Term
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Definition
| The 'brain' of the computer. A microchip that runs all software and performs all calculation (also called microprocessor or processor) |
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Term
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Definition
| This refers to the speed of a CPU (processor). Basically there is a quartz crystal inside the processor that goes 'tick' many times each second. Each time is goes 'tick', the computer executes an instruction (or part of one). Therefore, the higher the clock speed, the more calculations the CPU performs each second. Clock speed is measured in MHz or GHz |
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Term
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Definition
| Refers to a CPU (processor) that contains more than one 'core'. Each core is capable of running one instruction at a time: so having two cores makes the processor up to twice as fast. |
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Term
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Definition
| A unit for measuring the clock speed of a CPU (processor) |
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Term
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Definition
| A unit for measuring the clock speed of a CPU (processor) |
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Term
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Definition
| The 'brain' of the computer. A microchip that runs all software and performs all calculation. (Also called CPU or processor) |
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Term
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Definition
| Millions of Instructions Per Second'. A way of rating the speed of a CPU (processor). |
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Definition
| The circuit board to which the internal computer components connect: the CPU, the RAM, the ROM, and the secondary storage devices |
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Term
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Definition
| The 'brain' of the computer. A microchip that runs all software and performs all calculation. (Also called CPU or microprocessor) |
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Definition
| A unit for measuring the clock speed of a CPU (processor) |
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Definition
| An input device that uses a laser to read a bar code. |
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Definition
| An example of an input device (fairly self-explanatory, but don't forget it). This might be a 'traditional' digital camera, or it might be a web camera or security camera. |
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Term
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Definition
| An example of an input device (fairly self-explanatory, but don't forget it). This might be a 'traditional' digital camera, or it might be a web camera or security camera. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know that this is an input device. |
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Term
| magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) |
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Definition
| An input device that reads writing made with special ink (the ink contains metal particles). Often used at the bottom of cheques |
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Term
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Definition
| An input device that reads the magnetic stripe on cards like ATM cards and bank cards. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know that this is an input device. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know that this is an input device. |
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Term
| optical character recognition (OCR) |
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Definition
| An input device that reads printed text, scans it, and converts it to text that can be edited in a word processor. Does not read handwriting! Do not confuse with OMR! |
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Term
| optical mark recognition (OMR) |
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Definition
| An input devices that reads simple multiple-choice style answers. It looks for a mark in a box on a piece of paper. Good examples are SAT exams and lottery tickets. Do not confuse with OCR! |
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Term
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Definition
| A device to read a smart card – which is a card that contains a microprocessor and some storage (Compare with magnetic stripe reader) |
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Term
| Touch-sensitive devices pads |
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Definition
| Input device. Examples include the touch pad on your laptop, but also the surfaces of other devices (iPad, iPod, etc) |
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Term
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Definition
| An example of an input device (fairly self-explanatory, but don't forget it). This is basically a specialized digital video camera |
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Term
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Definition
| Output device. The older type of monitor that is bigger and deeper, like an old TV (not flat). Relevant to e-waste. |
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Definition
| Output device...you should know this. |
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Term
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Definition
| Output device...you should know this. |
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Term
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Definition
| Output device...you should know this. |
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Term
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Definition
| Output device. The newer type of monitor which is flat. Relevant to e-waste. |
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Term
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Definition
| A single binary digit (a 1 or a 0). This is the smallest unit of storage inside a computer. 8 bits = 1 byte. |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary storage device capable of holding many gigabytes of data (16GB + ). This is an optical storage device. |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 8 bits. One byte is enough to store one character when using ASCII |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary storage device capable of holding 650-700MB of data. This is an optical storage device. |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary storage device. This is a type of solid state storage used for cameras. Capacities from 64MB up to several GB. |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary storage device capable of holding 4 – 8GB of data. This is an optical storage device. |
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Term
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Definition
| A modern type of connector for attaching external hard disks |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 petabytes |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of connector for attaching external hard disks and digital video cameras. Macs use these a lot. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of secondary storage device that uses electronic circuits to read and store data. The advantage of this is that is has no moving parts, making it faster and less likely to be damaged if dropped. Also called solid state storage. (Compare magnetic storage with optical storage and solid state storage) |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 megabytes |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of connector for attaching internal hard disks to a computer |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A type of secondary storage that users magnets to read and store data. Examples include floppy disks and hard disks. (Compare magnetic storage with optical storage and solid state storage) |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 kilobytes |
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Term
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Definition
| Secondary storage device. This is a type of solid state storage used for cameras. Capacities from 64MB up to several GB. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of secondary storage that users lasers (i.e. light) to read and store data. Examples include CDs, DVDs, and BluRays. (Compare magnetic storage with optical storage and solid state storage) |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 terabytes |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage systems which are found inside the computer and are electronic. RAM and ROM are examples. |
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Term
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Definition
| Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. A way of having two (or more) hard disks in a computer and having the exact same data written to each of them automatically. If one of the disks fails, the computer can switch to the other disk and continue running normally (since the second disk is an exact copy). |
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Term
| random-access memory (RAM) |
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Definition
| A type of primary storage. RAM is fast, but expensive and volatile (it loses it's contents when the power is removed). |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of primary storage. ROM is fast but expensive. Unlike RAM, ROM is not volatile (it does not lose it's contents when the power is removed) |
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Term
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Definition
