Microprocessor
A microprocessor is a programmable digital electronic component that incorporates the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single semiconducting integrated circuit (IC). The microprocessor was born by reducing the word size of the CPU from 32 bits to 4 bits, so that the transistors of its logic circuits would fit onto a single part. One or more microprocessors typically serve as the CPU in a computer system, embedded system, or handheld device. A device that integrates the functions of the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer onto one semiconductor chip or integrated circuit (IC). In essence, the microprocessor contains the core elements of a computer system, its computation and control engine. Only a power supply, memory, peripheral interface ICs, and peripherals (typically input/output and storage devices) need be added to build a complete computer system.

CISC Chips
Pronounced sisk, and stands for Complex Instruction Set Computer. Most PC's use CPU based on this architecture. For instance Intel and AMD CPU's are based on CISC architectures. Typically CISC chips have a large amount of different and complex instructions. The philosophy behind it is that hardware is always faster than software, therefore one should make a powerful instructionset, which provides programmers with assembly instructions to do a lot with short programs. In common CISC chips are relatively slow (compared to RISC chips) per instruction, but use little (less than RISC) instructions. A complex instruction set computer (CISC) is a microprocessor instruction set architecture (ISA) in which each instruction can execute several low-level operations, such as a load from memory, an arithmetic operation, and a memory store, all in a single instruction. The term was retroactively coined in contrast to reduced instruction set computer (RISC).

CISC
Emphasis on hardware
Includes multi-clockcomplex instructions
Memory-to-memory:"LOAD" and "STORE"incorporated in instructions
Small code sizes,high cycles per second
Transistors used for storingcomplex instructions

RISC Chips
Pronounced risk, and stands for Reduced Instruction Set Computer. RISC chips evolved around the mid-1980 as a reaction at CISC chips. The philosophy behind it is that almost no one uses complex assembly language instructions as used by CISC, and people mostly use compilers which never use complex instructions. Apple for instance uses RISC chips. Therefore fewer, simpler and faster instructions would be better, than the large, complex and slower CISC instructions. However, more instructions are needed to accomplish a task. An other advantage of RISC is that - in theory - because of the more simple instructions, RISC chips require fewer transistors, which makes them easier to design and cheaper to produce. The reduced instruction set computer, or RISC, is a CPU design philosophy that favors an instruction set reduced both in size and complexity of addressing modes, in order to enable easier implementation, greater instruction level parallelism, and more efficient compilers. As of 2007, common RISC microprocessors families include the DEC Alpha, ARC, ARM, AVR, MIPS, PA-RISC, Power Architecture (including PowerPC), and SPARC.

RISC
Emphasis on software
Single-clock,reduced instruction only
Register to register:"LOAD" and "STORE"are independent instructions
Low cycles per second,large code sizes
Spends more transistorson memory registers

Memory Chips
A chip that holds programs and data either temporarily (RAM), permanently (ROM, PROM) or permanently until changed (EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory).

Kinds of Memory Chips
*SIMMS

The term SIMM stands for Single In-Line Memory Module. With SIMMs, memory chips are soldered onto a modular printed circuit board (PCB), which inserts into a socket on the system board. The first SIMMs transferred 8 bits of data at a time. Later, as CPUs began to read data in 32-bit chunks, a wider SIMM was developed, which could supply 32 bits of data at a time. The easiest way to differentiate between these two different kinds of SIMMs was by the number of pins, or connectors. The earlier modules had 30 pins and the later modules had 72 pins. Thus, they became commonly referred to as 30-pin SIMMs and 72-pin SIMMs.

*DIMMS

Dual In-line Memory Modules, or DIMMs, closely resemble SIMMs. Like SIMMs, most DIMMs install vertically into expansion sockets. The principal difference between the two is that on a SIMM, pins on opposite sides of the board are "tied together" to form one electrical contact; on a DIMM, opposing pins remain electrically isolated to form two separate contacts. DIMMs come in various form factors and are specific to different DRAM technologies. 168-pin DIMM: EDO and PC66/100/133 SDRAM 184-pin DIMM: DDR 200/266/333/400 DDR SDRAM 240-pin DIMM: DDR2 400/533/667/800 DDR-2 SDRAM DIMMs transfer 64 bits of data at a time and are typically used in computer configurations that support a 64-bit or wider memory bus. Some of the physical differences between DIMMs and 72-pin SIMMs include: the length of module, the number of notches on the module, and the way the module installs in the socket. Another difference is that many 72-pin SIMMs install at a slight angle, whereas DIMMs install straight into the memory socket and remain completely vertical in relation to the system motherboard. The illustration below compares a 168-pin DIMM to a 72-pin SIMM.

