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Computer Hardware

Competitive exams

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
50 views12 pages

Computer Hardware

Competitive exams

Uploaded by

Samir Bhoi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COMPUTER HARDWARE Computer hardware refers to the physical components of a computer user. The hardware component could be an electronic, electrical an‘ computer system. that can be seen and touched by the d mechanical devices used in the Input Devices An input device can be defined as an electro-mechanical device that allows the user to feed data into the computer. This data is useful for analysis and storage and to give commands to the computer. The data is entered into the main memory through these input devices. They accept instructions from the user and convert these accepted instructions into machine language. Some of the commonly used input devices are described below Keyboard Keyboard is used to enter data or information in a computer system, which may be in numeric form or alphabetic form. When key is pressed, keyboard interacts with a keyboard controller and keyboard buffer. Keyboard controller stores the code of pressed key in keyboard buffer. The user can type text and command using this device. The layout of the keyboard was borrowed from the regular typewriter with some additional keys. There are different types of keyboard such as QWERTY, DVORAK and AZERTY. (Function Keys Alphanumeric] {Cursor Control { Numet (Keys) (Keys | kev) Keyboard computer Hardware Types of Keys 1, Alphanumeric Keys include the alphabet keys (A,B,C, ... Z) and number keys (0.1, 2, 3, 9), 2, Numeric Keys are located at the right hand side of the keyboard, They consist of digits and mathematical operators, 3, Function Keys are the programmable keys, ie. the programs can assign some specific actions. They are numbered from Fl to F12. 4. Cursor Control Keys include four directional (left, right, up, down) arrow keys that are arranged in a inverted T formation between the alphanumeric and numeric keypad. Apart from the above arrow keys, there are four more keys to control the cursor. These are as follows (i) Home Itis used to return the cursor to the beginning of the line or the beginning of a document. (i) End It moves the cursor to the end of line. (ii) Page Up When itis pressed, the page view will move up one page and cursor goes to the previous page. (iv) Page Down When it is pressed, the page view will move down one page and cursor goes to the next page. 5. Other Keys A keyboard contains some other keys such as follows (i) Control Key It performs a special operation as the combination with other keys. For example, Ctrl + C is used for copying. (i) Enter Key It is used to finish an entry and begin a new entry in the document, Enter key is an alternative to press OK button. (iii) Shift Key Some keys on the keyboard like numeric keys have a symbol printed on their upper portion. Shift key is used to print these symbols. This key is also called combination key, because it is always used with other keys. For example, Shift + a, converts small ‘a’ into capital ‘A’. 19 (iv) Escape Key (Esc) It allows a user to cancel or abort operations, which are executing al present, It opens Start menu with the combination of Ctrl key. (v) Backspace Key It is used to erase anything typed (vi) Delete Key It is used to erase information from the computer's memory and characters ‘on the screen. (vii) Caps Lock Key It is used to type the alphabet in capital letters. It enables or disables all the letters from being typed in capital letters. (viii) Num Lock Key It is used to enable and disable the numeric keypad. (i) Windows Key It is used to open the Start menu. (x) Spacebar Key It provides space between two words. It is the longest key on the keyboard. (xi) Tab Key It is used to move the cursor over the right to a pre-set point. In Word document, tab is used to indent a paragraph. Note QWERTY keyboard contains total 104 keys. Caps Lock and Num Lock keys are called as ‘toggle keys’ because when they are pressed, they toggle or change their status from one state to another. Shift, Ctri and Alt keys are also known as modifier keys. Pointing Device A pointing device is used to communicate with the computer by pointing to the location on the monitor. Movements of the pointing device are echoed on the screen by movements of the pointer, Some commonly used pointing devices are described below Mouse 20 It provides to input data and commands in graphic form through moving an arrow ealted pointer on monitor The mouse may be used to position the cursor on sereen, move an object by dragging or select an abject by clicking, Three types af mouse are as follows ) Wireless mouse (i) Mechanical mouse (iii) Optical mouse Four actions of mouse are as follows 1, Click or Left Click It selects an item on the screen, 2. Double Click It is used to open a document or program. 