1. BCT Section 1.2 Terms
Data Communications, Networks
1. Data Communications The Technology that enables computers to communicate
The transmission of text, numeric, voice or video data
from one machine to another.
2. Sender The computer that is sending the message.
3. Receiver The computer that is receiving the message.
4. Channel The media that carries the message. (telephone wire,
coaxial cable, microwave signal, or fiber optic)
5. Protocol The rules that govern the orderly transfer of the data sent.
6. Network When computers are connected to other computers, they
can share information.
7. Local Area Network Computers connected together in a relatively close
location such as in the same building or department.
The data and software for these computers are stored on
a central computer called the file server.
8. Wide Area Network When local area networks are expanded to include
several local area networks within a city, state, region,
territory, country, continent, or the world.
9. Central Processing Unit Tiny silicon chip contains millions of switches and
pathways that help your computer make important
decisions.
10. Arithmetic/Logic Unit Performs arithmetic computations and logical operations.
11. Control Unit Coordinates all of the CPU’s activities.
Uses programming instructions, it controls the flow of
information through the processor by controlling what
happens inside the processor.
12. Random Access Memory Memory on the motherboard that is short term.
13. Read Only Memory Long Term Memory. Memory on the motherboard where
the Specific Instructions that are needed for the computer
to operate are stored.
14. Basic Controllers On the motherboard, a device that controls the transfer of
data from the computer to a peripheral device and vice
versa.
15. Serial & Parallel Ports Used to connect our peripheral devices to the computer.

2. 16. Universal Serial Bus A new standard that supports data transfer rates of up to
12 million bits per second.
17. Motherboard Central to all of this is the motherboard or system board
that mounts into the case, is a circuit board (a thin plate
or board that contains electronic components) that
contains many integral components.
18. ASCII Code The most popular and widely used standardized coding
system.
19. Byte Eight bits or combinations of ones and zeros represent a
character.
20. Megabyte Megabyte or roughly 1 million bytes.
Gigabyte Gigabyte or roughly one billion bytes.