Computers Inside and Out 1 .Computer - a computer is an electronic machine for storing and processing information. You can use a computer to write documents, email, use the internet and more. Most computers are made up of two parts: the hardware, and the software. (see #13 and 14) www.gcflearnfree.org 2. Keyboard - a keyboard is basically a set of buttons to operate or put text into a computer. A keyboard usually has three types of keys: alphanumeric keys (for letters and numbers), punctuation keys (for commas, periods, apostrophes, etc.), and special keys (function keys, control keys, caps lock key and so on). pcsupport.about.com 3. Cooling Devices - cooling devices are used to get rid of heat produced by the computer so that
Transcript
Computers Inside and Out
1 .Computer- a computer is an electronic machine for storing and processing information. You can use a computer to write documents, email, use the internet and more. Most computers are made up of two parts: the hardware, and the software. (see #13 and 14)
www.gcflearnfree.org
2. Keyboard- a keyboard is basically a set of buttons to operate or put text into a computer. A keyboard usually has three types of keys: alphanumeric keys (for letters and numbers), punctuation keys (for commas, periods, apostrophes, etc.), and special keys (function keys, control keys, caps lock key and so on).
pcsupport.about.com
3. Cooling Devices- cooling devices are used to get rid of heat produced by the computer so that can operate better and obviously stay cool. If the parts in a computer get too hot they can malfunction or damage. Fans and vents usually cool of the parts in the computer.
4. RAM- stands for random access memory. It is the most used kind of memory in computers. It is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly. It allows information to accessed from anywhere with DRAM on a memory module. There are two types of RAM: DRAM (dynamic random access memory), and SRAM (static random access memory. SRAM is faster than DRAM because DRAM needs to be refreshed thousands of times each second unlike SRAM which doesn’t need to be refreshed at all.
www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAM.html
5. Input- any information or data that’s put into the computer to get an output or result is considered input. Input is most often put into the computer through an input device like a keyboard or mouse. For example, the keyboard inputs which keys the user pushes, and the mouse inputs the user’s movements. (see #9)
www.computerhope.com/jargon/i/input.htm
6. Mouse- it is considered an input device that can send information to the computer with a click, or sliding on a table or desktop. It is another way to communicate with the computer besides using a keyboard. A mouse fits into the palm of your hand and your index finger is on the left button while your middle finger is on the right button. There is a scrolling wheel in between the two buttons. The mouse controls a cursor on the screen which allows the user to perform various acts.
7. OS (operating system) - is a collection of software that controls the computer hardware resources and gives services for the programs on the computer. (See #14) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system
8. CPU (central processing unit)- the CPU is the brains of the computer where mostly everything takes place. It is the most important part of a computer. Modern CPU’s are small and square and have multiple metal pins and connectors on the bottom. These are two parts of a CPU: the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations, and the control unit (CU), which takes instructions from the memory and decodes them and then extracts them. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/C/CPU.html
9. Output- any information that has been processed and comes from a computer is considered output. It’s like when you send something to a printer to be printed. Input is putting something on the computer with a keyboard or mouse, and output is taking something off, or putting it somewhere else. http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/o/output.htm
10. Hard Drive- the hard drive is the main storage area for the computer. Everything that needs to be stored on the computer is stored in the hard drive. The hard drive connects to the motherboard. When the operating system needs to read or write information, it checks the hard drive to determine file location. All the information stored on the hard drive is done magnetically. (see #7 and #11) http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/h/harddriv.htm
11. Motherboard- the motherboard connects all the parts of a computer together. It holds all of the important parts of a computer like the CPU (see #8) and the memory.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motherboard
12. Microprocessor- the microprocessor is a circuit that contains all the functions of a CPU (see #8). They are used for computation, text editing, multimedia display, and internet connection. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor
13. Hardware- software needs hardware to run and without hardware, your computer would not exist. An example of hardware is the monitor
which is an output device (see #9) that lets you see what you’re doing on the computer. The things attached to your computer that you can see and touch is considered hardware. Like a speaker, keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc. (see #14) http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/h/hardware.htm http://www.coolnerds.com/Newbies/Hardware/hardware.htm
14. Software- software is a collection of instructions that helps the user to interact with the computer and allows the computer to perform multiple tasks for them. Software is what helps you browse on the internet. The browser would not work without software. http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/s/software.htm
