ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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INVESTIGATING TYPES OF COMPUTERS – page 2

1. Computers typically used by a single user, for use in the home or office

a. Desktop computer b. Hand-held computers

2. Designed for portability, but includes the capability of recognizing ordinary handwriting on the screen

c. Mainframe computers d. MP3 players

3. Designed to sit compactly on a desk e. Notebook computers 4. Generally used to maintain an electronic appointment

book, address book, calculator, and notepad f. PDAs

g. Personal computers 5. Hand-held computers that are primarily used to store

and play music; some play digital movies or television shows

h. Supercomputers i. Tablet PC

6. Largest and fastest computers used by large corporations

and government when the tremendous volume of data would seriously delay processing

7. Small computers that fit in the palm of your hand 8. Small, lightweight, and designed for portability 9. Used b larger businesses and government agencies to

provide centralized storage, processing, and management for large amounts of data

EXAMINING COMPUTER SYSTEMS – page 4

1. Additional components to accomplish the input, output and storage functions

a. Architecture/configuration b. Cards

2. Data or instructions you type into the computer c. Chip

3. Design and construction of a computer d. Circuits 4. Device to enter data and issue commands e. Circuit board 5. Electrical paths f. Command 6. Input instructions that tell the computer how to process

data g. Data

h. Input 7. Integrated circuit embedded in semiconductor material i. Input devices 8. Located inside the computer and is the main electronic

component of the computer where processing tasks occur

j. Microprocessor/CPU k. Motherboard l. Output

9. Modifying data m. Peripheral device 10. Numbers, words, figures, sounds, and graphics that

describe people, events, things, and ideas n. Processing

o. Specifications 11. Removable circuit boards that are inserted into slots on

your motherboard to expand its capabilities

12. Result of the computer processing input 13. Rigid piece of insulating material with circuits that

control specific functions

14. Technical details about each hardware component 15. Transistors and electronic circuits on a silicon chip

ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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EXAMINING INPUT DEVICES – page 6

1. Device that transfers content on a piece of paper into memory

a. Ergonomic b. Keyboard

2. Has been designed to fit the natural placement of your hands; reduces the risk of repetitive motion injuries

c. Mouse d. Pointer

3. Most frequently used input device e. Pointing device 4. Most popular point device with either a rolling ball on its

underside or a tiny camera taking pictures as it moves f. Pointing stick

g. Scanner 5. Pointer with a rolling ball on the top side h. Scroll wheel 6. Small arrow or other symbol on the screen i. Touch pad 7. Small, eraser-like device embedded among the typing

keys that you push up, left, right, or down j. Trackball

8. Touch sensitive device that you drag your finger over to control the pointer

EXAMINING OUTPUT DEVICES – page 8

1. Creates the image you see on the screen by manipulating light within a layer of liquid crystal

a. CRT monitor b. Dot matrix printers

2. Diagonal measurement from one corner of the screen to the other

c. Dot pitch d. Flat panel monitor

3. Displays output from a computer e. Graphics display 4. Divides the screen into a matrix of small dots called pixels f. Graphics/video card 5. Lightweight monitor that takes up very little room on the

desktop g. Inkjet printer

h. Laser printers 6. Measures the distance between pixels i. LCD 7. Must have this to display graphics j. Monitor 8. Number of pixels the monitor displays k. Printer 9. Popular for business use because they produce high-

quality output quickly and efficiently l. Resolution

m. Screen size 10. Popular printers for home use; spray ink onto paper n. Toner 11. Produces a paper copy (hard copy) of text or graphics

processed by the computer

12. Temporary laser image is transferred onto paper with a powdery substance

13. Transfer ink to the paper by striking a ribbon with pins 14. Uses gun-like devices that direct beams of electrons

toward the screen to activate dots of color to form the image you see

INVESTIGATING DATA PROCESSING – page 10

1. Approximately one billion bytes a. Binary digits 2. Approximately one million bytes b. Byte 3. Approximately one thousand bytes c. Gigabyte 4. Approximately one trillion bytes d. Kilobyte 5. Computer represents data as distinct or separate

numbers e. Megabyte

f. Terabyte 6. Series of eight bits

ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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UNDERSTANDING MEMORY – page 12

