Punjab PSEB Matric Computer Science flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Bit and byte

A bit is one binary digit, either 0 or 1. Eight bits grouped together make one byte, which can store a single character such as a letter.

Volatile memory

Memory that loses its stored data the moment power is switched off. RAM is volatile, while ROM and hard disks keep their contents without power.

RAM

Random Access Memory is the main working memory. It is readable and writable, volatile, and holds the programs and data currently being processed by the CPU.

ALU

Arithmetic Logic Unit, the part of the CPU that performs all arithmetic operations such as addition and subtraction, and logical comparisons such as greater than or equal to.

Cache memory

A small, very fast memory placed between the CPU and RAM. It stores frequently used instructions and data so the processor does not wait for slower main memory.

Impact printer

A printer whose print head physically strikes an inked ribbon against paper, for example a dot matrix printer. It can produce carbon copies but is noisy.

Root directory

The topmost folder of a disk or drive, from which all other folders branch out. In Windows it is written as C:\ and it has no parent folder.

Wildcard asterisk

A filename character that stands for any number of unknown characters. In Windows, the pattern *.txt finds every text file in a folder.

Absolute path

A path that starts from the root directory and gives the complete location of a file, such as C:\Users\School\notes.txt, so it works from any current folder.

Recycle Bin

A temporary storage folder in Windows where deleted files and folders are kept until the bin is emptied, allowing the user to restore them if needed.

GUI

Graphical User Interface. A way of operating a computer using windows, icons, menus and a mouse pointer instead of typing text commands as in a command line interface.

Mail merge

A word processing feature that combines one main document with a data source, such as a list of names and addresses, to produce many personalised copies like letters or labels.

Header and footer

Text or graphics printed in the top margin (header) or bottom margin (footer) of every page, commonly used for page numbers, chapter titles or the date.

Justified alignment

A paragraph alignment in which text is stretched so that both the left and right edges are straight, adding extra space between words as needed.

Point (font size)

The unit used to measure font size and line spacing. One point equals 1/72 of an inch, so a 72-point character is about one inch tall.

Word wrap

The automatic movement of text to the next line when the current line is full, so the user does not need to press Enter at the end of each line.

Active cell

The currently selected cell in a spreadsheet, surrounded by a thick border. Whatever is typed or pasted goes into this cell, and its address appears in the Name Box.

Absolute reference

A cell reference written with dollar signs, like $A$1, that stays fixed when the formula is copied to another cell, unlike a relative reference that shifts.

#DIV/0! error

The spreadsheet error shown when a formula divides a number by zero or by an empty cell. Correct the divisor or make sure the referenced cell contains a value.

SUM function

A built-in spreadsheet function that adds all numbers in the given cells or range, for example =SUM(A1:A10) gives the total of cells A1 to A10.

Cell range

A rectangular block of cells defined by its first and last corner addresses, written with a colon such as B2:D8, which contains 7 rows and 3 columns.

Pie chart

A circular chart that shows each category as a slice of the whole, so the slices always add up to 100 percent. Best for a single data series.

Slide transition

The visual effect, such as fade or push, that plays when one slide changes to the next during a slide show. It applies to the whole slide, not its contents.

Slide Master

A template slide that stores the design, fonts, colours and placeholder positions for every slide in a presentation; changes made to it apply to all slides.

Animation

An effect applied to an individual object such as text, a picture or a chart on a slide, making it appear, move or disappear during the slide show.

Slide Sorter view

A presentation view that displays small thumbnails of all slides at once, used for rearranging, copying, deleting or hiding slides rather than editing text.

Placeholder

A dotted box on a slide layout that reserves space for text, a picture, a chart or a table, and prompts the user where to click and type.

URL

Uniform Resource Locator, the complete address of a web page or file on the internet, such as https://www.example.com/page.html, made of protocol, domain and path.

Bcc

Blind carbon copy. Email addresses entered here receive the message, but no other recipient can see that they were included, which protects privacy in group mail.

Phishing

A cyber attack in which a fake email, message or website pretends to be from a trusted organisation to trick the user into revealing passwords, OTPs or bank details.

SMTP

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, the standard rule set used to send outgoing email from a client to a mail server and to pass it between servers.

Firewall

Hardware or software that monitors and filters network traffic, blocking unauthorised connections into or out of a computer or private network according to set rules.