Computer Functions

Question 1

Input

Answer 1

Information that a user physically enters into a computer by pressing a key on a keyboard, clicking a mouse, tapping a touch screen, pushing a button on a game controller, speaking into a microphone, etc.

Question 2

Processing

Answer 2

The operations performed by a computer to retrieve, transform, or classify information.

Question 3

Output

Answer 3

Information that a computer returns to a user such as images on a screen, sounds from speakers, and printed pages.

Question 4

Storage

Answer 4

The saving of information on memory chips, discs, or other storage media by a computer for later use.

Question 5

Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine

Answer 5

An early computing machine that used punched cards and metal pins. It was used to compile the 1890 US census.

Question 6

Transistor

Answer 6

A smaller, faster, cheaper, and more durable electronic device that replaced mechanical relays, which were slow and tended to wear down over time.

Question 7

Microchip

Answer 7

An electronic device that allowed entire computers to be built into a single board, replacing modules for each part of the computer. Microchips paved the way for personal computer ownership.

Question 8

World Wide Web

Answer 8

A system for making digital resources publicly available over the internet using a web browser that paved the way for email, chatrooms, and social media sites.

Question 9

Smartphone

Answer 9

A mobile phone that functions as a computer and allows users to access the internet.

Question 10

Supercomputers

Answer 10

The fastest, most powerful computers that exist at a given time. These computers have processing capabilities designed to solve problems that are too complex for regular computers. They play vital roles in the advancement of national defense, science, and social change.

Question 11

Human-computer Interaction

Answer 11

A field of study that looks at how computers and other kinds of technology interact with humans.