The BCS Glossary is the most authoritative and comprehensive glossary of its kind. This unrivalled study aid and reference tool has newly updated entries and is divided into themed sections making it more than just a list of definitions. Written in an easily accessible style, it is specifically designed to support those taking computer courses or courses where computers are used, including GCSE, A-Level, ECDL and 14-19 Diplomas in Functional Skills in schools and Further Education Colleges.

 

This book is aimed at children in secondary school.

There are 480 pages in this book. It is a dictionary. A dictionary is a single-volume or multivolume reference work containing brief explanatory entries for terms and topics related to a specific subject or field of inquiry, usually arranged alphabetically (example: Dictionary of Neuropsychology). The entries in a dictionary are usually shorter than those contained in an encyclopedia on the same subject, but the word "dictionary" is often used in the titles of works that should more appropriately be called encyclopedias (example: Dictionary of the Middle Ages in 13 volumes). This book was published 2008 by BCS Learning & Development Limited .

Compiled by members of the BCS Academy Glossary Working Party, many of whom are teachers. In creating the glossary, they have drawn heavily upon their many years of experience in the education sector, as well as their detailed knowledge of computing.

This book has the following chapters:

Figures and tables

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Disclaimer

How to use this Glossary

Part A: How Computer Systems are Used

A1 General Computing Terms

Information Processing

Parts of the Computer System

A2 Using your computer

System software

Organising data

The size of things

Operation

A3 Word Processing and Text Manipulation

Software

Processes

Elements of print

Layout

Styles

A4 Graphics, Design and Digital Imaging

Image data formats

Graphic design applications

Digital still imaging

Digital video

A5 Sound

Characteristics of sound

Sound processing

Devices

A6 User Interface and Documentation

Graphical interfaces

Other interface styles

Set up documentation

A7 Commercial Data Processing (DP)

A8 Spreadsheets

A9 Data Handling and Information Retrieval

A10 Modelling and Simulation

A11 Internet

Accessing the Internet

Organising the Internet

WorldWideWeb

Electronic mail

Other Internet applications

Internet problems

A12 Networking

A13 Control and Monitoring

Virtual reality

A14 Artificial or Machine Intelligence

A15 Computer Personnel

A16 Computer Security, Abuse and Related Law

Data Security

Viruses and Malicious code

Copyright

A17 Specialised Computer Applications

Part B: What Computer Systems are Made of

B1 Types of Computer

B2 Input

Manual input

Automated input

B3 Memory

Concepts

Disk

Tape

Semiconductor Memory

General

B4 Output

Colour

Quality

Display

Printing

B5 Communications Components

Part C: How Computer Systems are Developed

C1 Systems Design and Life Cycle

Concepts

Stages

Project Management

General

C2 Describing Systems

C3 Programming Concepts

Object Oriented Techniques

Traditional programming techniques

C4 Programming (Flow of Execution)

C5 Programming (Subprograms)

C6 Program Syntax

C7 Describing Programs

C8 Testing and Running Programs

C9 Programming Languages

Levels of language

Types of Language

Miscellaneous Specialised Languages

C10 Data Representation

Concepts

Structures

Elements

C11 Numeric Data Representation

C12 Managing Data files

Files

Operations

General

Part D: How Computers Work

D1 Systems Software

Concepts

Development

Operations

D2 Machine Architecture

The Processor

Memory

General

D3 Interfaces and Buses

D4 Physical Components

D5 Communications Technology

Transmission

Protocols

Signals

D6 Truth Tables and Logic Gates

Binary Logic

Gates

Part E: Appendices

E1 Acronyms and Abbreviations

E2 Units

E3 Filenames and Filename Extensions

E4 Geographic Domain Identifiers

E5 ASCII Character Codes

Index