IB Digital Society 3.3 Computers Key Definitions

The component that carries out a computer's instructions, performing its calculations and controlling the other parts; often called the computer's brain.

Writing step-by-step instructions in a programming language so that a computer can carry out a task.

A program that translates an entire piece of source code into machine code before it is run, in contrast to an interpreter, which translates and runs it line by line.

An electronic device that takes in data, processes it by following instructions, and produces output, storing information along the way.

A small computer built into a larger device to perform one specific task, such as the controller inside a washing machine or a car.

Scrambling data using a key so that only someone with the correct key can read it, protecting the data both while it is stored and while it is being sent.

AI that produces new text, images, audio, or code by learning patterns from vast training data. It is a powerful form of narrow AI, not a general intelligence, despite how capable it can seem.

The physical parts of a computer that you can touch, such as the processor, memory, storage, and screen.

A programming language written in human-readable words and symbols, which must be translated into machine code before a computer can run it.

The most basic instructions a computer runs, written in binary (1s and 0s) that the processor acts on directly.

Malicious software written to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorised access to a computer or its data.

A single chip holding a computer's processing circuitry, whose invention made small, affordable personal computers possible.

The observation, made by Gordon Moore in 1965, that the number of transistors on a chip roughly doubles about every two years, driving rapid growth in computing power.

The core software that manages a computer's hardware and resources and lets other programs and the user interact with it.

A general-purpose computer designed to be used by one person at a time for a wide range of everyday tasks, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

An emerging form of computing that uses quantum bits and the rules of quantum mechanics to tackle certain problems far faster than ordinary computers.

A quantum bit, the basic unit of a quantum computer, which can represent a mix of 0 and 1 at once rather than just a single value.

Fast, temporary memory that holds the data and instructions a computer is using right now; its contents are lost when the power goes off.

A powerful computer that provides data, services, or resources to many other computers, called clients, over a network.

The programs and instructions that tell a computer's hardware what to do.

Software that runs and manages the computer itself, such as the operating system, as opposed to the applications people use for specific tasks.

A tiny electronic switch that controls the flow of electricity; packing more of them onto a chip is what makes a computer more powerful.

The point at which a person and a computer meet, through which the user gives commands and receives results.