ATD Level I
Information Communication Technology glossary
Every term this guide defines, A to Z, each with the chapter that teaches it. Open it when a word in a question is unfamiliar, and test yourself on it in the last week: cover the definition and say it in one sentence.
15 terms from the free first chapter
A
- Analog computer
Processes continuously varying physical quantities (voltage, temperature, pressure) directly, used mainly in scientific and industrial measurement.
Taught in Foundations of computing
B
- Bit
A binary digit, 0 or 1, the smallest unit of data a computer can store or process.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Byte
A group of eight bits, the basic unit used to measure the size of data and storage (kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte). In binary storage measurement, 1 kilobyte (KB) = 1,024 bytes, 1 megabyte (MB) = 1,024 KB, and 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1,024 MB.
Taught in Foundations of computing
D
- Data
Raw, unprocessed facts and figures, for example a list of numbers or names, that carry no meaning on their own until they are processed.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Digital
Represented using discrete binary values (0s and 1s), as opposed to analog, which is represented by a continuously varying signal.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Digital computer
Processes data represented as discrete binary values; this is the class covered by the rest of this paper.
Taught in Foundations of computing
G
- General purpose computer
Designed to run many different kinds of program, from word processing to accounting to games, the class almost every desktop and laptop belongs to.
Taught in Foundations of computing
H
- Hybrid computer
Combines analog input (for example, a continuous sensor reading) with digital processing, common in medical equipment such as an ECG monitor.
Taught in Foundations of computing
I
- Information
Data that has been processed, organised or structured so that it is meaningful and useful to the person receiving it, for example a payroll report produced from raw attendance figures.
Taught in Foundations of computing
M
- Mainframe
A large, powerful computer used by big organisations to process and store vast volumes of data centrally, for example a bank's core transaction system.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Microcomputer
The smallest and most common class, built around a single microprocessor, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Minicomputer
Mid-sized, less powerful than a mainframe but capable of supporting multiple users at once, typically for a department rather than an entire organisation.
Taught in Foundations of computing
S
- Special purpose computer
Built and programmed for one specific task only, for example the embedded computer that controls a washing machine or an ATM.
Taught in Foundations of computing
- Supercomputer
The largest, fastest and most expensive class, used for tasks demanding massive processing power such as weather forecasting and scientific research.
Taught in Foundations of computing
U
- User
A person who interacts with a computer system to enter data, run programs or retrieve information.
Taught in Foundations of computing
The full glossary adds every term from the other 4 chapters, A to Z, each with the chapter that teaches it.