Peripheral Devices and Media

Question 1

What are input devices?

Answer 1

Input devices are used to allow us to enter information into a computer system. This might be, for example, to control a character in a game, click on a shortcut icon on your desktop, or type data into a spreadsheet.

Question 2

What is a keyboard?

Answer 2

A keyboard is an input device made up of a panel of keys. It is used to input alphanumeric characters, symbols and simple commands into a computer. Most common tasks completed on personal computers use a keyboard, such as using office software to produce reports and spreadsheets.

Question 3

What is a mouse?

Answer 3

A mouse is a pointing device that allows a user to control a cursor on the screen in order to select objects that are displayed. We use it most commonly on desktop computers in order to navigate around the graphical user interface. A trackball is an alternative to a mouse that is commonly used by people with disabilities that affect their hand coordination.

Question 4

What is a microphone?

Answer 4

A microphone is an audio input device that allows a user to enter sounds into the computer system. This is commonly used for holding VoIP conversations but is also used for recording your voice, such as for a podcast or a vlog.

Question 5

What is a webcam?

Answer 5

A webcam is a device used to input digital video or still pictures into a computer system. This is used for VoIP conversation so that you can send a video of yourself along with your voice. This lets you see friends and family on the other side of the world. It’s also used for vlogging.

Question 6

What is a game controller?

Answer 6

A game controller is an input device used to control video games. This can come in a gamepad form or in the form of a joystick. These can often contain a force-feedback feature so that the controller rumbles during events in the game.

Question 7

What is a sensor?

Answer 7

A sensor is an input device that takes readings from the environment such as temperature or light. An example of where this could be used is a thermostat that detects temperature and turns your heating on or off.

Question 8

What is a scanner?

Answer 8

A scanner is an input device that converts documents into digital data so that they can be viewed and edited on a computer system. This can be used to scan in hard copies of photos for editing or sharing online. It can also be used with OCR software to scan in documents for editing.

Question 9

What is a graphics tablet?

Answer 9

A graphics tablet is an input device consisting of a flat board and pointing device known as stylus. It allows users to enter data much like they’re using pen & paper. Graphic designers commonly use these to produce illustrations, such as designing logos.

Question 10

Can you think of any further input devices we use?

Answer 10

Think about the different types of input devices used in video games for example.

Question 11

What are output devices?

Answer 11

Output devices are used to send data from a digital device to a user or another device. This could be so you can see the photo you’ve just taken on your digital camera, to print out a hard copy of the report you’ve just written, or to hear the voice of someone you’re having a VoIP conversation with.

Question 12

What is a monitor?

Answer 12

A monitor is an output device that outputs a visual display of the user interface of any software that is currently being used on the computer. We use it so we can see the data we are working with and can interact with it. Without the monitor, we wouldn’t be able to see the effect of our inputs.

Question 13

What is a projector?

Answer 13

A projector is an alternative to a monitor for outputting a visual display from the computer. The difference is it projects the visual display onto a wall or screen. This is popular for watching television and film on, as well as in the classroom to display a presentation.

Question 14

What is a printer?

Answer 14

A printer is an output device that is used to produce physical copies of the documents & images produced using a computer system. Braille embossers are a type of printer that outputs in braille so that those with visual impairments can read it. 3D printers produce objects based on models created in CAD software.

Question 15

What is a plotter?

Answer 15

A plotter is a type of printer that is designed to print out vector graphic images. It typically prints to a very high quality on very large paper. This is most typically used in computer-aided engineering for printing out designs produced in CAD software.

Question 16

What are speakers?

Answer 16

Speakers are an output device designed to produce audio output by converting the digital audio signal from a computer into an analogue signal. It is commonly used to listen to music and to take part in VoIP conversations or video conferencing. Headphones are another auditory output device that is more private & portable.

Question 17

What is an actuator?

Answer 17

An actuator is an output device that produces motion. We use it to control or move things. They are commonly used with sensors as part of ‘Ubiquitous Computing’ devices. An example could be an actuator that turns our heating on or off.

Question 18

What is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)?

Answer 18

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are commonly used as the primary storage devices in a computer system, particularly servers and desktop computers. They are also used as a secondary storage device and can be external from the main computer system. HDDs are a form of magnetic storage that consists of a number of disks ma

Question 19

How do HDDs store data?

Answer 19

The hard disk drive magnetises and demagnetises billions of tiny individual areas on the platter. Because computers store all data in 1’s or 0’s (known as binary), we can store our data this way as a magnetised area represents a 1 and a demagnetised area represents a 0.

Question 20

What are the advantages of using an HDD?

