Develop your Skills - Hardware components
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Skills
There are three areas of computer hardware you will investigate:
Complete the reading Computer components to identify the basic elements that most computerised systems use. Also, view the PowerPoint by Dairne Jesperson, a former HIT191 student, on Input and Output Devices.
TASK 1: Input and output devices
- Write down as many different forms of input and output devices that you can think of.
- Circle any that are both input and output devices.
- If you were going to buy a computer, what input and output devices would you want? (
tick them).
Computer storage
Computer "storage" or "memory" refer to the parts of a computer that retain data (information) for some period of time possibly even after the computer is turned off.
To understand how the data is stored on the computer, read the online article Bits and Bytes.
To find out where the data is stored,
- read the online article Computer Storage
- view the PowerPoint extract from Wei Lian, a former HIT191 student.
TASK 2: Computer storage
- What do you understand about data storage:
- What is 20G storage?
- How many M, K and bytes are there in a 20G hard disk?
Compare ideas
- magnetic media (floppy disks, hard disks)
- optical media (CD-ROM, DVDs)
Use the online dictionaries opposite to find out about these two types of storage media, and each of the terms: floppy disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD. Think about which device is the safest and most convenient for backing up your data.
TASK 2: Computer storage
- What do you understand about optical and magnetic storage devices?
- Standard computers have both a hard disk and CD-ROM. Why?
Compare ideas
Computer processing
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the "brains" of the computer. The CPU is responsible for executing all the instructions and coordinating the different components of the computer.
The CPU can also only execute instructions if they are in a special storage area called "memory". Thus any instructions that need to be executed have to be copied (or loaded) into memory first.
This is very important: programs are stored on hard disks but can only be executed from memory.
TASK 3: RAM vs. ROM
Why
do you think the "boot instructions" (the instructions that start up your computer when you turn it on) actually need to be stored in ROM?
Tips & Tricks
How much storage is needed for an A4 page? So far we have been talking about large numbers but how much data can you actually store in 1K? To give you some indication, work out approximately how many K there is in an average A4 page.
Assume that one byte stores one character and that there are 1000 (rather than 1024) bytes in a kilobyte to simplify your calculations. Note you will need to make quite a few assumptions and remember we are only trying to calculate a very approximate figure.
Find a one-page document created using your word processing package. How big is it? What might make the word document much longer than the single A4 page?
Another storage device becoming popular with students are USB devices sometimes called memory sticks.
View the PowerPoint, prepared by Natalie Stolt, a former HIT191 student on these very robust storage devices.
What have I learned?
After completing these activities you should:
- be able to identify the different hardware components of a computer;
- be able to compare features of computers;
- be able to make an informed decision about what computer components you would need for your computer needs.