Dictionary of computer terms may help you with your definitions.

 

11. computer hardware - Hardware is a general term referring to the physical parts that make up the computer, such as the drives, the chips and the expansion cards. Computer hardware generally becomes faster over time (it is able to perform more operations per second).
12. CPU, processor - The CPU is the key piece of computer hardware that does the "thinking." The CPU is the brain of the computer, responsible for millions of basic computations (addition and subtraction of binary numbers) per second that build up to solve more complex problems.
13. default - A default setting is one that is set originally. A custom setting is anything that modifies the original, default setting on a computer. For example, the desktop in Windows 2000 might be solid blue by default, but I can customize it by changing the color to suit my tastes.
14. domain - A domain name is used to identify a computer (e.g. bolinas.marin.k12.ca.us, for which bolinas is the computer's hostname and marin.k12.ca.us is the domain name) or computer user (e.g. kevinp@marin.k12.ca.us, for which kevinp is the username and marin.k12.ca.us is the domain name) as members of the same organization on the Internet (e.g. the domain marin.k12.ca.us) Domains are hierarchical and have subdomains. For example, bolinas.marin.k12.ca.us is a hierarchical domain name. The top-level domain is .us (United States), preceded by .ca (California), preceded by k12 (schools grades Kindergarten through 12), preceded by marin (for Marin county), and the sub-sub-sub-domain is bolinas. If you visit http://bolinas.marin.k12.ca.us, you'll see the Bolinas-Stinson Union School district website. If you visit http://marin.k12.ca.us, you'll see the Marin County Office of Education website.
15. download - To download a file is to retrieve a copy of a file as bits of information that are transferred from a remote location (e.g. a website) to a local location (e.g. your computer's hard drive).
16. e-mail & e-mail addresses - email addresses are not case-sensitive and must be unique. They are of the format someone@somedomain.net (or .com, .edu, .org, etc.).
17. e-mail attachments - An attachment is a file that is sent along with an email message. The sender must attach the file to an email message and upload it when the message is sent, and the recipient must then download the attachment once the message is received. Attachments, like all computer files, require certain programs to open them. Sometimes the program to open an attachment may not be on the recipient's computer. Attachments can also contain viruses, so be careful when or if you open them.
18. electronic spike - An electronic spike is a burst of electricity that can potentially travel along any line that leads into your home or office (e.g. power, phone, or TV cable). If a spike should be allowed to travel along a cable and into electronic devices in your home, those devices can be damaged or ruined. For this reason, it is always a good idea to plug electronics into a surge suppressor which plugs into the wall and can block spikes from passing through it.
19. ergonomics - ergonomics is the scientific study of the relationship between workers and their environments. Computers are the subject of much ergonomic research because of the ways in which their use can lead to repetitive strain injuries.
20. file extensions/endings (.au, .htm, .html, .mid, .psd, .snd, .tif, .wav) File extensions denote the type of data that a file contains. For example, a file named Writing.txt would contain plain-text with no formatting, while a file named Writing.doc would be of Microsoft Word format and could contain formatted text and images. A file named filename.wav would be a Windows audio file and a file name filename.psd would be an Adobe Photoshop file.