A computer is a general purpose device that can be programmed to carry out a set of arithmetic or logical operations. Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem.
Computer Hardware and components
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitute a computer system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer, which are divided into different groups such as input, output, storage, and processing. All of which are physical objects that you can touch. In contrast, software is untouchable. Software exists as ideas, applications, concepts, and symbol, but it has no substance. A combination of hardware and software forms a usable computing system. The computer hardware groups are below with all of the devices and how it is used:
Input devices:
* Keyboard- a keyboard is a typing device, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches.
* Image scanner- coverts text, drawings, and photograph into digital form that can be stored in the computer.
* Microphone/Mic/Mike- is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal.
* Mouse- a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons.
* Touchscreen- is an electronic visual display that the user can control through simple or multi-touch gestures by touching the screen with one or more fingers. Some touchscreens can also detect objects such as a stylus or ordinary or specially coated gloves. The user can use the touchscreen to react to what is displayed and to control how it is displayed.
* Webcam- A webcam is a video camera that feeds its image in real time to a computer or computer network.
* Touchpad- A touchpad or trackpad. is a pointing device featuring a tactile sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and position of a user's fingers to a relative position on screen. Touchpads are a common feature of laptop computers, and are also used as a substitute for a mouse where desk space is scarce.
* Joystick- is an input device containing of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal control device in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or side-stick. It often has additional switches to control various aspects of the aircraft's flight.
* Pointing stick- is an isometric joystick used as a pointing device, as with a touchpad or trackball, and typically mounted in a computer keyboard on a laptop or desktop computer. Movements of the pointing stick are echoed on the screen by movements of the pointer and other visual changes.
Output devices:
* Monitor- is an electronic visual display for computers. The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry and an enclosure.
* Printer- a printer is a peripheral which produces a representation of an electronic document on physical media such as paper or transparency film. Many printers are local peripherals connected directly to a nearby personal computer. Individual printers are often designed to support both local and network connected users at the same time. Some printers can print documents stored on memory cards or from digital cameras and scanners.
* Speakers- Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers, are speakers external to a computer that disable the lower fidelity built-in speaker.
* Plotter- is a computer printer for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional