Your teacher will provide for you either an opened computer
system or a picture of a typical system. Identify and label at least
the following components of that system:
The CPU
RAM Memory
The Motherboard
The expansion slots
The Hard drive
A Floppy drive
The Keyboard
The mouse
The monitor
The device / driver controller card
The power supply
Serial / Parallel ports
Any other special cards or devices attached to the machine
'Practice' purchasing a computer. Decide on a reasonable
budget. Determine what kinds of things you want to be able to do with
your computer. Which programs will you need to be able to run? Write
down the specifications of at least three kinds of software you would
like to be able to run on your new computer. Go to computer stores
and magazines, and find a computer that will run that particular
software. How much will it cost? Will it do what you want? Use a
word processor to write out answers to all the above questions with a
narrative of the shopping experience.
Decipher a computer advertisement. Your instructor will give
you a computer advertisement, or you can seek one out from a computer
store or a magazine. Write down all the 'code words' for that
computer. Translate each code phrase into its meaning in English. If
you don't know a particular phrase, make an informed guess (try
researching before making a completely blind guess). Use a word
processor to write out this process in a table form and turn it into
your teacher.
Vocabulary / Main Concepts
Hardware
The physical part of the computer system you can see and touch
Software
The data, programs, and other esoteric parts of the system that do not have a physical presence
Bit
One on/off unit. The basic unit in a computer system. The value of a
bit can be 0 or 1.
Byte
Eight bits. A byte is large enough to hold one character in ASCII
Kilobyte
1024 bytes. Used to measure memory and disk capacity. Often
abbreviated K or Kb.
Megabyte
1000 Kilobytes. Used to measure memory and disk capacity. Often
abbreviated Meg or Mb.
Gigabyte
1000 Megabytes. Used to measure large disk drives. Usually
abbreviated Gig.
CPU
Central Processing Unit. The 'heart' of the computer. The
characteristics of the CPU have profound effects on the performance of
the entire system. CPUs are measured by their chip name and speed.
Intel
The manufacturer of IBM - Compatible CPUs. The modern Intel chips
are: (from oldest to newest) '386, '486, Pentium.
Motorola
The manufacturer of Apple Macintosh CPUs. The current Motorola CPU
is the PowerPC chip.
Megahertz
A unit of measure for processing speed. One Megahertz is one million
instruction cycles per second. Megahertz is often abbreviated Mhz.
Input
A device or process that goes into the CPU from somewhere else.
Output
A device or process that goes from the CPU to someplace else.
ROM
Read Only Memory. A special type of memory that has information
stored on in from the factory. The user cannot change the information
in ROM.
Carpal-Tunnel Syndrome
One of a number of repetitive stress disorders that can be caused by
frequent typing. Careful posture and hand positioning, as well as
some adaptive devices like wrist pads and special keyboards can
minimize the effects of this type of problem.
CD-ROM
A drive / disk combination that allows the user to retrieve
information stored on compact disks. Most Current CD drives do not allow
the user to write on them, but such technology is becoming more
popular and less expensive.
Impact Printer
A type of printer that operates by striking the paper with an inked
ribbon. Reliable and inexpensive, but slow and loud, and with limited
resolution.
Dot-Matrix Printer
The most common type of impact printer.
Laser Printer
A device that combines printing and copying technology. Relatively
expensive to operate, but fast and very high resolution.
Ink Jet Printer
A printer that operates by squirting precise jets of ink onto the
paper. They are relatively inexpensive, and have nearly as much
quality as Laser Printers, but they are slower.
Dot Pitch
A unit of measurement describing the resolution of a monitor. A small
dot pitch number means a clearer monitor.
DPI
Dots Per Inch. Another unit of measure for the resolution of a
monitor. A large DPI value means a higher quality monitor.
VGA, SVGA
Types of video controller cards. Almost all modern Intel - based
computers handle some form of SVGA (Super Video Graphics Array).
RAM
Random Access Memory. This is the memory that can be manipulated by
the user and programs. The amount of RAM in a computer is an
important performance factor. Usually measured in MB. Sometimes also
referred to as DRAM.
Floppy Disk
A portable storage medium which can be removed from the computer. Floppy disks currently come in 3 1/2" and 5 1/4" sizes. Even though
a 3 1/2" disk appears to be hard, it is NOT a hard drive.
Floppy Drive
The machine installed in the computer console which reads and writes
from floppy disks. Usually measured in Kb or Mb.
Hard Drive
A permanently installed drive with a much larger capacity than floppy
drives. Usually measured in Mb or Gig.
IDE, SCSI
Types of drive controller cards. Most PCs come with IDE controllers.
Network Card
A device that allows you to attach your computer to other computers in
the same general vicinity.
Modem
A device that allows you to attach your computer to remote computers
through analog telephone lines. Measured in Baud or Kilobaud.
Sound Card
A device which enables the computer to generate or duplicate sounds. Usually attached to speakers and a microphone.
Baud
Bits of audio data/ second. Modern modems are usually 14,400 or
28,800 baud. Sometimes also referred to as BPS (Bits Per Second.)
PCMIA
A standard for connecting external devices to laptop computers.
Vocabulary / Main Concepts