*SO DIMMs

A type of memory commonly used in notebook computers is called SO DIMM or Small Outline DIMM. The principal difference between a SO DIMM and a DIMM is that the SO DIMM, because it is intended for use in notebook computers, is significantly smaller than the standard DIMM. The 72-pin SO DIMM is 32 bits wide and the 144-pin SO DIMM is 64 bits wide. 144-pin and 200-pin modules are the most common SO DIMMs today.

*MicroDIMM

(Micro Dual In-Line Memory Module) Smaller than an SO DIMM, MicroDIMMs are primarily used in sub-notebook computers. MicroDIMMs are available in 144-pin SDRAM, 172-pin DDR and 214-pin DDR2.


*RIMMS AND SO-RIMMS

RIMM is the trademarked name for a Direct Rambus memory module. RIMMs look similar to DIMMs, but have a different pin count. RIMMs transfer data in 16-bit chunks. The faster access and transfer speed generates more heat. An aluminum sheath, called a heat spreader, covers the module to protect the chips from overheating. A 184-pin Direct Rambus RIMM shown with heat spreaders pulled away.

An SO-RIMM looks similar to an SO DIMM, but it uses Rambus technology.

*FLASH MEMORY

Flash memory is a solid-state, non-volatile, rewritable memory that functions like RAM and a hard disk drive combined. Flash memory stores bits of electronic data in memory cells, just like DRAM, but it also works like a hard-disk drive in that when the power is turned off, the data remains in memory. Because of its high speed, durability, and low voltage requirements, flash memory is ideal for use in many applications - such as digital cameras, cell phones, printers, handheld computers, pagers, and audio recorders. Flash memory is available in many different form factors, including: CompactFlash, Secure Digital, SmartMedia, MultiMedia and USB Memory.

Expansion Slots
An opening in a computer where a circuit board can be inserted to add new capabilities to the computer. Nearly all personal computers except portables contain expansion slots for adding more memory, graphics capabilities, and support for special devices. The boards inserted into the expansion slots are called expansion boards, expansion cards , cards , add-ins , and add-ons.
Expansion slots for PCs come in two basic sizes: half- and full-size. Half-size slots are also called 8-bit slots because they can transfer 8 bits at a time. Full-size slots are sometimes called 16-bit slots. In addition, modern PCs include PCI slots for expansion boards that connect directly to the PCI bus.

Kinds of Expansion Slots

*ISA -- Industry Standard Architecture

*EISA -- Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture
Found in IBM-compatible desktop computers.These expansion slots are a standard way to connect more devices to a PC-compatible computer. "ISA" is an older style that is typically found on computers with 80286 ("286"), 80386 ("386") and 80486 ("486") microprocessors.

*IDE -- Intelligent Drive Electronics
Found in IBM-compatible desktop computers.IDE slots are used to connect hard disk drives and CD-ROM drives. They can be used to connect up to two different devices on each expansion slot, providing a low-cost way to add additional drives without needing another expansion card. All that is required is a cable.

*MicroChannel
Found in IBM PS/2 Desktop computers.MicroChannel slots are used to connect network cards, modems, additional memory cards and video cards, and provide specialized connections to peripheral devices. MicroChannel slots are no longer used in newer IBM computer models.
NuBus
Found in Macintosh computers.NuBus slots are used to connect many kinds of expansion cards, including network adapter cards, video cards, additional cache cards and PC computer expansion cards.

*PCI -- Peripheral Component Interconnect
Found in many IBM-compatible desktop computers and newer Macintosh computers.PCI is a standard bus adapter that allows high-speed connections to most peripheral devices, including video adapter cards, network cards, cache cards and PC computer expansion cards.

*PC Card -- (short for PCMCIA: Personal Computer Memory Card International Association)
Found in laptop computers.PC Cards conform to standards created by Personal Computer Memory Card International Association. These cards house modems, extra memory, network connectors or hard disk drives. You can find PC Cards marked as Type I, II or III, which simply designates the thickness of the card.

*SCSI - Small Computers System Interface
Found on desktop computers, predominantly in Macintoshes.SCSI expansion slots allow you to connect a wide variety of devices like CD-ROM drives, printers and scanners. You can connect up to six different SCSI devices in a chain.

