Introduction to Computer Science and Computer Systems

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on computer systems and their evolution.

Computer system

An electronic device that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it, and generate a result (output); it includes both hardware and software.

Input

Data or signals entered into a computer for processing.

Output

Data produced by a computer after processing.

Hardware

The physical components of a computer that perform processing and storage tasks.

Software

Programs and data that direct the hardware to perform tasks.

System software

Software that coordinates hardware and supports running application software, such as the operating system.

Application software

Programs designed to help users perform specific tasks.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The brain of the computer that executes instructions; often contains the ALU and registers.

Memory

Primary storage that holds data and instructions currently in use.

Storage devices

Non-volatile devices used to store data long term (e.g., magnetic disks, tapes).

Input/Output devices

Peripherals that allow data to enter the computer and results to be produced (keyboard, monitor, printer).

Abacus

An early mechanical calculating device used by ancient civilizations around 2000 BC.

Vacuum tube

An electronic device used for amplification in early computers, enabling first generation machines.

First generation computer

Computers that used vacuum tubes and magnetic drums; input via punched cards and paper tape; output as printouts; programs in machine language.

Magnetic drum

An early external storage device consisting of a metal cylinder coated with magnetic material.

Second generation computer

Computers that used transistors instead of vacuum tubes; smaller, faster and cheaper; introduced stored program concept.

Transistor

A semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals, replacing vacuum tubes.

Magnetic core

Magnetic memory used as primary storage in early RAM systems.

Magnetic disk

Magnetic storage used as secondary storage.

PDP-8

An example of a second generation computer.

IBM 1401

An example of a second generation computer.

IBM 7090

An example of a second generation computer.

Assembly language

A human readable notation for machine language using mnemonics; easier to read and write.

Mnemonic

An alphanumeric symbol representing a machine instruction in assembly language.

Assembler

A program that translates assembly language into machine code.

Third generation computer

Computers using integrated circuits; smaller, more reliable; keyboards and monitors used; operating systems emerged.

Integrated circuit (IC)

A single chip containing many transistors and other components.

Keyboard

An input device for typing data and commands.

Monitor

An output display device for showing information.

Magnetic tapes

External storage medium used for data storage, typically in sequential access.

Fourth generation

Era of microprocessors; large scale and later very large scale integration enabling personal computers.

Microprocessor

A small integrated circuit that contains the processing unit functions for data processing.

LSI (Large Scale Integration)

Thousands of transistors on a single chip as part of computer evolution.

VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration)

Hundreds of thousands to millions of transistors on one chip.

ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration)

Chips with millions of transistors on a single chip.

Apple II

An early personal computer example from the fourth generation.

Altair 8800

An early influential personal computer that helped popularize home computing.

Cray-1

A famous early supercomputer.

Fifth generation

Present and beyond; AI oriented with parallel processing and mega chips.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Field of computing focused on creating systems that perform tasks requiring human intelligence.

Expert systems

AI programs that mimic expert decision making in specific domains.

NLP (Natural Language Processing)

AI technology for understanding and processing human language.

Speech recognition

Technology that converts spoken language into text or commands.

Vision recognition

AI technology for interpreting visual information from images or video.

Robotics

Field applying AI to control autonomous or semi autonomous machines.

Parallel processing

Executing multiple instructions or tasks simultaneously across multiple processors.

Mega chips

Chips built with Super Large Scale Integration to pack many transistors on a single chip.

SLSI (Super Large Scale Integration)

A scale of integration describing very large scale integrated circuits used in fifth generation systems.

Von Neumann architecture

Computer architecture with a stored program in memory and a single bus for data and instructions.

Princeton architecture

Another name for the Von Neumann architecture.