Unit 1 - Types Of Components Computer Systems

Question 1

What is a hardware and a software?

Answer 1

All computer systems consists on these two main parts.
A Hardware are a physical component of a computer system such as motherboards, memory, sound cards, screens/monitors, keyboards, printers.
A Software are the programs for controlling the operation of a computer of for the processing of electronic data.

Question 2

Internal hardware devices?

The one inside the computer or PC

Answer 2

Motherboard: the main printed circuit board found in computers and contains electrical components such as the the central processing system.
RAM (Random access memory): these are the memory chips that looses all of its data when the device power is turned off.
ROM (Read only memory): is a memory chip where the content can be read but cant be written, the content in this chip when the power is removed it does not looses.
Vídeo card: is an expansion card that generates the signals so that a video output device can display computer data such as text and graphics.
Sound Card: an expansion card that allows a computer to send audio signals to audio devices such as speakers and headphones.
Internal hard disk drive: a rigid magnetic material coated disk onto which programs and data can be stored and situated inside the casing of the computer.

Question 3

External Hardware devices?

The ones that are not in the computer or the PC?

Answer 3

Monitors/screens (output devices)
Keyboards (input device)
Mice (input device)
External storage devices (Portable hard drives, Pen drive/memory sticks)
Printers (print images from a device)
Scanners (Scan images)
Speakers (output sound from devices
Microphones (input sound to a device)

Question 4

What are is Software?

Answer 4

A software are programs for controlling the operation of a computer or for processing electronic data. Softwares consists of sets of instructions that tell the computer hardware what to do. Software are written in computer language, these are made out of 1 and 0.

Question 5

What are Aplications software?

Examples

Answer 5

Applications software programs that are designed to carry out certain operations for a particular application.

Word processing (Microsoft Office): a software that allows the composition, editing, re-formatting, storing and printing documents.
Spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel): a software that stores data in cells, most used in calculations.
Database management system (Microsoft Office): a software that provides facilities for the organisation and management.

Question 6

What is a system software?

Example

Answer 6

A system software are programs that control the computer hardware directly by giving the step by step instructions that tell the computer what to do. Examples of system software are:
Operating systems: An operating system is a program or a suite of programs that controls the system resources and the processes using these resources on a computer.
Compilers: Compilers are programs that change the instructions written in program languages, such as BASIC, into binary numbers (0’s and 1’s). A compiler converts the program written in computer language into binary.
Device drivers: Device drivers are software used to supply instructions to the hardware on how to operate equipment that may be connected to the computer such as printers, scanners keyboards, mice, external hard disk drive…
Linkers: Linkers are programs that are usually port of the compiler. Linkers take care of the linking from a software to another.
Utilities: Utility programs are provided as part of the system software and they help the user with everyday tasks.

Question 7

What are Operating systems?

Examples.

Answer 7

Operating systems are programs that control the hardware directly by giving the step-by-step instructions that tell the computer hardware what to do. These are composed by the following:

Handles inputs and outputs
Recognises the hardware
Supervises the running of other programs
Handles the storage of data 
Maximises the use of computer memory
Handles interrupts and decides what action to take

Question 8

The types of interface used with operating systems

Answer 8

An operating system needs a way of interacting with the user.

Graphical user interface (GUI): these are very easy to use and have features as icons, menus, pointers… Examples are Windows and Mac iOS.

Command line/ driven interface (CLI)

Question 9

Graphical user interface

Answer 9

Graphical user interfaces (GUI) are very popular because they are easy to use. Instead pf typing commands, you point at them and you click on it. Windos and Mac’s operating systems use graphical uses interfaces, Main features of GUI:

Windows.
Icons.
Menus.
Pointer.

Question 10

The benefits of GUI and CLI

Answer 10

+ A GUI is considered by most people to be more user friendly. Uses simples tasks.
- A GUI takes up more hard disk space when being stored.
+ A CLI doesn’t need so much space like ROM and RAM when getting started up.
- You need to learn and remember many commands.