Formal Definitions for Technology Terminology

"Undefined" Terms

Information
Object
Process
Contain
Change
Order

"Undefined" Relations

Objects: contain information; process information
Processes: change information; order information

Formally Defined Terms

Observer: An observer is an object that processes information from another object.
Transfer: A transfer is a process in which information contained in an observer changes to include information contained in another object.
Communication: Communication is the transfer of information from an object to an observer.
Channel: A channel is an observer that transfers information from an object and then transfers that information to another observer.
Transmitter: A transmitter is an object that transfers information to a channel.
Receiver: A receiver is an observer whose information is changed by information transferred from a channel.
System: A system is an object that contains other objects
Sub System: A sub system is a system contained by a system
Communication System: A communication system is a system which contains a transmitter, a channel, and a receiver.
Serial Communication System: Serial Communication System contains one transmitter and one receiver.
Parallel Communication System
Transmit: Transmitting is the transfer of information from an object to a channel.
Receive: Receiving is the transferring of information from a channel to an observer.
Input: Input is information that is received.; Input is the process of receiving information.
Output: Output is information that is transmitted; Output is the process of transmitting information
Storage: Storage is a communication system that is a sub system of another communication system.
Store: Storing is the process of a channel transmitting information to storage.
Retrieve: Retrieving is the process of storage transmitting information to a channel.
Delay: A delay is the process of a channel storing and retrieving information.
Complexity: Complexity is the sum of all the delays in all of the channels of a communication system.
Processor: A processor is an object that changes information.
Information Processor: An information processor is a system that inputs, processes, stores, and outputs information.
Input Subsystem: An input subsystem is a subsystem of an information processor that receives information
Output Subsystem: An output subsystem is a subsystem of an information processor that transmits information
Processor Subsystem: A processor subsystem is a subsystem of an information processor that changes information
Storage Subsystem: A storage subsystem is a subsystem of an information processor that stores information.
Primary Storage: Primary Storage is a subsystem of an information processors storage subsystem whose information is available with very little delay.
Secondary Storage: Secondary Storage is an information processor which is a subsystem of the storage subsystem of another information processing system whose information is available after more of a delay than for the primary storage subsystem.
Data: Data is information that has been changed so it can be processed by a data processing system.
Code: A Code is information that changes how a data processor processes data
Data Processor: A data processor is an information processor that encodes information into data, processes the data, and then decodes the data into information.
Decode: Decoding is the process of changing data into information.
Encode: Encoding is the process of changing information into data.
Decoder: A decoder is the output subsystem of a data processor.
Encoder: An encoder is the input subsystem of a data processor.
Encryption/Encrypt/Encipher: Encryption is the process of encoding information so that it can only be processed by a specific data processing system.
Decryption/Decrypt/Decipher: Decryption is the process of decoding data so that it can be processed by a specific information processing system.
Crypt/Cipher: A cipher is encrypted information.
Memory: Memory is the storage subsystem of a data processor.
Main Memory: Main Memory is the Primary Storage of a data processor.
Primary Memory: Primary Memory is the Primary Storage of a data processor
Auxiliary Memory: Auxiliary Memory is the Secondary Storage of a data processor.
Secondary Memory: Secondary Memory is the Auxiliary Storage of a data processor
Rule: A rule is code which is used in more than one data processing system
Instruction: An instruction is a rule that is stored in a data processor
Signal: A signal is information received by a data processer from a channel.; A signal is information transmitted to a data processor by a channel.
Event: An event is a change in a signal
Record: A record is information from an event stored in a data processing system.; Recording is the process of orderly storing an event’s information in a data processing system.
List: A list is a system of ordered records or instructions stored in a data processing system.
Algorithm: An algorithm is a list of instructions for processing data
Computer: A computer is a data processing system whose processing is defined by an algorithm.
Map: A map is a list which is ordered by the records of another list based on a rule or algorithm.; Mapping is the process of ordering a list based on the records of another list according to a rule or algorithm.
Singular Event: A singular event is an event which occurs only once.
Recurrent Event: A recurrent event is an event which occurs more than once.
Periodic Event: A periodic event is a recurrent event based on a rule or algorithm which does not change.
Analog Signal: An analog signal is a signal created by mapping every event received by a data processor to every event transmitted by a data processor based on a rule or algorithm.
Analog Computer: An analog computer processes analog signals.
Sample: Sampling is the process of only recording the events received on one channel while a particular recurrent event is received on another channel.; A sample is a list of events recorded by sampling.
Quantization: Quantization is the process of recording only events whose information matches information based on a rule or algorithm
Discrete Signal: A discrete signal is a signal created by mapping only the events sampled by a data processor to the events transmitted by a data processor.
Digital Signal: A digital signal is a discrete signal created by mapping only quantized samples to the events transmitted by a data processor.
Digital Computer: A digital computer processes digital signals.
Symbol: A symbol is discrete information which is encoded and decoded based on a rule.
Bit: A bit is a symbol for information which cannot be sampled by a data processing system
Program

Clock: A clock is an object which transmits periodic events.

Hardware
Software
Device
Property