3. Right Click It displays a list of commands on the screen, Right click is used to access the properties of the selected object. 4. Drag and Drop Itis used to move an item on the screen. Trackball Trackball is another pointing device which is an alternative to a mouse. Trackball is also used to control cursor movements and actions on a computer screen. It is used on CAD/CAM workstations and sometimes seen on computerised special purpose workstations such as radar consoles in an air-traffic control room and sonar equipment on a ship or submarine. Joystick Joystick is a device that moves in all directions and controls the ‘movement of the cursor. Joysticks \ are used in flight simulators, Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) “\y system, etc. _ A joystick is similar to a mouse Joystick except that the movement of the cursor on screen stops as soon as the user stops Learn, Revise & Practice ~ ~ Computer Awareng, put with a joystick, the poiny moving the mouse. ic, tines moving, in the Previously poingi, tliretion. Joystick allows movements inf directions (360°). Light Pen ht pen is a handheld electro-optical point device, It is used for making drawings, grapyie and menu selection. ‘The pen contains a photocell in a small tube, y senses the light from the screen when it become, closer and generates a pulse. Light pen is used especially in Personal Digita ‘Assistants (PDA). It is very useful in identifying , specific location on the screen. However, it doy not provide any information when held over , blank part of the screen. Touch Screen Touch screen 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. Touch screen is generally used in applications like ATM, hospitals, airline reservation, supermarkets, etc. Barcode Reader Barcode reader is an input device used for reading printed barcodes (Universal Product Code) available on products to be sold. A light sensitive detector in the barcode reader identifies the barcode ‘ image by recognising special bars, at bth the ends ofthe Hs Buco Q A perfect example of a barcode reader is, to use it ina super market where barcode scanner reads the] price of a product which is in the form of barcode] A barcode is a machine readable representation information in the form of stripes of dark and li ink. 5050574807678 Barcode computer Hardware Optical Mark Reader (OMR) OMR is also known as Optical Mark Recognition. It is the process of detecting the presence of intended marked responses, OMR is mainly used to detect marks on a paper. It uses a beam of light that is reflected on the paper with marks, to capture presence and absence of data (marks). TN vB por Output ‘Stacker — = Optical Mark Reader The OMR interprets the pattern of marks into a data record and sends this to the computer for storage, analysis and reporting. OMR is widely used to read the answer of objective type tests, voting applications and other evaluation studies. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) OCR is a technique for scanning a printed page, translating it and then using the OCR software to recognise the image as ASCII text that is editable. It translates the array of dots into text that the computer can interpret as words and letters. OCR is a widely used technique for acquiring textual data from image. It is used in many applications such as telephone bills, electricity bills, insurance premium, etc. OCR technology is being developed for greater accurate recognition and is also known as Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR). Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) MICR reads the characters by examining their shapes in a matrix form and the information is then assed on to the computer. The characters are Printed using a special ink (contains iron oxide) that can be magnetised. 