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176
Glossary
analog: A continuous electrical signal that can vary in frequency and
amplitude. In video, frequency corresponds to resolution and
amplitude to brightness. In sound, frequency is a measure of pitch
and amplitude and represents volume. Analog data must be
converted to digital data for input to computers.
animation: A technique of imparting motion to items, either drawings or
inert objects.
application: A computer program that you use to perform tasks of a
specific type. Applications include word processors, spreadsheets,
and database management systems. See also program.
array: (1) A table of values that a program treats as a single unit. (2) A set
of hard disk drives that are linked together to provide a very large
amount of data storage.
asynchronous: A type of data transmission in which information is sent
at variable time intervals. To indicate when a transmitted character
begins and ends, it is preceded by a start bit and followed by an
optional parity bit and one or two stop bits. See also synchronous.
audio: Audio (sound) frequencies for multimedia systems range from 15
Hz to 20,000 Hz. Audio includes voice, music, sound effects, and
ambient sound.
audio mixing: Creating a custom audio track from several different
sources using a sound-mixing device.
audio stream: Frames of compressed audio.
authoring: The process of writing, editing, and assembling a multimedia
program on a personal computer using a multimedia authoring
program.
authoring program: A software development environment used to create
multimedia applications that reduce complex instructions to simple
user tasks such as menu selection, mouse manipulation, or typing.
Such programs enable communicators to develop interactive
courseware or presentations on personal computers without
extensive programming knowledge.
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