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Any device connected internally or externally to a computer and used in the transfer of data to or from a computer. A personal computer (PC) processes information. Data (unprocessed information) must get into the computer, and the processed…

An electronic display that allows a user to interact with a computer system by touching an area or areas on the display. Touch-screen displays have been in use for many years in ATMs, checkout registers, and other applications, but gained mass…

An early mechanical calculator. The abacus likely originated in Babylonia sometime before 1000 BCE. Over the subsequent centuries, it became a commonplace device in many regions of the world. The abacus is still occasionally used as a cognitive…

A discipline that deals generally with the extraction of information from acoustic signals in the presence of noise and uncertainty. Acoustic signal processing has expanded from the improvement of music and speech sounds and a tool to search for oil…

A group of software development methods in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between the developers and the customers. Agile methods have significantly changed the practice of software development since their inception…

The branch of mathematics dealing with the solution of equations. These equations involve unknowns, or variables, along with fixed numbers from a specified system (Fig. 1). The origins of algebra were based on the need to develop equations that…

The study of zero sets of polynomial equations. Examples of zero sets of polynomial equations studied in algebraic geometry are the parabola y − x2 = 0, thought of as sitting in the (x, y)-plane, and the locus of all points (t, t2, t3, t4), which is…

The subfield of computer science concerned with understanding the nature of intelligence and constructing computer systems capable of intelligent behavior. Many activities, such as perception, learning, planning, natural language, and understanding,…

A binary digit. In the computer, electronics, and communications fields, “bit” is generally understood as a shortened form of “binary digit.” In a numerical binary system, a bit is either a 0 or 1. Bits are generally used to indicate situations that…

A system that receives and processes television signals, as well as other digital forms of communications such as those related to high-speed Internet connectivity and cable telephony, from various sources and retransmits these signals through…

Desktop or, more often, portable electronic devices that are used to perform arithmetic, statistical, or other, more complex processing operations at the step-by-step direction of the user or by execution of a program (a stored sequence of…

The branch of mathematics dealing with two fundamental operations, differentiation and integration, which are carried out on functions. The subject of calculus (Fig. 1), as traditionally developed in college textbooks, is partly an elementary…

A method of gathering best practices for various work processes into coherent groupings to facilitate quality and process improvement. Capability Maturity Models® (CMM®) represent a relatively recent step in the evolution of process improvement…

A heart-shaped curve generated by a point of a circle that rolls (without slipping) on a fixed circle of the same diameter. In point-wise construction of the curve, let O be a fixed point of a circle C of diameter a, and Q a variable point of C. Lay…

A periodic waveform upon which an information-bearing signal is impressed. This process is known as modulation and comprises a variety of forms such as amplitude, phase, and frequency modulation. The most common type of carrier is the sinusoidal…

A theory of mathematical structure in which smooth continuous inputs lead to discontinuous responses. Water suddenly boils, ice melts, a building crashes to the ground, or the earth unexpectedly buckles and quakes. The French mathematician René Thom…

Cameras in mobile phones or smartphones that can capture images and videos.The cellphone, the world’s favorite must-have gadget, has been with us for nearly a half-century, while experiencing continuous and often phenomenal improvements. Much of the…