Explanations and definitions

Texts containing technical terminology frequently contain definitions and explanations. This is particularly the case if the text is aimed at non-experts or students of technical subjects, or if the purpose of the text is to inform specialists about new developments.

1 Common words and expressions used in definitions or explanations below.

are listed

Examples:

1 A computer is an electronic device.

2 Printers are output devices.

3 The term computer refers to the processor plus the internal memory.

4 A microchip can be defined as a tiny piece of silicon or similar material
carrying an integrated circuit.

5 By peripherals we mean those devices attached to the computer.

1 Some definitions and explanations give (urlher.distinguishing characteristics by means of a defining relative clause.

Examples:

1 A computer is an electronic device which/that processes information.

2 Tapes and disks are memory devices which/that can be stored away for
future use.

3 A programmer is a person who/that prepares programs to solve
problems.

Exercise 1

Examples:

1 Computers - electronic devices for processing information - are now
used in practically every aspect of life, (noun phrase)

2 Turnkey systems, comvlet? ^Ji;<r.? ⁱ:;<t:' software products which are
ready for use, are available from many suppliers, (clause)

Study the following definitions. A definition usually includes three parts: the term to be defined, the group it belongs to, and the characteristics which distinguish it from other members of the group.

Term

A core

Silicon

Group

is a ferrite ring

is a non-metallic element

Characteristics

which is capable of being either magnetized or demagnetized.

with semiconductor characteristics.

Exercise 2

Now analyse the following definitions and identify the different parts:

a by circling the term

b by underlining the group once

c by underlining the characteristics twice.

Example: A <£qinputer)is a machine with an intricate network of electronic circuits that operate switches or magnetize tiny metallic cores.

Input is the information presented to the computer.

The term 'computer' includes those parts of hardware in which calculations

and other data manipulations are performed, and the high-speed interval

memory in which data and calculations are stored during actual executions of

programs.

A 'system' is a mixture of integrated parts working together to form a useful

whole.

Large computer systems, or mainframes, as they are referred to in the field of

computer science, are those computer systems found in computer installations

processing immense amounts of data.

Now read the following sentences, which have all appeared in previous units, and analyse them in the same way as you did in Exercise 1.

The part of the processor which controls data transfers between the various input and output devices is called the control unit. (Unit 1)

A modem is a device which serves a dual purpose because it acts as a MOdulator (digital to analog) and a DEModulator (analog to digital)... (Unit 3)

The compiler is a systems program which may be written in any language, but the compiler's operating system is a true systems program which controls the central processing unit (CPU), the input, the output, and the secondary memory devices. (Unit 4)

A variable is a quantity that is referred to by name, such as a, b, c, d, and average in the above program. (Unit 4)

A WAN is a network connected over long-distance telephone lines. (Unit 6)

6...a LAN is a localized network, usually in one building or in a group of
buildings close together. (Unit 6)

7 A computer virus - an unwanted program that has entered your system
without you knowing about it - has two parts, which I'll call the infector and
the detonator. (Unit 7)

8 There are actually two kinds of antivirus programs: virus shields, which detect
viruses as they are infecting your PC, and virus scanners, which detect viruses
once they've infected you. (Unit 7)

Robotics

Taski

Start-up

What function do you think each of these robots performs?

Listening

Task 2

You are going to hear a recorded guide to an exhibition on robotics, which begins with a brief history of robotics. The table below summarizes the history, but the events are in the wrong order. As you listen, match each event with the correct year.

Year

Event

1921 1954

3 1967

4 1967-9

5 1980

6 1983

7 1984

a 'Shakey': mobile robot at Stanford Research Institute b Perambulating vehicle: successful four-legged vehicle at

Tokyo Institute of Technology c Czech playwright, Karel Capek, brings his play, R UR

{Rossum's Universal Robots), to London

d One-legged hopping machine at Carnegie-Mellon University e George Devol develops first programmable robot f Quadruped personnel carrier at General Electric g Odetics Inc. develop a six-legged robot

Task 3 iH) Listen again and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false

(F) in relation to the information in the recording. If you think a statement is false, change it to make it true.

1 LJ The history of robotics begins only in the twentieth century.

2 U In Capek's play, RUR, the robots become the masters and the humans

become their servants.

3 LJ Today's industrial robots developed out of the work done by George Devol.

4 EH Shakey used bump detectors, a sonar range finder, and a video camera to

avoid obstacles and move freely.

5 O Shakey had a built-in computer which controlled all its movements.

6 CH The success of GEC's four-legged machine depended on the skill of its

driver.

7 CH The robot developed at the Tokyo Institute of Technology functioned

completely automatically, with no human control.

8 dl Odetics Inc.'s Odex I model did not need to be connected to;i separate

power-source.

Task 4

Reading

. ■... ■-: mil able ton obot:, • ^; ule somi imisi be ■.-■•■ ■: ■ >!<\ \),:)-c ','■■-, ■■ ■ • ^;':;hi t;tble below.

Types of jobs suitable for robots Types of jobs done by humans

124

Now read this text to see if the author agrees with your ideas.

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