Chapter 3: Computer Hardware

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering computer hardware components, input/output devices, processing, memory, and storage as presented in the Chapter 3 lecture notes.

Hardware

The physical part or component of a computer system which can be felt, seen, and touched.

Software

A set of instructions or collection of programs designed and developed to perform specific tasks, classified into systems software and application software.

Input device

A piece of equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system.

Keyboard

An input device used to enter characters and functions into the computer system by pressing buttons or keys.

Standard keyboard

A keyboard containing normal character keys ($A-Z$, $1-0$), modifier keys (control, alt, escape, etc.), and function keys.

Extended keyboard

Includes a standard keyboard plus navigation keys such as arrows and page up/down, and a numeric keypad.

Touch typing

A method of typing with all available fingers without looking at the keyboard.

Pointing Device

An input device, such as a mouse or touchpad, that allows a user to control a small symbol on the screen called a pointer.

Graphics Tablet

Also called a digitizer, it is an electronic plastic board that enables a user to hand-draw images, animations, and graphics.

Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

A technology that reads typewritten, computer-printed, or handwritten characters from ordinary documents and translates them into a form the computer can understand.

Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)

Devices that read hand-drawn marks such as circles or rectangles.

Bar code readers

Optical readers that use laser beams to read identification codes consisting of vertical lines and spaces of different widths.

QR code

A $2$-D bar code that stores information in both vertical and horizontal directions in a square-shaped graphic.

RFID Readers

Radio frequency identification devices that use radio signals to communicate with a tag placed in or attached to an object, animal, or person.

Magstripe Readers

Devices used to read the magnetic stripe on the back of cards such as credit and bank cards.

MICR Reader

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition; devices that read text printed with magnetized ink, often used in the banking industry for check processing.

Smart Card Reader

A device that reads small electronic cards containing tiny memory chips that act as microprocessors.

Sensors

Devices that detect and respond to input from the physical environment, such as light, heat, motion, moisture, or pressure.

Output

Data that has been processed into a useful form, such as text, graphics, audio, or video.

Display

An output device that visually conveys text, graphics, and video information; most current versions are flat-panel displays.

Pixels

Individual dots on a screen used to form images; each pixel represents a separate color.

Graphics adapter

The electronic device that links the monitor to the processor and motherboard.

Dot-matrix printer

A printer that uses metal pins to strike an ink ribbon and paper, producing low-quality text formed by small dots.

Ink-jet printers

Line printers that spray small dots of liquid ink on paper to create images with good resolution.

Laser printers

Page printers characterized by high speed and high resolution.

All-in-One Printers

A single device providing the functionality of a printer, scanner, copy machine, and fax machine.

$3$-D printer

A printer capable of printing solid objects such as clothing, eyewear, toys, and prototypes.

Data Projectors

Devices that take text and images from a computer or mobile screen and project them onto a larger screen.

Interactive Whiteboards

Touch-sensitive devices resembling dry-erase boards that display connected computer images, usually via a projector.

Motherboard

The main circuit board of the computer to which components like the processor and memory attach.

Processor (CPU)

The Central Processing Unit; an electronic component that interprets and executes basic instructions to operate the computer.

Control Unit (CU)

A CPU component that controls the flow of input/output and is used to fetch and decode instructions.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

A CPU component that performs logical and arithmetic operations.

Registers (MU)

Very high-speed storage areas that are part of the processor.

Machine Cycle

The four-step process of the processor: Fetch, Decode, Execute, and Store.

Volatile Memory

Memory that loses its content when power is turned off, such as RAM.

Non-Volatile Memory

Memory that does not lose its content when power is removed, such as ROM and Flash Memory.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Main memory used to store programs and data waiting for processing.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Memory holding instructions that boot and prepare a computer for use.

Cache Memory

A type of RAM that a CPU can access more quickly than regular RAM to improve processing speed.

Access time

The amount of time it takes the processor to read from memory, measured in nanoseconds.

Bus

A collection of wires through which data is transferred between different parts of the computer.

Ports

The interface between the computer and the outer world.

Storage medium

The physical material, also known as secondary storage, on which a computer keeps data, programs, and applications.

Writing

The process of transferring data, instructions, and information from memory to a storage medium.

Reading

The process of transferring data and instructions from a storage medium into memory.

Bit

The smallest piece of information that can be stored in a computer, represented as a $0$ or $1$.

Byte

A group of $8$ bits representing one character in a computer.

Kilobyte (KB)

Approximately $1$ thousand bytes, or exactly $2^{10}$ ($1024$) bytes.

Megabyte (MB)

Approximately $1$ million bytes, or exactly $2^{20}$ ($1,048,576$) bytes.

Gigabyte (GB)

Approximately $1$ billion bytes, or exactly $2^{30}$ bytes.

Terabyte (TB)

Approximately $1$ trillion bytes, or exactly $2^{40}$ bytes.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

A magnetic storage device containing inflexible circular platters used to store data.

Defragmentation

The process of rearranging clusters on a hard disk to enhance performance.

Partitioning

Dividing a hard disk into separate areas that function as if they were separate hard disk drives.

Formatting

The process of preparing a disk for use by erasing the File Allocation Table (FAT) and allowing for reading and writing.

Solid-State Drive (SSD)

A flash memory storage device that contains its own processor to manage storage.

Cloud Storage

An Internet service that provides storage to computer or mobile device users.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange; a $7$-bit computer encoding system.

ANSI

American National Standards Institute; an $8$-bit computer encoding system.

Unicode

A $16$-bit computer encoding system supporting $65,536$ characters, including most world languages.