COMPUTER CONCEPTS Vocabulary

1. COMPUTER CONCEPTSVocabulary Chapter 5 Computer Architecture CIS 120

2. Computer architecture • The design and construction of a computer that is the basis for designating its platform. CIS 120

3. Chip package • The housing for an integrated circuit, a chip package can be a single DIP or PGA, or it can include a circuit board as in a DIMM or SEC. CIS 120

4. Integrated circuit (IC) • A thin slice of silicon crystal containing microscopic circuit elements such as transistors, wires, capacitors, and resistors; also called chips and microchips. CIS 120

5. Motherboard • The circuit board in the computer that houses the chips that control the processing functions. CIS 120

6. Analog device • A device that operates on continuously varying data, such as a dimmer switch or a watch with a sweep second hand. CIS 120

7. Digital device • A device that works with discrete (distinct or separate) numbers or digits. CIS 120

8. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange • A code that represents characters as a series of 1s and Os. Most computers use ASCII code to represent text, making it possible to transfer data between computers. CIS 120

9. Binary number system • A method for representing numbers using only two digits, 0 and 1. Contrast this system to the decimal system, which uses ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. CIS 120

10. Character data • Letters, symbols, or numerals that will not be used in arithmetic operations (name, social security number, etc.). CIS 120

11. Numeric data • Numbers that represent quantities and can be used in arithmetic operations. CIS 120

12. EBCDIC (Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code) • A method by which digital computers represent character data. CIS 120

13. Address lines • The circuitry on the data bus that carries a signal indicating the location or address of data. CIS 120

14. Data bus • An electronic pathway or circuit that connects the electronic components (mainly the processor and RAM) on a computer's motherboard. CIS 120

15. Data lines • The wires in the data bus that carry the signals that represent data. CIS 120

16. Capacitors • Electronic circuit components that store an electrical charge; in binary code, a charged capacitor represents an "on" bit, and a discharged one represents an 'off" bit. CIS 120

17. RAM (Random Access Memory) • A type of computer memory circuit that holds data, program instructions, and the operating system while the computer is on. CIS 120

18. RAM address • Like the address on a house, a RAM address identifies a specific area in RAM that can hold data. CIS 120

19. DIMM • Short for dual in-line memory module, a DIMM is a small circuit board that holds RAM chips. A DIMM has a 64-bit path to the memory chips. CIS 120

20. Virtual memory • A computer's use of hard disk storage to simulate RAM. CIS 120

21. CMOS memory • A type of battery-powered integrated circuit that holds semi-permanent configuration data (acronym for complementary metal oxide semiconductor). CIS 120

22. ROM • Read-only memory; one or more integrated circuits that contain permanent instructions that the computer uses during the boot process. CIS 120

23. ROM BIOS • A small set of basic input/output system instructions stored in ROM, which cause the computer system to load critical operating files when the user turns on the computer. CIS 120

24. Plug and play • The ability of a computer to automatically recognize and adjust the system configuration for a newly added device. CIS 120

25. Millisecond (ms) • A thousandth of a second. CIS 120

26. Mils • A measurement of the size of an integrated circuit, one mil is .001 inch. CIS 120

27. Accumulator • A part of the ALU that holds the results of processing operations until they can be sent to RAM. CIS 120

28. ALU (arithmetic logic unit) • The part of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations on the numbers stored in its registers. CIS 120

29. Microprocessor • An integrated circuit that contains the circuitry for processing data. It is a single chip version of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) found in all computers. CIS 120

30. Registers • A sort of "scratch pad" area of the ALU and control unit where data or instructions are moved so that they can be processed. Control unit The part of the ALU that directs and coordinates processing. CIS 120

31. Instruction pointer • A sort of placeholder that the CPU's control unit uses to keep track of the location of the instructions that are scheduled for processing. CIS 120

32. Instruction register • A location in the CPU's control unit that holds a processing instruction retrieved from RAM. CIS 120

33. Instruction • Computer code that tells the computer to perform a specific arithmetic, logical, or control operation. CIS 120

34. Instruction set • The collection of instructions that a CPU is designed to process. CIS 120

35. Op code • Short for operation code, an op code is a command word that designates an operation, such as add (ADD), compare (CMP), or jump (JMP). CIS 120

36. Operands • An operand is the part of an instruction that specifies the data, or the address of the data, on which the operation is to be performed. CIS 120

37. Instruction cycle • The steps followed by a computer to process a single instruction; fetch, interpret, execute, then increment the instruction pointer. CIS 120

38. Cache • Special high-speed memory that gives the CPU more rapid access to data (also called RAM cache or cache memory). CIS 120

39. Megahertz • Megahertz (MHz) is a measure of frequency equivalent to one million cycles per second. CIS 120

40. System clock • A device in the computer that emits pulses to establish the timing for all system operations. CIS 120

41. Word size • The number of bits the CPU can manipulate at one time, which is dependent on the size of the registers in the CPU and on the number of data lines in the bus. CIS 120

42. CISC • CISC (complex instruction set computer) is a general-purpose microprocessor chip designed to handle a wider array of instructions than a RISC chip. CIS 120

43. Pipelining • A technology that allows a processor to begin executing an instruction before completing the previous instruction. CIS 120

44. RISC • RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is a microprocessor chip designed for rapid and efficient processing of a small set of simple instructions. CIS 120

45. Parallel computer • A computer that has more than one processor and can process more than one instruction at a time. Also called non-von-Neumann machines. CIS 120

46. Parallel processing • A technique by which two or more processors in a computer perform processing tasks simultaneously. CIS 120

47. Expansion bus • The segment of the data bus that transports data between RAM and peripheral devices. input/output The circuitry that allows a computer to collect data (input) and the transportation of the results to display, print, or storage devices (output). CIS 120

48. Expansion card • A circuit board that is plugged into a slot on a PC motherboard to add extra functions, devices, or ports. CIS 120

49. Expansion slot • A socket or "slot" on a PC motherboard designed to hold a circuit board called an expansion card. CIS 120

50. Modem • A device that sends and receives data to and from computers over telephone lines. CIS 120