Lesson 5

Computer Hardware

Computer Literacy
BASICS: A
Comprehensive Guide
to IC3, 5th Edition

1 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo

 Objectives

● Describe how a computer represents data.

● Identify system components for input and
output.
● Define input devices and explain how to use
them.
Lesson 5

● Define output devices and explain how to

use them.
● Identify types of storage devices and media.

2 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Understanding How a Computer
Represents Data
● Computers are binary machines, meaning they
only understand two states—on and off,
represented by a 0 and a 1, reflecting whether a
circuit is receiving electricity (on or 1) or is not
receiving electricity (off or 0).
● Each of these states is called a bit, short for
Lesson 5

binary digit, which is the smallest unit of data a

computer can process.
● Eight bits together is called a byte, which is
roughly equivalent to one character.

3 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Understanding How a Computer
Represents Data (continued)
● When you press a key on a computer keyboard,
you are sending an electronic signal to the
circuitry in the computer.
● The circuitry converts the signal into binary form
and stores it as a byte in memory for processing.
Lesson 5

4 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Understanding How a Computer
Represents Data (continued)

● Computer users work with much more than a

byte of data at a time.
● Terms for measuring data combine “byte”
with a meaningful prefix.
Lesson 5

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 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output
● The system unit houses a computer’s processing
hardware, including the motherboard.
● Components for connecting peripheral devices are
attached to the motherboard.
● Peripheral devices include keyboards, mice, printers,
monitors, and other display screens.
Lesson 5

● To use peripheral devices with your computer, they

must be connected to the computer by using ports
and expansion cards on the motherboard.

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 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)
● Ports and Buses
● A port is a connector located on the system case that
you use to plug peripheral devices into the computer.
● Inside the system unit, a port is attached to a bus on
the motherboard.
● A bus is a sequence of electronic circuitry used to
Lesson 5

transfer data among computer components.

● Peripheral devices use a bus, sometimes called an
expansion bus, to exchange data with the
motherboard.

7 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)
● Ports and Buses
(continued)
● One of the most common
types of buses is the
Universal Serial Bus
(USB), which you can
use to connect 127
Lesson 5

different devices to a
single USB port.
● A USB hub is a device
that contains a number of
USB ports and plugs into
a single USB port on a
computer.
8 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)

● Ports and Buses (continued)

● Another type of bus is called FireWire, or
IEEE 1394, which was developed by Apple
as a high-speed method for connecting
multimedia devices such as video cameras
Lesson 5

to a computer.
● A single FireWire port can accommodate
many external devices.

9 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)
● Ports and Buses (continued)
● In addition to USB and FireWire ports, you might
find the following types of ports on computing
devices:
– Audio—Connects speakers, headphones, and
microphones
Lesson 5

– RJ-45—Connects the computer to a wired network

using an Ethernet cable
– Video Graphics Array (VGA) and High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI)—Standards for
connecting display monitors

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 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)

● Ports and Buses (continued)

Lesson 5

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 Identifying System Components for
Input and Output (continued)
● Expansion Cards
● Circuit boards called
expansion cards or
adapter cards can be
plugged into expansion
slots on the motherboard
of a desktop or server
Lesson 5

computer.
● Expansion cards expand
the capabilities of the
computer or let you attach
a peripheral device to the
computer.
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 Using Input Devices

● An input device is a peripheral device you

use to enter data and commands into a
computer.
● An input device can be as simple as a
keyboard or as sophisticated as equipment
Lesson 5

used for voice recognition.

● The type of input device you use is
determined by the task you need to perform.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)
● Keyboards
● The keyboard is the
most common input
device for entering text
and numbers into a
computer.
Lesson 5

● Keyboards can be built

into the computer,
attached using a cable,
or connected using a
wireless connection.
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 Using Input Devices (continued)
● Keyboards (continued)
● Other innovative keyboards include the
following:
– Ergonomic—An ergonomic keyboard is designed to
provide comfort and avoid stress or fatigue to your
hands, wrists, and arms.
Lesson 5

– Specialized—Some keyboards include specialized

keys that represent specific items for input such as
food orders, and are used in fast-food restaurants
and other workplaces.
– Foldable or flexible—This easily transported keyboard
is primarily used with mobile devices.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Pointing Devices
● A pointing device is an input device you use
to position the pointer on the screen.
● The pointer appears as an arrow, I-beam, or
other shape.
Lesson 5

