Terms 3

1. Analog- Analog refers to a continous stream of information. Analog reasd bumps and groves to display audio and video. If differs from digital, which uses only 1s and 0s to read audio and video.

2. Bit- Stands for Binary DigIT.A bit is the smallest unit of machine information. A bit is represented by a 1 or a 0. Bits can be combined for more data, for instance an 8 bit data is called a byte.

3. Cache- A cache is a method of retrieving recently used data. For instance when a web page is visited, browsers may temporarily cache the data, so when the website is visited again, the information is retrieved from the cache instead of downloading it to your computer again, causing much faster accesss to web pagse. Cache systems are also used for programs.

4. Firmware- Firmware refers to software programmed on a hardware device. It is stored onto the ROM (Read only memory) of the hardware device. It remains the same except when an update is programmed in.

5. Flash memory- A type of EEPROM commonly used for storing BIOS settings on a computers ROM. It can be programmed very quickly due to its used of blocks instead of bytes. Used commonly in digital cameras and cell phones.

6. Memory- Computers save data to a RAM. Things like keyboard functions in programs, keystrokes, etc. When needed, RAM can be quickly accessed. Its very "short time memory", any time the computer is booted up the data on the RAM is erased and replaced.

7. Peripheral- Simply, any external device on a computer. Also reffered to as I/O (input/output) devices. Exmaple include a monitor, keyboard and mouse. If a perifpheral provides input, it is reffered to as an input peripheral. If it provides output, it is reffered to as an output peripheral.

8. USB- Stands for Universal Serial Bus. It is the most commonly used port on a computer. Cameras, flash drives, keyboards, monitors, printers, scanners and mouses can all be connected to a computer via USB port. With the use of a few USB hubs, up to 127 USB devices could be connected to a single USB port.

9. Ethernet- Ethernet is a method to connect computers to a local network (LAN). Used to connect a computer to another, connect comptuers to a netowrk, or to connect to a DLS/Cabel modem.

10. chip- Technically, a chip refers to a piece of silicon with an electric circuit inside it. It can also refer to various parts within a computer, such as a IC, central proccessor or graphics chip.