Technology Foundations Parts of a Computer Technology Foundations

Two Basic Components of a Computer System Hardware Software Computer Instructions or data. Anything that can be stored electronically. Parts of the Computer System you can physically touch. Operating System Application Software

How Does a Computer Work? User Enters Data/Information - INPUT The Computer PROCESSES the data/information You then have the option to STORE/SAVE before you output Produce an image of the processed data/information - OUTPUT I relate the IPSO cyle to the human body….Hands/arms input, mouth chews/processes, stomach stores nutrients our body needs, waste is what the body discards/outputs that our body does not need/want.

Typical Computer Components & What They Do Case CPU – Central Processing Unit The “BRAINS” of the computer. Monitor – a device that displays text and images generated by the computer.

Typical Computer Components & What They Do Keyboard – a device that allows you to enter/type information and instructions into a computer Mouse – a hand-held pointing device used to control the pointer on the screen.

Typical Computer Components & What They Do Speakers – a device that plays sounds which are transmitted from your computer. Printer – a device that produces paper copy of the documents you create on the computer.

Typical Computer Components & What They Do Storage Locations 3 ½” Floppy Disk Drive (A:\>) Hard Disk Drive – Main Storage Location in a computer. (C:\>) Modem – allows computer to communicate with another computer via telephone lines. External or Internal Device. CD/DVD ROM Drive

Supplemental Peripherals Peripheral – any external device attached to the computer. Digital Camera – Allows you to take photos, store them in memory, and download into your computer. Scanner – a device that reads graphics and text into a computer.

Supplemental Peripherals Headphones Microphone Joystick – helps you control the movement of people and objects in many computer games.

Memory A series of electronic elements that temporarily holds data and instructions while they are being processed. 1. RAM Random Access Memory Otherwise known as temporary memory. Data stored in RAM can be changed or deleted. Information placed in RAM is lost when the machine is shut down. 2. ROM Read-Only Memory Otherwise known as permanent memory or built-in directions. ROM contains the basic operating instructions for the computer and it can’t be changed.