Essential Computer Concepts

Question 1

hardware

Answer 1

physical components

Question 2

server

Answer 2

a computer that stores programs and data for multiple users

Question 3

software

Answer 3

intangible components of a computer, particularly programs

Question 4

processing

Answer 4

modifying data and executing commands

Question 5

commands

Answer 5

instructions to the computer on how to process the data

Question 6

motherboard

Answer 6

the processing hardware that contains the computers major electronic components, and is located inside the computer

Question 7

circuit board

Answer 7

a rigid piece of insulating material with circuits (electrical paths) or that control specific functions

Question 8

cards (expansion cards)

Answer 8

circuit boards that are inserted into electrical connectors on the mother board, called slots (expansion slots)

Question 9

input devices

Answer 9

keyboard, mouse, etc. to input data and issue commands

Question 10

scanner

Answer 10

transfers the content on a piece of paper into memory

Question 11

output devices

Answer 11

store or show you output. The most common are monitors and printers

Question 12

CPU

Answer 12

Central Processing Unit

Question 13

Port

Answer 13

Opening in the computer connected to a card into which you can plug a connector

Question 14

USB

Answer 14

Universal Serial Bus

Question 15

Port

Answer 15

a high speed port used to connect many types of peripheral devices to the computer

Question 16

circuits

Answer 16

electrical paths

Question 17

HDMI & Display Ports

Answer 17

transmit video and audio digitally

Question 18

DVI

Answer 18

transmit video digitally

Question 19

YGA

Answer 19

transmit analog video

Question 20

HDMI

Answer 20

High Definition MultiMedia Interface

Question 21

Ethernet Ports

Answer 21

allow data to be transmitted at high speeds so they are used to connect computers to one another or to the internet

Question 22

modem

Answer 22

a device that connects your computer to a standard telephone jack or to a cable connection or sometimes directly to the internet using an ethernet port

Question 23

USB connector

Answer 23

a matela tab attached to a cable, wireless transmitter or flash drive that inserts into the USB port.

Question 24

Three types of USB ports

Answer 24

A, B, and C

Question 25

B port

Answer 25

usually larger and connected to a printer

Question 26

C port

Answer 26

transmit data faster than the others, currently only on a few devices, such as the newest Google Chromebook and the newest Apple Macintosh

Question 27

A port and B port

Answer 27

both are found on PCs

Question 28

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Answer 28

chips of cards that plug into the motherboard, temporarily holds programs and data while the computer is one and allows the computer to access that information randomly. RAM is measured in gigabytes

Question 29

RAM is Volatile Memory or Temporary Memory

Answer 29

because it constantly changes while the computer is on and clears when the computer is turned off.

Question 30

DDR SDRAM

Answer 30

double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory

Question 31

Cache memory

Answer 31

high speed memory chip on the motherboard or CPU

Question 32

Read Only Memory (ROM)

Answer 32

a chip on the motherboard prerecorded with instructions the computer uses to check its components to ensure they are working and to active the software that provides the computers basic functionality. ROM never changes and remains intact

Question 33

BIOS

Answer 33

Basic Input/Basic Output

Question 34

BIOS

Answer 34

Tell the computer to initialize the motherboard, how to recognize devices connected to the computer and to start the boot process.

Question 35

CMOS

Answer 35

Complementory Metal Oxide semiconductor

Question 36

CMOS

Answer 36

A chip installed on the memory board that is activated during the boot process and identifies where essential software is stored.

Question 37

Storage

Answer 37

is where the data your create and the instructions you use remain when you are not using them

Question 38

file

Answer 38

named collection of stored data

Question 39

executable file

Answer 39

contains the instructions that tell a computer how to perform a specific task.

Question 40

data file

Answer 40

created by a uses, for instance a report you write with a word processing program

Question 41

magnetic storage media

Answer 41

store data as magnetized particles on a surface

Question 42

solid state media

Answer 42

saves data as 1s and 0s

Question 43

SSD

Answer 43

Solid State Drives

Question 44

SSD

Answer 44

are hard drives that are faster and tend to be more reliable than magnetic hard drives, however, they are also significantly more expensive

Question 45

Flash Memory Cards

Answer 45

small portable cards encased in hard plastic to which data can be written and rewritten using electrical signals. They are used in digital cameras, mobile devices, video game controllers, and other devices

Question 46

USB Drive / Flash Drive

Answer 46

popular to use as a secondary or backup storage device for data typically stored on a hard disk drive. USB drives plug directly into the PC; the computer recognizes it as another disk drive

Question 47

Network

Answer 47

connects one computer to other computers

Question 48

network adapter

Answer 48

each member of a network must have a network adapter to create a communication connection between the computer and the network

Question 49

client/server network

Answer 49

a network consisting of computers dependent on a server

Question 50

router

Answer 50

connects devices on a network and controls traffic between the devices so that all of the devices can access the network

Question 51

LAN (Local Area Network)

Answer 51

computers and peripheral devices located relatively close together, generally in the same building

Question 52

WAN (Wide Area Network)

Answer 52

Consists of multiple LANs connected together