● You use the pointer to select onscreen

objects such as text, graphics, buttons,
icons, and links.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Mice
● A mouse is a pointing device that fits
comfortably in the palm of your hand.
● Popular types of mice are optical, wireless,
and touch.
Lesson 5

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Touchpads
● A touchpad (also called a trackpad) is a
touch-sensitive surface that can convert the
motion and position of your fingers to a
relative position on screen.
Lesson 5

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Touchscreens
● Many mobile computers use touchscreens,
which have a touch-sensitive surface that
overlays the screen and responds to the
electrical impulses in your fingertips.
Lesson 5

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Digital Pens
● A stylus is a pen-like
writing instrument that
works with
touchscreens.
Lesson 5

● You use a stylus for

precise touch input by
writing, drawing, or
tapping on a screen.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)
● Audio Input Devices
● Audio input is sound
entered into a computer,
and includes speech,
sound effects, and
music.
Lesson 5

● Mobile phones and

hands-free navigation
systems in motor
vehicles use voice-
recognition systems.
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 Using Input Devices (continued)
● Video Input Devices
● When you capture still or
moving images with a digital
camera, they are stored
digitally in the camera as
video input to the device.
● A PC video camera or
Lesson 5

Webcam is a type of digital

video (DV) camera you can
use to send live images over
the Internet, participate in
video telephone calls, and
send e-mail messages with
video attachments.
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 Using Input Devices (continued)
● Specialized Input Devices
● Other input devices are
used for specialized
applications.
● Game Controllers
● The joystick and wheel are
types of pointing devices
Lesson 5

you use when playing

games, or as adaptive
equipment when you need
an alternative to a mouse.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Scanners
● Scanners are devices that can change images
into codes that the computer accepts as input.
● The quality of a scanner is measured by pixels
per inch (ppi); the higher the ppi number, the
Lesson 5

better the input image.

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 Using Input Devices (continued)

● Biometric Devices
● Biometrics is a security technique using
automated methods of recognizing a person
based on a physical characteristic.
Lesson 5

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 Using Output Devices

● Output is data processed into a useful

format.
● Examples of output are text, spoken words,
music, pictures, video, and graphics.
Lesson 5

● Output devices display information, and

include monitors, projectors, printers, and
speakers.

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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Display Devices
● Desktop computers typically use a monitor as
their display device.
● The most popular technology for computer
monitors is the liquid crystal display (LCD)
Lesson 5

technology, which manipulates light with a layer

of liquid crystal cells to produce an image.
● LCD screens are lightweight, display images
clearly, and use energy efficiently.

27 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Using Output Devices (continued)
● Screen Resolution and Size
● Display screens form images by combining
pixels of color.
● A pixel (short for picture element) is the smallest
surface area that can contain color on a display
device.
Lesson 5

● The number of pixels displayed on a screen is

called the screen resolution, which determines
the amount of information that can be displayed
at one time.

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 Using Output Devices (continued)
● Screen Resolution and Size (continued)
Lesson 5

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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Projectors
● Another type of display device is a projector,
also called a data projector, which connects
to a computer and projects images onto a
wall screen or other large, flat surface.
Lesson 5

● Small computer projectors use LCD or

digital light processing (DLP) technology,
which bounces lights off microscopic mirrors
on a computer chip.
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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Printers
● Printers produce a paper copy, or hard copy,
of processing results.
● When selecting a printer to purchase,
consider the following features:
Lesson 5

– Speed—Measured in pages per minute (ppm)

– Print quality—Measured in dots per inch (dpi)
– Price—Includes the original cost of the printer and
what it costs for the ink or toner

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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Audio Output Devices

● Speakers, headphones, and earbuds are
other types of output devices.
Lesson 5

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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Audio Output Devices (continued)

● If a peripheral device doesn’t work when you
attach it to your computer, you can use Device
Manager to solve the problem in the following
ways:
Lesson 5

– Look for a yellow or red problem icon—If the device is

listed with a yellow warning icon, it means something
is wrong with the device or its setting. You can click
the icon to learn more about the problem. A red check
mark means the device is not working at all.

