.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
When a user clicks on a program icon, the
computer loads all or part of the program into
_____ where it can be accessed very quickly.
RAM
RAM is called _______because
everything in RAM unloads (is lost) when the
computer is turned off.
volatile memory
Its contents are erased whenever the
power to the computer is turned off and made
ready for new programs when the computer is
turned on again.
RAM
It is a form of permanent storage on the
computer.
Read Only Memory (ROM)
It carries instructions that allow the computer
to be booted (started), and other essential
machine instructions.
Read Only Memory (ROM)
Data and programs in _____ can only be read by the
computer, and cannot be erased or altered by users.
ROM
______generally contains the programs, called firmware, used by the control unit of the CPU to oversee computer functions.
ROM
______storage is not erased when the computer is
turned off.
ROM
A smaller form of RAM.
Cache
Its purpose is to speed up processing by storing
frequently called items in a small, rapid access
memory location.
Cache
Prior to its development all
information had to be fetched from the hard
drive, and then stored in RAM.
Cache
Keeping information that will be used
frequently in ______ greatly reduces the amount
of time needed to move data around among
the memory locations.
cache
It is a relatively inexpensive way to increase the
speed of the computer.
cache
These devices allow the computer to receive
information from the outside world.
Input Devices
The most common input devices are the
__and ____.
keyboard
mouse
Others commonly seen on nursing workstations
include the touch screen, light pen, voice, and
scanner.
Input Devices
A_____ is actually both an input and
output device combined.
touch screen is
A____is a device attached to the computer
that has special software that allows the
computer to sense when the light pen is
focused on a particular part of the screen.
light pen
Some devices are used for security and can
detect users’ fingerprints, retinal prints,
voiceprints, or other personally unique physical
characteristics that identify users who have
clearance to use the system.
Input Devices
___ placed on a patient’s body provide
input into the computerized physiologic
monitors.
electrodes
oximetry device placed on a patient’s finger
uses ____ to detect impulses which are
sent to a computer and then interpreted as
oxygen levels in the blood.
light waves
These devices allow the computer to report its
results to the external
Output Devices
Defined as any equipment that translates the
computer information into something readable
by people or other machines world.
Output Devices
The most obvious output devices are the
___and __.
monitor (display screen)
printer
____ are output devices recording
and displaying heart rhythm patterns, and
initiating alarms when certain conditions are
met.
Heart monitors
______ output include both
images on a screen and fluids infused into the
patient’s body.
Volumetric infusion pumps
It is a peripheral that has very high speed and
high density.
Hard Drive
It is a very fast means of storing and retrieving
data as well as having a large storage capacity
in comparison with the other types of storage.
Hard Drive
Is the main storage device of a
computer.
hard drive
____ drives are not portable; they are
plugged directly into the motherboard.
Internal hard
In 1990 most personal computers came with
about ___megabytes.
500
In 2014, most personal computers are sold with
about a ___ of storage.
terabyte (1k GB)
On the biggest computers, storage is measured
in ____, which is an almost
unimaginably huge number.
petabytes (1M GB)
A form of a small,
removable hard drive that is inserted into the
USB port of the computer.
USB Flash Drive
Names for USB flash drive (4)
pen drive,
jump drive
thistle drive
pocket drive.
Can store so much data in a package so much
smaller than a CD or DVD, the convenience
makes it worth the slightly higher price to many
users.
USB Flash Drive
Include Compact Disks (CDs), Digital Versatile
Disks (DVDs), and Blu Ray.
Optical Media
___and ___are rigid disks that hold a
higher density of information and have higher
speed.
CD ROMs
DVDs
Until the late 1990s, CD ROMs were strictly
input devices, CD ROMs were designed to
store sound and data, and held about ___
megabytes of information and large laser
writers were required to store data on them.
737
As technology advanced and people wanted to
store motion pictures on computer readable
media, ____were developed and they held
approximately 4.3 gigabytes of information,
which will handle a regular 2 hour movie
DVDs
Media moved to the even higher storage
capacity of____ which store
approximately 27 gigabytes of information or
the equivalent of a 2 hour high definition movie.
Blu Ray discs
___ Blu Ray discs can store 54
gigabytes or 4.5 hours of high definition motion
picture media.
Double layer
An extension of the online storage service
offered by individual vendors.
Cloud Storage
Data stored in the “Cloud” is still stored on
commercial computers called ____
servers.
