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COMP SCI
N/A
111
Computer Science
Undergraduate 1
10/21/2008

Additional Computer Science Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
electrical switches
Definition
- devices inside the computer than can be flipped between two states: 1 or 0, on or off.
Term
vacuum tubes
Definition
used in early computers, act as computer switches by allowing or blocking the flow of electrical current.
Term
semiconductor
Definition
any material that can be controlled to either conduct electricity or act as an insulator
Term
microprocessors
Definition
- chips that contain a CPU
Term
number system
Definition
an organized plan for representing a number
Term
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
Definition
a format for representing each letter or character as an 8-bit binary code.
Term
unicode
Definition
- an encoding scheme that uses 16 bits instead of 8 bits. Enabling to represent the alphabets of all modern languages and all historic languages and notational systems.
Term
dual-core technology
Definition
an improvement in hyperthreading in which two processors are on the same chip, enabling the execution of two sets of instructions at the exact same time
Term
machine cycle
Definition
the time it takes to fetch and execute a single machine-level instruction by the CPU
Term
clock cycle
Definition
the base time unit of the system clock. One cycle equals one tick.
Term
clock speed
Definition
the steady and constant pace at which a computer goes through machine cycles, measured in Hertz.
Term
control unit
Definition
a component that controls the switches inside the CPU
Term
level 1 cache
Definition
- a block of memory that is built into the CPU chip for the storage of data or commands that have just been used.
Term
level 2 cache
Definition
a block of memory that is located either on the CPU chip or on a separate chip near the CPU.
Term
level 3 cache
Definition
CPU checks this area for instructions and data before it looks in to RAM.
Term
instruction set
Definition
the collection of commands a specific CPU can run.
Term
assembly languages
Definition
languages that enable programmers to write their programs using a set of short, English-like commands that speak directly to the CPU and give the programmer very direct control of hardware resources.
Term
machine language
Definition
long strings of binary code used by the control unit to set up the hardware in the CPU for the rest of the operations it needs to perform
Term
arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
Definition
part of the CPU that is designed to perform mathematical operations.
Term
bus
Definition
a group of electrical pathways inside a computer that provide communications between various parts of a computer and a CPU and main memory.
Term
local bus
Definition
located on the motherboard, they run between the CPU and the main system memory.
Term
expansion bus
Definition
an electrical pathway that expands the capabilities of a computer by enabling a range of different expansion cards to communicate with the motherboard
Term
bus width
Definition
- the number of bits of data that can be transferred along a data pathway at one time
Term
pipelining
Definition
a technique that enables the CPU to work on more than one instruction at a time, thereby boosting CPU performance.
Term
dual processor
Definition
- a design that has two separate CPU chips installed on the same system
Term
dual core processing
Definition
a technology in which certain computer chips have two separate parallel processing paths inside them, so they are almost as fast as having two separate CPUs.
Term
parallel processing
Definition
a network computer environment in which each computer works on a portion of the same problem simultaneously.
Term
wizards
Definition
Step by step guides that walk you through the necessary steps to complete a complicated task
Term
templates
Definition
forms included in many productivity applications that provide the basic structure for a particular kind of document, spreadsheet, or presentation
Term
macros
Definition
small programs that group a series of commands to run as a single command.
Term
multimedia software
Definition
images, video, and audio editing software, animation software and any other specialty software required to make games, animations, and movies.
Term
utility programs
Definition
small programs that perform many of the general housekeeping tasks for the computer, such as system maintenance and file compression.
Term
menu-driven interface
Definition
user interface in which the user chooses a command on the screen
Term
graphical user interface
Definition
an interface with graphics and a point and click system
Term
windows
Definition
rectangular boxes that contain programs displayed on screen
Term
menus
Definition
list of commands that appear on screen
Term
icons
Definition
pictures on the desktop that represent an object such as an app or file
Term
interrupt
Definition
a signal that tells the operating system that it is in need of immediate attention
Term
preemptive multitasking
Definition
when the operating system processes the task assigned a higher priority before processing a task that has been assigned a lower priority
Term
event
Definition
every key stroke or mouse click
Term
swap file
Definition
temporary storage area on the hard drive where the operating system moves the data or instructions from the RAM that have not recently been used
Term
thrashing
Definition
a condition of excessive paging in which the operating system becomes sluggish
Term
virtual memory
Definition
the space on a hard drivce that the operating system stores data to if there isn't enough random acces memory
Term
application programming interfaces
Definition
blocks of code in the operating software that software apps need to interact with it
Term
boot process
Definition
process for loading the operating system into random access memory
Term
basic input/output system (BIOS)
Definition
program that manages the data between the operating system and all the input and output devices attatched to the computer system
Term
power-on self-test
Definition
the first job the BIOS performs, ensuring that essential peripheral devices are attached and operational.
Term
kernel (supervisor program)
Definition
manages the processor and all other components of the comp system
Term
authentication
Definition
the process of indentifying a computer user based on a login or user name and password
Term
file management
Definition
providing organizational structure to the computer's contents
Term
directories
Definition
hierarchical structures that include files, folders, and drives used to create a more organized and efficient computer
Term
detail view
Definition
Term
file name
Definition
the first part of the label applied to a file
Term
extension (file type)
Definition
the three letters that follow the user supplied filename after the dot.
