Computer Hardware
Hardware and Software are essential parts of a computer system.
• Software components are the set of instructions that we store and run on our
hardware. Together, they form a computer.
• Hardware components are the physical parts of a computer, like the central
processing unit (CPU), mouse, storage, keyboard, webcam etc
Input device:
An input device is a piece of computer hardware equipment used to provide data
and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or
information appliance. Examples of input devices include keyboards, mouse,
scanners, digital cameras, joysticks, and microphones.
Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer –
Keyboard:
The keyboard is a basic input device that is used to enter data into a computer or
any other electronic device by pressing keys. It has different sets of keys for
letters, numbers, characters, and functions. Keyboards are connected to a
computer through USB or a Bluetooth device for wireless communication.
Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104
keys or 108 keys are also available for Windows and Internet.
The keys on the keyboard are as follows –
Keys Description
Typing Keys These keys include the letter keys (A-Z)
and digit keys (09) which generally give the
same layout as that of typewriters.
Numeric Keypad It is used to enter the numeric data or
cursor movement. Generally, it consists of
a set of 17 keys that are laid out in the
same configuration used by most adding
machines and calculators.
Function Keys The twelve function keys are present on
the keyboard which are arranged in a row
at the top of the keyboard. Each function
key has a unique meaning and is used for
some specific purpose.
Control keys These keys provide cursor and screen
control. It includes four directional arrow
keys. Control keys also include,
Control(Ctrl),Alternate(Alt), Escape(Esc)
Special Purpose Keys Keyboard also contains some special
purpose keys such as Enter, Shift, Caps
Lock, Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print
Screen.
Cursor Control Keys (i) Home It is used to return the cursor to
the beginning of the line or the beginning of
a document.
(ii) End It moves the cursor to the end of
line.
(iii) Page Up When it is pressed, the page
view will be moved up one page and cursor
goes to the back page.
(iv) Page Down When it ispressed, the page
view will be moved down one page and
cursor goes to the next page.
QWERTY keyboard contains total 104 keys.
Mouse:
The mouse is a hand-held input device which is used to move cursor or pointer
across the screen. It is designed to be used on a flat surface and generally has
left and right button and a scroll wheel between them. Laptop computers come
with a touchpad that works as a mouse. It lets you control the movement of
cursor or pointer by moving your finger over the touchpad. Some mouse comes
with integrated features such as extra buttons to perform different buttons.
Common types of the mouse:
o Trackball Mouse
o Mechanical Mouse
o Optical Mouse
o Cordless or Wireless
Mouse
Scanner:
The scanner uses the pictures and pages of text as input. It scans the picture or a
document. The scanned picture or document then converted into a digital format
or file and is displayed on the screen as an output. It uses optical character
recognition techniques to convert images into digital ones.
Some of the common types of scanners are as follows:
o Flatbed Scanner
o Handheld Scanner
o Sheetfed Scanner
o Drum Scanner
o Photo Scanner
(i) Handheld Scanners
They are very small in size which can be held in a hand. These are less expensive and
less wide. Hence, in order to scan a single page image, multiple passes are required.
But their handiness is a major advantage of handheld scanner.
(ii) Flatbed Scanners
They are large and more expensive scanners that create high quality images. Flatbed
scanners have a flat surface on which the printed image to be scanned, is placed.
These scanners can scan a page in a single pass.
(iii) Drum Scanners
They are medium size scanners with a rolling drum. The sheet is fed through the
scanners so that the drum rolls over the entire sheet to be scanned (just as the sheets
are fed in a fax machine).
Joystick:
A joystick is also a pointing input device like a mouse. It is
made up of a stick with a spherical base. The base is fitted in a
socket that allows free movement of the stick. The movement
of stick controls the cursor or pointer on the screen.
Light Pen:
A light pen is a computer input device that looks like
a pen. The tip of the light pen contains a light -
sensitive detector that enables the user to point to or
select objects on the display screen. Its light
sensitive tip detects the object location and sends the
corresponding signals to the CPU. It is used to
especially in Personal Digital Assistants (PDA).
Digitizer:
Digitizer is a computer input device that has a
flat surface and usually comes with a stylus. It
enables the user to draw images and graphics
using the stylus as we draw on paper with a
pencil. The images or graphics drawn on the
digitizer appear on the computer monitor or
display screen. The software converts the touch
inputs into lines and can also convert handwritten text to typewritten words.
