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Chapter 1
Section A: All Things Digital
Information Age: period in history when information is easy to access
and affects many aspects of everyday life from the economy to politics
and social relationships
Digital Revolution: ongoing process of social, political, and economic
change brought about by digital technology such as computers and the
Internet based on digital electronics and the idea that electrical
signals can represent data such as numbers, words, pictures, music,
etc.
Digitization: process of converting text, numbers, sound, photos, and
video data that can be processed by digital devices
Digital Revolution 4 Phases: expired tired uninspired
desired
Data Processing: based on the cycle of: input-processing-output
(data goes into a computer, it is processed, and then it is outputted)
Personal Computing: characterized by small, standalone computers
powered by local software
Local Software: any software that is installed on a computers hard
drive
Computer network: group of computers linked together to share data
and resources
Internet: global computer network originally developed as a military
project (access to the Internet was a major factor contributing to the
upswing of computer sales)
Web (World Wide Web): collection of links, documents, graphics, and
sounds that can be accessed over the Internet
Cloud Computing: provides access to information, applications,
communications, and storage over the Internet; before cloud
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Unicode: uses sixteen bits and provides codes for 65,000 characters
(bonus for representing the alphabets of multiple languages)
Byte: a collection of eight bits usually abbreviated as an uppercase B
Kilobit: is abbreviated as Kb and is 1,024 bits
Kilobyte: is abbreviated as KB and is 1,024 bytes
Megabit: is abbreviate as Mb and is 1,048,576 bits
Megabyte: is abbreviated as MB and is 1,048,576 bytes
Gigabit: is abbreviated as Gb and is approximately 1 billion bits
Gigabytes: is abbreviated as GB and is approximately 1 billion bytes
Integrated Circuit: super thin slice of semiconducting material
packed with microscopic circuit elements such as wires, transistors,
capacitors, logic gates, and resistors
Semiconducting materials: substances with properties between
those of a conductor and an insulator such as silicon and germanium
DIP (Dual In-Line Packages): have two rows of pins that connect the
IC circuitry to a circuit board
PGA (Pin Grid Array): square chip package with pins arranged in
concentric squares, typically used for microprocessors
System Board: houses all essential chips and provides connecting
circuitry between them
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Chapter 2
Section A: Personal Computer Basics
Peripheral Devices: designates input, output, and storage equipment
that might be added to a computer system to enhance its functionality;
popular devices include printers, digital cameras, scanners, game
controllers, speakers, etc.
System Unit: holds the computers main circuit boards,
microprocessor, memory, power supply, and storage devices
Hard Disk Drive: the main storage device on a personal computer
system
Optical Drive: storage device that works with CDs, DVDs, or
combination of these storage media
Display System: consists of two parts; 1/ Circuitry, called a graphics
card, converts raw digital data into images that can be shown on a
display device, 2/ Display Devices, often called computer screens or
monitors, present visual output such as documents, videos, or pictures
Form Factor: refers to the size and dimensions of a component, such
as a system board or system unit
Desktop Computer: fits on a desk and plugs into a wall outlet; main
component of a typical desktop is a system unit that houses the
processor, memory, storage devices, display circuitry, and sound
circuitry
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Tower Case: provides plenty of space for gamers and modders who
want to enhance their machines by adding storage devices, lighted
power cables, or accelerated graphics cards
All-in-One Computer: a desktop computer form factor in which the
system unit and touch screen are integrated into a single unit
Portable Computer: small, lightweight personal computer with
screen, keyboard, storage, and processing components integrated into
a single unit that runs on power supplied by an electrical outlet or
battery
Notebook Computer: small, lightweight portable computer that
opens like a clamshell to reveal a screen and keyboard
Netbook: small version of a notebook computer, typically with a 10
screen
Home Computer System: encompasses a vast array of computer
configurations designed to accommodate consumers who use
computers for personal tasks
PC Platform: based on the design for one of the first personal
computer superstars the IBM PC; the Windows operating system was
designed specifically for these personal computers and, therefore, the
PC platform is sometimes called the Windsor platform
Mac Platform: based on a proprietary device for a personal computer
called a Macintosh, manufactured almost exclusively by Apple Inc.
