Computing Terms

RAM: The acronym stands for Random Access Memory. It is a type of computer data storage that can be accessed randomly, which means that the data can be accessed without having to go through the preceding bytes. The data is lost when the machine is turned off since RAM is a volatile type of memory.

Raster graphics: Digital images created by using pixels, and which lose quality when resized.

MHz: Abbreviation of megahertz. It measures the speed of microprocessors, called the clock speed. It determines how many instructions the microprocessor can execute per second.

Pixel: Short for Picture Element. A pixel is a single point in a graphic image. Monitors divide the display screen into millions of pixels to create an image.

Resolution: It is the sharpness and quality of an image.  The screen resolution signifies the number of pixels on screen.

GPU: Graphics Processor Unit. Used in mobile phones, personal computers and game consoles to accelerate the creation of images to be displayed on screen.

GUI: Graphical User Interface. It is an interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons as opposed to text-based interfaces.

RISC: Reduced Instruction Set Computing is a CPU designed with a simple instruction set to provide higher performance.

CPU: Central Processing Unit is the most important part of all computing machines, since it is the place where all the calculations and instructions are executed.

ROM: Read-Only Memory. It is a type of storage on computing machines where data is stored and once it is recorded it can be accessed but it cannot be removed or edited.

Sprite: It is a 2D image, that can also be animated, that is designed to be part of a larger scene. An example of sprites are the objects in 2D video games.

GIF: Graphics Interchange Format. It is a bitmap image that supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image and also supports animations and up to 256 colors per frame.

Vector graphics: images that are not made up of a grid of pixels and therefore can be resized to a larger scale without losing any image quality.

Byte: A unit of digital information that is made up of 8 bits (a single bit being represented by a ‘1’ or ‘0’ using the binary system). Bytes represent characters such as letters, numbers or symbols.

Bitmap: An image made up of rows and columns of pixels in the computer memory.

Hard disk: A magnetic disk that stores data on a computer.

Animation: Images slightly different from each other that are put in sequence to create motion. 

HDMI: High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a cable that transfers video and audio data from devices such as a display controller to a compatible computer monitor or digital television.

FPS: Frames per second. It is the rate at which consecutive images (frames) are generated per second.

 

Cartridge: It is a removable container such as tapes or memory chips, and it can also hold ink for printing. Cartridges can also contain whole games to be run by consoles. 

                                  

Bibliography:

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