ALU: Arithmetic/Logic Unit
Contains the circuits that carry out instructions, such as mathematical and logical operations.
BIOS: Basic Input/Output System
The BIOS stores information about your hardware configuration along with the boot program.
bus
electrical pathways on the motherboard that connect the components.
BYOD: Bring Your Own Device
A trend where employees are bringing devices to work and pressuring employers to support them.
Cache
A temporary storage area for frequently accessed or recently accessed data; speeds up the operation of the computer; size measured in megabytes (MB)
Chip, short for microchip
Developed in 1950s, it integrated multiple transistors into a single module called an integrated circuit.
Circuit
A circuit is created by combining transistors, and sometimes other components, in a manner that accomplishes a specific task
Clock Speed
Speed of the processor’s internal clock, which dictates how fast the processor can process data; usually measured in GHz (gigahertz, or billions of pulses per second)
CPU: Central Processing Unit
a group of circuits that perform the processing in a computer, typically in one integrated circuit called a microprocessor
CPU Components
The CPU is made up of many components. The main ones are Control unit, Arithmetic/logic unit (ALU), Registers, Cache, Clock speed
Digital Assistant
Streamlined interfaces like Apple’s Siri, Google Now, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana
Firmware
programs and data from the computer manufacturer, including the boot process used to start the computer.
FSB: front front-side bus
The most important bus on a PC motherboard is the front front-side bus, or FSB. FSB speed is important and is typically listed with the specifications of a computer.
Hardware, computer
the tangible parts of a computer or digital device and typically includes support for processing, storage, input, and output.
Multiprocessing
also called parallel processing, is processing that occurs using more than one processing unit to increase productivity and performance.
Moore's Law
states that the number of transistors on a chip will double about every two years.
Motherboard
the primary circuit board of a computer to which all components are connected, including the CPU.
Processing
carries out the instructions provided by software. Digital devices process bits of data into useful information and services.
Raspberry Pi
Small, inexpensive motherboard containing entire computer systems used to build all kinds of electronic gadgets
Registers
Hold the bytes currently being processed
ROM: Read-only memory
Read-only memory (ROM) provides permanent storage for data and instructions that do not change, such as firmware.
Glossary: Hardware