The smallest unit of data a digital computer can recognize; represented by a 0 or 1 (Bit)
A group of 8 bits. byte
Approximately, 1,000 petabytes. Megabyte (MB)
Approximately 1,000 exabytes Zettabyte (ZB)
Approximately 1,000 zettabytes. Yottabyte (YB)
The numbering system that represents all numbers using 10 symbols (0-9) Decimal numbering system
The numbering system that represents all numbers using just two symbols (0 and 1) Binary numbering system
A fixed-length, binary coding system used to represent text-based data for computer processing on many types of computers ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
An international coding system that can be used to represent text-based data in any written language. Unicode
A binary-based language for representing computer programs that the computer can execute directly. Machine Language
The main box of a computer that houses the CPU, motherboard, memory, and other devices. System unit
The main circuit board of a computer, located inside the system unit, to which all computer system components connect. Motherboard
A chip (such as the CPU or GPU) that performs processing functions. Processor
The chip located on the motherboard of a computer that performs most of the processing for a computer Central processing unit (CPU)
A central processing unit (CPU) for a personal computer Microprocessor
A CPU that contains the processing components or core of more than one processor in a single CPU. Multi-core CPU
A CPU that contains two separate processing cores. Dual-core CPU
A CPU that contains four separate processing cores. Quad-core CPU
The chip that does the processing needed to display images on the screen; can be located on the motherboard, inside the CPU, or on a video graphics board Graphics processing unit (GPU)
A group of fast memory circuity located on or near the CPU to help speed up processing. Cache memory
The amount of data that can be theoretically transferred through a communications medium under real-life conditions Bandwidth
Chip-based storage Memory
A characteristic of memory or storage in which data is not retained when the power to the computer is turned off. Volatile
A characteristic of memory or storage in which data is retained even when the power to the computer is turned off. Nonvolatile
Chips connected to the motherboard that provide a temporary location for the computer to hold data and program instructions while they are needed RAM (random access memory)
High-speed memory built into the CPU that temporarily stores data during processing. Register
Nonvolatile chips located on the motherboard into which data or programs have been permanently stored. ROM (read-only memory)
Nonvolatile memory chips that can be used for storage by the computer or user; can be built into a computer or a storage medium Flash memory
A location on the motherboard into which expansion cards are inserted. Expansion slot
A circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot location on a computer's motherboard to add additional functionality or to connect a peripheral device to that computer Expansion card
An electronic path on the motherboard or within the CPU or other computer component along which data is transferred Bus
A bus on the motherboard used to connect peripheral devices. Expansion bus
The connection between the CPU and the RAM Memory bus
The bus that connects the CPU to the chipset that connects to the rest of the bus architecture. Frontside bus (FSB)
One of the buses most commonly used to connect peripheral devices PCI Express (PCIe) bus
A universal bus used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices to a computer without requiring the use of additional expansion cards Universal Serial Bus (USB)
A high-speed bus standard sometimes used to connect digital video cameras and other multimedia hardware to a computer. FireWire
A connector on the exterior of a computer to which a device may be attached. Port
The part of a CPU core that performs logical operations and integer arithmetic Arithmetic/ logic unit (ALU)
The part of a CPU core that performs decimal arithmetic Floating point unit (FPU)
The part of a CPU core that coordinates its operations Control unit
The part of a CPU core that attempts to retrieve data and instructions before they needed for processing in order to avoid delays. Prefetch unit
The part of a CPU core that allows it to communicate with other CPU components Decode unit
The timing mechanism within the computer system that synchronizes the computer's operations System clock
The series of operations involved in the execution of a single machine-level instruction Machine cycle
The capability of a CPU or CPU store to begin processing a new instruction as soon as the previous instruction completes the first stage of the machine cycle. Pipelining
The capability to use multiple processors or multiple processing cores in a single computer, usually to process multiple jobs at one time faster than could be performed with a single processor Multiprocessing
A processing technique that uses multiple processors or multiple processing cores simultaneously, usually to process a single job as fast as possible. Parallel processing
The science of creating tiny computers and components by working at the individual atomic and molecular levels Nanotechnology
Tiny, hollow tubes made of carbon atoms Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
A technology that applies the principles of quantum physics and quantum mechanics to computers to direct atoms or nuclei to work together as quantum buts (qubits), which function simultaneously as the computer's processor and memory. Quantum computing
A computer that uses light, such as from laser beams or infrared beans, to perform digital computations Optical computer
The ability of a computer to process data at teraflop speeds Tera-scale computing