Dell Dimension 3100C - Manual (Page 125)

Glossary 125
H Z — hertz — A unit of frequency measurement that
equals 1 cycle per second. Computers and electronic
devices are often measured in kilohertz (kHz), megahertz
(MHz), gigahertz (GHz), or terahertz (THz).
I
IC — Industry Canada — The Canadian regulatory
body responsible for regulating emissions from electronic
equipment, much as the FCC does in the United States.
IC — integrated circuit — A semiconductor wafer, or
chip, on which thousands or millions of tiny electronic
components are fabricated for use in computer, audio, and
video equipment.
IDE — integrated device electronics — An interface for
mass storage devices in which the controller is integrated
into the hard drive or CD drive.
INFRARED SENSOR — A port that allows you to
transfer data between the computer and infrared-
compatible devices without using a cable connection.
INTEGRATED — Usually refers to components that are
physically located on the computer’s system board. Also
referred to as built-in.
I/O — input/output — An operation or device that
enters and extracts data from your computer. Keyboards
and printers are I/O devices.
I/O
ADDRESS — An address in RAM that is associated
with a specific device (such as a serial connector, parallel
connector, or expansion slot) and allows the processor to
communicate with that device.
I
R DA — Infrared Data Association — The organization
that creates international standards for infrared
communications.
IRQ — interrupt request — An electronic pathway
assigned to a specific device so that the device can
communicate with the processor. Each device connection
must be assigned an IRQ. Although two devices can share
the same IRQ assignment, you cannot operate both
devices simultaneously.
ISP — Internet service provider — A company that
allows you to access its host server to connect directly to
the Internet, send and receive e-mail, and access websites.
The ISP typically provides you with a software package,
user name, and access phone numbers for a fee.
K
K B — kilobit — (written as Kb) A unit of data that
equals 1024 bits. A measurement of the capacity of
memory integrated circuits.
KB — kilobyte — A unit of data that equals 1024 bytes
but is often referred to as 1000 bytes.
KEY COMBINATION — A command requiring you to
press multiple keys at the same time.
K H Z — kilohertz — (written as kHz) A measurement of
frequency that equals 1000 Hz.
L
LAN — local area network — A computer network
covering a small area. A LAN usually is confined to a
building or a few nearby buildings. A LAN can be
connected to another LAN over any distance through
telephone lines and radio waves to form a wide area
network (WAN).
LCD — liquid crystal display — The technology used by
portable computer and flat-panel displays.
LED — light-emitting diode — An electronic
component that emits light to indicate the status of the
computer.
LOCAL BUS — A data bus that provides a fast
throughput for devices to the processor.
LPT — line print terminal — The designation for a
parallel connection to a printer or other parallel device.
M
M B — megabit — (written as Mb) A measurement of
memory chip capacity that equals 1024 Kb.