Microphone:
The microphone is a computer input device that is used to input the sound. It
receives the sound vibrations and converts them into audio signals or sends to a
recording medium. The audio signals are converted into digital data and stored in
the computer. To convert a voice into digital form, you need an additional
hardware known as Sound Card.
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR):
MICR computer input device is designed to read the text printed with magnetic
ink. MICR is a character recognition technology that makes use of special
magnetized ink which is sensitive to magnetic fields. It is widely used in banks to
process the cheques and other organizations where security is a major concern.
Optical Character Reader (OCR):
OCR computer input device is designed to
convert the scanned images of handwritten,
typed or printed text into digital text. It is widely
used in offices and libraries to convert
documents and books into electronic files
(ASCII text ).
Bar Code Readers:
Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data
in the form of light and dark lines). Bar coded data is generally used
in labelling goods, numbering the books, etc. It may be a handheld
scanner or may be embedded in a stationary scanner
Optical Mark Reader (OMR):
OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made by pen
or pencil. It is used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected and marked.
Touch Screen
It is an input device that accepts input when the user places a fingertip on the
computer screen. Touch screens have an infrared beam that criss-cross the
surface of screen. The ability to interact directly with a display typically indicates
the presence of a touch screen. Touch screen is generally used in applications like
ATM, hospitals, airline reservation, supermarkets, etc.
Webcam (Web Camera)
It is a video capturing device. Webcam is a digital camera attached to computers
and can be used for video conferencing, online chatting, etc. A camera connected
to a computer allows anyone, those are connected to the Internet, to view either a
still picture or motion video of a user or other object.
Output Devices:
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.
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment which converts
information into human-readable form
Following are some of the important output devices used in a computer.
o Monitors
o Graphic Plotter
o Printer
o Projector
Monitor:
Monitors, commonly called as Visual Display Unit (VDU), are the main output device of
a computer. It forms images from tiny dots, called pixels that are arranged in a
rectangular form. The sharpness of the image depends upon the number of pixels.
There are two kinds of viewing screen used for monitors. . The refresh rate of monitor
is measured in Hertz (Hz).
The clarity of image depends on three factors
1. Resolution of Screen
Resolution refers to the number of pixels in horizontal and vertical directions.
The resolution of monitor is higher when the pixels are closer together.
2. Dot Pitch
It refers to the diagonal distance between two coloured pixels. The smaller the
dot pitch, the better the resolution.
3. Refresh Rate
It is the number by which per second. The higher the refresh rate, the more solid
the image looks on the screen.
Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor:
The CRT display is made up of small picture
elements called pixels. The smaller the pixels, the
better the image clarity or resolution. It takes more
than one illuminated pixel to form a whole character,
such as the letter 'e' in the word help.
A finite number of characters can be displayed on a screen at once. The screen
can be divided into a series of character boxes - fixed location on the screen
where a standard character can be placed. Most screens are capable of
displaying 80 characters of data horizontally and 25 lines vertically. The CRT
works in a same way as a television. CRT has a vacuum tube. A screen covered
with a fine layer of phosphorescent elements, called phosphores.
There are some disadvantages of CRT -
o Large in Size
o High power consumption
Flat-Panel Display Monitor:
The flat-panel display refers to a class of video
devices that have reduced volume, weight and power
requirement in comparison to the CRT. You can hang
them on walls or wear them on your wrists. Current
uses of flat-panel displays include calculators, video
games, monitors, laptop computer, and graphics
display.
The flat-panel display is divided into two categories –
Emissive Displays : Emissive displays are devices that convert electrical energy into
light. For example, plasma panel and LED (Light-Emitting Diodes).
Non-Emissive Displays: Non-emissive displays use optical effects to convert sunlight or
light from some other source into graphics patterns. For example, LCD (Liquid-Crystal
Device).
Printer:
A printer produces hard copies of the processed data. It enables the user, to print
images, text or any other information onto the paper. The speed of a printer is
measured in Characters Per Second (CPS), Lines Per Minute (LPM) and Pages Per
Minute (PPM). Printer resolution is a numerical measure of print quality that is
measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI).
