THE COMPUTER

an electronic device
accepts data
FUNDAMENTALS OF performs computation
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE makes logical decisions according
SECTION ONE to given instructions and data
PART ONE Produces meaningful information

COMPUTER
is an electronic device which
accepts data, processes the data
DATA
according to instructions given

Raw facts that are entered into the
and returns meaningful
computer.
information in a form useful to
humans
eg. Prices of different vehicles

Names of students

Telephone numbers of employees

HARDWARE
INFORMATION

The tangible, physical

Processed data which leaves the
computer and is meaningful to humans
equipment of the

Eg. A graph showing the distribution of computer that you can
marks among students in a class for a see and touch.
particular subject
Eg.
Eg. Monitor, keyboard,

All the students who live in Campden
mouse, CPU, system unit
Park

The highest and lowest priced vehicles

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 HARDWARE INPUT DEVICE

A hardware device that

INPUT DEVICE

OUTPUT DEVICE enables the computer to

STORAGE DEVICE accept data

PROCESSOR
Keyboard

Mouse

Light pens

Touch screens

Digitizing tablets

scanner

OUTPUT DEVICE OUTPUT

HARD COPY printed

A hardware device that output which is placed
reports the information on paper
in a form we can

SOFT COPY output
understand

Monitor
that is placed on the

Printers monitor (display

Modems screen)

STORAGE DEVICE PROCESSOR

A hardware device that stores the
data to be processed as well as the
A hardware device that
information (processed data) processes (manipulates) the
given data into meaningful

Hard Disk
information

Floppy Drive

Microprocessor

CD-
CD-ROM Drive
CPU Central Processing Unit

DVD-
DVD-ROM Drive contains the microprocessor for

Flash Drives a microcomputer (personal
computer PC)

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 INPUT HARDWARE
INPUT HARDWARE CAN EITHER BE
1. KEYBOARD ENTRY
OR
2. DIRECT ENTRY

THE KEYBOARD

 Typewriter keyboard-like device

 Most common way of entering data
into computers
 Divided into
 Alphanumeric keys
 Function keys
 Directional keys
 Command keys

Braille Keyboard Braille Keyboard

 a keyboard designed for visually

impaired people where each key on
the keyboard is embossed with the
Braille representation of that
character.

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TERMINALS Some types of Terminals
a keyboard and a monitor. The keyboard is
attached to the monitor and the monitor is  Point-of-sale (POS) terminal
attached to the main computer system located
most often not in close proximity
 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)

POINT-OF-SALE (POS) POINT OF SALE

 a terminal used as a cash register in

a grocery (supermarket) store

AUTOMATED TELLER MACHINE

 a terminal which is mainly located

outside many banks and is used for
performing banking-related
activities.

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 PERIPHERAL DEVICES CURSOR
devices attached to a flashing insertion point(!),
an arrow, an underline(_)
the system unit by or a square symbol which
means of some port serves as a marker
(parallel port, USB
port)

POINTING DEVICES
DIRECT ENTRY
Pointing Devices
Scanning Devices
Smart Cards
Voice input devices
TRACK PAD
MOUSE

JOYSTICK

LIGHT PEN

THE MOUSE
a small hand-held input device.
as it is moved along a flat surface, it
directs an indicator (cursor) to move
in the same direction as the mouse
Clicking on an icon causes the
programme to be activated
TRACKBALL
an upside-down, stationary mouse
The direction in which the ball is
rolled causes the cursor to move in
the same direction

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 TRACKPAD
a small, flat, square pad found
below the space bar
As you move you finger on the
square in a desired direction the
cursor also moves in that
direction
THE JOYSTICK
Made of a plastic or metal rod that is
mounted to a base
It looks similar to a vehicle gear stick
The direction the joystick is moved causes
the cursor to move in the same direction
Mainly used for playing games

LIGHT PEN TOUCH SCREEN

The pen is pressed in the desired location This activates the
on the video display screen (sometimes
required programme
called the monitor) to activate the
necessary programs The user touches the
a pen-like device which is connected to the screen at the desired
computer by a cable locations marked by
Frequently used by graphic designers, labeled boxes to point out
illustrators and drafting engineers choices to the computer

TOUCH TONE
GRAPHICS
TABLET
DEVICE
A touch tone telephone
connected to the
computer which sends
data to it by the varying
It uses a pen-like device called a stylus sounds of the different
used by engineers, architects etc keys which are pressed.
a flat drawing surface, connected to the
computer, on which the user can draw
graphic figures

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SCANNERS Scanner can be

DEVICES THAT CAN READ Hand held scanner held in

Special codes hand
Printed characters Flatbed picture is laid flat on
Symbols the surface
Graphic images Sheet fed the picture is fed
through rollers.
- scanner reads picture as it goes
for input into the computer through
- Paper must be flexible

BAR CODE SCANNER OPTICAL CHARACTER READER

reads Universal reads stock

Product Code number of
bar code from
grocery store at
a price ticket
a check out
counter
Department stores

OPTICAL MARK READER DIGITIZER SCANNER

Senses the Reads photographs or
presence or graphic illustrations
absence of
marks
publishing,
mainly used in desktop
multiple choice publishing
test scoring

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 MICR
MAGNETIC SCANNER
MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER
MAGNETIC STRIPE READER
RECOGNITION READER
reads magnetic tape Reading data from
on a plastic card cheques
Credit cards and Special symbols are
ATM cards printed in a special
magnetic ink at the
bottom of the cheque
which will identify the
customer, bank etc.

