Download CHAPTER 1 - AUSpace - Athabasca University

LAN
Local Area Network. A LAN “interconnects computers in a geographic area of limited
size, usually a building or one floor in a building. It is the lowest level in the global
connection hierarchy” (Rojas, 2001a).
LCD
Liquid Crystal Display. In LCD screens, two glass plates house liquid crystal and an
electrical grid. Electrical impulses cause some pixels to turn white while others remain
black. Colour LCD screens utilize red, blue, and green pixels to form other colours
(Rojas, 2001a, p. 472).
MAC address
Media Access Control Address. It is also referred to as a hardware or Ethernet address.
MAC addresses are unique serial numbers that are permanently assigned to networking
adapters limiting access by unauthorized wireless cards (McCollough, 2004).
MMC
Multimedia Card. It is a type of Flash memory card commonly used to store data or
programs for PDAs, cellular telephones, digital cameras, and some other small devices.
Modem
Modulator-demodulator. It is “an electronic device used to send and receive digital
computer data, most often using telephone lines” (Rojas, 2001a, p. 536).
PCI
Peripheral Component Interconnect. It is a “high-speed 32-bit interface for modems”
(Rojas, 2001a, p. 412).
PCM
Pulse Code Modulation. PCM refers to a method of encoding analogue data (sound) to
digital data (Daintith, 2004).
PCMCIA
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. PCMCIA cards vary in size,
but are generally the size of a credit card. They are often used to connect a variety of
peripherals such as hard disks, modems, and network interfaces (Daintith, 2004).
Quad-Band
The frequency bands used by GSM cellular telephones.
QVGA
Quarter Video Graphics Array. Typically, QVGA screens have a resolution of 320
(height) by 240 (width) pixels. They are common in cellular telephones and PDAs. See
VGA.
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