Key Terms

Learning Aim A Understand how the components of technology systems work

together

Term

Definition

CAD (Computer Aided

Design)
CAM (Computer Aided
Manufacture)

A technology System used

to design component parts
on a computer and send
the design to robotic tools
that manufacture the parts.
CAD plans are also used to
design buildings plans.

POS (Point of Sale)

Computerised tills that

communicate with a
database to keep track of
stock which is updated with
every item sold

Sustainability

Using resources in such a

way that we meet the
needs of our generation
without harming future
generations e.g. planting
trees. It involves protecting
the environment so we
continue to have water,
food and resources
Software that is created to
harm computers and/or
technology systems, or
obtain sensitive
information e.g. spyware,
viruses, worms and Trojans.
Gaining an advantage over
your competitors by using
technology
A programmable machine
for completing arithmetic
and logical operations
(called processes) on
digital data
Has at least one computer.
It interacts with other
devices and components in
a system. These devices
communicate using a

Malware

Competitive advantage

Computer

Technology system

Tick when I
know it

Key Terms

Automated system

Server

Force feedback device

network and they use

software which brings the
technology system to life
Uses technology and
control systems. Needs
little human intervention.
They are specialist devices
to help improve efficiency
and productivity of
businesses
Powerful computer with lots
of RAM and disk space.
Used for controlling a
network
A device used to provide
you with touch output
(haptic technology) from a
computer device e.g.
games controller

Actuator

Motor that can be

controlled by a tech system
and can be used to move
part of a robot arm

SSD (Solid State Drive)

A data storage device

Uses flash memory (nonvolatile)
No moving parts
No noise
No fragmentation
Quicker to operate from
booting up
e.g. CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs
The way we put
information into a
computer e.g. mouse,
keyboard etc

Optical media
Input

Output

The way we get

information out of a
computer e.g. monitor,
printer etc

RFID (Radio Frequency

The use of a wireless non2

Key Terms
Identification Device)

LAN (Local Area Network)

contact system that uses

radio waves to transfer
data from a tag attached to
an object. The technology
is mainly used for purposes
of automatic identification
and tracking
Connects computers and
other devices together at a
single location

WAN (Wide Area Network)

Used by organisations to
connect their LANs
together into a single
network covering anywhere
in the world

PAN (Personal Area

Network)

Used to connect and sync

your devices together and
keep everything up-to-date
e.g. email, calendars etc

Mobile broadband

Uses 3G or 4G mobile
technology to connect your
mobile device to the
internet (using a dongle)

3G or 4G mobile
technology

Stands for third or fourth

generation. Supports fast
data transmission speeds
and increased network
capacity

Dongle

A small hardware device

that plugs into the USB that
connects to wifi

Synchronise (or syncing)

Making the same data

available using different
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Key Terms
devices. Keeping data upto date

Cabled topology

When devices connect

using cable rather than
wireless

Switch

A box with ports (sockets)

that are used to plug in the
network cables. Cabled
networks use switches to
connect the device
together

Optical fibre

Used for fast connection

between switches in a
network, and to bring
broadband to buildings

UTP (Unshielded twisted

pair)

Used widely to connect

computers and printers to
switches in LANs

Coaxial cables (coax)

Used to connect homes to

optical broadband systems

Wi-fi

Used to connect devices

wirelessly.
Wi-fi needs a wireless
access point (WAP) which is
often part of a router and
acts like a switch to
connect wireless devices
together. Other devices can
have a Wi-fi network card
installed or can connect
through a USB port
A short-range, fairly slow
wireless technology used to

Bluetooth

Key Terms
sync devices together and
to transfer data such as
music between devices

Learning Aim B understand how data flows between internal

components of a computer and is processed to provide information
INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER
Motherboard
The main printed circuit
board (PCB) where all other
components plug in

CPU (Central Processing

Unit)

ALU (Arithmetic and Logic

Unit)

The CPU runs instructions

contained in computer
programs and undertakes
input/output operations to
other parts of the
computer.
It controls the entire
system and processes the
data
Part of the CPU.
It completes basic
calculations (arithmetic)
and comparisons such as
sorting and searching
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Key Terms
(logic)

Control Unit

Registers

RAM (Random Access

Memory)

DRAM (Dynamic RAM)

SRAM (Static RAM)

Flash memory

ROM (Read Only Memory)

GPU (Graphical Processing

Unit)
Graphics card

Part of the CPU.

The control unit makes the
computer hardware do
whatever is the result of a
completed instruction
Used to store small
amounts of data in the
form of bytes for fast recall
Used to hold all opened
programs and documents
so the CPU can access
them.
Acts as a buffer between
CPU and storage.
Volatile
Uses a transistor that
needs a constant power
supply. If switched off, any
data stored within RAM is
lost. Used in PCs and
laptops.
Flash memory.
Uses a transistor that
retains its state so it stores
data even after power
supply is disconnected.
Used in mobiles, digital
cameras and some games
consoles
A type of memory which
can be deleted and
reprogrammed in blocks of
memory
Holds essential data used
in boot-up, including boot
sequence, date and time.
Non-volatile
It processes visual images.
It supports the delivery and
the quality of graphics
Used to make visual
images that can be
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Key Terms
Heat dispersal

PSU (Power Supply Unit)

HDD (hard disk drive)

