Technology

Question 1

alternating current (AC)

Answer 1

An electric current in
which the flow reverses periodically. (Compare direct
current (DC).)
✥ In the United States, most household current is
AC, going through sixty reversal cycles each second.
Electric motors in household appliances are designed
to work with current at this rate of reversal.

Question 2

amp (ampere) (am-peer)

Answer 2

A unit of electric current.
One ampere corresponds to a certain number of electrons
passing a fixed point each second.
✥ A typical household’s electrical supply includes a
total of 120 to 200 amps; a typical house circuit carries
15 to 50 amps.

Question 3

amplifier

Answer 3

In electronics, a device that takes a small
electric signal and converts it into a large one. Amplifiers
are used in stereo systems, electric guitars, and
loudspeakers.

Question 4

amplitude modulation (AM)

Answer 4

A type of radio signal
in which the amplitude, or strength, of a radio
wave is varied in order to carry information from a
transmitter to a receiver. (Compare frequency modulation
(FM).)

Question 5

analog signal (an-uh-lawg, an-uh-log)

Answer 5

A signal in
which some feature increases and decreases in the
same way as the thing being transmitted. In am radio,
for example, the strength of the radio wave goes up
and down in analogy with the loudness of the original
sound. (Contrast digital signal.)

Question 6

Apollo program

Answer 6

A series of space flights undertaken
by the United States with a goal of landing a man
on the moon. Each Apollo flight carried a crew of three
astronauts. The first lunar landing by humans was
achieved by Apollo 11 on July 20, 1969. Five other successful
lunar landings followed. The Apollo program
ended in 1974. It was named after the Greek god of
learning, Apollo.
✥ Neil Armstrong was the first man to set foot on
the moon.

Question 7

Arpanet

Answer 7

An acronym for Advanced Research Project
Agency Network. An early communications network
developed by the Department of Defense in
the late 1960ss. It connected high-tech research institutions
and the military.
✥ Creating a communications system that could
survive a nuclear war was a major impetus behind the development of this system. ✥ Arpanet is often spoken
of as a precursor of the Internet.

Question 8

artificial intelligence (AI)

Answer 8

The means of duplicating
or imitating intelligence in computers, robots, or
other devices, which allows them to solve problems,
discriminate among objects, and respond to voice
commands.

Question 9

ASCII

Answer 9

An acronym for American Standard Code
for Information Interchange. Computers use this
code to standardize communication between different
machines.

Question 10

astronaut

Answer 10

A crew member of a space mission
launched by the United States. (See Apollo program
and Mercury program.)

Question 11

ATM

Answer 11

An abbreviation for automated teller machine.
This is a computer terminal that takes the place
of a human bank teller and allows the user to access basic
bank services, such as making deposits and cash
withdrawals from remote locations, twenty-four hours
a day.

Question 12

atomic bomb

Answer 12

A bomb that is powered by nuclear
fission, and therefore produces a quick release of energy
and great destruction.