Unit 2.1.3 Peripheral Devices

Peripheral Devices

Input/Output (I/O) Port

A place on a computer where you plug in devices

Peripheral

Any external device connected to a computer (keyboard, mouse, etc.)

Interface

The system that allows devices to communicate with the computer

Port

The physical opening on the computer

Connector

The end of a cable that plugs into a port

Bus Interface

A pathway that transfers data between components

Motherboard

The main circuit board that connects all components.

Expansion Card

A card added to a computer to give it more features (like graphics card)

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

A common port used for many devices

Binary

Data made of 0s and 1s

Bit (b)

The smallest unit of data (0 or 1)

Byte (B)

8 bits

Kilobit (Kb)

– 1,000 bits

Kilobyte (KB)

– 1,000 bytes

Megabit (Mb)

– 1,000,000 bits

Megabyte (MB)

– 1,000,000 bytes

Gigabit (Gb)

– 1,000,000,000 bits

Gigabyte (GB)

– 1,000,000,000 bytes

Transfer Rate

– How fast data moves

Keyed Connector

– A connector that only fits one way

Reversible Connector

A connector that can be plugged in either way