is an electronic device that processes data and converts it into information that people cane use.

Technology

refers to the practical application of an art or skill.

Moore’s Law

Moore predicted that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit, or microchip, would double every couple of years.

E-commerce.

or electronic commerce, is the buying and selling of products and services over the Internet.

personal computer (PC).

is used by one person at a time. Desktop and

laptop computers, tablet PCs (such as iPads), and smartphones are all examples of PCs, which are also called microcomputers.

desktop.

computer is designed to remain in one location.

laptop.

computer is designed to be carried from place to place.

netbook.

is even smaller and lighter than a conventional laptop, with many of the same capabilities.

smartphone.

sometimes called a personal digital assistant (PDA), is a handheld computer with cell phone capabilities.

Macintosh.

the term PC is used to identify a personal computer that uses the Windows operating system (OS), as opposed.

minicomputer.

can be used by several people, even up to hundreds of people, at once.

mainframe.

 or supercomputer, is large enough

to fill several rooms.

Ergonomics.

is the study of the relationship between humans and the objects

that we use.

Ergonomists.

people who

study human anatomy in order to determine how the objects that we use can

be made safer, more comfortable, and more efficient.

peripheral.

Anything connected to your computer

input devices.

to put information into a computer

keyboard.

is one of the most common input devices

mouse

to control objects you see on a computer screen

scanner

converts printed documents or images, such as

drawings and photographs, into digital files.

joystick

an input device that usually has buttons that

can be pressed to send instructions to the computer.

microphone

can be used to input audio such as music into a

computer.

digital camera

captures photographs as digital files that can be

uploaded directly to a computer.

port

allows users to connect

external input devices to the computer system.

output device

carries information

out

of a computer

monitor

which is also called a computer screen, displays information

visually, just like a television set.

printer

to transfer images from a monitor to paper

speaker

carries information in the form of sound

process

data into useful information.

microprocessor

is the brain of a computer

motherboard

which is the computer’s main circuit board

clock speed

is the number of calculations

the processor can perform each second.

CPU

 or central processing unit, is made of one microprocessor in small

computers.

Memory

where computers keep their information, comes in the form of computer chips

RAM

or random access memory, holds information temporarily

ROM

read-only memory, is the permanent information on a computer

storage device

,

called a secondary storage device, is another place

where information is kept in a computer system.

hard drive

,

called a hard disk, is the most

widely used secondary storage device.

zip disk

,

like a floppy disk, has a portable disk inside a plastic case.

Flash memory

uses chips to hold information

Optical disks

another type of storage device, use lasers to read and write information.

CD-ROM

is an optical disk that can hold up to 1 gigabyte of information

DVD-ROM

is an optical disk

CD-R

which stands for Compact Disk-Recordable, is a CD-ROM that does not yet contain any information

CD-RW

short for CD-Rewritable, is an optical

disk that can record information many times.

BD

Blu-Ray Disc, is an optical storage disk designed to compete with

the DVD format.

network

is a group of computers that are

connected to each other.

LAN

local area network, is a connected group of computers that are

close to one another.

WAN

wide area network, is a connected group of computers that are not

close to each other.

server

manages the flow of information on a network. This allows network resources, such as files and

printers.

network topology

is the actual arrangement of computers in a network. Three network topologies are shown

below.

operating system

is a program that runs the computer.

command

A computer user controls the

operating system

graphical user interface (GUI)

.

More popular operating systems such as Windows

and Macintosh

application

is the program

that is designed for a particular type of task, like writing a letter or calculating

a budget.

word processing application

produces text documents. You key

words into the computer on a keyboard.

spreadsheet

is a table organized into rows and columns. You

enter numbers in the table.

presentation

is composed of slides that contain information and

graphics.

database

an organized way to store information so that it is

easy for the computer to search the information.

utility program

is a program that performs a specific task within an

operating system.

firewall

is a utility that

protects computers against unwanted connections.

encryption

,

putting data into a code.

file management

utility organizes files and

information so that they are easy to locate.