Answer 20

HDDs offer a big storage capacity at relatively low cost. You can get a terabyte (1000 gigabyte) HDD for less than £50. They are also considered a reliable storage method as they have a long life span and tend not to fail outright.

Question 21

What are the disadvantages of using an HDD?

Answer 21

HDDs have a relatively slow read/write speed, particularly when compared to their main alternative, the Solid State Drive. They also have a number of moving parts, which means knocks can easily damage the device. This makes it generally a risky option as a portable storage device. They’re also not as portable as other options as they’re heavier and bulkier than many alternatives.

Question 22

Does your computer use a hard disk drive?

Answer 22

Research what types of digital devices generally don’t use hard disks and why?

Question 23

What is a Solid State Drive (SSD)?

Answer 23

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are often used as a portable storage device with a large capacity. However, they are also commonly used as the primary storage device in laptops and recently in desktop computers. SSDs are a form of flash memory storage that store data using semiconductor chips.

Question 24

How do SSDs store data?

Answer 24

The semiconductor chips in an SSD can be switched to either an “on” or “off” state. The “on” state representing a 1 and the “off” state representing a 0. This is storing data in much the same way as your computer’s RAM, except the solid state drive will remember the data even after the computer is turned off.

Question 25

What are the advantages of using an SSD?

Answer 25

SSDs have very fast read/write speeds, especially compared to hard disk drives. This makes it faster to turn on your computer, load programs and save files. They also consume less power than HDDs, making them very useful for devices that often run off of battery power, such as laptops. Because they have no moving parts, they are less likely to be damaged by knocks and bumps, which makes them useful as portable storage devices.

Question 26

What are the disadvantages of using an SSD?

Answer 26

SSDs are quite a bit more expensive than HDDs. A 1 terabyte SSD will cost you over £200 (compared to under £50 for an HDD). Because of this heightened cost, this means that generally, SSDs will have a lower storage capacity than HDDs. SSDs have a finite number of writes before they no longer work. This makes them less useful for devices that require regular writing to the disk (like many servers).

Question 27

What is a USB Flash Drive?

Answer 27

A USB Flash Drive is a portable storage device that involves a USB connector and flash memory in order to store data with portability in mind. They are commonly used for transferring data between different computers, as well as to back up our files. USB flash drives use flash storage, much like SSDs, and so they store data the same way.

Question 28

What are the advantages of using a USB Flash Drive?

Answer 28

USB flash drives are very portable storage devices, due to their small size, light-weight & easy connectivity to other devices (using a built-in USB connector). Much like SSDs, because they have no moving parts, this makes them durable and reliable as they’re unlikely to be damaged by knocks and bumps. The USB connector built into the device makes them highly compatible with devices, which usually include a USB interface.

Question 29

What are the disadvantages of using a USB Flash Drive?

Answer 29

Due to the devices small physical size, USB flash drives can be very easy to lose. E.g. lost in a bag, down the back of a sofa, slipping out of your pocket without noticing. Much like SSDs, USB flash drives have a finite amount of writes. This is less of a concern with USB though as you don’t usually write to a USB flash drive often enough for this to become an issue. Compared to HDDs and SSDs, USB flash drives have a low storage capacity. Up to 128gb is quite common, though you can get larger, but it quickly becomes very expensive.

Question 30

What is an SD Card?

Answer 30

An SD Card, short for “Secure Digital Card”, is a very small memory card that is used commonly in digital cameras, as well as in mobile devices like smartphones. This is because they’re small enough to fit inside these portable devices, while still being removable for transferring data. Like USB flash drives and SSDs, SD cards use flash memory and so store data in the same way.

Question 31

What are the advantages of using an SD Card?

Answer 31

SD cards are extremely small and portable, even compared to USB flash drives. This makes it very easy to transfer data between devices (as long as they have an SD card reader). Again, like other forms of flash memory, they are a reliable storage device that is less likely to take damage from bumps. Though they are flimsier than other flash storage due to their small size.

Question 32

What are the disadvantages of using an SD Card?

Answer 32

SD cards have a low storage capacity compared to other storage devices. 32-64 GB is common, though larger is possible, anything over 128 GB is expensive. There is quite a lot of variety in SD cards. SD, SDHC, SDXS are common, as well as mini and micro SD cards. There are also other types of flash memory card other than SD. This can lead to problems with compatibility with SD card readers.

Question 33

What is an Optical Disk?

Answer 33

CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray disks, are all examples of optical disks. They’re most commonly used for storing music, films, tv & software, for distribution by suppliers (i.e. game publishers distribute games on disk to retail stores to sell). All of these different types of disk are a form of optical storage.

