Chapter 5 - Input Devices

Question 1

What is Hardware?

Answer 1

It is the physical component of the computer

Question 2

What is Software

Answer 2

program and instructions run on a computer

Question 3

What is an input device?

Answer 3

An input device is a hardware device that allows data to be input into a computer system.

Question 4

Name an input device

Answer 4

Keyboard, mouse, camera, scanner , trackball (different type of mouse) , touch screen, microphone

Question 5

What is the main and most common method of entering data onto a computer?

Answer 5

Keyboard

Question 6

Name 2 advantages of a keyboard

Answer 6

1) Keyboards are very simple to use

2) If a person is trained to type fast then inputting data onto a computer can be very efficient

Question 7

Name 2 disadvantages of a Keyboard

Answer 7

1) It is easy to make a mistake when using a keyboard to input data
2) If a person is not trained to type fast then inputting data can be very slow

Question 8

What is a mouse?

Answer 8

A mouse is an input device that is used o control a pointer or a cursor on a screen. It enabled a user to move the pointer to navigate around the screen.

Question 9

Name 2 advantages of a mouse

Answer 9

1) A mouse is very simple to use

2) A mouse lets the user navigate around the screen efficiently

Question 10

Name 2 disadvantages of using a mouse

Answer 10

1) A user needs a flat surface next to the computer to move the mouse around. If this space is limited it can restrict the use of a mouse.
2) If the roller ball gets to clogged with first, or if dirt covers the optical laser, this can stop a mouse working properly,

Question 11

Optical character recognition (OCR)

Answer 11

A process where text on a scanned document is recognised and converted to digital text.

Question 12

Optical Mark recognition (OMR)

Answer 12

A process where scanned marks on a page are automatically converted to inputs

Question 13

Optical character recognition (OCR)

Answer 13

A process where text on a scanned document is recognised and converted to digital text

Question 14

Definition of Biometric device

Answer 14

A device that recognises human physical characteristics, such as fingerprints.

Question 15

What a biometric device does

Answer 15

They are used to identify people. A persons biological feature are scanned, for example their retina, their fingerprints or their face, and the data from these are stored in a computer system. Once the physical features are scanned again, it will match it with the stored value in the system ( for example Face ID in newer Apple devices such as the iPhone 10/X

Question 16

What is a sensor ?

Answer 16

A device that records physical inputs.

Question 17

What is an analogue?

Answer 17

A signal, or data, that constantly varies

Question 18

Digital

Answer 18

A signal, or data that consists of two states, 1 and 0

Question 19

Name the Advantages of a Barcode

Answer 19

1) A barcode is very efficient method of entering a products details to find out its price.
2) A barcode can be used to help keep record of stock level for a product.

Question 20

Name the Disadvantages of a Barcode

Answer 20

1) If the barcode is damaged, not printed clearly, or rubbed away in part, it may not scan properly
2) If the barcode data has not been recorded in the computer system, the barcode scanner will not be able to find it.

Question 21

Def of Encoding

Answer 21

The process of converting data or information into a particular form

Question 22

Advantages of a Digital Camera

Answer 22

1) Immediately seen on screen
2) Back up copies can be made of any digital images taken
3) Images taken with a DG can easily be shared
4) It can be easily edited

Question 23

Disadvantages of a Digital Camera

Answer 23

1) If the Camera has very few pixels, the image quality will be lowered
2) When the photo is taken, it can be easily seen and shared, it can also be accidentally shared without the user wanting it to be shared.
3) If the user has a lot of photos then additional storage will be needed

Question 24

Analogue-to-digital converter (ADC)

Answer 24

A device that converts analogue data into digital data.

Question 25

Expansion on ADC

Answer 25

A microphone is an analogue input device that records sound, since computers operate digitally, the analogue sound waves must be converted into digital format before the computer can process it. The operation is performed using an ADC.