Chapter 3
Computer Hardware and Peripherals: Your Digital Toolbox
Chapter Outline
3.1 A World of Digital Devices
3.2 The Parts That Make Up
Your Computer
What’s Contained on the
Motherboard?
Key Terms
peripheral device
Take the Next Step: Activity
3.2.1
Power Supply
Ports
Storage
multicore processor
parallelized
power supply
port
physical port
serial port
universal serial bus (USB)
port
FireWire port
Infrared Data Association
(IrDA) port
MIDI
drive
Hard Disks
hard disk
Optical Drives
CD
DVD
Blu-ray disc
optical drive
optoelectronic sensor
external hard drive
External Hard Drives
Flash Drives
Take the Next Step: Activity
3.2.3
3.3 Input and Output Devices
Our Digital World
© Paradigm Publishing, Inc.
motherboard
read-only memory
(ROM)
BIOS
expansion card
PC Card
flash drive
flash memory
input device
output device
Study Questions
What makes a device "peripheral"?
What are the basic components of a
computer?
What is the function of the motherboard?
What is on the motherboard?
How does a multicore processor system
work?
What job does the power supply do?
What do ports do?
What are the different types of ports that
might be found on a computer?
How are drives identified on a Windowsbased computer?
How are they identified on Macintosh
computers?
What are the basic components of a hard
disk?
How are data stored to and retrieved from
optical drives?
How do external hard drives connect to
your computer?
What are they typically used for?
What are some other names for flash
drives?
How are flash drives used?
What devices can be built into your
computer to enable communications?
What are some examples of input and
output devices?
Page 1 of 3
Chapter Outline
A Wide Assortment of Input
Devices
Getting Things Out of Your
Computer with Output
Devices
Monitors and Speakers
Printers and Faxes
Devices That Project Computer
Content
Virtual Reality Displays
Take the Next Step: Activity
3.3.1
Key Terms
keyboard
mouse
infrared technology
touchpad
scanner
webcam
gaming device
wired data gloves
electronic pen
stylus
bar code reader
RFID reader
microphone
keystroke logging
software
Study Questions
What types of input devices can be used
with a computer?
When was the mouse introduced?
What technologies can be found in the
various types of mice?
How does a touchpad work?
How do scanners work?
What types of scanners are mentioned in
Chapter 3?
What other types of input devices are
discussed in Chapter 3, and how are
they used?
monitor
speaker
Bluetooth headset
TFT active matrix liquid
crystal display (LCD)
plasma display
surface-conduction
electron-emitter (SED)
organic light-emitting
diodes (OLED)
printer
photo printer
thermal printer
plotter
fax machine
What types of computing devices send
output to a monitor?
What are the different technologies used
in today's monitors?
LCD projector
document camera
virtual reality system
3.4 Purchasing a Computer
What Are Your Computing
Needs?
What Processor Speed Do You
Need?
How Much Memory and
Storage Is Enough?
processor speed
gigahertz (GHz)
Moore's Law
memory capacity
access speed
megahertz (MHz)
gigabytes (GB)
Our Digital World: Introduction to Computing
© Paradigm Publishing, Inc.
What are the basic ways content can be
output from a computer?
When were laser printers introduced?
What types of specialized printers are
discussed in Chapter 3, and how do
they work?
Why is a fax machine considered a
computer output device?
What technologies are used to project
computer output?
How do virtual reality systems work?
How do touchscreens in computers and
cell phones work?
Why do people sometimes feel
overwhelmed when deciding which
computer to purchase?
What factors might go into determining
your computing needs?
What impact does processor speed have?
What is Moore's Law and how does it
relate to processing speed?
What are the different types of RAM?
How does RAM's access speed affect
computer operations?
How is a computer's hard drive capacity
measured?
Chapter 3 Study Notes
Page 2 of 3
Chapter Outline
Spotlight on the Future
Podcast: Can You FutureProof Your New PC?
Key Terms
Which Operating System Is
Right for You?
How Do You Want to Connect
with the Online World?
wireless adaptor
What Are You Willing to
Spend?
Should You Opt for Higher-End
Graphics and Sound?
Take the Next Step: Activity
3.4.1
clock speed
Our Digital World: Introduction to Computing
© Paradigm Publishing, Inc.
Study Questions
Which is more "future-proof" in terms of
ease of upgrading – desktops or
notebook computers?
What two components should you focus
on when buying a computer that will
be useful as far into the future as
possible?
What are the pros and cons of Windows?
What is Linux?
What can you expect if you choose a
Macintosh?
What can you expect from today's
computers with regard to online
connectivity?
What types of computers (desktops,
laptops, netbooks) are most/least
expensive?
What should you consider in terms of
where to shop?
What factors affect whether you should
consider higher-end graphics or
sound?
What affects your computer's speed?
Chapter 3 Study Notes
Page 3 of 3