Term
file path
Definition
indentifies the exact location that a file is located by seperating the directories
Term
path seperators
Definition
a symbol to separate directories
Term
physical memory
Definition
the amount of random access memory that is installed on a computer
Term
virtual memory
Definition
the space on a hard drive that the operating system stores data to if there isn't enough random access memory
Term
page file
Definition
the file the operating system builds on the hard drive when it is using virtual memory to enable processing to continue
Term
hard disk drives
Definition
holds all permanently stored programs and data
Term
access time
Definition
the time it takes a storage device to locate its stored data
Term
platters
Definition
thin round metallic plates stacked onto the hard disk drive spindle
Term
data transfer rate
Definition
the max speed at which data can be transmitted between two nodes on a network
Term
network
Definition
a group of two or more computers that are configured to share info and resources
Term
nodes
Definition
devices connected to a network such as a computer, a peripheral, or a communications device
Term
network architecture
Definition
the design of a network
Term
transmission media
Definition
the radio caves or cable that transport data on a network
Term
twisted pair cable
Definition
cables made of coppor wires that are twisted around each other and surrounded by a plastic jacket used for used for traditional home phone wire
Term
coaxial cable
Definition
a single copper wire surrounded by layers of plastic insulation and sheathing used for cable tv and cable internet
Term
fiber-optic cable
Definition
lines that transfer data at close to the speed of light along glass or plastic fibers
Term
data transfer rate (bandwidth)
Definition
Term
throughput
Definition
the actual speed of data transfer that is achieved. usually less than the data transfer rate
Term
packets
Definition
a small segment of data that is bundled to be sent over transmission media. each contains the adress of the computer or peripheral device to which it is being sent
Term
network navigation device
Definition
devices on a network such as routers hubs and switches that move data signals around the network
Term
routers
Definition
device that route packets of data between two or more networks
Term
switches
Definition
a device for transmitting data on a network. makes decisions based on the media access control address of the data
Term
unshielded twisted pair cable
Definition
the most popular transmission media option for ethernet networks. is composed of four pairs of wires that are twisted around each other to reduce electrical interference
Term
Cat 5E cable
Definition
who knows
Term
repeaters
Definition
devices that are installed on long cable runs to amplify a signal
Term
dsl/cable routers
Definition
routers that are specifically designed to connect to DSL or cable modems
Term
wireless network
Definition
a network that uses radio waves instead of wires or cable as its transmission medium
Term
trojan horse
Definition
a computer program that appears to be something useful or desirable but at the same time does something malicious in the background without the users knowledge
Term
backdoor programs
Definition
program that enables a hacker to take complete control of a computer without the legitimate users knowledge or permission
Term
denial of service
Definition
an attack that occurs when legit users are denied access to a computer system because a hacker is repeatedly making requests of that computer system to tie up its resources and deny legit users access
Term
distributed denial of service attack
Definition
automated attacks that are launched from more than one zombie computer at the same time
Term
firewalls
Definition
software program or hardware device designed to prevent unauthorized access to computers or networks
Term
personal firewalls
Definition
firewalls specifically designed for home networks
Term
packet filtering
Definition
a process that firewalls perform to filter out packets sent to specific logical ports
Term
logical port blocking
Definition
when a firewall is configured to ignore all incoming packets that request access to a certain port so that no unwanted requests will get through to the computer
Term
dynamic adressing
Definition
the process of assigning IP adresses when users log on using their ISP. the computer is assigned an adress from an available pool
Term
static addressing
Definition
assigning an IP adress for a computer that never changes and is most likely assigned manually by a network administrator
Term
network address translation
Definition
a process that firewalls use to assign internal IP adresses on a network
Term
virus
Definition
a computer program that attaches istelf to another computer program (host) and attempts to spread itself to other computers when files are exchanged
Term
master boot record
Definition
a small program that runs whenever a computer boots up
Term
time bomb
Definition
viruses that are triggered by the passage of time or on a certain date
Term
logic bomb
Definition
computer viruses that run when a certain set of conditions is met, such as specific dates keyed off the computers internal clock
Term
worm
Definition
a program that attempts to travel between systems through network connections to spread infections. can run independently of host file execution and are active in spreading themselves
Term
script
Definition
list of commands that can be executed on a computer without user interaction
Term
macro virus
Definition
viruses that are distributed by hiding them inside a small program that groups a series of commands to run as a single command
Term
encryption virus
Definition
a mal program that searches for common data files and compresses them into a file using a complex encryption key, rendering the files unusable
Term
polymorphic virus
Definition
a virus that changes its virus signature (the binary pattern that makes the virus identifiable) every time it infects a new file. this makes it more difficult for an antivirus program to detect it.
Term
multipartite virus
Definition
a type of computer virus that attempts to infect both the boot sector and executable files at the same time
Term
stealth virus
Definition
viruses that temporarily erase their code from the files where they reside and hide in the active memory of the computer
Term
label
Definition
descriptive text that identifies the components of the worksheet
Term
values
Definition
numeri data either typed in directly or entered by the program as a result of a calculation
Term
formula
Definition
equations that you build yourself using addition subtraction multiplication and division as well as values and cell references
Term
function
Definition
formula that is programmed into the spreadsheet software
Term
sum
Definition
=SUM(range)
Term
COUNT IF
Definition
COUNTIF(range, "pattern")
Term
IF
Definition
IF(cellreference(equation), statement, elsestatement)
Term
COUNTA or COUNT
Definition
COUNTA(RANGE)
COUNT(RANGE)
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