COMPTIA ITF+ Section 1 & 2

Input

Data or commands entered into a computer system for processing.

Processing

The act of transforming input data into meaningful output, typically involving calculations, formatting, or manipulation of the data.

Output

The result generated by a computer after processing input data, which can be displayed, printed, or stored.

Storage

The process of saving data on a storage medium for future use, allowing for retrieval and manipulation as needed.

Decimal Notation System

A numerical representation that uses a base of ten, incorporating digits from 0 to 9 to express values and perform calculations.

Hexadecimal Notation System

A numerical representation that uses a base of sixteen, incorporating digits from 0 to 9 and letters A to F to express values and perform calculations.

Binary System

Provides the foundation for data storage and manipulation within a computer system

Hexadecimal

Offers a condesnced and human-friendly representation of binary values

Decimal

Serves as a familiar interface, enabling human-computer communication

Bit (Binary Digit)

The smallest unit of data in a binary system, representing a state of either 0 or 1. Typically used I data transfer.

Byte

A unit of digital information that consists of 8 bits, commonly used to encode a single character of text in computer systems. Typically used in data storage.

Nibble

A unit of digital information that consists of 4 bits, often used in computing and binary representations.

Kilobits per second (Kbps)

A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 bits transmitted per second, commonly used to measure internet connection speeds.

Megabits per second (Mbps)

A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 kilobits transmitted per second, often used to measure high-speed internet connections.

Gigabits per second (Gbps)

A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 megabits transmitted per second, typically used for very high-speed network connections.

Terabits per second (Tbps)

A unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 gigabits transmitted per second, used for extremely high-speed data transfers, often in data centers and telecommunications.

Megahertz (Mhz)

A unit of frequency equal to one million hertz, commonly used to measure the clock speed of processors and frequency of signals.

Gigahertz (Ghz)

A unit of frequency equal to 1 billion hertz, commonly used to measure processor and signal speeds in computers and telecommunications.

Data Types

Defines the kind of data that can be stored and manipulated within a program.

Integers

Whole numbers that can be positive, negative, or zero, used for counting and ordering in programming.

Floating-Point Numbers/Floats

Used to represent real numbers (decimal or fraction)

Boolean Values

Represents the logical values of true and false, used in programming to control the flow of a program and consume one bit of storage.

Characters

Used to represent individual letters, digits, punctuation marks, or any other symbol that can be represented in text.

Strings

A sequence of characters used to represent text in programming and often enclosed in quotes.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

Developed in the 1960’s as one of the first character coding standards and it used 7 bits to represent each character.

Unicode

A much more expensive encoding system that can represent over a million unique characters.