Optical drive

Clock speed

Multiple processing cores

Cache memory

Data bus

Machine code

displayed on a monitor
The fan and heat sink are
needed by the CPU, GPU
and PSU so they dont burn
out
It plugs into the mains
power supply and converts
electricity into low voltage
electricity for the computer
components.
Magnetic media.
Uses magnetic disks
(platters) to store data.
Data is stored and
collected using a read-write
head.
Uses laser light to read
data from CDs and DVDs. It
is used to install new
software and to make
backups
Measured in MHz or GHz.
The speed at which
instructions within the CPU
occur.
Each core (CPU) is able to
read and execute program
instructions independently
and simultaneously.
A fast memory that is used
as a data buffer between
CPU and RAM.
Cache memory is used
between faster and slower
devices to let them work
more quickly together.
A circuit that connects one
part of the motherboard to
another. The more data a
bus can handle at one time
(capacity) the faster it
allows data to travel
between components
A computer programming
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Key Terms

Battery life
SoC (System on a chip)

Chip

Traditional platform

Analogue and Digital Data

Analogue data

Digital data

Encrypt
Bit
Bytes
Word

ASCII (American Standard

Code for Information
Interchange)

language consisting of
binary or hexadecimal
instructions that a
computer can respond to
directly
How long the battery lasts
in a mobile device
A single chip (integrated
circuit) containing all the
computer circuits an
embedded device needs to
control it
Also called a microchip.
It is an integrated circuit
(IC). A single component
that can be soldered onto
an electronic circuit board
to connect the chip to the
rest of the device
A computer system using
mains power with system
unit, keyboard, mouse,
screen and hard drive
Occurs in the natural world
and constantly changes
with time e.g. human voice.
Travels as sound waves
Data transmitted, or
stored, using bits and
bytes. Computers process
digital data in the form of
binary numbers
To protect data using codes
or passwords
Either of two digits 1 or 0
A unit of digital data made
up of 8 bits e.g. 01101101
A fixed size group of bits
(binary data) that is
handled as a group by the
instructions set and the
CPU
The system used in most
computer systems to hold
alphabetic and numeric
characters
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Key Terms
Binary format

The format uses two digits,

1s and 0s

Key Terms

Learning Aim C Understand different types of software

Software
Off-the shelf
Custom-made (bespoke)

Operating System (OS)

Utility application

CLI (Command line

interface)

GUI (Graphical user

interface)

Productivity applications

Hierarchical structure

Application software
package

High-level programming
language

Low-level programming

Any program that can run

on a computer
Ready made and available
software
Written specially for a
client to meet a specific
need
The software that runs on
computers and manages
the computer hardware
A program which supports
an app or OS function.
Designed to improve
system performance
Used by older systems
such as DOS, when you had
to type commands into a
prompt
Is a way for human to
interact with computers
using windows, icons and
menus, which is
manipulated by a mouse
Programs designed to
improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of everyday
tasks e.g. Microsoft Office
An arrangement of items or
data in a tree-like structure,
which ranks the most
important item in layers
The end result of
programming. They are
created with a high-level
programming language and
are used to solve problems
and entertain
One that is quite close to
natural human language.
High-level languages are
compiled into machine
code
Close to machine code.
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Key Terms
language
Machine code
Assembly language

Mnemonics

Flow charts
Process

Terminator
Decision box

Data (Input/Output)

Connector

Programming terms
Variable

Local variable
Global variable

They are written using an

assembler
This is the binary code that
the CPU can understand
Is written using an
assembler which helps the
programmer by checking
for errors in the mnemonics
before compiling the
program into machine code
Assembly language
consists of a number of
mnemonics (abbreviations)
such as MOV (move
instruction). Each
mnemonic is equivalent to
a machine code instruction
Used to represent any
calculation or processing
operation carried out by
the program
Shows where the program
starts and finishes
Used in any place where
the program makes a test
to decide on a choice of
direction to run the next
code
Represents any part of the
program that takes data in
or shows, prints or outputs
data
Also known as a flow line.
Connects parts of the flow
chart to show the routes
the program can take
Memory that the
programmer declares with
a name which the program
can use for calculation or
outputs
Is used in one subroutine
only
Can be used anywhere in
the program
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Key Terms
Declaration

Scope
Subroutine

Assignment
Constant

Event handler

Imperative code
Procedural programs

Event-driven programs

Object-orientated
programs (OOP)

Annotations

Variable Data Types

Character
String

A statement that gives the

name of the variable and
states what type of data it
can contain
How much of the program
can use a variable
A set of instructions
designed to perform an
operation within a program
A statement that assigns a
value to a variable
Similar to a variable,
except that the constant is
given a value in the
declaration statement and
that value is not changed
by other parts of the
program
The event handler for an
object is the code that runs
when that event occurred.
A button will have an event
handler for the click event
with code that runs when
the user clicks on the
button
Tells the computer what to
do step by step
Have definite start and end
points. Runs through in a
logical sequence
Waits (listens) for events
such as a mouse click, then
will carry out an action
These view programs as a
collection of objects. Each
object can be viewed as an
independent machine with
a distinct role
These are comments
written into the code to
explain what parts of the
program are there for
A single letter or number
Any combination of letters,
numbers, symbols and
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Key Terms
Integer
Real
Boolean
Data structure
Record data structure

Array data structure

spaces
A whole number
A number with fractions
True or false
Is an organisation that data
fits into
Contains fields to store
information. Data about
one topic is stored in a
table e.g. information
about students in a school
Is a variable with many
parts. It is a table with a
number of rows and
columns.
The array has a number
inside brackets (called a
subscript) which identifies
an item in the array e.g.
Customer (12) is the 12th
item

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