parallel.
(1)
Pertaining to the concurrent
or
simultaneous
operation of two
or
more devices,
or
to the concurrent
performance of two
or
more activities. (2) Pertaining to the
concurrent
or
simultaneous occurrence of two
or
more related
activities in multiple devices or channels. (3) Pertaining to the
simultaneity
of
two
or
more processes. (4) Pertaining to the
simultaneous processing of the individual parts
of
a whole, such
as
the bits
of
a character and the characters
of
a word, using
separate facilities for the various parts. (5) Contrast with serial.
parameter. (1) A variable that
is
given a constant value for a
specified application and that may denote the application. (2) A
name in a procedure that
is
used to refer to
an
argument passed to
that procedure.
parity bit. A binary digit appended to a grou'p of binary digits to
make the sum of all the digits either always odd (odd parity) or
always even (even parity).
parity check. (1) A redundancy check that uses a parity bit.
(2) Synonymous with odd-even check.
PEL. Picture element.
personal computer. A small home
or
business computer that has a
processor and keyboard and that can be connected to a television
or
some other monitor.
An
optional printer
is
usually available.
phototransistor. A transistor whose switching action
is
controlled
by
light shining
on
it.
picture element (PEL). The smallest displayable unit
on
a
display.
polling.
(1)
Interrogation of devices for purposes such as to
avoid contention, to determine operational status,
or
to determine
readiness to send
or
receive data. (2) The process whereby
stations are invited, one at a time, to transmit.
port.
An
access point for data entry
or
exit.
positive true. Synonym for active high.
Glossary-26
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