Question 34

How do Optical Disks store data?

Answer 34

Optical storage works by using a laser to mark the disks in a pattern. A light is then bounced off the disk and is read back differently depending on whether the light bounces off a marked or non-marked area. Marked areas are known as “pits” and represent 0’s in binary, non-marked areas are known as “lands” and represent 1’s in binary.

Question 35

What are the advantages of using an Optical Disk?

Answer 35

The vast majority of personal computers, as well as many other types of digital devices, have optical disk drives and so can read the disks. They’re a small storage media, which makes them highly portable. This is why they’re used for distributing things like software and films.

Question 36

What are the disadvantages of using an Optical Disk?

Answer 36

An individual optical disk has quite a small storage capacity. A Blu-Ray can store up to 50GB of data. Optical disks are also easy to damage. They’re quite flimsy, and also are easy to scratch which can damage the data it is storing. Optical disks only work for a finite number of writes. CDRW disks, for example, can be written to around 1000 times.

Question 37

What is Manual Data Processing?

Answer 37

Manual data processing involves an individual entering data into the computer themselves, usually by typing on a keyboard, though it could be by clicking on objects with a mouse, using a touchscreen or giving voice commands. We might use this for all sorts of reasons, such as a hotel clerk entering customer booking details using a keyboard to type data into a bookings database.

Question 38

What is Automatic Data Processing?

Answer 38

Automatic data processing helps resolves problems with manual data entry as the role of data entry is taken away from individual users. Instead, specialist devices will interpret data, converting from its physical source into digital data stored on the computer. Examples of this include optical mark readers that are used to enter data from pre-printed forms and barcode readers for inputting product details automatically by scanning the barcode on the back of the device and matching it with a database.

Question 39

What are the advantages of using Manual Data Processing?

Answer 39

Manual data entry can handle any data type and staff are very likely to be familiar with manual data entry methods. This means that staff will not require training to be able to input data.

Question 40

What are the disadvantages of using Manual Data Processing?

Answer 40

People are prone to making mistakes, such as typos, which causes incorrect results after the data is processed. Poorly designed forms can make this even worse. It takes time for individuals to enter data manually into a computer system and perform processing. Double entry is also required to ensure data integrity which takes even longer.

Question 41

What are the advantages of using Automatic Data Processing?

Answer 41

Data accuracy is usually much greater as entry won’t be subject to human error. This is not true if OCR is involved though, which can be affected by poor handwriting. Data entry can be completed much more quickly as forms can be read through at fast rates and without breaks. This also saves cost on hiring data entry staff.

Question 42

What are the disadvantages of using Automatic Data Processing?

Answer 42

Only very specific data ranges can be inputted usually, so it cannot handle more complex data. OCR can handle more complex data but not with good accuracy. New automatic data entry processes usually require data entry staff to receive training. This is both expensive & time-consuming.

Question 43

What is Adaptive Technology?

Answer 43

Adaptive Technology refers to specialist input and output devices that are used to improve accessibility for people with physical disabilities. These devices provide an alternative method of input and output in order to access a computer system and the services they provide.

Question 44

What is a Trackball?

Answer 44

A trackball acts as an alternative to a mouse. This device is made up of a ball that sits within a holder that can be rotated in order to move the cursor on the screen. This can be easier to use for people with limited mobility.

Question 45

What are Braille & Large Key Keyboards?

Answer 45

Braille keyboards use braille characters on each key of the keyboard. Large key keyboards are keyboards with larger sized keys for typing. They often also include high contrast colouring on the keys. Both of these devices improve accessibility for users with a visual impairment.

Question 46

How do Touchscreens improve accessibility?

Answer 46

While not strictly an accessibility device, touchscreens are often easier for selecting items on screen than using a mouse for users with limited mobility. As you can resize and change the colouring of onscreen elements (such as an onscreen keyboard) this can also help users with visual impairments to access a computer.

Question 47

What is a Braille Embosser?

Answer 47

A Braille Embosser is a printer that will output using braille cells as opposed to standard ink text. This allows people with visual impairments to access the hard copies of their work after printing.

Question 48

What is a Screen Magnifier?

Answer 48

A Screen Magnifier usually attaches to an existing monitor and magnifies the display output to make it easier to see. This is useful for users with a visual impairment.

Question 49

What is an Eye Typer?

Answer 49

An Eye Typer uses a camera mounted on the computer that tracks the user’s eye movement to detect where they are looking in order to enter data with an onscreen keyboard. Clicks can be recorded by blinking slowly. This is used by people with such significant mobility difficulties that they cannot use a keyboard/mouse/trackball.