National Teaching and Learning Change ProgrammeInformation and Communication Technology:
Dictionary

• Home
• Data representation
• General
• Hardware
• Internet/web
• Managing data
• Multimedia
• Networks and communications technology
• Programming
• Security
• Software
• Systems design
• My downloads

Search results

• face to face
  Face to face communication is when two (or more) people communicate directly in the same physical place, unlike, for example, speaking via a phone or using email.
• 
• facilitator
  A person who oversees a mailing list or bulletin board to make sure it runs effectively.
• 
• fade
  A gradual transition effect between sequences, or at the final sequence, e.g. from one PowerPoint slide to another, or between video clips.
• 
• false
  The truth values in Boolean algebra are true and false, often represented by the binary digits 1 and 0.
• 
• fast forward
  To quickly move forward through a multimedia file at faster than normal speed.
• 
• favorites
  A method of storing links to individual web pages or web locations within your browser. Bookmark is the term used by Netscape; favorites is the Internet Explorer term.
• 
• fax
  Short for facsimile transmission. The use of regular voice-quality telephone lines to send copies of documents, which may include graphics as well as text.
• 
• fax modem
  A fax modem is a special type of modem that allows a computer, connected to a telephone line, to send faxes directly. It does not need to produce a paper copy first and when a fax is received the computer operator can process it.
• 
• feasibility study
  The preliminary investigation of a problem used to decide if a solution is possible and how it may be done. It is similar to the systems analysis but at a much simpler level.
• 
• feed
  A term used in printing when paper is inserted (fed) into the printer.
• 
• feed
  The process of sending information, e.g. a podcast, to another computer.
• 
• fetch-execute cycle
  The control unit of a central processing unit fetches each instruction in sequence, decodes and synchronises it before executing it by sending signals to other parts of the computer. This is known as the fetch-execute cycle.
• 
• fibre optic cable
  A very fine glass strand that allows rapid transmission of data, using modulated light beams. It is usual to put many strands together in a single cable, each one capable of carrying one or more data signals. Fibre optic cable provides interference-free, secure data transmission and, unlike metal wires, is not subject to corrosion. Also known as optical fibre.
• 
• field
  A field is part of a record that holds a single specified data item. A complete set of fields is called a record. For example, a file of books in a library would have one record for each book, and that record would have different fields for each book, e.g. book name, price, number of pages, etc.
• 
• field name
  The name given to a field, e.g. 'Title' could be a field name, whereas the contents of that field will be the actual title, e.g. Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc.
• 
• field type
  The type of data held within a field, e.g. numeric, alphanumeric, date.
• 
• field width
  The maximum number of characters allowed in a field.
• 
• fifth-generation computer
  A vision of a totally different way of designing and using computer systems. It involves both new computer architectures and types of software, and some of this vision has been achieved. It focuses on virtual reality, expert systems and natural language interfaces that can interact with people.
• 
• file
  A collection of data items stored in the computer and handled as a single unit.
• 
• file
  In a database, a set of related records.