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`DICTIONAEa Bo
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`By Bryan PfaffonbergerPhD. eae
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`-WEBSTER’S NEWWORLDDICTIONARYis aate oo
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`Library ofCongressCatalogNumberS686
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` ISBN: 0-02-863777-1 ae
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`DedicationLy|Be
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`Webster’ NewWorld”Disionaryoff ComputesTeems,/a
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`8th Edition oe
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`Copyright © 2000 by
`IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.
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`bitmap 65
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`biological feedback device . A device that translates eye
`movements, body movements, and eeven brainwaves into com-"*.
`puter input.
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`biometric authentication A method of authentication that
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`requires a biological scan ofsome sort, such as aa retinal scanor
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`voice recognition,
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`BIOS. “Acronym for Basic Input-Output System,Aset of
`
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`programs encoded in read-only memory (ROM)in IBM
`PC-compatible computers.These programs handle startup oper
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`ations such as the Power-OnSelf-Test (POST) and low-level.
`control for hardware, such as disk drives, keyboard, and monitor.
`Popular brands of BIOS chips on. motherboardssold today.
`include Phoenix Technologies and American Megatrends,Inc. -
`Some system components have their own BIOSchip, whose.
`instructionsare also read into the PC’s memory at startup.The.&
`BIOS on ahard disk controller, for example,stores a table of
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`tracks and sectors on the drive.
`ae 5
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`B-ISDN-“SeeBroadband ISDN.
`bit” The basic unitofinformation iinaa binary numbering
`system (Binary. digiT). The electronic circuitry in computers ”
`detects thedifference between two states (high current and low *
`current) and representthese states as oneofthe two numbersiin.
`a binary system: 1 or 0. These basic high/low,either/or, yes/no *
`units of information are called bits. Becausebuilding a reliable.
`circuit that tells the difference between a1 anda 0 is easy and~
`inexpensive, computers are accurate in their internal processing _
`capabilities, typically makingfewer than oneinternal errorAn
`"every 100billion processing operations,. Eightbits comprise :
`1 byte,or octet. ‘bit depth. ‘Ina scanner, the fength (expressed iinbits)ofthe
`storage unitused to store information about the scannediimage.’Sts
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`Thegreaterthe bit depth, the better thescanner’s resolution.
`.<"
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`A common bitdepthfor2ahome-quality scanneriss30 bit
`bit length’ Tn encryption, the length (expressediin bits)ofthe Poe
`key used to encode and decode the text data.The greaterthe bit 4S .
`length, thestronger(less breakable) the encryption:
`- bitmap* The representation ofa videoiimage storedjina com- on
`puter’s memory as a setofbits. Eachpicture element(pixel);
`_correspondingto atiny dot onscreen,is controlled by an on or
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