Linux Platform: uses a standard PC or Mac to run Linux platform
Enhanced Media Player: handheld device, such as iPod Touch,
designed for playing music and videos, and offers camera, access to
the Internet, and a variety of apps; enhanced media players do not
typically include mobile phone capabilities
Smartphone: enhanced mobile phone that typically also functions as
a portable media player and has the capability to access the Internet
Tablet Computer: handheld computer that is essentially a larger
version of an enhanced media player
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Head Crash: collisions between the read write head and the surface of
the hard disk platter, resulting in damage to some of the data on the
disk
Floppy Disk: a removable magnetic storage medium, typically 3.5 in
size, with a capacity of 1.44MB
CD (Compact Disk): technology was originally designed to hold 74
minutes of recorded music
DVD (Digital Video Disc): variation of CD technology that was
originally designed as an alternative to VCRs, but was quickly adopted
by the computer industry to store data; originally meant to hold 4.7 GB
of data storage (that is seven times as much capacity as a CD)
Blu-Ray: high capacity storage technology with a 25 GB capacity per
layer
Optical Storage: stores data as microscopic light and dark spots on
the disc surface; includes Blu-Ray, DVD, and CD; grouped into three
categories including read-only, recordable, and rewritable
Pits: the dark spots on an optical storage device
Lands: the lighter, non-pitted surface areas of the disc on an optical
storage device
Read-Only Technology (ROM): stores data permanently on a disc,
which cannot be subsequently added to or changed
Recordable Technology (R): uses a laser to change the color in a
dye layer sandwiched beneath the clear plastic disc surface; the laser
creates dark spots in the dye that are read as pits and the change in
dye is permanent, so data cannot be changed once it has been
recorded
Rewriteable Technology (RW): uses phase change technology to
alter a crystal structure on the disc surface; the crystal structure can
be changed from light to dark and back again many times, making it
possible to record and modify data much like on a hard disk
Solid State Storage (Flash Memory): technology that stores data in
erasable, rewriteable circuitry, rather than on spinning disks or
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Fire Wire Port: used for external storage devices and for transferring
data from digital video cameras and computers
Thunder Bolt and eSATA: high-speed ports used for connecting
external storage devices
Hot-Plugging: when you connect or disconnect a peripheral device
while the computer is operating; allowed with USB and Fire Wire
devices
Plug and Play: automatically takes care of technical details; detects
new devices that are connected to a computer and attempts to
establish the settings necessary for sending data between them
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Chapter 3
Section A: Software Basics
Music Software: offers ways to work with music, sound effects, and
narration from your desktop, notebook, or handheld computer
Audio Editing Software: tools that allow you to record, edit, and mix
digital audio
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Chapter 4
Section A: Operating System Basics
Operating System: an integral part of virtually every computer;
controls the computers use of its hardware resources; master
controller for all activities that take place within a computer system;
ensures input and output proceed in an orderly manner
Resource: any component that is required to perform work
Multitasking: provides process and memory management services
that allow two or more tasks, jobs, or programs to run simultaneously
Multithreading: allows multiple parts, or threads, to run
simultaneously
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Microsoft Windows: gets its name from the rectangular work areas
that appear on the screen based desktop; installed on more than 80%
of the worlds computers
Strengths
Runs more programs
than any other operating
system Variety of
hardware platforms that
can run on Windows
Large user community
Excellent support in
form of built-in drivers
and Plug and
Play function
Users are the target market
Weaknesses
Reliability (Windows
tends to become
unstable with more
user frequency)
Reputation for being
vulnerable to viruses,
worms, and attacks
Has many security
holes that are found
and exploited
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Native File Format: software application can open files that exist in
native file formats plus several additional file formats
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Chapter 5
Section A: Network Building Blocks
PAN (Personal Area Network): interconnection of personal digital
devices or consumer electronics within a range of about 30 feet and
without the use of wires of cables
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Chapter 6
Section A: Internet Technology
Internet Backbone: network of high capacity routers and fiber optic
communications links that provides the main routes for data traffic
across the Internet
Network Service Provider (NSP): how the backbone links and
routers are maintained; examples are AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon
Network Access Points: how NSP equipment and links are tied
together
Internet Service Provider (ISP): company that offers Internet
access to individuals, businesses, and smaller ISPs
Modem: contains circuitry that converts the data carrying signals from
your computer to signals that can travel over various communications
channels; depends on the connection as either dialup, wireless, cable,
satellite, or DSL internet service
TCP/IP: primary protocol suite responsible for message transmission
