计算机专业英语key-term chapter 7.docxVIP

Key Terms - Chapter 7 ? access speed Measures the amount of time required by the storage device to retrieve data and programs. Blu-ray disc (BD) A type of high-definition disc with a capacity of 25 to 50 gigabytes. capacity Capacity is how much data a particular storage medium can hold and another characteristic of secondary storage. CD (compact disc) Widely used optical disc format. It holds 650 MB (megabytes) to 1 GB (gigabyte) of data on one side of the CD. CD-R (CD-recordable) Stands for CD-recordable. This optical disc can be written to only once. After that it can be read many times without deterioration but cannot be written on or erased. Used to create custom music CDs and to archive data. CD-ROM (compact disc–read-only memory) Optical disc that allows data to be read but not recorded. Used to distribute large databases, references, and software application packages. CD-RW (compact disc–rewriteable) A reusable, optical disc that is not permanently altered when data is recorded. Used to create and edit large multimedia presentations. cloud computing Data stored at a server on the Internet and available anywhere the Internet can be accessed. cylinder Hard disks store and organize files using tracks, sectors, and cylinders. A cylinder runs through each track of a stack of platters. Cylinders differentiate files stored on the same track and sector of different platters. density Refers to how tightly the bits (electromagnetic charges) can be packed next to one another on a floppy disk. disk caching Method of improving hard-disk performance by anticipating data needs. Frequently used data is read from the hard disk into memory (cache). When needed, data is then accessed directly from memory, which has a much faster transfer rate than from the hard disk. Increases performance by as much as 30 percent. DVD (digital versatile disc or digital video disc) Similar to CD-ROMs except that more data can be packed into the same amount of space. DVDdrives can store 4.7 GB t