answers 2025/2026
IT infrastructure - ANS ✔✔provides platform for supporting all information systems in the
business
Bit - ANS ✔✔a single 0 or 1, the smallest unit of data that a computer can process
Byte - ANS ✔✔a group of 8 or 16 bits representing one natural language character
Central processing unit (CPU) - ANS ✔✔the actual hardware that interprets and executes the
program (SW) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together
Control Unit - ANS ✔✔interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware
devices what to do, based on the software instructions
Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) - ANS ✔✔• all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and
subtraction)
• logical operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers)
• storage and retrieval operations
Registers - ANS ✔✔provide temporary storage where data resides while it is being processed or
manipulated
L1 (Internal) Cache Memory - ANS ✔✔a small block of memory used by the processors to store
those instructions used most recently or most often
, Machine Cycle Time - ANS ✔✔the time it takes to process one instruction (fetching, decoding,
retrieving, storing)
Clock Speed - ANS ✔✔the speed of the internal clock (system clock) that sets the pace at which
operations proceed; clock speed is measured in hertz (MHZ, GHZ)
Word length - ANS ✔✔the unit of data used by a particular processor design; the number of bits
that are handled as a unit by the processor: 32 bit vs. 64 bit
Bus - ANS ✔✔the link between devices connected to the computer
Bus width - ANS ✔✔the size of the pathway along which signals are sent from one part of the
computer to another
Centralized processing configuration - ANS ✔✔processing is done by one large central computer
Decentralized processing configuration - ANS ✔✔each user, department, division has its own
computer for processing
Distributed processing configuration - ANS ✔✔processing power is distributed among several
locations; multiple computers are linked by a communications network for processing
Client/Server computing - ANS ✔✔splits clients and servers
Client - ANS ✔✔user point of entry; request data from server
Server - ANS ✔✔store and process saved data