*VESA - Video Electronic Standards Association
Found in IBM-compatible desktop computers.Like PCI bus expansion slots, VESA expansion slots allow for high-speed connections to peripheral devices like modems, printers and video cards.

Bus Architectures
The internal structure of a PC—the way components such as the CPU and the system bus relate to each other—is referred to as the architecture of the system.
Traditional microcomputer architecture has an internal bus that links the CPU with RAM, and an external bus that allows input/output and storage devices to connect to the system bus via expansion slots.
The System Bus
The bus in a computer system is simply a collection of physical ‘pathways’ wires that convey electrical signals between the various units in the computer.

Three Main Bus Architectures
1. Data Bus
The Data bus is simply a set of electrical lines that allow the CPU to move binary information (logic signals) to or from any part of the system components. For example, data can be transferred from memory to the Disk I/O interface via the data lines.
The number of data lines is determined the type of CPU being used.
Data Buses generally come in multiples of eight, ie. 8 bit, 16 bit, 32 bit, etc. The greater the size of the Data Bus, the greater the numbers that can be manipulated at any instant of time.


2. Address Bus
The CPU runs programs (instructions and data) that are stored in memory.
The more memory a system has, the greater the flexibility of the system in running large programs and data manipulations.
Memory is configured in such a way that each group of 8 bits (one byte) has a unique location value. This location value is generally referred to as the memory address.
The number of unique addresses that can be directly accessed by a microprocessor chip is directly related to the size of the CPU's address bus. The greater the number of address lines, the greater the number of addresses that it can access from memory.
A CPU is often compared to other CPUs by the size of the address bus or its capacity to address RAM locations.

Microprocessor
Data Bus
Address Bus
Memory
Coprocessor Inbuilt
Intel 8088
8 bit
20 bit
1 Mbyte
No
Intel 8086
16bit
20 bit
1 Mbyte
No
Intel 80286
16 bit
24 bit
16 Mbyte
No
Intel 80386SX
16bit
24 bit
16 Mbyte
No
Intel 80386
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
No
Intel 80486SX
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
No
Intel 80486DX
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
Yes
Intel 80486DX2
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
Yes
Intel 80486DX4
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
Yes
Intel Pentium
32 bit
32 bit
4096 Mbyte
Yes



3. Control Bus
The control bus enables the CPU to monitor and maintain control of the events that occur on the Address and Data Buses.
All events that occur on the Buses are timed by a very stable clock circuit. For example, consider the case where the CPU needs to write data to memory. The basic sequence of events may be as follows:
CPU accesses the memory location by placing the address on the Address Bus.
CPU puts data on the Data Bus.
CPU selects the memory chips to be written to.
CPU activates the 'write' signal on the Control Bus.

Exercise 1 - Pre-final

Hard drive

-a hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive or hard disk,is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces.

Platter

-The platters are the actual disks inside the drive that store the magnetized data. Traditionally platters are made of a light aluminum alloy and coated with a magnetizable material such as a ferrite compound that is applied in liquid form and spun evenly across the platter or thin metal film plating that is applied to the platter through electroplating, the same way that chrome is produced. A hard disk platter (or disk) is a component of a hard disk drive: it is the circular disk on which the magnetic data are stored. The rigid nature of the platters in a hard drive is what gives them their name (as opposed to the flexible materials which are used to make floppy disks). Hard drives typically have several platters which are mounted on the same spindle.

Spindle & Spindle Motor

-The platters in a drive are separated by disk spacers and are clamped to a rotating spindle that turns all the platters in unison. The spindle motor is built right into the spindle or mounted directly below it and spins the platters at a constant set rate ranging from 3,600 to 7,200 RPM. The motor is attached to a feedback loop to ensure that it spins at precisely the speed it is supposed to.

Spindle - The spindle spins the platters thousands of rotations per minute, depending on the speed of the hard drive. Most consumer-based hard drives have spindle speeds of either 5,400RPM or 7,200RPM while faster server drives support speeds of 10,000RPM and 15,000RPM. This spindle speed is considered the mechanical speed of the drive; generally, the higher the speed, the faster the data can be accessed and read.

Spindle Motor - The spindle motor, also sometimes called the spindle shaft, is responsible for turning the hard disk platters, allowing the hard drive to operate. The spindle motor is sort of a "work horse" of the hard disk.