21 Format of a Cheque Itis generally used in banks to process the cheques for recognising the magnetic encoding numbers printed at the bottom of a cheque. Smart Card Reader It is a device which is usedto access the microprocessor of a smart card. There are two kinds of smart card reader which are as follows Memory cards are the cards which contain only non-volatile memory storage components and some specific security logic. » Microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made-up of plastic, generally PVC. Smart cards are used in large companies and organisations for stronger security authentication. Biometric Sensor Biometric Sensor is a device which recognises physical traits of the individual. Biometric sensors are used for marking attendance of employees/ students in organisations/ institutions. ww Biometric Sensor Scanner Scanner is an optical input device which uses light as an input source to convert an image into an electronic form that can be stored on the computer. It is used to convert the data and image on paper into the digital form. Scanners can be used for 22 storing the documents in their original form that can be modified and manipulated later on Scanner stores images in both pray seale anid color mode, The most common types of scanners are as follows (i) Handheld scanners Gi) Flatbed seanners (ii) Drum scanners Microphone (Mic) We can send input to the computer through a special manual input device called microphone or mic. A mic converts the received sound into computer's format, which is called Digitised Sound or Digital Audio. To convert a voice into digital form, you need an additional hardware known as Sound Card. Sound is used most often in multimedia. For example, we can make our presentations more attractive using recorded narration, music or sound effects. Now-a-days, microphones are also used with speech recognition software. This means that we do not have to type, rather just have to speak and the spoken words appear in our document. Webcam (Web Camera) It is a video capturing device. Webcam is a digital camera attached to computer and can be used for video conferencing, online chatting, etc. Webcam with Computer Webcam Now-a-days, webcams are either embedded into the display with laptop/computer or connected via USB or firewire port or Wi-Fi to the computer. Output Devices ‘An output device is a piece of computer hardware that receives data from a computer and then translates that data into another form. That form may be atidio, visual, textual or hard copy such as printed document. EB Learn, Revise & Practice ~ Computer Awareness Some of the commonly used output devices ar, described below Monitor I is also known as Visual Display Unit (VDU). The monitor is provided alongwith the computer tg view display the result. An image on the monitor is created by q configuration of dots, also known as pixels, ‘A monitor is of two kinds; monochrome display monitor and colour display monitor. ‘A monochrome display monitor uses only one colour to display text and colour display monitor can display 256 colours at a time. The clarity of image depends on three factors which are as follows 1. Resolution of Screen Resolution refers to the number of pixels in horizontal and vertical directions. The resolution of a 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 The refresh rate of your display refers to how many times per second the display is able to draw a new image. The higher the refresh rate, the more solid the image looks on the screen. The refresh rate of monitor is measured in Hertz, (Hz). The popular types of monitor are as follows 1, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) It is a typical rectangular shaped monitor that you see on @ desktop computer. The CRT works in a same way as a television. CRT has a vacuum tube. The screen of CRT is covered with a fine layer of phosphorescent elements, called phosphores. 2. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) These screens are used in laptops and notebook sized PCs. A special type of liquid is sandwiched between two plates. It is a thin, flat and light weight screen made up of any number of color of monochrome pixels arranged in front of @ light source. 3, Light Emitting Diode (LED) Itis an electronic device that emits light when electrical current is passed through it. LEDs usually produce r light, but today’s LEDs can pradiee! TOD 0G Green and Blue) light, and white light as well, 4. 3-D Monitor It is a television that conveys depth perception to the viewer. When 3-D images are made interactive then user feels involved with the scene and this experience is called virtual reality, 5. Thin Film Transistor (TFT) It is a type of field effect transistor that is usually used in a LCD. This type of display features a TFT for each individual pixel. These TFTs act as individual switches that allow the pixels to change state rapidly, making them turn ON and OFF much more quickly. Printers A printer prints information and data from the computer onto a paper. It can print documents in colour as well as in black and white. The quality of a printer is determined by the clarity of the print. 