Our Digital WorldSecond Edition

Chapter 3

Computer Hardware and Peripherals: Your Digital Toolbox

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This chapter will help you be able to:

• Identify and explain functions of the computer system.

• Understand how a computer uses memory.• Identify input and output devices.• Explain features to look for when purchasing a

computer.

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Main Topics• 3.1 A World of Digital Devices• 3.2 The Parts That Make Up Your Computer• 3.3 Input and Output Devices• 3.4 Purchasing a Computer

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Why Should You Care?

• Be part of the technology age.

• Choose peripherals.

• Know how to make computer buying choices.

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3.1 A World of Digital Devices

How Many Digital Devices Do You Own?

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Terms to Know

• peripheral device

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Ask Yourself…

Digital devices all have some form ofa. Memory.

b. operating system.

c. power source.

d. Storage.

e. All of the above

3.2 The Parts That Make Up Your Computer

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What’s Contained on the Motherboard?

• The primary circuit board

• The CPU• ROM and BIOS• RAM• Sound, graphics, and

other expansion cards

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Power Supply

• All computing devices have a power supply.• Includes power cords, batteries, solar cells.• What’s in the box?• AC to DC.• Reducing power usage.

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Ports

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Storage

• Storage media read data from media and write data to media.

• Storage media are accessed using drives and include:– Hard disks.– Optical drives.– External hard drives.– Flash drives.

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Terms to Know

• motherboard• read-only memory (ROM)• BIOS• expansion card• PC card• multicore processor• parallelized• power supply

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Terms to Know

• port• physical port• serial port• universal serial bus (USB) port• FireWire port• Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port• MIDI

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• drive• hard disk• CD• DVD• Blue-ray disc• optical drive

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• optoelectronic sensor• external hard drive• network attached storage (NAS)• flash drive• flash memory• solid-state drive (SSD)

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Ask Yourself…

What is a motherboard?a. a computer chip

b. the primary circuit board

c. a storage device

d. the hard disc

3.3 Input and Output Devices

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An Assortment of Input Devices

• Keyboard and mouse• Scanner• Webcam• Gaming devices• Electronic pen• RFID reader• Touchscreen• Microphone

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Computers in Your Career

• Bar code readers scan bar code.• Used to track sales and inventory.

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Keystroke Logging Software

• Malware delivered to your computer.• Records keystrokes as you type.• Sends information to a remote location.• Protect against it using antivirus and

spyware software.

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Computer Output

• Monitors and speakers.• Printers and faxes.• Projectors.• Virtual reality displays.

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Terms to Know

• input device• output device• keyboard• mouse• infrared technology• touchpad• scanner• webcam

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Terms to Know

• gaming device• wired data gloves• mobile Internet device (MID)• assistive technology device• electronic pen• bar code reader• RFID reader• microphone• keystroke logging software

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Terms to Know

• monitor• speaker• Bluetooth headset• TFT active matrix liquid crystal

display (LCD)• plasma displays• surface-conduction electron-emitter

display (SED)• organic light emitting diode (OLED)

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Terms to Know

• printer• photo printer• thermal printer• plotter• fax machine• LCD projector• document camera• interactive whiteboard (IWB)• virtual reality system

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Ask Yourself…

Which of these is an input device?a. monitor

b. speaker

c. microphone

d. printer

3.4 Purchasing a Computer

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Analyze Your Computing Needs

• Do you need a high-speed Internet connection?

• Do you need portability?• Will you do more than browse the Web and

check email?• Do you work with high-end graphics or video

files? • What’s your budget?

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Processor Speed

• Influences how fast programs run and tasks are performed.

• Measured in gigahertz (GHz).• Multicore.

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Memory and Storage

• RAM chips include DRAM, SRAM, and SDRAM.

• RAM rated by access speed in megahertz (MHz).

• Memory size measured in megabytes (MB)• Hard drive capacity measured in gigabytes

(GB).

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Operating System

• Windows.• Linux.• Mac OS X.

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High-end Graphics or Sound

• Choosing a graphics card.• Consider the quality of your sound card.• Gaming or multimedia computers.

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Can You Future-Proof Your New Digital Device?

• How has the lifespan of the typical PC changed over the years?

• What are the things you should look for in a PC to ensure that it will last as long as possible?

• Does innovation suffer when people are holding on to their PCs longer?

• Why do smart phones and tablet computers have a shorter life span at the moment?

• When might the life cycle of smart phones and tablet computers increase significantly?

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Terms to Know

• processor speed• gigahertz (GHz)• Moore’s Law• memory capacity• access speed• megahertz (MHz)• gigabytes (GB)• wireless adapter• clock speed

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Ask Yourself…

Which of these manufacture Macintosh computers?

a. a variety of manufacturers

b. Macintosh

c. Apple

d. IBM

Our Digital World

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