computer - Answers any device that can accept numeric inputs, perform computational
functions, and communicate results1
system architecture - Answers describes the structure, interaction and technology of computer
system components
instruction - Answers a signal or command to a processor to perform on of its functions
processor - Answers a device capable of performing data manipulation and transformation
operations
mechanical clock - Answers mechanical implementation driven by spring and pendulum; an
adding machine
general-purpose processor - Answers can execute many different instructions in many different
sequences or combinations
special-purpose processor - Answers designed to perform only one specific task
algorithm - Answers a program in which different sets of instructions are applied to different
data input values
condition - Answers a comparison or other logical operation that produces a Boolean result
what does a computer store? - Answers intermediate processing results, data, and programs
four main functions of a computer - Answers processing, storage, internal communication, and
external communication
CPU - Answers general purpose processor that executes all instructions and controls all data
movement in a computer system
primary storage - Answers holds instructions and data for currently running programs
secondary storage - Answers holds programs that aren't currently running as well as groups of
data items that are too large to fit in primary storage
RAM - Answers volatile memory; enables CPU to rapidly read from or write to specific memory
locations
register - Answers internal storage locations in a CPU each capable of holding a single
instruction or data item
bits - Answers represents one digit of a binary number (0 or 1)
system bus - Answers the internal communication channel connecting all hardware devices
, control unit - Answers controls movement of data to and from CPU registers and other
hardware components; access program instructions and issue appropriate commands to the
ALU
arithmetic logic unit (ALU) - Answers contains electrical circuits that carry out each instruction
workstation - Answers nonportable computer system designed to meet a single users
information-processing needs; more powerful than typical desktop
laptop - Answers battery-powered portable workstation with integrated keyboard, touchpad, and
display
midrange computer - Answers smallest and least powerful server computer class; used for
sharing smaller resources such as file systems and static web sites among a few dozen to a
few hundred simultaneous users
mainframe computer - Answers a larger, more powerful server class optimized for data storage
and I/O capacity; used to share large resources among hundreds, thousands, or tens of
thousands of users
supercomputer - Answers larger, more powerful server class optimized for computational speed
with large problems; used for applications such as data mining, 3D modeling and simulation,
and prediction of complex physical phenomena
server - Answers computer or group of computers that manages shared resources such as file
systems, databases, and web sites
multicomputer configuration - Answers any arrangement of multiple computers used to support
specific services or applications
cluster - Answers group of similar or identical computers, connected by a high-speed network,
that provide services or run a single application; any server can respond to any request so the
load is distributed among the servers; easy scalability and fault tolerance but complex
configuration and administration
blade - Answers circuit board that contains most of a server; has one or more CPUs, memory
areas, and network interfaces; multiple blades within a single rack are a specialized cluster but
concentrate more computer power in less space and have lower power requirements than a
typical cluster
grid - Answers a group of dissimilar computers connected by a high-speed network that
cooperate to provide services or run a shared application
cloud - Answers set of computing resources with front end resources and back end resources;
specific way of organizing computing resources for maximum availability and accessibility with
minimum complexity in the user or service interface