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Academia - Collins - Pocket Scientific Dictionaries - Computer - English - French - Arabic Letter 4_ C

compact disc - read only memory (CD - ROM)

disque m compact a mémoire morte

Compact disc with readable memory. An optical disc with a diameter of about 5 inches on which data is recorded digitally as a set of depressions on the surface. The distorted reflection of a weak laser beam passing through the depressions forms the data that can be used for reading. CD ROMS are often widely used in music players that use optical discs, and can contain programmed search and memory facilities.

Optical discs for music provide perfect sound playback regardless of how often they are used (no rattle or crackle as in traditional vinyl records). Because the disc is solid and nothing touches its surface, the proximity of the tracks can be condensed. The capacity of the optical disc is 600 megabytes and is very suitable for computer applications that require large storage. For example, two disks could store all the telephone directory numbers in Europe, and the British Post Office actually stores 24 million postal addresses on a 5-inch CD-ROM. The British Library is now putting its entire catalogue of books on a single disk.

compiler
compilateur m

Compiler. A language translation program that converts instructions written in a high-level language into machine code. A compiler differs from an interpreter in that all instructions (the source program) are converted into machine language before they are executed and saved (the target program). A compiler program requires more memory space but is faster to execute and is superior to ready-made programs.

complement
complément m

Complement. A method for subtracting binary numbers. Subtraction is the opposite of addition. For example, to subtract 4 from 10:

Normal method: 6 = 4 - 10

In the complement method, you say: What number gives us the answer when added to 4?

4 + ? = 10

One's complement involves adding to each binary digit to make the answer 1. In fact, all the digits are flipped. This is sometimes called negation.

It is sometimes called two's complement (negation + 1). This method is used to find the result of a subtraction. It also helps explain how binary numbers are expressed in computer memory.

complex instruction set computer

Complex instruction set computer. See CISC.

computer
ordinateur m

Computer. An electronic data processing machine that has three

components:

Input - Processing - Output

Input and output may be digital or analogue, and processing may include storage, control, and calculation. A computer differs from most other machines in that it is multi-purpose and does not perform a single specific function.

A microcomputer has a microprocessor that acts as the central processing unit.

computer-aided design
conception f assistée par ordinateur

Computer-aided design. See CAD.