Computer Systems Chapter 1 Review

Vocabulary flashcards generated from Chapter 1 Computer Systems revision sheet.

Abacus

One of the earliest mechanical tools used for arithmetic calculations.

Vacuum Tubes

The primary electronic component characterizing first-generation computers.

Analytical Engine

A mechanical general-purpose computer designed by Charles Babbage that anticipated modern computer architecture.

Transistors

Electronic components whose adoption marked the beginning of the second computer generation.

ENIAC

One of the earliest fully electronic, digital, general-purpose computers built during World War II.

Open System

A system that interacts dynamically with its environment by exchanging both information and energy.

System Boundary

The boundary that separates a system from its surrounding environment.

Feedback

In systems theory, the process of using a portion of the output to modify or regulate future inputs.

Relatively Closed System

A system operating on pre-programmed logic without external network updates, such as an embedded thermostat.

System

A collection of interrelated components working together toward a common objective.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The core CPU component responsible for performing arithmetic operations and logical comparisons.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

The primary temporary workspace where the CPU stores data and instructions currently in use.

Control Unit (CU)

The CPU component responsible for directing and coordinating the operations of the entire system.

Motherboard

The main circuit board connecting the CPU, memory, and all peripheral devices together.

Von Neumann Architecture

A computer design characterized by a shared memory space for both data and instructions.

Von Neumann Bottleneck

The structural bottleneck occurring when data and instructions share the same bus in a Von Neumann system.

Program Counter (PC)

The register in a Von Neumann CPU that holds the address of the next instruction to be fetched from memory.

Fetch-Decode-Execute

The three fundamental phases of the machine cycle executed by a Von Neumann processor.

Accumulator (ACC)

An internal CPU register that temporarily holds intermediate results of arithmetic and logical operations.

Address Bus

The internal bus carrying physical memory addresses that the CPU wants to read from or write to.

Parallel Transmission

Data transmission that sends multiple bits simultaneously over separate parallel conductive paths or wires.

Serial Transmission

Data transmission that eliminates issues like wire crosstalk and clock skew at high frequencies by sending single-line streams.

Data Bus

A bidirectional bus carrying actual binary values being processed between system components.

Control Bus

The bus transmitting command and timing signals to coordinate system components.

CPU Registers

Memory components located at the very top of the memory hierarchy, offering the fastest access speed but smallest capacity.

Non-volatile Memory

Memory that retains its content even when the computer system is completely powered down.

Static RAM (SRAM)

High-speed memory technology used in cache memory that does not require constant refreshing.

Virtual Memory

A technique using a portion of secondary storage to simulate additional primary memory when RAM is full.

Software Engineering

The discipline focusing on the systematic design, development, testing, and maintenance of code-based computer programs.

Requirements Analysis

The SDLC phase involving gathering and defining what an application must accomplish.

Firmware

Permanent software programmed directly into a hardware device's read-only memory.

Operating System

System software acting as an intermediary between user applications and physical computer hardware.

Application Software

User-facing software programs such as web browsers, photo editors, and spreadsheet calculators.

Disk Defragmenter

Utility software that optimizes disk performance by reorganizing scattered pieces of files into contiguous storage spaces.

Open-source Software

Software distributed freely with its original source code available for anyone to modify and enhance.

Device Driver

System software that allows the operating system to communicate with specific hardware devices.

Protocol

A set of rules in data communication governing how data is formatted, transmitted, and received across a network.

Full-duplex

A transmission mode allowing data to flow in both directions simultaneously over a communication channel.

Bandwidth

A measure of the maximum data transfer capacity of a network communication channel over a given period.

Router

A network device responsible for inspecting incoming data packets and directing them across the optimal path toward another network.

Fiber-optic Cable

A guided (wired) transmission medium used for network data communication.