Information Technology ( IT )

USB ( Universal Serial Bus ) is the most popular connection used to connect a computer to devices such as digital cameras, printers, scanners, and external hard drives. USB  is a cross-platform technology that is supported by most of the major operating systems.

A  datacard  is any removable computer component, approximately the size of a credit card , that contains  data , or that contains nonvolatile memory to which  data  can be written and from which  data  can be recovered. The term is a synonym for smart card.

A  router  is a device that forwards data packets along networks. A  router  is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's network. Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect.

A network  switch  (also called  switching  hub, bridging hub, officially MAC bridge) is a computer networking device that connects devices together on a computer network, by using packet  switching  to receive, process and forward data to the destination device.

A  hub  is a common connection point for devices in a network.  Hubs  are commonly used to connect segments of a LAN. A hub  contains multiple ports. When a packet arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see all packets.

Internet is a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.

A computer  fan  is any  fan  inside, or attached to, a computer  case  used for active cooling, and may refer to  fans  that draw cooler air into the  case  from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component.

BIOS  ( basic input/output system ) is the program a personal computer's microprocessor uses to get the computer system started after you turn it on. It also manages data flow between the computer's operating system and attached devices such as the hard disk, video adapter, keyboard, mouse and printer.

Short for input/output (pronounced "eye-oh"). The term I/ O  is used to describe any program, operation or device that transfers data to or from a computer and to or from a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input into another.

In computing, an optical disc drive ( ODD ) is a disk drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as  part  of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs.

A  network interface card  ( NIC ) is a circuit board or card that is installed in a computer so that it can be connected to a network. A  network interface card  provides the computer with a dedicated, full-time connection to a network.

A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard drive," or "hard disk drive," that stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces. Today's computers typically come with a hard disk that contains several billion  bytes ( gigabytes ) of  storage .

A  heat sink  is an electronic device that incorporates either a fan or a peltier device to keep a hot component such as a processor cool. There are two  heat sink  types: active and passive. Active  heat sinks  utilize power and are usually a fan type or some other peltier cooling device.

A  switched-mode power supply ( SMPS ) is an electronic circuit that converts power using switching devices that are turned on and off at high frequencies, and storage components such as inductors or capacitors to supply power when the switching device is in its non-conduction state.

RAM  (pronounced ramm) is an acronym for  random access memory , a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly; that is, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes. RAM  is the most common type of memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers.

A computer  mouse  is an input device that is most often used with a personal computer. Moving a  mouse  along a flat surface can move the on-screen cursor to different items on the screen. Items can be moved or selected by pressing the  mouse  buttons (called clicking).

A  keyboard  is the set of typewriter-like keys that enables you to enter data into a computer and other devices. Computer  keyboards  are similar to electric-typewriter  keyboards  but contain additional keys.

A  scanner  is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.  Scanners  come in hand-held, feed-in, and flatbed types and for  scanning  black-and-white only, or color.

A  printer  is an external hardware output device responsible for taking electronic data stored on a computer or computing device and generating a hard copy of that data.  Printers are one of the most commonly used peripherals on computers and are commonly used to print text and photos.

An  output device  is any  device  used to send data from a computer to another  device  or user. Most computer data  output  that is meant for humans is in the form of audio or video. Thus, most  output devices  used by humans are in these categories. Examples include monitors, projectors, speakers, headphones and printers.

In computing, an  input device  is a peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment) used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or information appliance. Examples of  input devices  include keyboards, mouse, scanners, digital cameras and joysticks.

A  capacitor  is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store electrical energy temporarily in an electric field.

Northbridge  is an Intel chipset that communicates with the computer processor and controls interaction with memory, the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, Level 2 cache, and all Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) activities. Northbridge  communicates with the processor using the frontside bus (FSB).

The  southbridge  is one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a personal computer (PC) motherboard, the other being the northbridge. The  southbridge typically implements the slower capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/ southbridge  chipset computer architecture.

Alternatively referred to as a Real-Time Clock (RTC), Non-Volatile RAM (NVRAM) or  CMOS RAM,  CMOS  is short for Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor.  CMOS  is an on-board,  battery  powered semiconductor chip inside computers that stores information.

An uninterruptible power supply ( UPS ) is a device that allows a computer to keep running for at least a short time when the primary power source is lost. It also provides protection from power surges

The monitor is an essential part of the overall computer system. It is sometimes referred to as the video screen or video display unit (VDU). There are two main types of computer monitors: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors utilize a cathode ray tube to display images. The cathode ray tube is constructed using a vacuum tube, heaters, electron guns, deflection circuits and a glass screen. When electrons are produced within the cathode ray tube, the screen is bombarded with electrons, making it glow and produce an image. CRT monitors resemble older television sets. They are bulky and consume a lot of energy. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens utilize monochrome pixels when projecting images. The pixels are arranged systematically between transparent electrodes and polarizing filters. Images are formed when the pixels are polarized. LCD monitors consume less energy and offer better graphics quality. They are outselling CRT monitors because they occupy less desk space, pr...

Motherboard is a printed circuit board containing the principal components of a computer or other device, with connectors for other circuit boards to be slotted into.

     A  processor  is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer. The term  processor  has generally replaced the term central processing unit (CPU). The  processor  in a personal computer or embedded in small devices is often called a microprocessor.

                                                                 CPU  (pronounced as separate letters) is the abbreviation for  central processing unit . Sometimes referred to simply as the central processor, but more commonly called processor, the  CPU  is the brains of the computer where most calculations take place.

What is computer A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data. You may already know that you can use a computer to type documents, send email, play games, and browse the Web. You can also use it to edit or create spreadsheets, presentations, and even videos.