1. Amount of data that the computer can handle at any given time; measured in megabytes or gigabytes

a. BIOS b. Boot process

2. Chip installed on the motherboard that is activated during the boot process and identifies where essential software is stored

c. Cache memory; RAM/CPU cache d. CMOS e. Memory/storage capacity

3. Chip on the motherboard that has been prerecorded with data

f. Non-volatile/permanent memory g. RAM

4. CMOS changes when hardware is added or removed h. ROM 5. Constantly changing as long as the computer is on and is

cleared when the computer is turned off i. SDRAM

j. Semi-permanent memory 6. ROM never changes and it remains intact when the

computer is turned off k. Virtual memory

l. Volatile/temporary memory 7. Set of events that occurs between the moment you turn

on and begin to use the computer

8. Set of instructions contained in ROM 9. Space on the storage devices that simulates additional

RAM

10. Special, high speed memory chip on the motherboard/CPU that stores frequently and recently accessed data/commands

11. Synchronized with the processor to allow faster access to its contents

12. Temporarily holds programs and data while the computer is on and allows the computer to access that information randomly

UNDERSTANDING STORAGE MEDIA – page 14

1. Another type of magnetic storage; much too slow to be used for day-to-day tasks; used to make backup copies of data stored on hard disks

a. CD b. DVD c. Flash memory

2. Currently stores between 4.7 and 15.9 GB of data, depending on whether data is stored on one or two sides of the disc, and how many layers of data each side contains

d. Flash memory cards e. Floppy disk f. Hard disk g. Magnetic storage device

3. First standard optical storage device for personal computers; can store 700 MB of data

h. Optical storage devices i. Tape

4. Flat circle of magnetic oxide coated mylar enclosed in a hard plastic case; can store 1.44 MB of data

j. USB flash storage device

5. Most comment type of magnetic storage media; contains several metal platters that are usually sealed in a case inside the computer

6. Polycarbonate discs coated with a reflective metal on which data is recorded using laser technology as a trail of tiny pits or dark spots in the surface of the disc

7. Popular type of flash memory 8. Similar to ROM except that it can be written to more

than once

9. Small, portable cards encased in hard plastic to which

data can be written and rewritten

10. Store data as magnetized particles on mylar which is then coated on both sides with a magnetic oxide coating

ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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EXPLORING DATA COMMUNICATIONS – page 16

1. Allow data to be transmitted at high speeds a. Card (controller/interface/expansion) 2. Allows multiple connections at the same port b. Channel 3. Computer or peripheral at the message’s destination c. Data bus 4. Computer that originates the message d. Data communication 5. Credit card sized cards that plug directly into the PC card slot

and contain additional RAM, a fax modem or a hard disk drive e. Device driver

f. Ethernet port g. MIDI card

6. Data path between the microprocessor, RAM, and the peripherals along which communication travels

h. Parallel port i. Port/cable

7. Each port connects to … j. Portable computer (PC) card 8. External peripheral device must have a corresponding ____ and

____ that connect it to the computer k. Protocols

l. Receiver 9. Message is sent over some type of telephone or coaxial cable m. SCSI

n. Sender 10. Port for a sound card usually includes jacks for speakers and a

microphone, designed to work with a … o. Serial port

p. USB connector 11. Provides an interface for one or more peripheral devices at the

same port q. USB port

12. Rules that establish an orderly transfer of data between the

sender and the receiver

13. Small rectangular plug 14. Transmission of data from one computer to another or to a

peripheral device

15. Transmission protocol between a computer and its peripheral device is handled by …

16. Transmits data eight bits at a time 17. Transmits data one bit at a time

LEARNING ABOUT NETWORKS – page 18

1. Act as the central storage location for programs and provide mass storage for most of the data used on the network

a. Bluetooth b. Client/server network c. Clients

2. Allows computer users to connect over many miles to a LAN d. Infrared technology e. Local area network (LAN)

3. Any device connected to a network f. Network interface card 4. Computers and peripheral devices are located relatively close to

