Introduction to Computing

Vocabulary flashcards covering the basic concepts of computing, hardware components, memory types, software categories, units of measurement, and computer security risks.

Computer

An electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules, produce information (output), and store the information for future use.

Hardware

The collection of physical elements that constitutes a computer system, referring to the parts or components such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, and hard drive disk (HDD) that can be touched.

Input Device

Any peripheral piece of computer hardware equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system; it translates data from human form to a form the computer can work with.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The brain of a computer responsible for all functions and processes; regarding computing power, it is the most important element of a computer system.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The part of the CPU that executes all arithmetic and logical operations.

Control Unit (CU)

A crucial component of the CPU that directs the processor's operation using a binary decoder to convert coded instructions into control signals.

Registers

A very fast storage area within the CPU that stores the data that is to be executed next.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

A temporary and volatile memory scheme that stores data randomly, allowing the processor to access it as needed; contents disappear when power is turned off.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

A permanent form of storage that stays active regardless of power supply and does not allow stored data to be modified.

Hard drive (HD)

A unit that stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces.

Optical disc drives (ODDs)

Devices that use laser light to read or write data to optical media such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs.

Flash Disk

A storage module made of flash memory chips with no mechanical platters or access arms, where disk storage structure is emulated.

Output Device

Any piece of computer hardware used to communicate the results of data processing by converting electronically generated information into human-readable form.

Software

A generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions, categorized into system software and application software.

System software

Software that manages hardware components and provides basic non-task-specific functions, such as operating systems and utility tools.

Application software

Computer software designed to help the user perform specific tasks beyond running the system, such as word processing or spreadsheets.

Bit

The basic unit used in computer data storage, representing a binary digit composed of ones and zeros.

Kilobyte (KB)

$$1024\text{ bytes}$$

Megabyte (MB)

$$1024\text{ kilobytes}$$

Gigabyte (GB)

$$1024\text{ megabytes}$$

Terabyte (TB)

$$1024\text{ gigabytes}$$

Hertz (Hz)

The unit used to measure the speed of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), representing a CPU cycle.

Diligence

The characteristic of a computer that allows it to perform long and complex calculations with consistent speed and accuracy without getting tired or fatigued.

Versatility

The nature of a computer to perform different types of tasks, such as preparing a document or playing music, with the same ease.

Virus

A small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs and reproduces by attaching itself to other programs.

Trojan horse

A computer program that claims to do one thing but instead does damage when run; it does not replicate automatically.

Worm

A small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself to other machines.