Read/ Write Heads

-The read/write heads read and write data to the platters. There is typically one head per platter side, and each head is attached to a single actuator shaft so that all the heads move in unison. When one head is over a track, all the other heads are at the same location over their respective surfaces. Typically, only one of the heads is active at a time, i.e., reading or writing data. When not in use, the heads rest on the stationary platters, but when in motion the spinning of the platters create air pressure that lifts the heads off the platters. The space between the platter and the head is so minute that even one dust particle or a fingerprint could disable the spin. This necessitates that hard drive assembly be done in a clean room. When the platters cease spinning the heads come to rest, or park, at a predetermined position on the heads, called the landing zone.

Head Actuator

-All the heads are attached to a single head actuator, or actuator arm, that moves the heads around the platters. Older hard drives used a stepper motor actuator, which moved the heads based on a motor reacting to stepper pulses. Each pulse moved the actuator over the platters in predefined steps. Stepper motor actuators are not used in modern drives because they are prone to alignment problems and are highly sensitive to heat. Modern hard drives use a voice coil actuator, which controls the movement of a coil toward or away from a permanent magnet based on the amount of current flowing through it. This guidance system is called a servo.

Ribbon Cable

-(also known as multi-wire planar cable) is a cable with many conducting wires running parallel to each other on the same flat plane. As a result the cable is wide and flat rather than round. Its name comes from the resemblance of the cable to a piece of ribbon (which is likewise wide and flat).

Tape Seal

-On some drives, a metallic tape seal is applied around the perimeter of the drive to fully enclose the drive.

Base Casting

-the bottom of the disk is often called the base casting, the name coming from the manufacturing process used to create the single piece of aluminum from which it is normally made. The drive mechanics are placed into the base casting, and another piece of usually aluminum is placed on top to enclose the heads and platters.

Motherboard

-a motherboard is the central or primary circuit board making up a complex electronic system, such as a modern computer. It is also known as a mainboard, baseboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, a logic board, and is sometimes abbreviated as mobo.

IDE Connector

-These are the PCI IDE connectors on the motherboard. Each connector is identified by markings on the motherboard. The secondary IDE connector is labeled SEC IDE (top connector in this graphic) and the primary IDE connector is labeled PRI IDE (bottom connector in this graphic).

Northbridge

-The north bridge, also known as the memory controller hub (MCH) in Intel systems (AMD, VIA, SiS and others usually use 'northbridge'), is traditionally one of the two chips in the core logic chipset on a PC motherboard, the other being the southbridge. Separating the chipset into northbridge and southbridge is common, although there are rare instances where these two chips have been combined onto one die when design complexity and fabrication processes permit it.

Southbridge

-The Southbridge, also known as the I/O Controller Hub (ICH), is a chip that implements the "slower" capabilities of the motherboard in a northbridge/southbridge chipset computer architecture. The southbridge can usually be distinguished from the northbridge by not being directly connected to the CPU. Rather, the northbridge ties the southbridge to the CPU.

Processor Socket

-The term CPU socket (or CPU slot) is widely used to describe the connector linking the motherboard to the CPU(s) in certain types of desktop and server computers, particularly those compatible with the Intel x86 architecture.

PCI

-The Peripheral Component Interconnect, or PCI Standard (in practice almost always shortened to PCI), specifies a computer bus for attaching peripheral devices to a computer motherboard. These devices can take any one of the following forms:

• An integrated circuit fitted onto the motherboard itself, called a planar device in the PCI specification.
• An expansion card that fits into a socket.

SATA

-Serial ATA (SATA, IPA: /ˈseɪ.tə/ or /ˈsæ.tə/) is a computer bus primarily designed for transfer of data between a computer and storage devices (like hard disks or optical drives).
The main benefits are thinner cables that let air cooling work more efficiently, faster transfers, ability to remove devices while operating (Hot swapping), and more reliable operation with tighter data integrity checks.

DRAM

-Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is a type of random access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. Since real capacitors leak charge, the information eventually fades unless the capacitor charge is refreshed periodically.

Monitor

-a computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. The word "monitor" is used in other contexts; in particular in television broadcasting, where a television picture is displayed to a high standard. A computer display device is usually either a cathode ray tube or some form of flat panel such as a TFT LCD display. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry to generate a picture from electronic signals sent by the computer, and an enclosure or case. Within the computer, either as an integral part or a plugged-in interface, there is circuitry to convert internal data to a format compatible with a monitor.

