Exam 2: The System Unit: Processing and Memory

One nanometer (nm) is ____ of a meter.

____________________ are the connectors located on the exterior of the system unit that are used to connect external hardware devices.

The CPU-also called the microprocessor or just the board-does the vast majority of the processing for a computer. _________________________

____________________ is a special group of very fast memory circuitry located on or close to the CPU.

Explain the difference between multiprocessing and parallel processing.

____________________ are collections of electronic circuits containing microscopic pathways along which electrical current can travel.

With pipelining, a new instruction begins executing as soon as the previous one reaches the next stage of the pipeline. _________________________

Each pixel in a monochrome graphic can be only one of two possible colors (such as black or white).

Most recent software programs, including the latest versions of Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, and Microsoft Office, use ASCII. _________________________

The numbering system we commonly use is called the decimal numbering system because it uses ____ symbols to represent all possible numbers.

A ____ is an electronic path over which data can travel.

In order to synchronize all of a computer's operations, a ____-a small quartz crystal located on the motherboard-is used.

Benchmark tests typically run the same series of programs on several computer systems that are identical except for one component (such as the CPU) and measure how long each task takes in order to determine the overall relative performance of the component being tested. _________________________

Expansion buses connect directly to ____________________ on the system unit case or to expansion slots on the motherboard.

____ are very small pieces of silicon or other semiconducting material onto which integrated circuits are embedded.

Of what does ROM (read-only memory) consist? What is one important difference between ROM and RAM (random access memory)?

In a 16.8-million-color (called photographic quality or ____) image, three bytes (24 bits) are used to store the color data for each pixel in the image.

The system unit is the main case of a computer. _________________________

____________________ are tiny, hollow tubes made up of carbon atoms.

Eight bits grouped together are collectively referred to as a ____.