Physically, enormous numbers of servers that
store data are located in buildings, many
warehouse sized
Data Centers.
Is far more secure and reliable
than a personal hard drive or backup drives.
Cloud storage
4 Major types of Computers
Supercomputers
Mainframe Computers
Microcomputers
Handheld Computers
The largest type of computer.
Supercomputers
First developed by Seymour Cray in 1972.
Supercomputers
A _____ is a computational oriented
computer specially designed for scientific
applications requiring a gigantic amount of
calculations which, to be useful, must be
processed at superfast speeds.
supercomputer
Are used primarily in such
work as defense and weaponry, weather
forecasting, advanced engineering and physics,
and other mathematically intensive scientific
research applications and are huge and
expensive.
Supercomputers
The most common fast, large, and expensive
type of computer used in large businesses
(including hospitals and other large healthcare
facilities) for processing, storing, and retrieving
data.
Mainframe Computers
It is a large multiuser central computer that
meets the computing needs large and medium
sized public and private organizations.
Mainframe Computers
Are used for processing the large
amount of repetitive calculations involved in
handling billing, payroll, inventory control, and
business operations computing.
Mainframe Computers
The machines and software that process
transactions in high volume businesses are known
as _____.
transaction processing systems (TPS)
Transaction processing systems (TPS) are
Mainframe Computers
Always have very high processing
speeds (calculated in millions of processes per
second, or MIPS, or in floating point operations per
second, or FLOPS)
Mainframe Computers
While mainframe computers provide critical
service to the healthcare industry, much smaller
computers are also an essential part of
healthcare computing systems these are called
Microcomputers (PCs)
Are also found in educational
and research settings, where they are used to
conduct a multitude of special educational and
scientific functions.
Microcomputers (PCs)
____ can serve as stand alone
workstations and can be linked to a network
system to increase their capabilities.
Desktops
Desktops are
Microcomputers (PCs)
These computers on carts are often referred to
as ____ or _______
“WOWs” for workstation on wheels
“COWs” for computer on wheels
Small, special function computers, although a
few “full function” handheld computers were
introduced in the late 1990s.
Handheld Computers
More popular handheld computers are the palm sized computers,
including _____
which are the smallest of the handheld
computers.
personal digital assistants (PDAs),
Is a very small special function
handheld computer which provides calendar,
contacts, and note taking functions, and may
provide word processing, spreadsheet, and a
variety of other functions.
personal digital assistant (PDA)
The three most common platforms for Handheld computers are the Apple Corporation’s \_\_and \_\_\_\_using the iOS operating system, smartphones, and tablets using the \_\_\_\_\_operating system (owned by Google Corporation), and the \_\_\_\_\_operating system for smartphones and tablets from Microsoft Corporation.
iPhone
iPad
Android
Windows
____among various hardware
devices cannot be assumed.
Communication
Different computers have different
____, hardware ______, and
different storage ______.
architectures
configurations
schemes
The size of a variety of
computer functions and components is
measured by how many bytes they can handle
or store at one time.
Bits and Bytes
The _____ is an important factor in
the amount of work a computer can handle.
size of memory
____is another key measure in
the power of a computer.
Large main memory
_____ has also become an important variable
in computer power and thus in advertising the
power of computers.
Cache
Another important selling point of a computer is
the _____ that is installed in the
box.
size of the hard drive
The first hard drives sold for microcomputers in
the 1970s were ____ ____ that stored
about 1,500 kilobytes.
external deviceS
By 2014, most home and laptop computers
were advertised with 1 to 2 _____hard
drives.
terabyte
There are four types of cycles, or operations of a CPU, include: (1) (2) (3) (4)
Fetch
Decode
Execute
Store
The CPU speed is measured in _____ which is called the clock speed of the
computer.
cycles per
second
One million cycles per second is called_____
1 megahertz (MHz).
A billion cycles per second is called ___
1 gigahertz
Is a set of cooperative
interconnected computers for the purpose of
information interchange.
Network
The networks of greatest interest_______, ________), and the ___, which is a network of
networks.
include local area networks (LANs)
wide area networks
(WANs)
Internet
For a computer to participate on a network, it
must have at least two pieces of hardware:
a.
b.
Network adapter or network interface card (NIC)
Communication medium (cabling) considering
Distance, amount of data transferred, how often is
the transfer and availability.
