The physical components that constitute the computer system, such as the monitor, the keyboard, the motherboard, and the printer.
What is hardware
100
Refers to a kind of RAM that is stable and can hold data as long as electricity is powering the memory.
What is nonvolatile
100
Physical microchips that can hold data and programming, located on the motherboard or expansion cards.
What is memory
100
A pointing and input device that allows the user to move a cursor around a screen and select items with the click of a button.
What is mouse
100
Devices that communicate with the CPU but are not located directly on the motherboard, such as the monitor, floppy drive, printer, and mouse.
What is peripheral device
200
Unit of measurement for frequency, calculated in terms of vibrations, or cycles per second. For example, for 16-bit stereo sound, a frequency of 44,000 Hz is used.
What is hertz (Htz)
200
A physical connector, usually at the back of a computer, that allows a cable from a peripheral device, such as a printer, mouse, or modem, to be attached.
What is Port
200
another term for the CPU.
What is microprocessor
200
Another term for the system bus.
What is host bus
300
female 25-pin port on a computer that can transmit data in parallel, 8 bits at a time, and is usually used with a printer. The names for parallel ports are LPT1 and LPT2.
What is parallel port
300
another term for the CPU.
What is Processor
300
A peripheral output device that produces printed output to paper. Different types include dot matrix, ink-jet, and laser printers.
What is Printer
300
another term for motherboard.
What is main board
300
A set of step-by-step instructions to a computer. Some are burned directly into chips, while others are stored as program files. Programs are written in languages such as BASIC and C++.
What is program
400
One million Hz, or one million cycles per second.
What is megahertz (MHz)
400
The most commonly used output device for displaying text and graphics on a computer.
What is monitor
400
A set of rules and standards that two entities use for communication.
What is protocol
400
A standard designed to make the installation of new hardware devices easier by automatically configuring devices to eliminate system resource conflicts (such as IRQ or I/O address conflicts).
What is Plug and Play (PnP)
400
As applied to services running on a computer, a number assigned to a process on a computer so that the process can be found by TCP/IP
What is Port
500
Memory modules on the motherboard containing microchips used to temporarily hold data and programs while the CPU processes both. Information in RAM is lost when the PC is turned off.
What is RAM (random access memory)
500
A common input device through which data and instructions may be typed into computer memory.
What is keyboard
500
A box inside the computer case that supplies power to the motherboard and other installed devices. Power supplies provide 3.3, 5, and 12 volts DC.
What is powersupply
500
Temporary storage on the motherboard used by the CPU to process data and instructions. Memory is considered primary storage.
What is primary storage
500
The main board in the computer, also called the system board. The CPU, ROM chips, SIMMs, DIMMs, RIMMs, and interface cards are plugged into the motherboard.