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 Using Output Devices (continued)

● Audio Output Devices (continued)

– Disable and enable the device—You can try to
solve a device problem by first disabling it, then
enabling it.
Lesson 5

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 Using Storage Media and Devices

● Storage media are the physical materials used

to store data, such as disks and DVDs.
● Storage media are contained in a storage
device, which is the equipment that records and
retrieves data from storage media.
Lesson 5

● Storage devices include hard drives, CD/DVD

drives, and USB flash drives.
● The term storage technology refers to a storage
device and the media it uses.

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 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)

● You can compare storage media based on the

following characteristics:
– Capacity—The maximum amount of data a medium
can store
– Speed—Measured by access time and the data
transfer rate
Lesson 5

● Access time is the average number of milliseconds (ms) it

takes a computer to retrieve data from the storage device.
● The data transfer rate determines how much data the
storage device can move per second from the storage media
to the computer.

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 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)

● Hard Drives
● A hard drive is the
main storage device in
a computer.
● Hard drives contain a
Lesson 5

stack of disks made of

aluminum or glass that
are coated with
magnetic iron oxide
particles.
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 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)
● Hard Drives (continued)
● Hard drives are the most popular for storing data
because of their speed, capacity, and cost.
● Access times range from 6 to 11 ms.
● Revolutions per minute (rpm) refers to how fast the
platters spin when the read/write head is accessing
Lesson 5

data.
● The higher the rpm, the faster the read/write heads
can locate specific data.
● Hard drives range from hundreds of gigabytes to a
few terabytes of storage.

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 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)
● Solid-State Drives
● A solid-state drive (SSD) uses flash memory
technology to store data as electrical rather than
magnetic charges.
● SSDs have no moving parts, so they are more
durable and reliable than mechanical hard drives.
Lesson 5

● They consume less power, generate less heat, and

retrieve data more quickly, making them a good
alternative for tablets and other mobile devices.

39 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)
● External Hard Drives
● An external hard
drive is a separate,
freestanding high-
capacity storage
device that you attach
Lesson 5

to a computer, usually
using a USB port.
● External hard drives
can use magnetic or
solid-state technology.

40 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)
● Portable Drives
● Removable drives use the same solid-state
technology as internal SSDs do.
● The smallest types are collectively called
memory cards.
● USB flash drives are another type of solid-state
Lesson 5

storage media.

41 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)
● Optical Storage
Devices
● An optical storage
device uses lasers to
read and write data
on plastic platters that
Lesson 5

contain a metal layer,

which reflects the
laser light back to a
sensor in an optical
drive.

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 Using Storage Media and Devices
(continued)

● Optical Storage Devices (continued)

● Optical media such as compact discs (CDs) and
DVDs are called discs.
● DVDs have a much higher storage capacity than
CDs.
Lesson 5

● A more recent type of optical storage media is

the Blu-ray disc (BD), which provides more than
five times the storage capacity of a traditional
DVD.

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 Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

● Computers are binary machines, which means they
understand two states: off (0) and on (1). The digits 0
and 1 are each called a bit. Eight bits grouped together
make a byte. Data-measurement terms add a prefix to
“byte” to indicate amounts. For example, “giga” means
Lesson 5

one billion, so a gigabyte is a billion bytes.

● To use peripheral devices with your computer, they must
be connected to the computer in some way, which is the
purpose of ports and expansion cards on the
motherboard.

44 Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E

 Summary (continued)
● A port is a connecter located on the system case that you
use to plug peripheral devices into the computer. Inside
the system unit, a port is attached to a bus, which is a
sequence of electronic circuitry on the motherboard used
to transfer data among computer components.
● Expansion cards can be plugged into expansion slots on
the motherboard of a desktop or server computer. These
Lesson 5

cards expand the capabilities of the computer or let you

attach a peripheral device. For the same purpose, mobile
computers use ExpressCard modules and USB
adapters, which are smaller than expansion cards and
are plugged into slots or ports that you can access
outside of the system unit.

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 Summary (continued)
● An input device is a peripheral device you use to enter
data and commands into the computer. Typical input
devices include keyboards, mice and other pointing
devices, touchscreens, and microphones.
● The keyboard is the most common input device for
entering text and numbers into a computer. Keyboards
Lesson 5

can be built into the computer, as they are in mobile

computers, attached using a cable plugged into a USB
port, or connected using a wireless connection. In
addition, computers can use onscreen keyboards as
input devices.

