BUS 237 Lecture 4 - Moore's Law and More

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, concepts, and technologies from BUS 237 Lecture 4: Moore's Law and More.

Moore's Law

The principle stating that chip performance per dollar doubles every eighteen months.

Microprocessor

The part of the computer that executes the instructions of a computer program.

Random-access memory (RAM)

Fast, chip-based volatile storage in a computing device.

Volatile memory

Storage that is wiped clean when power is cut off from a device.

Nonvolatile memory

Storage that retains data even when powered down.

Flash memory

Nonvolatile, chip-based storage.

Solid state electronics

Semiconductor-based devices.

Semiconductor

A substance such as silicon dioxide used inside most computer chips that is capable of enabling and inhibiting the flow of electricity.

Optical fiber line

High-speed glass or plastic-lined networking cable used in telecommunications.

Advancing Rates of Technology Curves

Cost/performance curves showing Data Storage doubling every 12 months and Optical Fiber doubling every 9 months, both progressing faster than Moore's Law.

Price elasticity

The rate at which the demand for a product or service fluctuates with price change.

Pervasive computing

The sixth wave of computing (2010s) involving embedding intelligence and communications in all sorts of mundane devices.

Raspberry Pi

A low-cost computer with some models smaller than two sticks of gum that can run a full PC operating system and costs as little as $5.

Microcontrollers

Special-purpose computing devices that lack an operating system, typically containing a processor, memory, and I/O peripherals on a single chip.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A vision where low-cost sensors, processors, and communication are embedded into products and the environment to collect data, analyze input, and coordinate collective action.

Proteus Ingestible Sensor

Ingestible tech made of food and vitamin materials activated by digestive acids to send vitals such as heart rate, temperature, and body angle.

Medtronic PillCam

An ingestible camera capsule that, once swallowed, relays images of internal organs.

Bravo Reflux Capsule

A device attached to esophageal tissue to assess pH levels and transmit data to an external recorder.

Byte

A group of eight bits representing a single keyboard character.

Bandwidth

Telecommunication capacity, typically measured in bits per second (bps).

Esoko

A Ghanaian firm delivering market prices, farming tips, and buyer/transport matching to farmers via text message on simple mobile phones.

Fabs

Semiconductor fabrication facilities.

Silicon wafers

Thin, circular slices of material used to create semiconductor devices.

Quantum tunneling

A physical phenomenon that occurs when chip components become extremely small, allowing electrons to pass through barriers and limiting miniaturization.

Multicore microprocessors

Microprocessors containing two or more calculating processor cores on the same piece of silicon, outperforming single chips while running cooler and using less power.

Transistors

Super-tiny on-off switches inside a chip that work collectively to calculate or store data in memory.

General Purpose Microprocessors (CPUs)

Main brain chips (such as Intel or ARM) capable of handling almost any task, supported by a large base of existing software, but slower and more power-hungry.

ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits)

Custom-designed chips built to execute a subset of tasks very quickly and efficiently, such as graphics or machine learning.

FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays)

Chips whose on-chip logic can be re-routed via software after installation to optimize performance for specific tasks.

Supercomputers

Computers that are among the fastest in the world at the time of their introduction.

HPC (High Performance Computing)

Massively-parallel computer systems designed to deliver significantly more processing power than conventional off-the-shelf technologies.

Massively parallel processing

A computer setup engineered with many microprocessors working together simultaneously to solve complex problems.

Grid computing

A technique using special software to link multiple independent computers to work together on a common problem as if they were a supercomputer.

Cluster computing

Connecting server computers via software and networking so their resources collectively solve computing tasks.

Software as a Service (SaaS)

A form of cloud computing where a firm subscribes to third-party software that is delivered online.

Cloud computing

Replacing local computing resources with services provided over the Internet.

Server farms

Massive networks of computer servers running software to coordinate their collective compute capacity.

Latency

The delay in networking and data transfer speeds.

E-waste

Discarded, often obsolete electronic technology.

e-Stewards

A certification program created by the Basel Action Network that audits and certifies responsible electronic waste recyclers.

MagicBand

A wearable wristband used at Disney World for attraction admission, hotel room keyless entry, payment, and guest location tracking.

MyMagic+

Disney's integrated suite of technologies connecting web, mobile, and physical systems to customize and manage park vacation itineraries.