Hardware Flashcards
What is hardware?
Hardware is the physical base of any computer, which you can touch and feel. It requires a software in order to actually work in a computer.
What are the types of hardware devices and their descriptions?
Input devices - receives data and gives it to the computer
Output device - outputs the result of processed data
Storage device - stores data
CPU - processes data
What are the two types of input devices and their descriptions?
Manual input device - a lot of human work and interaction required
Direct input device - few human work and interaction required
What are some examples of input devices?
Microphone, finger scanner, camera, mouse, keyboard…
What are some examples of output devices?
Speaker, monitor, printer…
Where can data be stored?
Internal memory, cloud or storage media.
What is a storage device?
Any piece of hardware that can be used to store data.
What are the three types of internal memory and their descriptions?
ROM (read-only memory): permanent/long term memory, cannot be changed, non-volatile, it turns computer on and off
RAM (random access memory): temporary/short term memory, does not work if computer is not on
Hard Disk: non-volatile, main internal memory, made of magnetic material, stores a massive amount of data
What are the types of storage media and some examples?
Magnetic storage media- fixed hard drive, floppy disk, magnetic tape
Optical storage media - blu-ray disc, CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-RW
Solid state storage media - pen drive, flash memory cards, solid state hard drives
What is the CPU?
The CPU is the central processing unit of the computer and it processes all data, a type of hardware.
What are the main components of the CPU and their functions?
ALU (arithmetic logic unit): responsible for carrying out all tasks in the computer
CU (control unit): controls flow of data from input and output devices
IAS (immediate access store): holds all the programs/data used in the moment
What are the main factors that affect the speed of a computer, or the rate at which a CPU can carry out instructions?
Core: receives instructions and carries out necessary tasks to follow them: the more cores a computer has, the quicker it is.
Clock speed: the rate at which the CPU is able to complete instructions, and is measured seeing how many fetch-execute cycles the CPU can complete per second, measure in hertz (one cycle per second - 1Hz).
Cache: small block of memory, contains frequently used instructions so that they are of easy access
What is the fetch-execute cycle and how does it go?
It is the basic instruction cycle a computer has in order to carry out instructions. The RAM fetches the data, the CU decodes it, the ALU executes it and the RAM stores it.