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 Summary (continued)
● The mouse is the most common type of pointing device,
which is an input device you use to position the pointer
on the screen. Popular types of mice include optical,
wireless, and touch mice.
● Other types of pointing devices include touchpads,
pointing sticks, and trackballs.
Lesson 5

● Touchscreens have a touch-sensitive surface that

overlays the screen display and responds to the
electrical impulses in your fingertips. Touchscreens are
popular because they let you interact with a computer
without using an external input device.

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 Summary (continued)
● Many computers with touchscreens accept input from a
stylus, which is a pen-like writing instrument. Other types
of digital pens capture data as you write or draw on any
surface.
● Audio input is speech, sound effects, and music entered
into a computer. Audio input devices include
Lesson 5

microphones, portable music players, radios, and other

hardware such as electronic piano keyboards.
● You use video input devices to enter still and moving
images into a computer, often through a camera built into
the computer.

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 Summary (continued)

● Specialized input devices include game controllers,

scanners, and biometric security devices.
● Output is data processed into a useful format, such
as printed text, spoken words, music, pictures, video,
and graphics. Output devices include monitors,
Lesson 5

projectors, printers, and speakers.

● Desktop computers typically use a monitor as their
display device. Mobile computers use integrated flat-
panel screens usually called display screens.

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 Summary (continued)
● The amount of information a screen can display at one
time is determined by its screen resolution, which is
expressed as the number of horizontal pixels by the
number of vertical pixels, as in 1366 X 768 screen
resolution. The video card installed in your computer
determines the resolutions available for your display
screen.
Lesson 5

● Display screens are measured diagonally from corner to

corner. Size ranges include 17 to 30 inches for desktop
computer monitors, 14 to 17 inches for laptop computer
screens, and 7 to 10 inches for tablets.

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 Summary (continued)
● A projector, also called a data projector, is an output
device that connects to a computer and projects
images onto a wall screen or other large, flat
surface.
● Printers produce a paper copy, or hard copy, of
processing results, and are classified as nonimpact
Lesson 5

or impact printers. Most home and office computer

users have nonimpact printers because they print
faster and more quietly than impact printers and
produce higher quality output.

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 Summary (continued)
● The two most popular types of printers are inkjet and
laser printers; both are nonimpact printers. An inkjet
printer creates text and images by spraying ink onto
paper. A laser printer produces text and images
using the same technology as copier machines.
● Impact printers, which include the dot matrix and line
Lesson 5

printer, were the first type of printer developed for

personal computing. Other types include thermal,
mobile, label and postage, and plotters and large-
format printers.

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 Summary (continued)
● Speakers, headphones, and earbuds are output devices
that generate sound, such as music or speech.
● If you want to keep a permanent copy of the data you
enter as input, you must save it on a storage medium,
such as a disk or DVD.
● Storage media are contained in a storage device, which
Lesson 5

is the equipment that records and retrieves data from the

storage medium. Storage devices include hard drives,
CD/DVD drives, and USB flash drives.

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 Summary (continued)

● Storage technology refers to a storage device and

the media it uses. Storage technologies include
magnetic, optical, and solid-state technologies.
● Hard drives are the main storage devices in a
computer. Most use magnetic storage technology to
Lesson 5

retain data. Because hard drives consist of platters

that rotate as a read/write head moves to save or
retrieve data, they are also considered mechanical
storage devices.

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 Summary (continued)

● Solid-state drives use flash memory technology to

store data as electrical rather than magnetic
charges. Though they are more expensive, they offer
advantages over hard drives because they have no
moving parts, consume less power, generate less
Lesson 5

heat, and retrieve data more quickly.

● An external hard drive is a separate, freestanding,
high-capacity device that you attach to a computer,
usually using a USB port.

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 Summary (continued)
● Removable drives such as memory cards and USB
flash drives are ideal for transporting data from one
computer to another, adding storage capacity to a
computer, and securing data while away from a
computer.
● Optical storage devices use lasers to read and write
Lesson 5

data on plastic platters that contain a metal layer,

which reflects the laser light back to a sensor in an
optical drive. Optical media such as CDs and DVDs
are called discs.

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