If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. Show If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *.kastatic.org and *.kasandbox.org are unblocked. A computer is a device that transforms data into meaningful information. It processes the input according to the set of instructions provided to it by the user and gives the desired output. It mainly has two major components:
In this article, we only discuss computer hardware. Computer HardwareComputer hardware is a physical device of computers that we can see and touch. For e.g. Monitor, CPU, Mouse, Joystick, etc. Using these devices, we can control computer operations like input and output. These hardware components are further divided into the following categories, which are:
Input DevicesInput devices are those devices with the help of which the user interacts with the computer. Or, In other words, with the help of input devices, the user enters the data or information into the computer. This information or data is accepted by the input devices and converted into a computer acceptable format, which is further sent to the computer system for processing. Now we discuss some input devices: 1. Keyboard: It is the most common and main input device for computers. The data is inputted by typing on the keyboard. It consists of 104 keys in total. It contains numeric keys, alphabet keys, and different function keys as well. Earlier, it was connected to the computer via cable, now as the technology has advanced, so you can connect a keyboard using Bluetooth. 2. Mouse: A mouse is a kind of pointing device which is rolled over to control the cursor on the screen and it has functional keys like left, middle, and right buttons. Using these functional keys, on by the click of which an object is selected or to open a file by just click of a mouse. It also consists of a sensor inside which notifies its speed to the computer and according to which the cursor is moved on the screen. 3. Scanner: As the name suggests, it scans images, documents, etc., and converts them into digital form and that can be further edited and used. It works just like a Xerox machine. 4. Track Ball: It is a device much like an upside-down mouse. It does not use much space for a movement like a mouse. As the trackball remains stationary and the user moves the ball in various directions, it affects the screen movements directly. 5. Light Pen: It is a light-sensitive device and it is touched to the CRT screen where it can detect, raster on the screen as it passes by and, with the help of this user can draw anything like lines, figures or any objects. 6. Microphone: It is a kind of voice input system which can be attached to a computer system to record sounds. It converts human speech or voice into electrical signals. This electrical signal is processed by the computer and the word is recognized. 7. Optical Character Reader: It is used to detect alphanumeric characters that are written or printed on paper using a low-frequency light source. This light is absorbed by the dark areas and reflected by the light areas, now this reflected light is received by the photocells. It is like a scanner. 8. Bar Code Reader: It is used to read bar codes and convert them into electric pulse which will further processed by the computer. Here, the bar code is data that is coded into white and black lines(or light and dark lines). Output DevicesThese are the devices that are used to display the output of any task given to the computer in human-readable form. Now we discuss some output devices: 1. Monitor: Monitor is the main output device. It is also called VDU(visual display unit) and it looks like a TV screen. The Monitor displays the information from the computer. It is used to display text, video, images, etc. 2. Printer: A printer is an output device that transfers data from the computer in a printed format by using text or images on paper. There are both colored and black & white printers. Further, there are also different types of printers, like Laser Printer, Dot-matrix printers, and Inkjet printers. 3. Plotter: It is similar to a printer but potters are large in size. A plotter is used to generate large drawings, architectural blueprints, etc. on paper and these are high-quality images and drawings and large in size. 4. Speakers: It is a very common output device and it gives sound as an output. It is generally used to play music or anything having sound. Storage DevicesThere are some devices that are used for storage purposes and are known as secondary storage devices. Some of them were discussed below: 1. CD (Compact disc): A CD is circular in shape and made up of thin platted glass and plastic polycarbonate material. It has a storage capacity of 600 MB to 700 MB of data. It has a standard size of 12 cm with a hole in the center of about 1.5 cm and 1.2 mm in thickness. There are basically 3 types of CDs, which are:
2. DVD(Digital Video/Versatile Disc): A DVD is same like a CD but with some more features. A DVD comes in single and dual-layer format. It has much greater storage capacity in comparison to CD. The storage capacity of a DVD with one sided single layer is – 4.7 GB, one sided double layer – 8.5 GB, double sided single layer – 9.4 GB, double sided double layer – 17 GB. There are also some types in DVD, which are :
3. Hard Disk: An hard disk is a non-volatile storage device that uses its read/write heads to store digital data on a magnetic surface of a rigid plate. It is generally 3.5 inches in size for desktops and 2.5 inches in size for laptops. A hard disk can be classified further into 3 types, which are:
Internal ComponentsSome important hardware devices known as the internal components are discussed below: 1. CPU (Central Processing Unit): CPU is also known as the heart of the computer. It consists of three units, in general known as the control unit, Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU), and the memory unit. Below is the block diagram of CPU is given: As shown in the diagram input is given to the CPU through input devices. This input goes to memory and the control unit gets instructions from memory. Control unit now decide what to do with the input or instructions and transfer it to ALU. Now, ALU performs various operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and logical operations, etc. After that, the final result gets stored in a memory and finally passed to output devices to give the output. So, this is how the CPU works. 2. Motherboard: It is the main circuit board inside a computer and it contains most of the electronic components together. All the components of the computer are directly or indirectly connected to the motherboard. It includes RAM slots, controllers, system chipset, etc. 3. RAM (Random Access Memory): It is also known as temporary or volatile memory. It holds the program and data, which are currently in process or processing. All the data is erased as soon as the computer is turned off or in case of a power failure. Data stored in this memory can be changed. There are two types of RAM:-
Which part of the computer is used to get output?A standard output device is the computer monitor, which displays text, images, and user interface elements by lighting up thousands of pixels with different colors. A computer monitor with a calculator program displayed.
What is output device in hardware?The output device displays the result of the processing of raw data that is entered in the computer through an input device. There are a number of output devices that display output in different ways such as text, images, hard copies, and audio or video. Some of the popular output devices are: Monitor. CRT Monitor.
Which one is hardware in output?Hardware refers to all the physical parts or components of a computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound card and motherboard.
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