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What is a binary digit? |
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A binary digit is the smallest unit of
information on a machine. |
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“0”=Off “1”=On |
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A number system that has just two unique digits. |
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So the binary number 1011 equals a decimal
number 11. |
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Dots Per Inch |
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DPI indicates the resolution of images. The more
dots per inch, the higher the resolution. A common resolution for laser
printers is 600 dots per inch. This means 600 dots across and 600 dots
down, so there are 360,000 dots per square inch. |
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Abbreviation for megahertz. |
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One MHz represents one million cycles per second. The speed of microprocessors, called the clock speed,
is measured in megahertz. |
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The baud indicates the number of bits per second
that are transmitted. For example, 300 baud means that 300 bits are transmitted each second. |
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Abbreviated 300 bps |
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Short for modulator-demodulator. A modem is a
device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone
lines. Computer information is stored digitally, whereas information
transmitted over telephone lines is transmitted in the form of analog
waves. A modem converts between these two forms. |
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A common connection point for devices in a
network. Hubs are commonly used to connect
segments of a LAN. A hub contains multiple ports. |
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A device that connects two local-area networks (LANs), or two segments of the
same LAN that use the same protocol, such as Ethernet or Token-Ring. |
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Cable |
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10 Base-T uses two pairs of wires: one pair for
transmission and the second pair for receive. The physical connector
commonly used is an 8 position modular plug, referred to as an RJ-45. All
cables must be wired such that pins 1 & 2 are on one twisted pair and
pins 3 & 6 are on a second pair. |
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The 10Base-T system operates at 10 Mbps and uses
baseband transmission methods. |
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The main circuit board of a microcomputer. |
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Typically, the motherboard contains the CPU,
BIOS, memory, serial and parallel ports, expansion slots, and all the
controllers required to control standard peripheral devices, such as the
display screen, keyboard, and disk drive. |
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A collection of wires through which data is
transmitted from one part of a computer to another. You can think of a bus
as a highway on which data travels within a computer. |
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Pronounced cash, a special high-speed storage
mechanism. It can be either a reserved section of main memory or an independent high-speed storage device. Two
types of caching are commonly used in personal computers: memory caching
and disk caching. |
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Acronym for random access memory, a type of
computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory
can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM is the most
common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as
printers. |
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Often abbreviated as NIC, an expansion board you
insert into a computer so the computer can be connected to a network. |
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Refers to the condition of a disk in which files
are divided into pieces scattered around the disk. Fragmentation occurs
naturally when you use a disk frequently, creating, deleting, and modifying
files. |
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Refers to the ability of a computer system to
automatically configure expansion boards and other devices. You should be
able to plug in a device and play with it, without worrying about setting
DIP switches, jumpers, and other configuration elements. |
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Short for power-on self test |
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Diagnostic testing sequence run by a computer’s
BIOS as the computer’s power is initially turned on. The POST will
determine if the computer’s RAM, disk
drives, peripheral devices and other hardware components are properly
working |
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UNIX was one of the first operating systems to
be written in a high-level
programming language, namely C. This meant that it could be
installed on virtually any computer for which a C compiler existed. |
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Basic
input/output system. The BIOS is built-in software that determines what a
computer can do without accessing programs from a disk. |
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Notes