| A modern type of connector for attaching internal hard disks |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage systems which are external to the computer (even if they are inside the case, like the hard drive). Secondary storage is typically cheaper and slower than primary storage, and has a higher storage capacity. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of secondary storage device that uses electronic circuits to read and store data. The advantage of this is that is has no moving parts, making it faster and less likely to be damaged if dropped. Also called flash memory. (Compare magnetic storage with optical storage and solid state storage) |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 gigabytes |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of connector for attaching many peripheral devices: flash memory drives, |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 zettabyes |
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Term
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Definition
| Storage unit: 1024 exabytes |
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Term
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Definition
| The measurement of the speed of a network. Measured in Kbps or Mbps. DO NOT CONFUSE with broadband. |
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Term
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Definition
| The unit for measuring bandwidth (the speed of a network). Measured in Kbps or Mbps. |
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Term
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Definition
| A short range, low bandwidth networking technology. Often used for mobile phone headsets or earphones. |
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Term
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Definition
| The general name for a type of Internet connection that is faster than dialup. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of broadband connection (usually DSL) |
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Term
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Definition
| An old, slower type of Internet connection that uses a MODEM to transfer data over the telephone network (so your mum can't use the phone while you are online) |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of network connector that uses a cable to connect computers on a LAN (looks a bit like a phone cable) |
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Term
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Definition
| InfraRed: a type of short range, low bandwidth, line-of-sight communication technology |
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Term
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Definition
| The unit for measuring bandwidth (the speed of a network). Stands for Kilo BITS per Second (not Bytes!) |
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Term
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Definition
| The unit for measuring bandwidth (the speed of a network). Stands for Mega BITS per Second (not Bytes!) |
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Term
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Definition
| A device used to connect a computer to a telephone line in order to send and receive data. See also: dialup |
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Term
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Definition
| The idea that computing devices are now able to perform the tasks once performed by many separate devices (e.g. watch TV, access the Internet, make phone calls,use a calendar and alarm functions, play games....all on your laptop) |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know this. Compare with smartphone and PDA. |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know this |
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Term
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Definition
| Hmmmm....you should know this |
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Term
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Definition
| A computer system that is inside another device (and probably can't be seen). For example, a computer that controls the brakes in a car, the flight control computer in an aeroplane, or the computer in a washing machine. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of desktop computer that has the appropriate hardware for watching movies: e.g. a High Definition screen, a fast processor, lots of storage space, and a BluRay drive. |
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Term
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Definition
| A type of powerful computer with a speed somewhere between the average desktop computer and a supercomputer. Typically used by large corporations that process many transactions (e.g. banks) |
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Term
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Definition
| Personal Digital Assistant. A mobile device which is bigger than a phone but smaller than a laptop. Probably has a keyboard or at least a stylus (pen) and a touch-screen. |
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Term
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Definition
| A phone which has the ability to access the Internet, typically using a 3G or 4G connection. |
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Term
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Definition
| A general term for the fastest available computers. Typically they have hundreds or thousands of CPUs (processors) and many gigabytes of RAM. Often used for weather prediction and other tasks remaining many calculations. |
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Term
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Definition
| Rate at which data is processed and output by a system. |
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Term
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Definition
| A single processor running multiple tasks by switching rapidly between them. |
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Term
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Definition
| Reducing a processor's clock speed to save power when not in use. |
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Term
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Definition
| Input devices used to measure certain traits, such as sound, heat, or light. |
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Term
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Definition
| Input device able to recognise touches and gestures made with multiple fingers. |
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Term
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Definition
| Keyboard with buttons to perform common tasks such as program launching. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Soft keyboard / Virtual keyboard |
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Definition
| Keyboard which is displayed on screen and controlled by clicking on buttons with the mouse or a touch screen. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use of spoken commands to control a computer. Don't confuse with voice recognition. |
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Term
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Definition
| Use of software to convert spoken words into text. Don't confuse with voice control. |
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Term
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Definition
| Device that uses a projector for output and touch inputs, using a special pen. |
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Term
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Definition
| Resolution of an LCD display that produces the best display quality. |
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Term
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Definition
| Information which is produced by a computer system. |
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Term
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Definition
| Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks. A way of having two (or more) hard disks in a computer and having the exact same data written to each of them automatically. If one of the disks fails, the computer can switch to the other disk and continue running normally (since the second disk is an exact copy). |
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Term
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Definition
| System of tags which contain data that can be read from a distance using radio waves. |
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Term
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Definition
| Backup power system which powers a computer if the mains electricity fails. |
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Term
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Definition
| Special keyboard designed for users with eyesight problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Special printer that can produce Braille text. |
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Term
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Definition
| Encoding system to store text, where one byte is used for each character. Compare Unicode. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility hardware that lets a user input using a wand connected to their head. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility setting for users with eyesight problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility hardware that lets a user input data by pressing a simple on-off switch. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility setting for users with eyesight problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility hardware for users with very limited mobility |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility setting for users with movement problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility feature for users with eyesight problems. |
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Term
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Definition
| Accessibility software that tracks where a user is looking on the screen. |
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