Hardware Flashcards
Personal computer
A computer designed for use by one person at one time
General purpose computer
A computer that can be used for a range of business and scientific applications
Mainframe
A large high-speed computer supporting several workstations
Supercomputer
A very powerful mainframe designed to process large amounts of data
Embedded system
A dedicated computer embedded into a larger mechanical/electrical system to form a complete device
PDA
Personal Digital Assistant. Handheld computer with calendar, contacts and other organisational functions
Smartphone
Device combining PDA and telephone capabilities
Convergence
When one device is developed to carry out functions that were originally performed by several different devices
Hardware
The physical components that make up a computer system
Microprocessor
A miniature electronic circuit used to control computers and most other electronic devices
CPU
Central Processing Unit: the microprocessor responsible for processing instructions and data
Primary/main storage
The main memory used by the CPU when processing data and instructions
Secondary/backing storage
Storage used to store files and data, this is not directly accessible by the CPU
Peripherals
External devices connected to a computer
Input devices
Devices used to input data to the computer
