Our Digital World
Second Edition
Chapter 3
Computer Hardware and Peripherals:
Your Digital Toolbox
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This chapter will help you be able to:
• Identify and explain functions of the computer
system.
• Understand how a computer uses memory.
• Identify input and output devices.
• Explain features to look for when purchasing a
computer.
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Main Topics
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3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
A World of Digital Devices
The Parts That Make Up Your Computer
Input and Output Devices
Purchasing a Computer
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Why Should You Care?
• Be part of the technology age.
• Choose peripherals.
• Know how to make computer buying choices.
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3.1 A World of Digital Devices
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How Many Digital Devices Do You
Own?
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• peripheral device
Terms to Know
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Ask Yourself…
Digital devices all have some form of
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Memory.
operating system.
power source.
Storage.
All of the above
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3.2 The Parts That Make Up
Your Computer
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What’s Contained on the Motherboard?
• The primary circuit
board
• The CPU
• ROM and BIOS
• RAM
• Sound, graphics, and
other expansion cards
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Power Supply
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All computing devices have a power supply.
Includes power cords, batteries, solar cells.
What’s in the box?
AC to DC.
Reducing power usage.
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Ports
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Storage
• Storage media read data from media and write
data to media.
• Storage media are accessed using drives and
include:
– Hard disks.
– Optical drives.
– External hard drives.
– Flash drives.
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motherboard
read-only memory (ROM)
BIOS
expansion card
PC card
multicore processor
parallelized
power supply
Terms to Know
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port
physical port
serial port
universal serial bus (USB) port
FireWire port
Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port
MIDI
Terms to Know
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drive
hard disk
CD
DVD
Blue-ray disc
optical drive
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optoelectronic sensor
external hard drive
network attached storage (NAS)
flash drive
flash memory
solid-state drive (SSD)
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Ask Yourself…
What is a motherboard?
a.
b.
c.
d.
a computer chip
the primary circuit board
a storage device
the hard disc
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3.3 Input and Output Devices
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An Assortment of Input Devices
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Keyboard and mouse
Scanner
Webcam
Gaming devices
Electronic pen
RFID reader
Touchscreen
Microphone
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• Bar code readers scan bar code.
• Used to track sales and inventory.
Computers in Your Career
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Keystroke Logging Software
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Malware delivered to your computer.
Records keystrokes as you type.
Sends information to a remote location.
Protect against it using antivirus and
spyware software.
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Computer Output
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Monitors and speakers.
Printers and faxes.
Projectors.
Virtual reality displays.
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input device
output device
keyboard
mouse
infrared technology
touchpad
scanner
webcam
Terms to Know
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gaming device
wired data gloves
mobile Internet device (MID)
assistive technology device
electronic pen
bar code reader
RFID reader
microphone
keystroke logging software
Terms to Know
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monitor
speaker
Bluetooth headset
TFT active matrix liquid crystal
display (LCD)
• plasma displays
• surface-conduction electron-emitter
display (SED)
• organic light emitting diode (OLED)
Terms to Know
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printer
photo printer
thermal printer
plotter
fax machine
LCD projector
document camera
interactive whiteboard (IWB)
virtual reality system
Terms to Know
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Ask Yourself…
Which of these is an input device?
a.
b.
c.
d.
monitor
speaker
microphone
printer
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3.4 Purchasing a Computer
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Analyze Your Computing Needs
• Do you need a high-speed Internet connection?
• Do you need portability?
• Will you do more than browse the Web and
check email?
• Do you work with high-end graphics or video
files?
• What’s your budget?
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Processor Speed
• Influences how fast programs run and tasks are
performed.
• Measured in gigahertz (GHz).
• Multicore.
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Memory and Storage
• RAM chips include DRAM, SRAM, and
SDRAM.
• RAM rated by access speed in megahertz
(MHz).
• Memory size measured in megabytes (MB)
• Hard drive capacity measured in gigabytes
(GB).
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Operating System
• Windows.
• Linux.
• Mac OS X.
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High-end Graphics or Sound
• Choosing a graphics card.
• Consider the quality of your sound card.
• Gaming or multimedia computers.
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Can You Future-Proof Your New Digital Device?
• How has the lifespan of the typical PC changed over the
years?
• What are the things you should look for in a PC to ensure
that it will last as long as possible?
• Does innovation suffer when people are holding on to their
PCs longer?
• Why do smart phones and tablet computers have a shorter
life span at the moment?
• When might the life cycle of smart phones and tablet
computers increase significantly?
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processor speed
gigahertz (GHz)
Moore’s Law
memory capacity
access speed
megahertz (MHz)
gigabytes (GB)
wireless adapter
clock speed
Terms to Know
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Ask Yourself…
Which of these manufacture Macintosh
computers?
a.
b.
c.
d.
a variety of manufacturers
Macintosh
Apple
IBM
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Our Digital World
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