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). Printers are divided into two basic categories which are as follows Impact Printer ; This type of printer strikes paper and ribbon together to form a character, like a typewriter. Impact printer can print a character or an entire line at a time. They use pins or hammers that pressed an inked ribbon against the paper. They are less expensive, fast and can make multiple copies with multipart paper. : There are four types of impact printer which are described below ee i ters: 1. Dot Matrix Printer It forms charac! using rows of pins which impact the ribbon on top of the paper therefore also called pin printers. Dot matrix printer prints one character at a time. It prints characters and images as a pattern of dots. Many dot matrix Printers irecti they can print the bi-directional, that is. c ' characters from either direction, i. left or right. 23 2. Daisy Wheel Printer In daisy wheel Printers, characters are fully formed on the petals, like typewriter keys. These printers produce high resolution output and are more reliable than dot matrix, 3. Line Printer It is a high-speed printer capable of printing an entire line of a text at once instead of one or more characters at a time. Print quality of line printer is not hi 4. Drum Printer It uses a drum to hold paper in place. It receives an image from the laser and transfers it onto the paper. The drum is coated with photoreceptor materials. Non-Impact Printer This type of printer uses electrostatic chemicals and inkjet technologies. They do not hit or impact a ribbon to print. It can produce high quality graphics and often a wide variety of fonts than impact printer. The types of non-impact printer are as follows 1. Inkjet Printer It is a printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an image. It sprays ink onto paper to form characters and prints high quality text and graphics. 2, Thermal Printer It uses heat on chemically treated paper to form characters. 3. Laser Printer They can print in different fonts that is, type, styles and sizes. Laser printer uses laser beam onto photo sensitive surface for printing. It prints high quality graphics. 4, Electromagnetic Printer These printers are also known as Electrographic or electro- photographic printers. These are very fast printers and fall under the category of page printers. The electrographic technology have developed from the paper copier technology. 5. 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. Note Chuck Hull, the engineer designed and created the first 8D printer in 1984, These printers can be used to print almost anything into a real life model. Plotter A plotter is a special kind of output channel like a Printer, that produces images on paper. It uses a Pen, pencil, marker or other writing tools for making vector graphics, They are mainly used to produce large drawings or Images such as construction plans, blueprints for mechanical objects, AUTOCAD, CADI/CAM, ete. Plotters usually come in two forms as follows 1. Flatbed plotter 2. Drum plotter Speaker Itis an output device that receives sound in the form of electric current. It needs a sound card connected to a CPU, that generates sound. These are attached internally or externally to a computer system. These are used for listening music, for being audible in seminars during presentations, etc, 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. Projector It is an output device which is used to project information from a computer onto a large screen, so it can be viewed by a large group of people simultaneously. Projectors are widely used for classroom training or conference halls with a large audience. It provides a temporary output display. nly two types of projectors; LCI (cal Display) projector and DLP (Digital Light Processing) projector. —_. Input/Output (I/O)Port Input/Output ports are the external interfaces tha are used to connect input and output devices lik printer, monitor and joystick to computer, The 1/0 devices are connected to the computer different ports which describe below 1. Parallel Port It is an interface for connectin eight or more data wires. The data floy through the wires simultaneously. They ¢ay transmit eight bits of data in parallel. As a result, parallel ports provide high spec data transmission. Parallel port is used t connect printer to the computer. 