Based on the printing mechanism, the printers are of two types:
Impact Printers and Non-impact Printers.
1) Impact Printers: They are of two types:
o Character Printers
• Dot Matrix printers
• Daisy Wheel printers
o Line printers
• Drum printers
• Chain printers
2) Non-impact printers: They are of two types:
o Laser printers
o Inkjet printers
Impact Printer:
The impact printer uses a hammer or print head to print the character or images
onto the paper. The hammer or print head strikes or presses an ink ribbon against
the paper to print characters and images. Impact printers are further divided into
two types.
• Character Printers
• Line printers
Character Printers:
Character printer prints a single character at a time or with a single stroke of the
print head or hammer. It does not print one line at a time. Dot Matrix printer and
Daisy Wheel printer are character printers. Dot Matrix Printer:
Dot Matrix Printer is an impact printer.
The characters and images printed by it are the patterns of dots. These patterns are
produced by striking the ink soaked ribbon against the paper with a print head. The
print head contains pins that produce a pattern of dots on the paper to form the
individual characters. The speed of Dot Matrix printers is around 200-500 characters
per second.
Daisy Wheel Printer:
It consists of a wheel or disk that has spokes or extensions and looks like a daisy,
so it is named Daisy Wheel printer. At the end of extensions, molded metal
characters are mounted. To print a character the printer rotates the wheel,and
when the desired character is on the print location the hammer hits disk and the
extension hits the ink ribbon against the paper to create the impression. the speed
is very low around 25-50 characters per second
Line Printers:
Line printer, which is also as a bar printer, prints one line at a time. It is a high-
speed impact printer as it can print 500 to 3000 lines per minute.
Drum printer and chain printer are examples of line printers.
Drum printer
Drum printer is a line printer that is made of a rotating drum to print characters.
The drum has circular bands of characters on its surface. It has a separate
hammer for each band of characters. When you print, the drum rotates, and
when the desired character comes under the hammer, the hammer strikes the
ink ribbon against the paper to print characters.
Chain Printer:
Chain printer is a line printer that uses a
rotating chain to print characters. The
characters are embossed on the surface of the
chain. The chain rotates horizontally around a
set of hammers, for each print location one
hammer is provided, i.e., the total number of hammers is equal to the total
number of print positions.
Non-Impact Printer:
They print characters and images without direct physical contact between the
paper and the printing machinery. These printers can print a complete page at a
time, so they are also known as page printers.
Laser Printer:
A laser printer is a non-impact printer that uses a laser beam to print the
characters. The laser beam hits the drum,
which is a photoreceptor and draws the
image on the drum by altering electrical
charges on the drum. The drum then rolls in
toner, and the charged image on the drum
picks the toner. The toner is then printed on
the paper using heat and pressure.
Inkjet Printer:
The inkjet printer is a non-impact printer
that prints images and characters by
spraying fine, ionized drops of ink. The
print head has tiny nozzles to spray the ink.
The printer head moves back and forth and
sprays ionized drops of ink on the paper,
which is fed through the printer. These drops pass through an electric field that
guides the ink onto the paper to print correct images and characters.
Thermal Printer
It uses heat on chemically treated paper to form characters. Fax machines that
use rolls of paper are also of thermal printers type. It is relatively slow,
expensive and requires special paper.
Electromagnetic Printer
Electrographic or electro-photographic printers are very fast printers and they
fall under the category of page printers. The electrographic technology have
developed from the paper copier technology.
Electrostatic Printer
These printers are generally used for large format printing. They are favoured by
large printing shops because of their ability to print fast and making low cost.
Projector:
A projector is an output device that enables the user to
project the output onto a large surface such as a big
screen or wall. It can be connected to a computer and
similar devices to project their output onto a screen. It
uses light and lenses to produce magnified texts,
images, and videos. So, it is an ideal output device to give presentations or to
teach a large number of people
Plotter
It is an output device that uses a pen, pencil, marker or other writing tools for
making vector graphics. A plotter is a special kind of output channel like a
printer, that produces images on paper. They are mainly used to produce large
drawings or images such as construction plans, blueprints for mechanical
objects, AUTOCAD, CAD/CAM, etc.
1. Flat Bed Plotter
These plotters are of small size to be kept on table with restriction of paper
size.
