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[the vocabulary list]

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Aa
Alphabet: A fixed set of characters composed of the letters used in a written language.
Analog: Referring to electronic transmission accomplished by adding signals of varying frequency or amplitude to carrier waves of a given frequency of alternating electromagnetic current.
Analog copier: See
photocopier.
Analytical Engine: A computing machine designed by British mathematician Charles Babbage in 1833.

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Bb

Bit: The smallest piece of information that a computer handles.
Block printing: one form of type printing.

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Cc

Cuneiform: A writing style that uses wedged-shaped elements.

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Dd

Digital: Describes electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data in terms of two states: positive and non-positive. Positive is expressed or represented by the number 1 and non-positive by the number 0. Thus, data transmitted or stored with digital technology is expressed as a string of 0's and 1's. Each of these state digits is referred to as a bit.
DVD: Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc is the next generation optical storage technology. Unlike a CD, which can only hold 660MB of information, a DVD can hold 4.7GB. Some of the later DVD discs will be able to hold as much as 17GB of information.

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Ee

E-commerce: Commercial activity that takes place by way of connected computers

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Ff

Fountain of Youth: A fabled fountain back in the days of Columbus, which had the power to make people stay young forever.
Fountain pen: a pen containing a ink reservoir that continuously feeds the writing point.

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Gg

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Hh

HDTV: A method of transmitting higher powered signals that produce a much sharper and clearer image on TVs made to receive HDTV signals.

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Ii

Ideographic: See cuneiform.
Internet: A world wide network that allows anyone to send and receive information all over the world.

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Jj

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Kk

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Ll

Linotype: A machine that sets type on a metal slug operated by a keyboard.
Loom: A loom designed to weave fabrics of intricate design whose control mechanism makes use of cards with holes punched in them (punch cards).

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Mm

Mark I calculator: The first electromechanical calculating machine.
Media: a medium of cultivation, conveyance, or expression
Memory: A part of the computer that can hold information for varying amounts of time.
Micron: A unit of length equal to one millionth (10-6) of a meter.
Microprocessor: An integrated circuit that contains the entire central processing unit of a computer on a single piece of silicon.
MPEG-2: An extension of the MPEG-1 video compression standard that is used solely for DVD discs.

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Nn

Nanosecond: One billionth of a second.

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Oo

Operating Systems: The software that controls the allocation and usage of hardware resources such as memory, central processing unit, disk space, and peripheral devices.
Optical cable: A technology for the transmission of light beams along optical fiber.

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Pp

Papyrus: A medium on which to write made from the pith or the stems of this sedge.
Parchment: A writing medium made up of goatskin or sheepskin on which words or pictures can be made.
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA): A lightweight palmtop computer designed to provide specific functions like personal organization (calendar, note taking, database, calculator, and so on) as well as communications.
Photocopier: A digital or analog machine for photographically reproducing written, printed, or graphic material.
Pictographic: A picture representing a word or idea.
Punched Cards: A medium for feeding data into a computer, essentially a card punched with holes or notches to represent letters and numbers or with a pattern of holes to represent related data.

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Qq

Quill pen: a pen that way made from goose, turkey or crow feathers.

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Rr

Rag paper: paper that was often made out of silk, cotton or other cloth materials.
Rotary press: A printing press consisting of curved plates attached to a revolving cylinder that prints onto a continuous roll of paper.

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Ss

Spark-gap transmitter: A source of alternating current, especially a now obsolete radio transmitter, that derives its output from the oscillating discharge of a capacitor to an inductor and across a spark gap.

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Tt

TCP/IP: A protocol developed for communications between computers.
Telecommuting: Working at home using a computer that is connected to ones business.
Telegraph: A communications system that transmits and receives simple unmodulated electric impulses, especially one in which the transmission and reception stations are directly connected by wires.
Transistor: A solid-state circuit component, usually with three leads, that can serve many functions, including those of amplifier, switch, and oscillator.
Typesetting: To set written material into type.

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Uu

Vacuum tubes: An electron tube from which all or most of the gas has been removed, permitting electrons to move with low interaction with any remaining gas molecules.

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Vv

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Ww

World Wide Web (WWW): The total set of interlinked hypertext documents residing on HTTP servers all around the world.

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Xx

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Yy

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Zz

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