Keywords for the field of Computing

This keyword list is intended to be an introduction to the nomenclature of the computer field.
It is presented in an order which should make it easy to understand the words.

Digit
Number
Symbol
Integer
Fraction
Mixed Number

Arithmetic
Arithmetic Symbols

Add, Plus +
Subtract -
Multiply X *
Divide /
Exponent, Raise to Power Type Exponent as a superscript Example 103 = 1000

ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE

Integer Prefixes

kilo 103
mega 106
giga 109
tera 1012

Fractional Prefixes

milli 10-3
micro 10-6
nano 10-9

NUMBER SYSTEMS

Radix or Base     -     Number of digits in the number system.

Decimal
Decimal Digit - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Decimal Number System Number system with a base of 10.

Binary     -     Examples ON - OFF; TRUE - FALSE; YES - NO; MAGNETIC POLE North - South
Binary Number System Number system with a base of 2.
Binary Digit - 0, 1
BIT - Binary Digit
BYTE - 8 bits

Octal Number system with a base of 8.
Octal Digit - 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Hexadecimal Number system with a base of 16.
Hexadecimal Digit - 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F
HEX - Abbreviation for Hexadecimal

Disk Memory Space

Units of measure for memory or disk space

kilobyte kb 103 1,000 Bytes
megabyte mb 106 1,000,000 Bytes
gigabyte gb 109 1,000,000,000 Bytes
terabyte tb 1012 1,000,000,000,000 Bytes

Frequency

Computer Speeds are measured in frequency.
Hertz Hz Hertz is one cycle per second.
Kilohertz KHz 1000 cycles per second At one kilohertz, one cycle takes one millisecond or a millisec.
Megahertz MHz One million cycles per second At one megahertz, one cycle takes one microsecond or a microsec.
Gigahertz GHz One billion cycles per second At one gigahertz, one cycle takes one nanosecond or a nanosec.

Data transmission speeds over telephone lines


Baud Baud is one bit per second
Kilobaud KB one thousand bits per sceond
Notice kilobyte is also kb; one can usually tell the difference by context.
Data transmission speeds over telephone lines are measured in Baud or Kilobaud.
Speeds above this are usually referred to as Megahertz or Gigahertz.