Module 1: A summary of basic terms and concepts

A computer performs 4 common functions

•  input data into the computer using an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, or microphone

•  processes the data using programs and devices such as RAM, CPU, graphics cards and sound cards

•  outputs the resulting information for the user to see or hear using devices such as speaker, printer, and monitor

• stores the output for later use using devices such as a hard drive, flash drive, or cloud servers

Hardware (HW)

physical components of a computer and the devices attached to it.

Software (SW)

the instructions (called programs, applications, or apps) that tell the computer hardware what to do.

Personal Computer

has an operating system that allows only one person to use it at a time.

Server computer

dedicated to providing one or more services to other computers on the network ( printing, access to programs, storage, etc. )

Smart phone

a phone with internet capability and apps that are either preinstalled or downloaded.

Data

text, numbers, images, audios, and video

Information

data that has been processed to provide useful information to users

input device

enables a user to input data into the computer ex: scanners keyboards, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen, and microphone.

CPU

primary processing device of a computer; referred to as a brain of the computer because it does the mathematical calculations and performs programs instructions.

Output devices

takes the information sent to it by the CPU (or graphics card) provides it to the user either visually or via audio

• Ex: printers, monitors, projectors, & speakers

Random Access Memory (RAM)

memory or primary storage

• location on the motherboard where data and portions of programs are temporarily stored until the program manipulating the data is closed or the computer is shut off

• parts of the operating system are stored in the RAM when the computer is running

Long term storage

of data on a computer is normally provided by either hard disks or solid state drives

• Other long term storage options are USB flash drives, memory cards, optical disks and cloud storage.

Hard Disks

uses billions of small magnetic particles located on metallic platter to represent data

Solid State

drives use flash memory to represent dat

The Internet

millions of computers connected by thousands of networks

• accessed through the Internet Service Provider (ISP)

World Wide Web

billions of web pages that can be accessed through the internet

Web Site

A group of web pages belonging to one individual or company

Web pages

connected by hyperlinks, which can be text or graphic

home page

the first web page the user sees when accessing a web site

Web server

contains one or more web sites that can be assessed 24×7

web browser

an application used to download and display web pages

An Internet Protocol (IP)

address is the numeric address assigned to a computer on a network

• (such as 192.56.88.17).

•  All computers using the Internet must have an IP address to communicate with other computers.

  • Web servers need both IP addresses and domain names. 

  • Client computers only need IP addresses.

domain name

is a text-based name of a Web site.

uniform resource locator (URL)

address of a specific web page

•  includes the protocol, the domain name, the folder(s), and the Web page.

search sites

help you locate what you are looking on the internet through the use of key words

Malware (malicious software)

computer program designed to perform task without the permission of the user

• Malware can erase files, send unwanted emails, obtain confidential data, slow down computer performance and/or prevent the computer from working. 

Computers use two basic types of software (SW): 

• Application SW

• Systems SW

Systems SW

•  programs that are normally preinstalled on your computer when you buy it.

  • These programs perform tasks related to operating and managing the computer. 

  • The most important system SW is the operating system (OS). 

    • The OS accepts input from the user, manages the activities of the computer and acts as a middleman between application programs and the computer's hardware.

Application SW

• normally purchased after you buy a computer. 

  • These programs are designed to perform specific business, hobby, or school related tasks such as typing a paper, playing a game, editing a photograph, or creating an invoice.

A software developer

(also called programmer or coder) creates the instructions (called programs or apps)

that computers use to perform their activities. 

• Programmers use programming languages such as C++, Java, Python and JavaScript to create programs and apps.

Computer networks

use devices such as modems, wireless access points, switches and routers to send

signals across the network. 

• These signals are transmitted using either wired or wireless media.

Wired media

uses telephone lines, fiber optic cable, coaxial cable and ethernet cable

Wireless media

• uses technologies such as WiFi, bluetooth, cellular, microwave and satellite to send signals through the air.

A computer network

connects multiple computers and other devices so that they can communicate with

one another and share HW, SW, and data. 

• Many networks use a network server to manage the data flowing through the network. 

• The computers that access network resources through the network server are called client computers.