Computing Systems and Networks - Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering number conversion systems, networking fundamentals, transmission media, bandwidth units, network models, topologies, and infrastructure components.

Bit

A contraction of 'Binary Digit'; the single smallest unit of information in a computer, represented as a $0$ or a $1$.

Byte

A group of $8\text{ bits}$ used to represent a single character of digital data.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange; a character encoding standard where each character is represented using $8\text{ bits}$ ($1\text{ byte}$).

Denary Number System

A base-10 number system that uses ten digits ($0$ through $9$) to represent numerical values.

Binary Number System

A base-2 number system that uses two digits ($0$ and $1$) to represent all digital computer data.

Hexadecimal Number System

A base-16 number system that uses sixteen distinct symbols ($0$ to $9$ and $\text{A}$ to $\text{F}$) to represent data compactly.

SOHO Network

Small Office and Home Office network; a small network allowing computers in a home or remote office to share resources like printers and connect to central corporate networks or the internet.

LAN

Local Area Network; a network covering a small physical location, such as a single classroom or building.

MAN

Metropolitan Area Network; a network spanning a larger geographical area such as a whole city.

WAN

Wide Area Network; a network spanning broad geographical distances across cities, regions, or countries, such as the internet.

Copper Cable

A network cabling medium made of metal wire that transmits data using electrical signals.

Fibre Optic Cable

A high-speed network cabling medium made of thin glass strands that transmits data using light signals.

Wireless Transmission

A method of transmitting network signals through the air using radio waves without requiring physical cables.

Interference

Any external force or disturbance that weakens or disrupts a network signal as it travels.

Bandwidth

The maximum volume of data that can travel through a cable or wireless medium in one second, measured in bits per second ($\text{bps}$).

Throughput

The actual measured amount of data that successfully travels across a network media during a given period of time.

Latency

The total amount of time, including all network delays, for data to travel from its source to its destination point.

Packet

A small segment or chunk of data into which larger messages are divided for network transmission.

bps

Bits per second; the fundamental unit for measuring network bandwidth.

Kbps

Kilobits per second; a unit of network bandwidth equal to $1\,000\text{ bps}$.

Mbps

Megabits per second; a unit of network bandwidth equal to $1\,000\,000\text{ bps}$ or $1\,000\text{ Kbps}$.

Gbps

Gigabits per second; a unit of network bandwidth equal to $1\,000\,000\,000\text{ bps}$ or $1\,000\text{ Mbps}$.

Tbps

Terabits per second; a unit of network bandwidth equal to $1\,000\,000\,000\,000\text{ bps}$ or $1\,000\text{ Gbps}$.

Bandwidth Unit Ladder

A step-by-step metric conversion hierarchy showing that dividing by $1\,000$ converts bandwidth units upward to larger units, while multiplying by $1\,000$ converts bandwidth units downward to smaller units.

Host

Any computer or end device connected to a network that actively participates in network communication.

Client

A network host equipped with software that allows it to request and display information obtained from a server.

Server

A network host equipped with software that enables it to store, manage, and provide data or services to client devices.

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Network

A decentralized network structure in which every connected computer (peer) has equal status and can act as both a client and a server simultaneously.

Network Topologies

The structural layouts describing how network components and devices are geometrically interconnected.

Star Topology

A physical network layout where every individual device connects directly to one central networking switch or hub.

Bus Topology

A physical network layout where all connected devices share and communicate over a single common backbone cable.

Ring Topology

A physical network layout where each device connects to two others to form a closed circular loop for data transmission.

Mesh Topology

A physical network layout where every device is redundantly interconnected with multiple other devices to provide high fault tolerance.

End Devices

Hardware items at the edges of a network that act as the primary origin or final receiver of network messages (e.g., workstations, laptops, IP phones, network printers).

Intermediary Devices

Networking hardware devices (e.g., routers, LAN switches, firewalls) that connect end devices and direct data traffic across the network.

Network Media

The physical or wireless channels (such as LAN copper cabling, WAN fiber cables, and radio waves) through which data signals travel across a network.