SENSORS SENSORS

are devices that measures a physical

quantity and convert it into a signal
which can be read by an observer or by
an instrument.

VOICE RESPONSE UNIT

DIGITAL CAMERAS
(VRU)  store pictures digitally
 Information is retrieved by means of a  transfers them digitally
telephone, either voice activated or keypad to the computer by
directed. This telephone is connected to means of a USB
the computer. (Universal Serial Bus)

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 PC CAMERA
MICROPHONE  A PC camera is a digital video camera
attached to a computer. It allows you to
 record sounds and voices have a video telephone call where
 give voice command to the someone can see you while
computer communicating with you.
 Allow users to speak to each
other via(over) the Internet

Biometric Systems Biometric Systems

 automated, computerized systems using
distinctive physio-biological or
behavioural measurements of the human
body that serve as a unique indicator of the
presence of a particular individual.

HARD COPY OUTPUT

PRINTERS

Output devices that place output on paper
Printers
Plotters
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF PRINTERS

Impact Printers

Non-Impact Printers

FOR MORE INFO...

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 IMPACT PRINTERS NON-IMPACT PRINTERS
Printers where a mechanism within characters are formed without
the printer strikes the paper striking the paper
continually through an inked ribbon
(eg) Ink jet printer
(eg) Dot Matrix Printer Laser Printer

DOT MATRIX PRINTER INK-JET PRINTERS

Forms its images by rows and columns of
dots produced by a printhead

PRINTHEAD hammer-like mechanism
containing tiny pins

spreads liquid ink on the paper to create its
images

high quality print is produced

faster than dot matrix

Several colours can be printed

LASER PRINTER LASER PRINTER

Works like a copying machine

Laser light makes pattern of ink on a drum

The drum transfers the inked pattern on
paper then fixes ink on the paper

PAGE PRINTER prints the entire page of
information after receiving it

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 Character Printer
Line Printer

Prints a single character at a time

This is similar to how a typewriter prints its  Waits until it has a received a line
characters of information then prints it in one

All character printers are impact printers go
 Most line printers are character
printers

Page Printer
AEC

 Waits until it has received a page

PLOTTERS
of information then prints the
entire page in one go
 An example of a page printer is a
laser printer

SOFT COPY OUTPUT

A graphics printer that draws images with Visual Display Units
ink pens.
Used for printing architectural drawings.
Pen plotters are still the most affordable
printing device for CAD use

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 PIXELS RESOLUTION

Picture Elements the clarity of an image

Tiny lighted dots that make up the images
seen on a Visual Display Unit
The number of pixels influences the
resolution
The greater the number of pixels the
higher the resolution and the sharper the
picture
(eg) your screen has a resolution 1024 x
768 (pixels)

DOTS PER INCH Machine-readable

DPI the number of tiny dots a printer can
make within an inch

Data from an input device which is not
The greater the number of dots the understandable by humans but can be read
sharper the picture and processed by the computer
PRINT QUALITY
The quality of the text and images on the
hard copy are dependent on the resolution Human-readable
of the printer which is determined by the

Data which can be read by human beings
number of dots of ink it makes in an inch such as printed data
(DPI Dots Per Inch)

CRT CATHODE-RAY TUBES

consist of an electron gun separated
from a phosphorescent screen.
The electron gun shoots a narrow
VDU electron beam of data into a yoke on to
VISUAL DISPLAY UNIT the screen
Wherever the beam hits the screen it
Output devices that display images on causes the pixels to light up at different
a screen positions to cause an image

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 LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY
LCD
Uses a clear liquid chemical
(electrokinetic fluid) trapped in tiny
pockets between two pieces of glass
Each area in the glass contains
electrodes.
When the electrodes are activated by
electricity, various light patterns
create images on the screen
The fluid changes colour because of
electricity in motion.

SPEAKERS
CRT vs LCD(flat screen)
output device for sound
CRT
Large size
High power DATA PROJECTOR
consumption
takes an image that you
Fragile
LCD
will see on a computer
Smaller is size screen and renders it on a
Consumes larger, separate screen.
less power used for large audiences
More
expensive

COM
COMPUTER OUTPUT ON
MICROFILM/MICROFICHE
uses a photographic process similar to
that of a camera
Output is recorded directly onto a
photographic film called micro-film.
The size of the output is greatly
reduced and needs special equipment
to view them

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