US Robotics 33600 User Manual page 66

Bit
A 0 or a 1 reflecting the use of a binary numbering system (a
system that consists of 2 values). This system is used because
the computer only recognizes two states, off or on.
(Start/Stop bits) Signaling bits attached to a character before it
is transmitted; used for asynchronous transmissions.
Bits
(Start/Stop bits) Signaling bits attached to a character before it
is transmitted; used for asynchronous transmissions.
Bps
The rate in bits per second. Thousands of bits per second are
expressed as kilobits.
Buffer
An area of memory used as temporary storage during
input/output operations. The modem has, for example,
a command buffer.
Carrier
Continuous frequency that can be modulated or act as a support
to another data carrier signal. Carrier waves are generated and
maintained by modems via the telephone companies'
transmission lines.
Cps
Data transfer rate (Characters per second). It is generally
estimated from the binary rate and the length of characters. For
example, at 2400 bits/s, 8-bit characters with a start and stop
bit (for a total of 10 bits per character) are transmitted at an
approximate rate of 240 characters per second (cps). Some
protocols, such as the error correction protocols in the modem
use advanced techniques requiring longer transmission frames
and data compression to increase the number of characters per
second.
62 Sportster Winmodem 33600 & x2/56K - User's manual