Input, Output, and Storage devices Flashcards
Input devices…
supply data to the CPU
Output devices…
return data from the CPU
Storage devices…
store data in binary form
Name the 3 optical devices
CD
DVD
Blue-Ray
Describe optical devices
They are read from and written to using laser beams. Binary information is represented by the portions of the device (pits) scatterring light or reflecting light (lands). A pit represents a 0, while a land represents a 1.
Describe CD, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data
b) very portable, light, thin, small
c) slow transfer speeds, limited storage capacity, prone to scratch
Describe DVD, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data
b) Higher storage capacity than CDs, very portable, light, thin, small
c) slow transfer speeds, limited storage capacity, prone to scratch
Describe Blue-Ray, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data
b) Much higher storage capacity than DVDs, very portable, light, thin, small
c) slow transfer speeds, limited storage capacity, prone to scratch
Describe magnetic devices
They represents binary information by using two states: polarised and unpolarised. If an area is polarised then all magnetic poles are aligned, otherwise they are randomly scattered.
Describe HDD, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores large amounts of data
b) High storage capacity
c) slow transfer speeds, prone to damage due to moving parts
Describe magnetic tape, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores large amounts of data
b) adjustable storage by increasing tape size
c) bulky
Describe floppy disks, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data
b) limited storage capacity
c) thin, small size, portable, light weight.
Describe flash memory, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data using the NOR logic gate or large amounts of data using the NAND logic gate, both formed by silicoin semi-conductors that represents true or false as high or low state
b) fast, compact, non-volatile
c) costly
Describe SSDs, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) stores small amounts of data
b) limited lifespan due to higher and higher voltage required when re-writing memory, costly
c) resistant to damage due to movement, small size, portable, light weight, high data transfer rates.
State the 2 primary storage
RAM and ROM
Describe RAM, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
a) fast
b) expensive, volatile
Describe ROM, stating advantages, disadvantages, and usage.
It cannot be modified
non-volatile
Important things to consider when purchasing an input device include…
the speed
the accuracy of input
the rate of data transfer
how much detail and information can be recorded
cost and
relevance to the task must be considered
What is virtual storage?
Virtual storage is the name given to storing information remotely so that it can be accessed by any computer with access to the same system, for example over the Internet.
Moreover, virtual storage is often an abstraction of multiple drives acting like one. Information stored in the cloud is actually stored on 100s of hard drives or SSDs formatted to act as a single piece of storage.
Examples of virtual storage include
cloud storage services like Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive as well as networked storage used in offices and schools.
Advantages of using virtual storage
It is convenient to access and share.
Disadvantages of using virtual storage
include limitations of a user’s network speed and high costs
Flash memory is used to store…
the user-configurable part of the BIOS.
