DQM Basic Units
Information and Communication Technology Skills 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.
16 terms from the free first chapter
C
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Executes instructions, the computer's core processor.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
F
- Fifth generation
Emphasis on artificial intelligence and parallel processing.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- First generation
Vacuum-tube machines, large, slow and power-hungry.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Fourth generation
Microprocessors, giving rise to the personal computer.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
I
- Input devices
Keyboard, mouse, scanner: bring data into the system.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
M
- Mainframe computers
Large systems processing high volumes of transactions reliably.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Memory (RAM)
Temporary, fast storage the CPU works from while a program runs.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Microcomputers (personal computers)
Desktops and laptops for individual use.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Minicomputers
Mid-range machines, smaller than mainframes, once common in departments.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Mobile devices
Smartphones and tablets, now a common computing platform in their own right.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Motherboard
Connects and coordinates all the other components.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
O
- Output devices
Monitor, printer, speakers: present processed information.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
S
- Second generation
Transistor-based, smaller and more reliable.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Storage devices
Hard disks, SSDs and removable media that hold data permanently.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
- Supercomputers
The fastest, most powerful class, used for intensive scientific computation.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
T
- Third generation
Integrated circuits, a major leap in speed and size reduction.
Taught in Computer hardware and software
The full glossary adds every term from the other 4 chapters, A to Z, each with the chapter that teaches it.