System Unit

-a system unit, also known as a base unit, is the main body of a desktop computer, typically consisting of a metal or (rarely) plastic enclosure containing the motherboard, power supply, cooling fans, internal disk drives, and the memory modules and expansion cards that are plugged into the motherboard, such as video and network cards.

Motherboard

-A Motherboard or system board is the main printed, flat circuit board in an electronic device such as microcomputers. The board contains expansion slots (sockets) that accept additional boards (expansion Cards). In a microcomputer, the motherboard contains the microprocessor, the primary storage chips (or main memory cards), the buses, and all the chips used for controlling the peripherals.

Microprocessor

-A microprocessor is a processor whose elements are miniaturized into one or a few integrated circuits contained in a single silicon microchip. It executes instructions. In a microcomputer, the central processing unit (CPU) is held on a single microprocessor. In order to function as a processor, it requires a system clock, primary storage, and power supply.

Memory Chips

-A memory chip is a chip that holds programs and data either temporarily or permanently. The major categories of memory chips are RAMs and ROMs.

System Clock

-The clock is a device that generates periodic, accurately spaced signals used for several purposes such as regulation of the operations of a processor or generation of interrupts. The clock circuit uses the fixed vibrations generated from a quartz crystal to deliver a steady stream of pulses to the processor. The system clock controls the speed of all the operations within a computer.

Buses

-A bus is a data pathway between several hardware components inside or outside a computer. It not only connects the parts of the CPU to each other, but also links the CPU with other important hardware. The other important hardware includes memory, a disk control unit, a terminal control unit, a printer control unit, and a communications control unit. The capacity of a bus is expressed as bits. A larger capacity bus is faster in data transfer. For example, a 32-bit bus is faster than an 8-bit bus.

Ports

-A port is an external connecting socket on the outside the computer. This is a pathway into and out of the computer. A port lets users plug in outside peripherals, such as monitors, scanners and printers.

Keyboard

-a computer keyboard is a peripheral partially modelled after the typewriter keyboard. Keyboards are designed for the input of text and characters and also to control the operation of a computer.

Printer

-a computer printer, or more commonly a printer, produces a hard copy (permanent human-readable text and/or graphics) of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as computer peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable to a computer which serves as a document source.

Major Components of a Computer System

• Hardware

Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and data, which are "soft" in the sense that they are readily created, modified or erased on the computer. Firmware is a special type of software that rarely, if ever, needs to be changed and so is stored on hardware devices such as read-only memory (ROM) where it is not readily changed (and is, therefore, "firm" rather than just "soft").
Most computer hardware is not seen by normal users. It is in embedded systems in automobiles, microwave ovens, electrocardiograph machines, compact disc players, and other devices. Personal computers, the computer hardware familiar to most people, form only a small minority of computers (about 0.2% of all new computers produced in 2003).

• Software

Computer software, consisting of programs, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to its physical components (hardware) which can only do the tasks they are mechanically designed for. The term includes application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users, system software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to run the necessary services for user-interfaces and applications, and middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems. The term "software" is sometimes used in a broader context to describe any electronic media content which embodies expressions of ideas such as film, tapes, records, etc. Computer software is so called in contrast to computer hardware, which encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required to store and execute (or run) the software. In computers, software is loaded into RAM and executed in the central processing unit. The term "software" was first used in this sense by John W. Tukey in 1958. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all computer programs. The concept of reading different sequences of instructions into the memory of a device to control computations was invented by Charles Babbage as part of his difference engine. The theory that is the basis for most modern software was first proposed by Alan Turing in his 1935 essay Computable numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem.

• Peopleware

Peopleware - Productive Projects and Teams (ISBN 0-932633-43-9) is a popular 1987 book, written by software consultants Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister, on the inside world of software developing teams, in a manner such as to highlight the real-world conflicting natures between individual work perspective and corporate ideology. Topics include team jelling, group chemistry, corporate entropy, flow time, "teamicide" and workspace theory (for optimization). Peopleware is a popular book about project management. The first chapter of the book claims, "The major problems of our work are not so much technological as sociological in nature." The book approaches sociological or 'political' problems such as team 'jelling', quiet in the work environment, and the high cost of turnover.

