It is difficult to imagine a life without any type of electronic device. They are even in places that you may not realise. Did you know that almost every major appliance in your home uses some sort of electronic device to make it function correctly? Did you realise that every vehicle that is manufactured today uses electronics to make them operate smoother and better? Electronics are all around us and they all have several things in common. It doesn’t matter if the electronics exist in a smart phone, your tablet computer or a dishwasher. They all use some of the same components, even though they may be known by different names. What do all of these things mean, and what do they do? Keep reading to find out.

Measurements

Every electronic component will have some sort of measurement associated with it. Usually the higher the number of this measurement, the better the component will be. You will often hear terms like megahertz, terabytes, megaflops and teraflops. To the average person, these measurements don’t really mean anything at all, but they are measuring the power that is concealed within the device.

Computers use RAM and microprocessors

If you are remotely familiar with automobiles and how they work, then you know that the power of an automobile is often measured in horsepower. You could think of all these computer terms in very much the same way.

Computer Parts With More Than One Name

To make things even more confusing, it is not uncommon for certain computer components to go by more than one name. You may hear one computer manufacturer refer to a component as one thing and the computer salesperson refer to the exact same part as something entirely different. This just makes things even more confusing.

Here is a good example. When you are shopping for a computer, you want a computer that has enough power to handle the demands that you have. Do you want a computer with a powerful CPU, or do you want a computer with a powerful microprocessor? It really doesn’t matter because they are usually the same thing. Now that we have cleared up that confusion, let’s clear up some more.

Common Computer Terms and Their Meaning

Here is a quick list of some of the more common computer terms that are being used today. You can think of this as a cheat sheet of sorts. Prepare to demystify the confusing computer world.

OS – This is one is really simple. OS stands for operating system. This is the software that makes the computer function. If you have a personal computer, then the OS may be Windows. Some tablets are powered by the Android OS and others are powered by Apple.

UI – This is part of the OS. This stands for the User Interface. This consists of all everything that you interact with.

RAM – RAM stands for random access memory. This is what allows your computer to do more than one thing at a time. More RAM is always a better choice.

This should help give you a better understanding of the often confusing world of computers.