2. Drum Plotter
These plotters are of big size using rolls of paper of unlimited length
Headphones
These are a pair of small loudspeakers or less commonly a single speaker, held
close to a user’s ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio
amplifier, radio, CD player or portable media player. They are also known as
stereo phones, headsets or cans.
Both Input-Output Devices
Few devices that give input and also show or get the output through same device.
These are as follows,
(i) Modems
(ii) Network cards
(iii) Touch screen
(iv) Headsets (headset consists of speakers and microphone in which speaker acts as
output device and microphone acts as input device).
(v) Facsimile (FAX) (it has scanner to scan the document and also have printer to print
the document).
(vi) Audio cards/sound cards.
Input/Output (I/O)Port The peripheral devices can be connected to computer in several
ways. Input/Output ports are the external interfaces that are used to connect input and
output devices like printer, monitor and joystick to computer. The I/O devices are
connected to the computer via the serial an parallel ports,
Universal Serial Bus (USB), firewire ports, etc.
1. Parallel Port
It is an interface for connecting eight or more data wires. The data flows through
the eight wires simultaneously. They can transmit eight bits of data in parallel. As
result, parallel ports provide high speed data
transmission. Parallel port is used to connect
printer to the computer.
2. Serial Port
It transmits one bit of data through a single
wire. Since, data is transmitted serially as
single bit. It provides slow speed data
transmission. It is used to connect external
modems, plotters, barcode reader, etc.
3. Universal Serial Bus (USB)
It is a common and popular external port
available with computers. Normally, two to four
USB ports are provided on a PC. USB also has
the plug and play feature, which allows devices
ready to be run
1. Which key is also known as toggle keys?
a) Caps lock
b) Num lock
c) ‘1’ and ‘2’ both
d) None of these
2. To move to the beginning of a line of text, press the______key.
a) Page up
b) Shift
c) Home
d) Enter.
3. Shift ,Ctrl, Alt are examples of which among the following category?
a) Modifier Keys
b) Primary Keys
c) Function Keys
d) Alternate Keys
e) Candidate Keys
4. First computer mouse was built by
a) Douglas Engelbart
b) William English
c) Oaniel Coogher
d) Robert Zawacki
5. Track ball is an example of a/an
a) programming device
b) pointing device
c) output device
d) software device
e) printing device
6. A joy stick allows movements in which angle?
a) 30°
b) 60°
c) 90°
d) 360°
7. The OCR is used for the preparation of
a) electricity bills
b) insurance premium
c) telephone bills
d) All of these
8. What does MICR stand for?
a) Magnetic Ink Character Register
b) Magnetic Ink Code Reader
c) Magnetic Ink Code Register
d) Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
e) Magnetic Ink Cases Reader
9. A scanner scans
a) pictures
b) text
c) both pictures and text
d) Neither pictures nor text
e) None of the above
10. The higher the resolution of a monitor, the
a) larger the pixels
b) less clear the screen is
c) further apart the pixels
d) closer together the pixels
11. Dot matrix printer is
a) unidirectional
b) bi-directional
c) sequential
d) random
12.Line printer speed is specified interms of
a) LPM (Lines Per Minute)
b) CPM (Characters Per Minute)
c) DPM
d) None of the above
13. Resolution of laser printer is specified in terms of
a) DPI
b) LPM
c) CPM
d) PPM
14. It is used to produce large drawings or images such as construction plans,
Blue prints for mechanical object etc.
a) Printer
b) Plotter
c) MICR
d) OCR
15. A parallel port is most often used by a
a) printer
b) monitor
c) mouse
d) external storage device
16. USB in data cables stands for
a) Universal Structural Bus
b) Unicode Serial Bus
c) Universal Smart Bus
d) Universal Serial Bus
17. Peripheral devices such as printers and monitors are considered to be ?
a) hardware
b) software
c) data
d) information
18. A motherboard consists of
a) CPU
b) RAM and BIOS chip
c) Expansion slots
d) All of the above
19. Computer gets the input with the help of
a) mouse and keyboard
b) joystick
c) printer
d) both a and b
20. VGA stands for _______
a) Video game adapter
b) Video Graphics Array
c) Video Graphics Adapter
d) Visual Graphics Array