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Computer Hardware CGS 1000 Kimbley Standifer, Instructor

This document provides an overview of basic computer hardware and components. It defines hardware as the physical parts of a computer like a monitor, keyboard, or processor. Software is defined as electronic instructions that tell the computer what to do. The document then describes common input devices like keyboards, output devices like monitors, storage devices, the central processing unit (CPU), and basic units of data storage like bytes, kilobytes, and gigabytes. It concludes by detailing other internal computer components such as the power supply, memory, expansion cards, and ports.

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30 views

Computer Hardware CGS 1000 Kimbley Standifer, Instructor

This document provides an overview of basic computer hardware and components. It defines hardware as the physical parts of a computer like a monitor, keyboard, or processor. Software is defined as electronic instructions that tell the computer what to do. The document then describes common input devices like keyboards, output devices like monitors, storage devices, the central processing unit (CPU), and basic units of data storage like bytes, kilobytes, and gigabytes. It concludes by detailing other internal computer components such as the power supply, memory, expansion cards, and ports.

Uploaded by

yajib irig
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computer Hardware

CGS 1000
Kimbley Standifer, Instructor

Hardware and Software

Hardware and software are the two basic parts of a computer system

Hardware - any part of a computer system you can touch

Software - a set of electronic instructions that tell a compute what to do.

Peripheral - Any piece of hardware attached to a computer.

How Computer Work

A computer collects, processes, stores and outputs information

Input Device - Lets you communicate with a computer. A keyboard, mouse, and joystick
are input devices.

Storage Devices - used to place information on a storage media. A floppy drive,


recordable CD-ROM, tape drives and DVD-ROM are considered storage devices

Processor / CPU - Central Processing Unit - the main chip in a computer. The CPU
processes instructions, manages the flow of information through a computer
system. The CPU communicates with input, output and storage devices to
perform tasks.

Output device - lets a computer communicate with you. These devices displays
information on a screen, printed copies, or generate sound.

BYTES
Byte - one character, a character can be a number, letter or symbol. Consists of eight
bits.

Bit - The smallest unit of information a computer can process.

Kilobyte (K)- One kilobyte = 1024 characters. This is approximately equal to one page
of double spaced text.

Megabyte (MB) - One Megabyte = 1,048,576 character. This is approximately equal to


one book.

Gigabyte (GB) - One Gigabyte = 1,073,741,824 characters. This is approximately equal


to a shelf of books in a library.
Terabyte (TB) - One terabyte = 1,099,511,627,776 character. This is equal to an entire
library of books.

INSIDE A COMPUTER
Power Supply - Changes normal household electricity into electricity that a computer
can use.

Hard Drive - The primary device that a computer uses to store information

Floppy Drive - Stores and retrieves information on a floppy disks

RAM - Temporarily stores information inside a computer. This information is lost when
you turn off the computer.

CPU - The main chip in a computer. Processes instructions, performs calculations and
manages the flow of information through a computer.

Motherboard/System board - The main circuit board of a computer. All electrical


components plug into the mother board.

Expansion Slot - a socket on the motherboard.

Expansion Card - Lets you add new features to a computer.

Drive Bay - A space inside the computer case where a hard drive, floppy drive, CD-
ROM or DVD-ROM drive sits.

Cables/Connectors

Port - a connector at the back of a computer where you plug in an external device such
as printer or modem. This allows instructions and data to flow between the
computer and the device.

Parallel Port - has 25 holes. This type of port is known as a female connector. A
parallel port connects a printer or tape drive.

Serial Port - has either 9 or 25 pins. This type of port is known as a male connector. A
serial port connects a mouse or modem.

USB Port - Universal Serial Bus - allows you connect up to 127 devices using on one
port.

MONITOR and VIDEO CARD

A monitor and video card work together to display text and images on the screen.
Video card - a circuit board that plugs into and expansion slot inside the computer. The
video card translates instructions from the computer to a form the monitor can
understand. Also called the video adaptor, graphics board or graphics card.

Size of a monitor - Is measure diagonally across the screen. Common monitor sizes
are 14,1 5, 17 and 21 inches.

Flat Panel - uses Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which is the same type of display found
in most digital wristwatches.

Dot Pitch - The distance between tiny dots on a screen. The dot pitch determines the
sharpness of images on the screen. The smaller the dot pitch, the crisper the
images. Select a monitor with a dot pitch of 0.28 mm or less.

Resolution - is measured by the number of horizontal and vertical pixels. Determines


the amount of information a monitor can display.

Pixel - the smallest element on a screen. Pixel is short for picture element.

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