each other, generally in the same building g. Network software

h. Node 5. Computers and peripherals use high-frequency radio waves

instead of wires to communicate and connect in a network i. Peer-to-peer network

j. Personal area network (PAN) k. Server

6. Creates a communication channel between the computer and the network

l. Standalone computer m. Wi-Fi

7. Dependent computers n. Wide area network (WAN) 8. Establishes the communication protocols that will be observed

on the network and controlling the “traffic flow” as data travels through the network

o. WiMAX p. Wireless local area network (WLAN) q. Workstation

9. Infrared light waves to beam data from one device to another

10. More than one LAN connected together 11. Network that allows two or more devices located close to each

other to communicate or to connect a device to the Internet

12. Network with a server and computers dependent on the server is called this

13. Networks connected using a standard radio frequency established by the IEEE

14. Personal computer that is connected to a network 15. Personal computer that is not connected to a network 16. Uses short range radio waves to connect a device wirelessly to

another device or to the Internet

17. When a network does not have a server, all the computers essentially are equal; programs and data are distributed among them

ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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LEARNING ABOUT SECURITY THREATS – page 20

1. Address on the web a. Anti-spyware software 2. Breaks into a server and redirect any attempts to access

a particular web site to the criminal’s spoofed site b. Antivirus software

c. DNS server 3. Broad term that describes any program that is intended

to cause harm or convey information to others without the owner’s permission

d. Firewall e. Malware f. Pharming

4. Computer responsible for directing Internet traffic g. Phishing 5. Detect programs that track a computer user’s Internet

use h. Router

i. Security 6. Device that controls traffic between network

components, usually has a built-in firewall j. Spoofed

k. Spyware 7. Instruct computer to perform destructive activities, such

as erasing a disk drive l. URL

m. Virus 8. Locked door on a computer; prevents other computers

on the Internet from accessing a computer and prevents programs on a computer from accessing the Internet without the computer user’s permission

9. Practice of sending emails to customers or potential customers of a legitimate web site asking them to click a link in the email

10. Searches executable files for the sequences of characters that may cause harm and disinfects the files by erasing or disabling those commands

11. Steps a computer owner takes to prevent unauthorized use of or damage to the computer

12. Track a computer user’s Internet use and send this data back to the company or person that created it

13. Web site set up to look exactly like another web site but which does not actually belong to the organization portrayed in the site

UNDERSTANDING SYSTEM SOFTWARE – page 22

1. Helps the computer carry out its basic operating tasks a. Graphical user interface (GUI) 2. Allocates system resources, manages storage space,

maintains security, detects equipment failure, and controls basic input and output

b. Input and output (I/O) c. Operating environments d. Operating system

3. Flow of data from the microprocessor to memory to peripherals and back again

e. Programming languages f. System software

4. Microsoft Windows and MAC OS are referred to as … g. Utilities 5. Acts as a liaison between the user and all of the

computer’s hardware and software

6. Another category of system software that augment the

operating system by taking over some of its responsibility for allocating hardware resources

7. Used to write computer instructions; also part of the system software

ESSENTIAL COMPUTER CONCEPTS Computer Applications

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UNDERSTANDING APPLICATION SOFTWARE – page 24

1. Allows you to create and manage web sites a. Application software 2. Allows you to manipulate digital photos b. Clip art 3. Allows you to record digital sound files, video files and

animations that can be included in presentations and other documents

c. Database d. Database management software e. Document production software

4. Collection of data items stored in a database f. Field 5. Composed of a grid of columns and rows g. Graphics/presentation software 6. Collection of information stored on one or more

computers organized in a uniform format of records and fields

h. Information management software i. Multimedia authoring software j. Photo editing software

7. Creates illustrations, diagrams, graphs, and charts that can be projected before a group, printed out for quick reference, or transmitted to remote computers

k. Record l. Spell checking m. Spreadsheet software

8. Enables you to perform specific computer tasks n. Web site creation and management software 9. Helps avoid typographical and spelling errors

10. Keeps track of schedules, appointments, contacts, and “to do” lists

o. Worksheet

11. Lets you collect and manage data

12. Numerical analysis tool 13. One piece of information in a record

14. Simple drawings that are included as collections with many software packages

15. Word processing software, desktop publishing software, email editors, and web authoring software; assist in writing and formatting documents