Technical University of Moldova

Glossary of Technical
Terms

Chișinău 2021
1) Data- a set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about one or more persons or
objects , while a datum (singular of data) is a single value of a single variable.
2) Website- a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common
domain name and published on at least one web server(ex. wikipedia.org).
3) Input- something entered into a machine or other system, the act of entering data or other
information.
4) Output- the information that a computer produces by processing a specific input.
5) Hardware- the physical parts of a computer and related devices. Internal hardware
devices include motherboards, hard drives, and RAM. External hardware devices
include monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and scanners.
6) Automated- carried out by machines or computers without needing human control.
7) Password- a secret word or combination of letters or numbers, used
for communicating with another person or with a computer to prove who you are.
8) Digits- any one of the numbers 0 through 9
9) Logarithms- the number that shows how many times a number, called the base, has to
be multiplied by itself to produce another number. Adding or taking away logarithms
can replace multiplying or dividing large numbers.
10) Database- a large amount of information stored in a computer system in such a way that
it can be easily looked at or changed.
11) punch card- a card with holes in patterns that represent information
12) display- the way in which words, pictures, etc. are shown electronically, for example on
a computer screen
13) printouts- text produced by a computer printer
14) magnetic core - a piece of magnetic material with a high magnetic permeability used to
confine and guide magnetic fields in electrical, electromechanical and magnetic devices
such as electromagnets, transformers, electric motors, generators,
inductors, magnetic recording heads, and magnetic assemblies.
15) application- a computer program that is designed for a particular purpose.
16) Memory- the part of a computer in
which information or programs are stored either permanently or temporarily, or
the amount of space available on it for storing information.
17) Microprocessors- a part of a computer that controls its main operations.
18) Networks- a large system consisting of many similar parts that are connected together
to allow movement or communication between or along the parts, or between
the parts and a control centre.
19) Artificial Intelligence- the study of how to produce machines that have some of
the qualities that the human mind has, such as
the ability to understand language, recognize pictures, solve problems, and learn.
20) software - the instructions that control what a computer does; computer programs.
21) Storage devices- a piece of computer equipment in
which information and instructions can be kept.
22) Peripherals- a piece of equipment, such as a printer, that can be connected to a computer
23) console - a surface on which you find the controls for a piece of electrical equipment or
a machine.
24) cathode ray tube - a tube-shaped part in a television or computer screen, inside which
a continuous flow of electrons is produced to create the images or text.
25) motherboard- the main printed circuit board that contains the CPU of a computer and
makes it possible for the other parts of a computer to communicate with each other
26) floppy disks- a small soft piece of plastic that is protected by a hard cover and is used
to store computer information .
27) Mainframe - is a computer, usually physically big, that does almost all the jobs for other
types of computers that are connected to it.
28) Expansion slots- a place in a computer circuit where an expansion card can be added
29) expansion cards- a board covered with small metal electrical connections that create one
or more circuits and that can be connected to the main circuit board of a computer so that
it can do more things .
30) binary- using a system of numbers that uses only 0 and 1 .
31) byte- a unit of computer information, consisting of a group of (usually eight) bits.
32) hard drive- a part of a computer that reads information on a hard disk, or
a separate device that can be connected to a computer in order to do this
33) laser beam- (a device that produces) a powerful, narrow beam of light that can be used as
a tool to cut metal, to perform medical operations, or
to create patterns of light for entertainment .
34) flash memory- is an electronic non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can
be electrically erased and reprogrammed.
35) Operating System- a set of programs that control the way
a computer system works, especially how its memory is used and how
different programs work together.
36) Virus- a computer program or part of a computer program that can make copies of itself
and is intended to prevent the computer from working normally
37) WORM- a harmful computer program that can copy itself
and spread across a number of connected computers
38) Trojan horses- a computer program that has
been deliberately designed to destroy information, or allow someone to steal it
39) Hacker- someone who gets into other
people's computer systems without permission in order to find out information or to do
something illegal
40) Spyware- software that collects information about how someone uses the internet,
or personal information such as passwords, without the user knowing about it
41) Biometrics- the use of detailed information about someone's body,
for example the patterns of colour in their eyes, in order to prove who they are
42) cookies- a piece of information stored on your computer about internet documents that
you have looked at
43) encryption- the process of changing electronic information or signals into
a secret code (= system of letters, numbers, or symbols) that people cannot understand or
use without special equipment
44) firewalls- a device or program that stops people from seeing or using information on
a computer without permission while it is connected to the internet
45) encryption- the process of changing electronic information or signals into
a secret code (= system of letters, numbers, or symbols) that people cannot understand or
use without special equipment
46) decryption- to change electronic information or signals that were stored, written,
or sent in the form of a secret code (= a system of letters, numbers, or symbols) back into
a form that you can understand and use normally .
47) Malware- computer software that is designed to damage the way a computer works .
48) anti-virus software- a computer program used to prevent, detect, and remove malware
49) cracker – a person who uses technology for criminal aims .
50) freeware- computer programs that you can often copy from the internet and do not have
to pay for
51) fax- a document that travels in electronic form along a phone line and is
then printed on paper .
52) BlackBerrys- a brand name for a small computer with no wires that fits in your hand, and
that you can use for documents, email, and using the internet.