on the Internet
Protocol Suite: combination of protocols that work together
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Chapter 7
Section A: Web Technology
Web: collection of documents, images, videos, and sound files that can
be linked and accessed over the Internet using a protocol called HTTP
Hypertext: way of organizing a collection of documents by assigning
an address to each and providing a way to link from one address to
another
Web 2.0: group of new and innovative ways to use the Web, such as
for social networking, blogging, and wikis
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Link Popularity: measure of the quality and quantity of the links from
on web page to others; pages with links to and from popular sites tend
to get high relevancy ratings
Meta Keyword: entered into a header section of a web page when it
is created and is supposed to describe the page contents
Keyword Stuffing: an unethical practice in which Meta keywords are
manipulated to gain high relevancy rankings
Search Items: keyword queries in which you enter one or more words
related to the information you want to find
Search Operator: word or symbol that describes a relationship
between search terms and thereby helps you create a more focused
query; words like and, or, not, , *,
Meta Search Engine: searches a series of other search engines and
compiles search results; popular sites include www.polymeta.com,
www.dogpile.com, and www.webcrawler.com
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Chapter 8
Section A: Digital Sound
Digital Audio: music, speech, and other sounds represented in binary
format for use in digital devices
Sampling Rate: the number of times per second that a sound is
measured during the recording process
Audio Compression: reduces the size of a sound file by removing bits
that represent extraneous noise and sounds that are beyond the
frequencies of normal hearing
Sound Card: device that contains a variety of input and output jacks,
plus audio producing circuitry
Integrated Audio: sound card circuitry that is built into the circuitry
of a digital device, in contrast to the use of an add-on sound card
Digital Signal Processor: circuitry that is used to process, record,
and play back audio files
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding): file format that provides highly
compressed audio files with very little loss of sound quality and is
promoted by Apple on its iTunes web site
MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer 3): file format that provides highly compressed
audio files with very little loss of sound quality
WAV: audio file format with a .wav extension that was Windows
original native sound format
WMA (Windows Media Audio): file format with a .wma extension
that is promoted by Microsoft and provides highly compressed audio
files with very little loss of sound quality
Streaming Audio: plays as its file is downloaded
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Use Case Diagram: documents that users of an information system and the
functions they perform
Actors: the people who use the system
Use Case: any task an actor performs
Class Diagram: provides the name of each object, a list of each objects
attributes, a list of methods, and an indication of the cardinality between
objects
Sequence Diagram: depicts the detailed sequence of interactions that take
place for a use case
CASE Tool (Computer Aided Software Engineering Tool): software
application designed for documenting system requirements, diagramming
current and proposed information systems, scheduling development tasks,
and developing computer programs
Help Desk: staffed by a technical support specialist who is familiar with the
information systems software
Chapter 11
Section A: File and Database Concepts
Database: collection of information and typically stored as computer files
Data Mining: process of analyzing existing database information to discover
previously unknown and potentially useful information, including
relationships and patterns
Data Warehouse: a repository for data from more than one database
Predictive Analysis: a branch of data mining that focuses on predicting
future probabilities and trends
OLAP (Online Analytical Processing): allow decision makers to look for
relationships between multiple data dimensions
Executive Dashboard Software: provides tools for formulating OLAP
queries and displaying results visually
Chapter 12
Section A: Programming Basics
Code: the instructions that make up a computer program
Computer Programming: encompasses a broad set of activities that
include planning, coding, testing and documenting
Keyword: word with a predefined meaning for the compiler or interpreter
that translates each line of program code into machine language
Parameter: provide instructions that are more detailed for the computer to
carry out
Syntax: keywords and parameters are combined with punctuation according
to a series of rules
Low Level Language: includes commands specific to a particular CPU or
microprocessor family
High Level Language: uses commands words and grammar based on
human languages to provide what computer scientists call a level of
abstraction that hides the underlying low level assembly or machine
language
First Generation Language: machine languages were the first language
available for programming computers
Assembly Language: allows a programmer to use abbreviated command
words, op codes
Second Generation Language: at the time assembly languages were first
introduced, they were hailed as a significant improvement over machine
languages and came to be known as second generation language
Third Generation Languages: high level languages originally conceived in
the 1950s; seemed a major improvement over machine and assembly
language; used easy to remember command words to take place of several