2. Serial Port It transmits one bit of dat through a single wire. Since, data is transmitted serially as single bit. It provides slow speed data transmission. It is used to connect extemal 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. 4. Firewire Itis used to connect audio and video multimedia devices like video camera. Firewire is an expensive technology used for large data movement. Hard disk drive and new DVD drives connect through firewire. It has datt transfer rate of upto 400 MB/second. ~ Tit-Bits * MP3 is an audio coding format for digital audio. which uses a form of lossy data ‘compression. ® The VO devices that are attached, externally 0 he computer machine are also called peripheral devices. © Speech recognition software can interpret voic? data into words that can be understood by the computer, * A dumb terminal is simply an output device that accepts data from the CPU. QUESTION BANK 1. Any component of the compute see and touch is you can Clerk 2015] () software (2) perip! (3) storage @) cPu (S)hardware 2. Which of the following is not a hardware? [SSC FCI 2012) (1) Processor chip (2) Printer_ (3) Mouse ava 3. A(n) ...... device is any hardware component that allows you to enter data and instructions into 4 computer. ISBI Clerk 2014] (1) interaction (@)-imput (3) communication _(4) output (6) terminal 4. Computer gets...... with the help of mouse, joystick or keyboard. ee (1) insert (2) delete Qafput (4) output 5. Computer keyboard is an example of ) memory device ~OMfinput device (3) output device (4) Both (2) and (3) 6. The most common method of entering text and numerical data into a computer system is henahiio cee ofa [SBI PO 2015] (1) plotter (2) scanner (3) printer (arKeyboard~ (5) None of these 7. Which key is also known as toggle keys? (1) Caps lock _ (2) Num lock GyBoti (1) and (2) (4) None of these 8. You can use the Tab key to [SBI Clerk 2013] (1) move a cursor across the screen Findnt a paragraph (3)' move the cursor down the screen (4) Both (1) and (2) (5) None of the above To move to the beginning of a line of text, pre’ the wan. key. 7 (2) Shift 10. In a keyboard, left-right-up-down set of keys facilitatés which among the following functions? [IBPS RRB PO Mains 2017} (1) Deleting data or modification (2yPage scrolling to view a document (3) Launching Start Menu (4) Initiating Search and Help (5) Controlling RAM or process execution 11. Shift, Ctrl, Alt are examples of which among the following category? (IBPS RRB PO Mains 2017] (1) Modifier keys (3) Function keys (5) Candidate keys 12. Pointing device includes the following except () mouse (2) joystick (3) trackball Ay sevboard 13. What type of device is a computer mouse? (IBPS Clerk 2013] (2) Primary keys (4) Alternate keys (1) Storage (2) Output (3y input (4) Input/output (5) Software 14, Which of these is a pointing and draw device? {IBPS Clerk 2013] \@Mouse (2) Scanner (3) Printer (4) CD-ROM 6) Keyboard 15. First computer mouse was built bi [ssc CGL 2016, RRB NTPC 2016] (Douglas Engelbart (2) William English (3) Oaniel Coogher (4) Robert Zawacki 16. Keyboard and ...... are the examples of input device. {SBI Clerk 2014] (1) monitor (2) mogem (3) printer 4) pause (5) CPU a 26 17. Which is the best position for operating the _mouse? ‘ (1) Tail aw: {2)Tail towards the us (3) Tail facin (a) Tail facin 18. Which button is called as middle button tased as third mouse button by pressing on Ww TIBPS RRB PO Mains 2017] (1) Right button Q)-Stoll wheel (3) Touch bar (4) Light bar (5) Left button 19, Trackball is an example of a/an (1) programming device (2) ointing device (3) output device (4) software device 20. Which of the following is an input device used to enter motion data into computers or other electronic devices? [SSC CHSL 2019] rom the (1) Plotter (ey Trackball (3) Monitor (4) Joystick. 21. A joystick is primarily used to/for ..... {SBI PO 2013] (1) control sound on the screen Qyeémputer gaming 3) enter text (4) draw pictures (6) print text 22. Which of the following is a Jever that can be moved in several directions to control the movement of an image on a computer monitor or similar display screen? [SSC CHSL 2019] (1) MIDI devices (2) Optical mark reader (3) Visual display unit (4yfoystick 23. Which one of the following is not an output device? [SSC CGL 2018] (1) Projector (2) Headphones (3) Plotter Joystick 24, CAD stands for [SSC CGL 2014) (1) Computer Automatic Design (2) Computer Aided Decode (3) Pomputer Automatic Decode Gromouer Aided Design Learn, Revise & Practice ~ Computer Awareness 25. sau is generally used in applications like ‘M, hospitals, airline reservation, etc. (1) Light pen (2)Aoiach screen (3) Joystick (ay Trackball 26. Which one does not related to mobile phone touch panel sensing methods? ~~ ae IRRB NTPC 2016) |A. Finger touch B. Voice recognition C. Gloved touch D. Light transmittance QA @)D ac 27, The pattern of printed lines on most products are called (1) prices (2) OCR (3) scanners {wy Barcodes 28. A barcode reader is an example of (1) processing device (2) storage device (3) Apt device (4) output device RU, 29. An optical input device that interprets pencil marks on paper media is . fee [IBPS RRB PO Mains 2017) OF OMB, (2) punch card reader (3) Optical scanners (4) magnetic tapes (5) stylus 30. The OCR is used for the preparation of [IBPS Clerk 2013] (1) glectricity bills (3) telephone bills (2) ipgurance pre alenier (5) None of these 31. The OCR recognises the of the characters with the help of light source. (1) size ape, (3) colour exe, 32. What does MICR stand for? UIBPS Clerk 2014, RBI Grade B 2014 (1) Magnetic Ink Character Register (2) Magnetic Ink Code Reader (3) Magnetic Ink Code Register 97 Magri Shares Resogiiog tog (5) Magvelié Ink Cases Reader Computer Hardware 33. Large amounts of cheques are processed by using (2) OCR MCR (@) OMR (0) AToF these 34. Which of the following device recognises physical traits of an individual? (1) Smart card 2) Biometric (3) Barcode (4) MICR~ 35. Which of the following consists of an electronic writing area and a special that works with if: e86 CHa a (1) Trackball (2) Plotters (3) Abacus {) Graphics tablet 36. Which of the following converts analog information into digital form? (1) Barcode reader ” [SSC CHSL 2019] (2) Optical mark reading OBigitiver (4) Gamepad 37. A...... is used to read handwritten or printed text to malke a digital image that is stored in memory. () printer (2) laser beam Q) seiner (4) touchpad re i 38. The input device to be used to get a printed diagram into a computer is the [BPS Clerk 2013, IBPS Clerk 2015] (2) mouse (4) touchpad (1) printer (3) keyboard (sear 39. A slant scans (1) pictures (2) text Gy both pictures and text: (4) feither pictures hor text (5) None of the above 40. Itis a video capturing device (aywebeai ———={2) microphone (3) monitor (4) mouse input device is 41. An example of an input Ce So co 20181 (2) headphones yarehea, [SBI PO 2015] (1) soundcard (3) projector 27 42. Which of the following could be digital input devices for computers? ~~~ [RBI Grade B 2014) (1) Digital eameorder (2) Microphone (3) Seanner \GYAIMOT the above (5) None of the above 43. Which of the following groups consists of only input devices? (1) Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor (2) Mouse, Keyboard, Printer (3) Mouse, Keyboard, Plotter 44, Results are obtained from computer through Refults are obtained fro its (1) input unit (2) ALU unit 3) CUunit \G)ctput unit, 45, After a picture has been taken with a digital camera and processed appropriately, the actual print of the picture is considered as (1) data ouput, (3) input (4) the process 46. Using output device one can ... [IBPS RRB PO Mains 2017] \C)-Gew or print data (2) modify data (3) store data (4) replicate data (5) enter data i 47, Which among the following is the smallest unit in an image in a computer screen? {IBPS RRB PO Mains 2017) (1) Unit oye (3) Array (4) Resolution (5) Clip 48. What type of device is a com yuter monitor? [SBI Clerk 2014] (2) Processing (4) Input (1) Software (3) Storage Soin ut 49. Soft co) [IBPS Clerk 2013] refers to {) printed output (2) digitising (3) music sounds Qin cust (5) None of these 28 50. Sl. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. CRTis called Learn, Revise & Practice ~ Computer Awareness Learn, Revise & Practicé ~ “es ion of a monitor, the The higher the (1) larger the pixel Qk (3) further apart the pixels ) closer together the pixels Wakeertaeter te ice is [UPSSSC 2016] (4) display device tor de Screen or (a) hand copy (3) input devi The CRT .. in shape. ee IRBI Grade B 2013] () circular Qyfectangular (8) eclipse (4) conical (3) None of these CRT has a (1) hollow tube (3) long tube (5) None of these IRBI Grade B 2013] Vacuum tube (4) found tabe~ The rate at which scanning is repeated in a (2) resolution (3) pitch (4) bandwidth .... provides hard copy output on paper. {SBI Clerk 2015} (1) Mouse (2) Keyboard (3) LOP’monitor (4) Scanner 5) Printer Fant Printer is an example of [SBI Clerk 2014] ()-

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