Input and Output, Storage

Question 1

what is an input device?

Answer 1

a device that is used to pass data into the computer

Question 2

what are some examples of input devices ?

Answer 2

keyboard
mouse
scanner
microphone

Question 3

what is an output device ?

Answer 3

devices used to report the results of processing data

Question 3

what are some output devices?

Answer 3

monitor, speaker, printer

Question 4

what are storage devices?

Answer 4

devices that are used to permanently store data when the power is switched off

Question 5

what are the three main categories of storage devices?

Answer 5

• magnetic
• flash
• optical

Question 6

what is magnetic storage ?

Answer 6

Type of secondary storage that uses magnets to read and store data.

Question 7

What are some examples of magnetic storage?

Answer 7

HDDs
zip drives
floppy disks

Question 8

what are the advantages of magnetic storage?

Answer 8

they tend to have a high capacity at a low cost

Question 9

what are some disadvantages of magnetic storage?

Answer 9

they can be noisy due to the parts moving at a high speed and can be damaged if moved too quickly.

Question 10

what is flash memory?

Answer 10

where data is stored on memory chips. these can have their contents erased and overwritten if an electrical charge is applied.

Question 11

what are the advantages of flash memory?

Answer 11

• they have no moving parts therefore leads to lower power consumption
  -higher read/write speeds than magnetic or optical
  -require less space and operate silently

Question 12

what are the disadvantages of flash memory?

Answer 12

• expensive

Question 13

what are the advantages of optical storage?

Answer 13

• cheap
• resilient
• portable

Question 13

what is optical storage?

Answer 13

works by using a laser and by looking at its reflection

Question 14

what does RAM stand for?

Answer 14

Random Access Memory

Question 15

what are some examples of optical storage?

Answer 15

• CD
• DVDs
• Blu-ray Discs

Question 16

what is RAM?

Answer 16

where the user files applications, and software currently. in use are temporarily stored.

Question 17

what are the disadvantages of RAM?

Answer 17

• it is volatile meaning it loses its contents when the power is off.
  -it is large
• it is editable which means users can alter saved contents of files in current use

Question 18

what are the advantages of RAM?

Answer 18

• operates at a much faster speed than secondary storage media
• the processor can access its data locations directly and equally as quickly as any other data location

Question 19

what does ROM stand for?

Answer 19

Read Only Memory

Question 20

what is ROM?

Answer 20

a small memory that can be read from but not written to

Question 21

where should the ROM be stored?

Answer 21

Read-only medium which is non-volatile meaning the contents of its memory are not erased when the power is off

Question 22

what is virtual storage?

Answer 22

combination of physical storage devices into a virtual single storage device

Question 23

what are the advantages of virtual storage?

Answer 23

• remote storage and software
• accessible anywhere
• no need to hire specialist staff or to back up
• security is someone else’s responsibility