MAGNETIC TAPE: A recording device used to store programs and data. It resembles audio tape used in tape recorders.

MEMORY: That part of the computer that stores information. Also, the external material, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or cassette tapes that store information.

MICROCOMPUTER: A small computer in which the CPU is an integrated circuit deposited on a silicon chip.

MICROPROCESSOR: A silicon chip that is the central, controlling part of the computer.

MINICOMPUTER: A computer that is usually larger, more powerful, and more expensive than a microcomputer, but is smaller than a mainframe in memory and functions.

MODEM (MODulator/ DEModulator): A device used to attach a computer or one of its devices to a communication line, often a telephone.

OPERATING SYSTEM: A special group of programs which controls the overall operation of a computer system. It mediates between the hardware and the particular software program.

OUTPUT: The information generated by a computer.

PERIPHERAL: A device, such as a CRT, disk drive, or printer, used for entering or storing data into, or retrieving it from, the computer system.

PRINTER: An output device to print the information from a computer.