buffer: internal storage that holds data read to or from input-output devices. (2-7c)
byte: eight bits treated as a unit; the amount of memory needed to store a single letter
or number. The smallest unit recognizable to human beings. (The computer can
recognize a bit.) (2-8d)
C
central processing unit (CPU):
the computer nerve center, coordinates and controls
the activities of all the other components, performs arithmetical and logical processes to
be applied to data, and stores data. (2-5a)
character: the smallest unit of information recognizable to human beings, as opposed
to the smallest unit recognizable to a computer (a bit). (2-8d)
computer: any automatic device capable of performing calculations without human
intervention. (1-14)
conditional control transfer: a machine instruction that transfers control to a
designated instruction if some condition is true and continues in sequence to the next
instruction if the condition is not true. (1-18c(4))
D
data: facts, unevaluated messages, the raw material of information. (1-la)
*data base: the basic data, a collection of interrelated records, structured to meet the
information needs of a wide variety of users with a minimum of duplication. (3-3c)
*data base management system (DBMS): a set of programs that provides a method
of storing, manipulating, retrieving, and displaying information in the data base. These
methods minimize duplication, permit easy change, and can handle direct inquiries.
(3-3e)
data processing: operations performed on data, usually by automatic equipment, to
derive information; originally manual, later mechanical, and more recently by electronic
means. Systematic technique for collecting, manipulating, and disseminating data to
achieve certain objectives. (1-1a)
*debugging: locating, isolating, and eliminating program errors. (2-8b)
*decode: translate from computer to human language. (2-10a)
digital: the representation of data for transmission by discrete signals. (1-8b)
*digital calculator: a machine, like the abacus, or adding machine, that essentially
does counting operations. (1-8b)
MD0057
G-2