Computer Basics
Computer basic terms and its definition.
50 pages
- Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)ALU stands for Arithmetic Logic Unit. The ALU is a part of the CPU where various computing functions are performed on data. The ALU performs arithmetic...
- ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)the 7-bit character code that numbers 128 characters from 0 to 127, such as A = 65, a = 97 and 0 = 48, and how it relates to Unicode and UTF-8.
- ASCII Table & Converterall 128 ASCII codes with decimal, hex, octal and binary values, plus a converter from characters to ASCII codes and from codes back to text.
- Binary Number Systema base-2 number system using only 0 and 1, the way computers store and process all data.
- BIOS and UEFIthe firmware that tests hardware at power-on and starts the operating system; UEFI is the modern replacement for BIOS.
- Bit and Bytea bit is a single binary digit (0 or 1); a byte is 8 bits and can hold 256 different values.
- Booting (Boot Process)the process from power-on through POST, firmware and bootloader to a loaded operating system; cold vs warm boot.
- Cache Memorysmall, very fast memory near the CPU that keeps frequently used data and instructions to reduce waiting for RAM.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)The CPU is the major component that interprets and executes software instructions. It also controls the operation of all other components, such as memory..
- Clock Speedhow many cycles a CPU performs per second, measured in GHz; one factor in performance alongside cores and cache.
- Compilera program that translates high-level source code into machine code before the program is run.
- ComputerA computer is an electronic device that takes raw data (unprocessed) as input from the user and processes it under the control of a set of instruction
- Control UnitThe control unit controls the flow of data between the CPU, memory, and I/O devices. It also controls the entire operation of a computer.
- CPU Registera tiny, very fast storage location inside the processor, such as the program counter and accumulator.
- DataData is defined as an unprocessed collection of raw facts suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing. For example, 12, 'Lavanya', and 'G'.
- Data processingData processing is the process of manipulating data to produce meaningful information. For example, 12, 'Lavanya', and 'Chennai' are data.
- Device Driversoftware that lets the operating system talk to a hardware device such as a printer, graphics card or Wi-Fi adapter.
- File Systemhow an operating system organises and stores files on a disk, such as NTFS, ext4, APFS, FAT32 and exFAT.
- Firmwarelow-level software stored on a hardware device that controls how it works, such as BIOS, UEFI and router software.
- Flash Memorynon-volatile, rewritable storage with no moving parts, used in SSDs, pen drives, memory cards and phones.
- GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)a highly parallel processor for graphics, video and compute workloads such as machine learning.
- HardwareHardware is the physical component of a computer, like the motherboard, memory devices, monitor, keyboard, etc.
- Hexadecimal Number Systema base-16 system using 0-9 and A-F, a compact way to write binary for addresses and colour codes.
- InformationInformation is a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn. In simple words, we can say that data is the raw facts that are processed
- Input UnitThe input unit is used to feed any form of data to the computer, which can be stored in the memory unit for further processing. Ex: Keyboard, Mouse
- Instruction Cycle (Fetch-Decode-Execute)the fetch-decode-execute loop a CPU repeats for every instruction it runs.
- Interpretera program that executes source code directly, line by line, without first producing a machine-code file.
- Kernelthe core of an operating system that manages the CPU, memory and devices and serves applications through system calls.
- KeyboardA keyboard (wired or wireless or virtual) is an input device. The data and instructions are given as input to the computer by typing on the keyboard.
- Memory UnitThe Memory Unit is of two types which are primary memory and secondary memory. The primary memory is used to temporarily store the programs, data..
- Motherboardthe main circuit board that connects the CPU, memory, storage and other components of a computer.
- MouseA mouse (wired or wireless) is a pointing device used to control the movement of the cursor on the display screen. It can be used to select icons, menus
- Multi-Core Processora CPU with two or more cores that can run separate tasks at the same time (dual-core, quad-core, octa-core).
- Open Source Softwaresoftware whose source code anyone can use, study, change and share under an open licence.
- Operating Systemsystem software that manages hardware and provides services to programs, such as Windows, Linux, Android.
- Output UnitAn output unit is any hardware component that conveys information to users in an understandable form. E.g., monitor, printer, etc.
- Peripheral Devicesinput, output and storage hardware connected to a computer, such as keyboards, printers and external drives.
- Power Supply Unit (PSU / SMPS)converts mains AC into the low-voltage DC that a computer's components need.
- Primary MemoryThe primary memory or main memory is volatile, that is, the content is lost when the power supply is switched off.
- Process vs Threada process is a running program with its own memory; threads run inside a process and share its memory.
- RAM (Random Access Memory)the volatile main memory that holds running programs and data for fast access by the CPU.
- ROM (Read-Only Memory)non-volatile memory that keeps permanent instructions such as firmware even when power is off.
- Screen Resolution and Pixelsthe number of pixels on a display (such as 1920 × 1080 Full HD or 3840 × 2160 4K), and what a pixel is.
- Secondary MemoryThis is non volatile, that is the content is available even after the power supply is switched off. Hard disk, CD-ROM and DVD ROM are example.
- SoftwareSoftware is a set of instructions, data, or programs that tell a computer how to operate and perform specific tasks.
- SSD vs HDDsolid state drives use flash memory and are much faster; hard disk drives use spinning platters and cost less per GB.
- System Software vs Application Softwaresoftware that runs the computer (OS, drivers) vs programs people use for tasks.
- Unicodethe universal standard that gives every character and emoji a unique code point, stored as bytes using encodings such as UTF-8.