1.

COMPUTER SYSTEM  Scanner - It is a device that is used for converting printed documents
or photos into electronic formats.
Computer system is made up of many components or parts, where each  MICR – It is a device used to read characters printed in a special font
will perform a specific task. All the components will work together. using magnetic ink. Banks make use of MICR to process cheques.
Computer Hardware – physical devices of a computer system that can be  Barcode Reader - A barcode reader is a device used to read barcodes.
touch or feel. There are categories. A barcode is a small image of lines (bars) and spaces which can be seen
on the packets of many products.
1. Input devices 2. Output devices 3. Components inside CPU  Touch screen – it is a touch- sensitive computer display screen that can
also act as an input device. It can identify the presence and position of a
Working of a Computer System touch within the display region.
A computer system is a programmable electronic device that works  OCR - It is a device that scans or goes through the text by character.
according to the instructions given by us. It has the ability to accept data,  OMR - It is a device used to recognize marks on specially printed form
process it and give useful output. computer is a machine that follows the and sheets.
IPO (Input Process Output) cycle. The Input Devices are used to give  Touchpad - It is an input device that works by sensing the user’s finger
instructions to the computer which are then processed by the CPU movement and the applied pressure.
(Central Process Unit). The results of processing are displayed on the  Digital camera - It is used to capture or videos and store them in a digital
output devices. format. They display the captured images immediately on screen.
 Web Camera - It is a digital camera that is usually connected to the
❖ INPUT DEVICES computer through a USB interface.
 Keyboard - It is the most widely used input device. It has a number of
keys entering alphabets, and special characters. When you press a key ❖ OUTPUT DEVICES
the code of the key is sent to the CPU in binary form.  Monitor - The picture on a monitor is made up of thousands of tiny
 Mouse - It is a pointing device with two or three buttons. The mouse colored dots called pixels.
converts the motion of your hands into binary signals that the  Printer - A Printer is a device that is used to display text and pictures on
computer can understand. paper or other medium such as transparencies.
 Joystick - It is an input device consisting of a stick that attached to a  Impact Printer -Printers that make a mark on paper by striking a print
base. head or a needle on the ink ribbon are called Impact Printers. These
 Microphone – it’s used to input sound into a computer. It helps in printers are slow, noisy and are not used for high quality printing.
recording your voice or other sounds.  Non- Impact Printer - Non-Impact Printers do not strike the print head
 Light pen - It is also an input device and is shaped like a pen. It allows against the ink ribbon and hence generate less noise. These printers are
the user to draw or point to objects on the screen. faster than impact printers.
 Graphic Tablet - It is used to draw images and pictures on the computer  Plotter - A plotter is a special type of printers which are able to draw
screen. It consists of a flat surface on which the user can draw using a high quality images.
pen-like drawing device called Stylus.
❖ COMPUTER MEMORY  Digital Video Disk (DVD) - Optical storage device, can store more
Primary Memory (Main memory / Internal Memory) data than CD. A laser bead is used for store and read data on the disc.
Data stored in it can be directly accessed by the CPU. It divided into  Blu – ray Disc – It can store high resolution video and audio, photos
parts. data and other digital content. Blue violet laser beam is used to read
1. RAM (Random Access Memory) and write.
2. ROM (Read Only Memory)  Pen/ Flash Drive – it is a USB device. Storage device small in size
and can be carried easily. Can quickly transfer audio, video and data
➢ RAM – Read / Write memory. Information can be written into and read files from the Hard disk of one computer to another.
from RAM. It is a VOLATILE MEMORY (It loses its data as soon as Flash Memory – It is a technology that allow data to be electrically
the power is turned off. It retains the stored information as long as the stored, erased and reprogrammed.
power is switched on). The amount of RAM installed in a computer  Memory Card – small in size and can store data in digital format. It is
decide the number and size of programs that the system can run used in various electronic devices like mobile phones, digital cameras,
simultaneously. mp3 players and many other portable devices.

➢ ROM – computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once

data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot be erased and can only
be read. ROM is a NON-VOLATILE MEMORY (It retains the contents
even the power is switched off). ROM is used for storing a special piece
of software known as BIOS (Basic Input/ Output System – it helps in
loading the operating system when the computer is switched on.

Secondary Memory (Auxiliary Memory/ External Memory/

Backup Memory)
It used for bulk storage of programs, data and other information. Much
large capacity. It is NON-VOLATILE MEMORY and is used for
permanent storage of data.
 Hard disk – The main storage device inside a computer. Can store
several gigabytes (GB) of data and is used for storing applications and
files for a user. It consists of a spindle that holds one or more disks called
Platters.
 Compact disk (CD)- Optical storage device, can store 700 – 750
megabytes (MB) of data. A laser bead is used for storing data on the
disc.