Name: Crisviner D. Sumayang

Age: 17

Address: 1st Alley Sta. Lucia St. Mintrade Agdao Davao City

Birthdate: January 18, 1990

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Birth Place: Davao City

Religion: Roman Catholic

Hobbies & Interests: Watching T.V. specially animes, listening music,playing online-games

Favorite Movies: Harry Potter

Favorite Music: all r&b music

About me: simple, tall, fair skin

Mother's name: Rene E. Sumayang

Father's name: Rosa D. Sumayang

Motto: "Make your life to the fullest" & "Always Smile"

C++ CODE:

#include

#include

main()

{ int cel, fahr, kel;

printf("What is your Temperature in Celsius? ");

scanf("%d", &cel);

fahr=cel*9/5+32;

kel=cel+273

printf("\n in Fahrenheit=%d", fahr);

printf("\n in Kelvin =%d", kel);

getch();

}

OUTPUT:

What is your Temperature in Celsius? 25

in Fahrenheit= 77

in Kelvin = 298

The parts of computer can be divided into two main components, hardware and software:

1. Hardware

Your computer's hardware is comprised of the devices that are part of your computer system- like the monitor, the speakers, and the motherboard!

• Motherboard
  

The motherboard is one of the most important parts of your computer system! It is a complex array of wires, cables, and transistors. The most vital parts of your computer are located on your computer's motherboard.

• Storage Devices

Your computer needs to have a place to store all of the data and information it is given. Your computer won't have enough space in its random-access memory for all of this information. That is why there are additional storage devices!

The types of storage devices that we will touch upon are:

a. Hard Disks:

Hard disks, or hard drives, are your primary storage devices. It is built right into your computer, and most of your files will be saved here.

b. Floppy Disks:

Floppy disks are a portable storage device. They are plastic disks that can store a small amount of information. These disks can be used on different computers, making them portable!

c. CD-ROMs:

CD-ROMs look just like regular CDs... but they can be used to store things like applications or programs. They are portable, like floppy disks, but they can store a lot of information!

d. DVDs:

DVDs are extremely popular. They are primarily used to store movies or music, and can be played back on your computer as well as on your television screen!

e. MP3 Files:

MP3 files are files that can hold music! As you know, you can download music off the Internet. MP3s compress the music so that it will take up less space and so that it will only take a few minutes to download.

f. ZIP Drives:

ZIP Drives look just like floppy disks- they are both small rectangular plastic disks. The major difference between the two is that while floppy disks can only store a small amount of information, ZIP drives can store a LOT of data!

• Input/Output Devices

To let you, as the user, communicate with your computer, there are special input/output devices. Input devices let you input data into your computer, while output devices take your computer's computations and send them to you!

Input Devices:

a. Keyboard:

I'm sure that you all know what a keyboard is. A keyboard is what you use to type in letters, numbers, and other characters. You can type instructions in to your computer, or you can use the keyboard to type up documents and other papers.

b. Mouse:

Mice have been around for some while now. Mice are used to manuever the cursor on your computer screen to give instructions to your computer and to run programs and applications.

c. Scanner:

Scanners let you put pictures and images onto your computer. They convert pictures and iamges to digital form so that you can edit them by using the computer or put them on the Internet!

d. Digital Camera:

Digital cameras are somewhat similar to regular cameras. You can take pictures of people, places, or things. However, digital cameras convert these pictures to digital form so they can be used on the computer.

Output Divices:

a. Monitor:

Your monitor is a fancy term for your computer screen. It displays the programs and applications you are running.

b. Liquid Crystal Displays:

LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, are similar to monitors. They, too, are screens that display information, programs, and applications! LCDs are generally used on laptop computers.

c.Printer:

Printers let you take documents, pictures, and other files and "print" them out. They create a hard copy of these files on a piece of paper.

• Audio Devices

There are a few special hardware devices that are specifically designed to work with sound. These devices can take sound waves and manipulate them in many ways.

There are a few devices that make this possible:

a. Sound Cards:

Sound cards are devices that can record sounds, play back sounds, or even manipulate sounds! They are a very important audio device.

b. Speakers:

Once you have recorded a sound file, you can use your speakers to listen to the music or other sound! Speakers change the electrical signals from your sound files and converts them into sound waves that we can hear!

• Modems

One of the major reasons why people use computers is to access the Internet. Modems let you connect your computer with the millions of other computers in the Internet!

• Connecting Cables:

With so many different devices that can be connected to your computer, there'd have to be connecting cables. These cables connect devices like your printer or scanner to the computer system.

2. Software

Software is the term used to describe the instructions that are given to your computer so that it will know what operations to carry out. There is no tangible form of software!

Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering