Computer Science Fundamentals: Hardware, Networking, Software, and Cybersecurity

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards reviewing fundamental computer concepts, computer hardware components, software classifications, networking topologies and models, the internet, search engines, programming paradigms, malware types, and data security mechanisms.

Desktop PC

A personal computer designed for use in a single, stationary location, typically consisting of a system unit, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Laptop PC

A portable, lightweight computer with a hinged design, featuring a flat LCD screen, a built-in keyboard with a touchpad, and a battery for mobile use.

Mainframe

A large, powerful computer capable of supporting multiple users and thousands of simultaneous queries; it is often used for large-scale data processing in banks and big corporations.

Server

A central computer connected to a network of "client" workstations, designed to store data and provide services with higher processing power and memory than a standard workstation.

Supercomputer

The fastest type of computer, containing tens of thousands of processors for simultaneous execution of data-intensive tasks such as weather forecasting and aerodynamics.

Tablet PC

A highly portable mobile device with a touch screen interface, typically lacking a physical keyboard and using a mobile operating system.

Touchpad

A sensitive pad built into a laptop keyboard that allows the user to move the pointer on the screen by touch, serving as a replacement for a mouse.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The specific part of the CPU that performs actual arithmetic (e.g., addition, subtraction) and logical operations (e.g., AND, OR, NOT).

BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

A ROM chip on the motherboard containing firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process.

Bus

An electrical channel that carries signals and allows devices inside the computer to communicate with each other.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The "brain" of the computer, built into a single chip (microprocessor), responsible for executing program instructions and coordinating all other units.

Clock speed

The measurement of how many cycles a CPU executes per second, typically measured in gigahertz (GHz).

Control Unit

The component of the CPU that interprets instructions from the user's program and directs the rest of the hardware to execute them.

Expansion slot

A socket on the motherboard that allows users to install expansion cards to add features like sound or network capabilities.

Hardware

Any physical, electronic, or mechanical part of a computer system that can be seen or touched.

Input device

A hardware unit that enables the user to enter data into the computer's memory, such as a keyboard, mouse, or scanner.

Instruction register (IR)

A CPU register that holds the instruction that is being executed now.

Motherboard

The main circuit board of a computer that holds the CPU, memory chips, expansion slots, and controllers for peripherals.

Mouse

A small input device used to specify the position of the cursor or to make choices from menus.

Output device

Any peripheral that allows the user to extract or view the finished results from the system, such as a monitor or printer.

Peripherals

Physical units attached to the computer, including input, output, and storage devices.

Program counter (PC)

A CPU register that keeps track of the next instruction to be performed.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Volatile main memory used to temporarily store data and instructions while they are being processed by the CPU; its contents are lost when power is turned off.

Registers

High-speed memory units within the CPU used to store and control data immediately needed for instruction execution.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Non-volatile memory containing permanent instructions and routines for basic CPU operations, such as the BIOS.

Scanner

An input device that converts images, printed text, or handwriting into a digital image.

Speaker

A device that provides sound output.

Storage device

A peripheral device used for permanent or long-term storage of data and programs, such as hard drives or flash drives.

CLI

The way to interact with a computer system through typing various commands in the form of lines of text.

Compatible

Being able to work with another device or program.

Cooperative multitasking

A computer multitasking technique in which the operating system never initiates a context switch from a running process to another process.

Device driver

A type of software that controls specific hardware of the computer system.

Firmware

Permanent software or set of instructions stored in ROM of the computer system.

GUI

A user-friendly interface based on graphics; it uses a WIMP environment.

Open-source software

A type of computer software whose copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose.

Operating system

A set of programs that manage the computer's hardware resources, establish a user interface, and provide the environment for application programs to run.

Preemptive multitasking

A type of multitasking where the operating system can initiate a context switch to satisfy the scheduling policy's priority, thus preempting the active task.

Proprietary software

Non-free software whose users are not allowed to share, modify it, and distribute the modifications.

Spreadsheet

A computer application for organization, analysis, and storage of data in a tabular form.

Word processor

A computer application used to compose and edit texts.

Ad hoc topology

A wireless peer-to-peer network that does not rely on the existing infrastructure.

Bluetooth

A wireless technology that allows mobile devices and other peripheral devices to communicate over short distances.

Bus topology

A network setup where all nodes (computers, servers, printers) connect directly to a single, central cable, known as the backbone or bus.

Client-server network

A computing model in which multiple clients connect to a central server to access resources, such as files, applications, and data.

Computer network

A group of computers that use a set of common communication protocols over digital interconnections for the purpose of sharing resources located on or provided by the network nodes.

Hybrid topology

A network structure that combines two or more different types of topologies into a single system.

Internet Protocol (IP) address

The unique identifying number assigned to every device connected to the internet.

Latency

The time delay between a user's action (request) and the system's response, typically measured in milliseconds (ms).

Local area network (LAN)

A collection of devices connected together in one physical location, such as a building, office, or home.

Mesh topology

A network configuration where every device is interconnected with every other device, providing multiple routes for data to travel.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A high-speed network that interconnects multiple LANs (local area networks) within a specific geographic area, such as a city, large campus, or municipality.

Network bridge

A hardware component connecting networks that use the same protocol.

Network gateway

A device or software used to enable communication between two networks that may be using different protocols.

Network hub

A node that broadcasts data to every computer or Ethernet-based device connected to it without restriction.

Network switch

Identical to a network hub, but unlike a hub, a switch forwards data to the specific device only based on its MAC address.

Network topology

The configuration of the elements (nodes) of a network.

Peer-to-peer network

A network architecture in which all the computers have the same capabilities, i.e. share files and peripherals, without requiring a separate server computer.

Ring topology

A LAN topology, in which all devices are interconnected in a continuous loop.

Router

A networking device that can send data packets from one network to another.

Star topology

A LAN topology, in which all data flows through a central hub, a common connection point for the devices on the network.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A type of computer network that connects computers and other devices over a large geographical area (a country or a continent).

Wired networks

Communication systems that connect devices (computers, printers, servers) using physical cables, such as Ethernet (twisted pair), fiber optics, or coaxial cables, to a central router or switch.

Wireless LAN (WLAN)

A wireless computer network that forms a local area network by linking devices over Wi-Fi radio signals.

Bandwidth

The measure of how much information can pass through a data connection in a given amount of time, measured in bits per second.

Cellular network

A radio-based communication network distributed over land areas called cells, each served by a fixed-location transceiver, known as a cell tower.

Dial-up connection

The most archaic way to access the Internet which used a standard phone line and analog modem; it pre-existed the DSL connection and used one and the same frequency to transmit voice and data signal.

Digital Subscriber Line

A broadband communication technology designed for the use on telephone lines; it allows a single phone connection to be used for both Internet service and voice calls at the same time.

Fiber-optic technology

The fastest wired way to access the Internet transmitting information as pulses of light through strands of fiber made of glass or plastic over long distances.

TCP/IP stack

A four-layer protocol model used on the Internet to govern how data is transmitted between computers, named after the two main protocols TCP and IP.

The World Wide Web (WWW)

An information system accessible through the Internet where documents and other web resources are identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Ranking

The process of ordering the search results from most relevant to least relevant.

Web crawler

A special program also known as a spider that regularly browses the web to discover new content by following hyperlinks from page to page and storing copies of the pages in a search engine's index.

Human-powered directories

Systems that depend on human editors for their listings; when a user query is entered, the system looks for matches only in the descriptions submitted.

Meta-search engine

A type of search engine which does not have a database of indexed pages of its own; instead, it sends users' queries to several other search engines and compiles top results from each into one overall list.

Search bar

A field on the screen that allows users to enter keywords or phrases to find specific content.

Web browser

Software that serves as a gateway to the World Wide Web; it identifies individual URLs and displays the corresponding page on the user's device.

Search engine

A software system that scans, indexes, and retrieves web content to help users find information online.

Hyperlink

A highlighted word or image in a hypertext document that takes a user to another location when he/she clicks on it.

Assembly language

A low-level programming language that uses symbolic instructions rather than raw binary coding to communicate directly with a computer's hardware.

Object-oriented programming (OOP)

A programming paradigm in computer science that relies on the concept of classes and objects, where objects are defined as software entities that encapsulate data and functions.

Compiler

A special program that converts a source program (written in a high-level language) into object code in one go.

Interpreter

A special program that translates the source code line by line, as the program is running.

Inheritance

The ability of one class of objects to use properties and behavior of another class.

Polymorphism

A programming language's ability to process objects differently depending on their data type or class.

Encapsulation

A fundamental concept that combines data (attributes) and methods (functions) into a single unit.

Source code

A set of instructions typically written in a high-level programming language that defines how a program or application should function.

Machine code

A code made of just two numbers ($0$ and $1$).

Debugging

The technique of detecting and correcting errors which may occur in programs.

Adware

A form of financially supported malware that usually presents itself as unwanted commercials.

Backdoor

A technique that involves leaving, within a completed program, an illicit program that allows unauthorized and unknown entry.

DDoS attack

An attack where hackers overload networks and servers with traffic so that computer systems are unable to keep up with legitimate needs.

Hijacking

A type of cybercrime which involves redirecting anyone trying to visit a certain site elsewhere.

Keylogger

A type of spyware used to monitor and record each keystroke on a specific keyboard to gather and send information to the attacker, most often used for stealing passwords.

Miner

A virus which uses your computer power to earn cryptocurrency for others.

Misdirection routine

The component that allows a virus to hide itself.

Payload

The component of a virus that does the damage to the computer system.

Phishing

A type of cybercrime where the attacker sends a fake message designed to trick a person into revealing sensitive information to the attacker.

Piracy

Unauthorized copying of a program for sale or distributing to other users.

Ransomware

A type of malware that threatens to publish the victim’s data, encrypts the victim’s data or blocks access to the device unless a payment is made.

Reproduction routine

The component that allows the virus to self-replicate and infect other programs.