CHS: Lesson - Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Remember when you were first learning your alphabet and the teacher said, "A is for…?", then the students responded…"apple!" To reinforce the learning the teacher then showed a picture of an apple so that when we thought of the letter "A" we would see an apple in our mind - with or without the worm 😜 This approach to learning new letters, words, and/or phrases is just as effective as we get older.

Below is a set of vocabulary terms relating to computer hardware and software. Take notes on these terms as you will be seeing them often!

  • Digital: Digital information is stored using a series of ones and zeros. Computers are digital machines because they can only read information as on or off -- 1 or 0. This method of computation, also known as the binary system, may seem rather simplistic, but can be used to represent incredible amounts of data. CDs and DVDs can be used to store and play back high-quality sound and video even though they consist entirely of ones and zeros.
  • Analog: Analog is an adjective that describes a continuous measurement or transmission of a signal. It is often contrasted with digital, which is how computers store and process data using ones and zeros. While computers are digital devices, human beings are analog. Everything we perceive, such as what we see and hear, is a continuous transmission of information to our senses. This continuous stream of input is not estimated but received and processed by our brains as analog data.
  • Events: Events are things that have happened; in terms of technology and computing, events are actions or occurrences that can be identified by a program and have significance for system hardware or software.
  • Microcontroller: A microcontroller (or MCU for microcontroller unit) is a small integrated circuit that controls an electronic device. It is similar to a microprocessor but includes memory and other integrated components.
  • Sensor: A sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends the information to other electronics, frequently a computer processor
  • LED (Light Emitting Diode): An LED is an electronic device that emits light when an electrical current is passed through it.
  • Switch: A switch is used to network multiple computers together.
  • Servo: Short for servomechanism. A servo is a mechanical device for controlling large amounts of power by means of smaller amounts of power and correcting the performance of the device using feedback. Another way to think of it is that a servo is any system which controls motion automatically using feedback.
  • Cloud Computing: Cloud computing refers to applications and services offered over the Internet. These services are offered from data centers all over the world, which collectively are referred to as the "cloud." This metaphor represents the intangible, yet universal nature of the Internet.
  • Internet of Things (IoT): The Internet of Things, commonly abbreviated IoT, is an umbrella term that refers to anything connected to the Internet. It includes traditional computing devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones, but also includes a growing list of other devices that have recently become Internet enabled. Examples include home appliances, automobiles, wearable electronics, security cameras, and many other things.

Note: Certain definitions were sourced from the Tech Terms Computer Dictionary Links to an external site..

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