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Glossary
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.1
bus — An electrical circuit that connects the central processing unit
(CPU) with other parts of the computer, such as the video
adapter, disk drives, and ports. It is the pathway through which
data flows from one device to another. See also bus speed,
frontside bus.
bus speed — The speed at which the central processing unit (CPU)
communicates with the other parts of the computer.
byte — A sequence of eight bits. A byte is the smallest addressable
unit of data. See also bit, gigabyte, kilobyte, megabyte.
C
cache — A section of very fast memory in which frequently used
information is duplicated for quick access. Accessing data from
cache is faster than accessing it from the computer’s main
memory. See also CPU cache, L1 cache, L2 cache.
CD — An individual compact disc. See also CD-ROM.
CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory) — A form of high-
capacity storage that uses laser optics instead of magnetic means
for reading data. See also CD. Compare DVD-ROM.
central processing unit (CPU) — The chip that functions as the
“brain” of the computer. It takes information from outside
sources, such as memory or keyboard input, processes the
information, and sends the results to another device that uses the
information.
character — Any letter, number, or symbol you can use on the
computer. Some characters are non-printing characters, such as a
paragraph break in a word-processing program. A character
occupies one byte of computer storage.
chip — A small piece of silicon containing computer logic and
circuits for processing, memory, input/output, and/or control
functions. Chips are mounted on printed circuit boards.
click — To press and release the control button or mouse button
without moving the pointing device. In the Windows
®
operating
system, this refers to the left mouse button or primary control
button, unless otherwise stated. See also double-click.