Transcript CIS 105 Survey of Computer Information Systems

CIS 105
Survey of Computer Information Systems
Essential Concepts and Terminology
Study Unit Two
Bit.
The smallest unit of information
handled by a computer. A bit can hold
one of two values, either a 0 or a 1.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 2
Byte.
An eight-bit unit of information, often
representing a single character.
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Data Transfer Rate.
The speed (measured in kilobits per
second, Kbps) at which data is
transmitted between your computer and
another device. Often used to specify
the speed of data transfer over the
Internet.
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Drive mapping.
Assigning a drive letter to a computer
drives and network drives.
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Drive Bays.
Variably sized bays to accommodate
disk drives, including hard drives,
floppy disk drives and CD-ROM or DVDROM drives.
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Transistor.
An electronic switch. Also termed a
gate.
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System Clock.
An electronic circuit in the computer
that emits pulses at a rapid rate to
establish the timing for all system
operations.
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Clock Speed.
A given processor clock rate measured
in millions of cycles per second
(megahertz, MHz).
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Instruction.
Each single operation that a computer is
capable of performing, associated with
a unique number.
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Instruction Set.
The collection of instructions that a CPU
is designed to process.
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Control Unit.
The subcomponent of the CPU that
directs and coordinates all other parts
of the computer system.
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Machine Cycle.
The four-step processing cycle
consisting of the instruction cycle (fetch
and decode) and the execution cycle
(execute and write-back).
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ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit).
The part of the CPU that performs
arithmetic and logical operations on the
numbers stored in its registers.
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Register.
A temporary storage area in the CPU
where data or instructions are moved
so that they can be processed.
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Compatible Platforms.
Computer brands or models that
operate in essentially the same way,
use the same software, and accept the
same peripheral devices.
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Downwardly Compatible.
The ability of an operating system or
chip to run application software
designed for earlier versions.
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Data Bus.
The electronic circuitry (data lines) that
connects the electronic components
(mainly the processor and RAM) of a
microprocesssor.
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Word Size.
The number of bits the CPU can
manipulate at one time, dependent on
the size of the registers in the CPU and
on the number of data lines in the data
bus.
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Pipelining.
A technology that allows a processor to
begin executing an instruction before
completing the previous instruction, so
instructions are worked on
simultaneously.
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Parallel Processing.
A technique by which two or more
processors in a computer perform
processing tasks simultaneously.
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CISC (Complex Instruction Set
Computer).
A general-purpose microprocessor chip
designed to handle a wider array of
instructions than a RISC (Reduced
Instruction Set Computer) chip.
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FPU (Floating Point Unit).
A math coprocessor that enables a
computer to do math (floating point)
operations faster.
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Multitasking.
Running two or more programs at the
same time.
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Benchmark Test.
A set of tests used to measure
computer hardware or software
performance.
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ROM.
Read-only memory, e.g. the integrated
circuits that contain permanent
instructions that the computer uses
during the boot process.
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Volatile Memory.
Memory contents that are erased when
a computer is shut off.
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Boot Process.
The sequence of events that occurs
within a computer system between the
time the user starts the computer and
the time it is ready to process
commands.
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Setup Program.
A program that enables PC users to
configure system settings. Also. a
program module supplied with a
software package for the purpose of
installing the software on a PC.
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CMOS Memory.
A type of battery-powered integrated
circuit that holds semi-permanent
configuration data (acronym for
complementary metal oxide
semiconductor). Called parameter RAM
on Macintosh.
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DIMM (Dual In-line Memory
Module).
A small circuit board that holds RAM
chips. A DIMM has a 64-bit path to the
memory chips. DIMMs are newer and
have larger memory capacity than do
SIMMs.
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Virtual Memory.
A computer's use of hard disk storage
to simulate RAM.
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Cache Memory.
Special high-speed memory that gives
the CPU more rapid access to data (also
called RAM cache).
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Input/Output.
The circuitry that allows a computer to
collect data (input) and the
transportation of the results to display,
print, or storage devices (output).
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Parallel Transmission.
A method of communicating digital data
in which more than one bit of data is
sent at the same time.
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Serial Transmission.
A method of communicating digital data
in which each bit of data is sent one
after the other.
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SCSI (Small Computer System
Interface).
An interface standard used for attaching
peripheral devices, such as disk drives,
printers, etc., in a chain series.
Pronounced "scuzzy."
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USB (Universal Serial Bus).
A port that can connect numerous
devices at once, and allows connecting
and disconnecting without shutting
down (hot swapping).
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FireWire Port.
A high-speed connection for multiple
peripheral devices, enabling hot
swapping and Plug and Play.
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Analog Device.
A device that operates on
continuously varying data, such as a
dimmer switch or a watch with a
sweep second hand.
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Digital Device.
A device that works with discrete
(distinct or separate) numbers or digits.
Electronic digits can be represented
only as either high-powered or lowpowered (+ or -) circuits.
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Binary Number System.
A method for representing numbers
using only two digits, 0 and 1. The
decimal system uses ten digits (0, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7,8, and 9) and the
hexadecimal system uses 16 (0 to 15).
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Character Representation Code.
A series of bits that represents a letter,
symbol, or numeral (also called simply
"code"). These codes include ASCII,
EBCDIC, ANSI, and Unicode.
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ASCII (American Standard Code for
Information Interchange).
A code that represents characters as a
series of 1’s and O’s. Most computers
use ASCII code to represent text,
making it possible to transfer data
between computers.
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Parity Bit.
An bit added to the end of a data block
to allow for error checking during data
transmission.
CIS 105 Concepts and Terminology Unit 2
End of Study Unit 2.
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