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HARDWARE Flashcards

1
Q

what is hardware

A

physical components of computer categorised into input,processing, output, storage,communication

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2
Q

IPO

A

input process output
principle followed by computer

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3
Q

motherboard

A

large printed circuit board (PCB) that houses essential electrical components of device

main component of computer
capabilities of device dictated by motherboard

CPU,RAM and connectors and peripherals all linked to motherboard

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4
Q

how do you extend the capabilities of the motherboard

A

bus slots
(eg graphic card,sound card)

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5
Q

CPU

A

central processing unit

largest chip on computer
interprets and executes demands
divided into ALU,CU,Registers

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6
Q

von Neumann architecture

A

design of the CPU in relation to secondary storage and RAM

programs stored permanently in secondary storage.
in order for program to run, it must be loaded into RAM,as CPU is directly connected to RAM

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7
Q

ALU

A

arithmetic logical unit
performs logical calculations and simple arithmetic or integer binary numbers

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8
Q

CU

A

control unit
co-ordinater
sends control signals and instructions to be processed

instructs the memory, logic unit, and both output and input devices of the computer on how to respond to the program’s instructions.

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9
Q

Registers

A

small memory slots that store instructions CPU is currently processing

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10
Q

BIOS

A

basic input output system
non volatile firmware
initialise hardware when computer starts up so OS can take over and use hardware afterwards
programmed on ROM chip

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11
Q

RAM

A

random access memory
primary memory
form of storage that holds data currently being processed
needs power to retain memory
volatile

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12
Q

volatile

A

unpredictable, dynamic
contents constantly changing during processing and lost when computer switched off

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13
Q

DRAM

A

dynamic random access memory
constantly needs to be refreshed otherwise all contents will be lost

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14
Q

ROM

A

read only memory
non volatile
stores list of instructions device needs to run

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15
Q

non volatile

A

permanent

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16
Q

firmware

A

set of instructions programmed on a hardware device
semi permanent
typically stored in flash rom

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17
Q

peripherals

A

connected to the motherboard- not directly placed on

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18
Q

components

A

placed directly on motherboard

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19
Q

secondary storage

A

permanent , non volatile storage
can be fixed or removable media

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20
Q

hard drives

A

stores all users programs and data permanently
housed inside computer case

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21
Q

HDD

A

mechanical hard disk drive
designed with
mechanical read/write head that scans disk for data represented magnetically
vacuum sealed (to protect from dust)
data represented/stored magnetically

22
Q

SSD

A

solid state drives (SSD)
electronic circuits
info stored in microchips- faster and less susceptible to shock or damage
can be internal or external

23
Q

hybrid drives

A

benefits of HDD and SSD conbined
high storage and speed, cost benefits

24
Q

flash drives

A

small portable storage device that uses SSD technology
connect via USB port
useful for transferring and backing up data

25
optical drives
laser burns data onto a disc lost popularity to flash drives-cannot change data CD,DVD,Blu-ray drives
26
SD cards
secure digital cards high memory for small size used in portable devices provide 16GB upwards capacities
27
input devices
hardware that gets data into computer data stored in RAM
28
keyboard
many keys that represent characters w/ unique value typing keys numeric keypad function keys control keys layout - QWERTY
29
mouse
pointing device used to select and click on icons detects change in position and makes similar change on screen optical mice-use Light Emitting Diode that bounces light off mouse pad surface wireless mice- receiver receives signals transmitted from mouse
30
scanners
analyse image and convert it to file Optical Character Recognition OCR- analyse image w text and convert text to unicode to be altered and edited
31
scanner resolution
measured in dots per inch (pdi) the better the scanner,the higher the resolution
32
barcode scanners
scan prices at Point of Sale (POS) terminals barcode stores info abt product scanner shines red LED light onto barcode pattern and reads pattern of reflected light
33
barcode
pattern of thin and wide lines that represent data Laser light is shone on the label surface and its reflection is captured by a sensor (laser photo detector) to read a bar code
34
QR codes
Quick Response codes easily read by camera of smartphone 2 dimensional sets of diff sized squares on white background contain more info than barcodes
35
magnetic stripe readers
info encoded on magnetic stripe of card converts info into format that computer can understand
36
biometric devices
recognise individuals by unique physical characteristics captured,converted to digital format and represented mathematically compare stored data against inputted data (fingerprints, retina scans,voice prints) quick,high level of accuracy
37
microphones
convert sound energy into electrical/digital energy use diaphragm to sense sound wave and convert into electrical signal
38
sensors
convert physical property into data-made into signal to be measured electrically (position,height,speed,temperature,location) used in smart homes,alarms,autopilot systems
39
accelerometer
sensor that gauges tilting and orientation of smart phone to determine which orientation phone must show
40
output devices
hardware device that receives information from computer
41
monitors
screen that displays information in pictorial or textual form resolution and screen size important factors
42
most commonly used monitors
Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens
43
resolution
number of pixels across and number of pixels down on monitor the larger the screen the higher the resolution
44
touch screen
used in smartphones, tablets and laptops input and output device finger used as pointing device
45
printers
laser and inkjet technologies print in black and colour or only black non impact printers - nothing touches paper besides ink/toner impact printer- old dot matrix-hammer touches ribbon on paper 3D printers - allow user to design object and create it
46
3D printing process
object designed whole object turned into little slices (slicing) and created from bottom up , slice by slice
47
speakers
receive audio input (in digital form) from sound card and produce audio output in form of sound waves have internal amplifier- increase volume/amplitude come in pairs- stereo sound from 2 separate audio channels
48
headphones
use diaphragm to convert digital data into sound waves headsets - combo of headphones and microphone- speak and listen simultaneously
49
ports
allow for communication w/ device that is appropriate to send/receive correct data versatile and universal ports HDMI and USB- reduce no. of ports needed
50
USB
universal serial bus port common interface that enables communication between devices and host controller wide variety of uses mice,keyboards,digital cameras,printers,scanners,media devices,external hard drives,flash drives replaced parallel +serial port
51
HDMI
high definition multimedia interface port provide digital interface to receive + transmit video and audio signals tapered edges replaced VGA and sound jack port
52
modularity
computer comes in separate components that you can piece together w your requirements in mind - easy to repair - remove offending component + replace - flexible - can add components to motherboard depending on needs -able to upgrade- simplifies upgrading with better hardware

IT (14 decks)

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