What is hardware?

What is hardware?The physical components of a computer including the

keyboard, monitor, disk drive, internal

What is hardware?

The physical components of a computer including the keyboard, monitor,

disk drive, internal chips and wiring. The purpose of hardware is to

help you input data into the computer and to give you information.

Hardware consists of input and output devices. An input device is a

device that puts data into the computer. For example when you type on

a keyboard, you are “inputting” information (text) the computer. An

output device is a device that “gives out” information, the most

common output device is a monitor. A monitor sends out signals what

makes us see all the actions it makes.

This diagram is of just some of the inputs and output devices of a

computer.

Hardware used

Keyboard

The QWERTY keyboard is the most common way to enter text and numerical

data into a computer. It is called a QUERTY keyboard because the first

six letters across the top line are Q U E R T Y. Each key is a

switch, and when pressed, sends a digital code to the computer.

Keyboards come in many shapes and sizes depending on the computer. A

keyboard is used for lots of things, buts its main job is entering

data into the computer, from written documents. Keyboards are used for

typing up memos, letters, reports and many others using word

processing software.

Advantages

* Nearly every computer has a keyboard; it is a very important piece

of hardware to the computer.

* A skilled typist can enter data into the computer very quickly and

easily.

* It is reliable for data input of numbers and text.

* You can get specialised keyboards to suit your needs.

Disadvantages

* It is very easy to make a mistake when you are typing data into

the computer.

* It is difficult to enter some data, like pictures, graphs or

diagrams.

* If you are not very good at typing, or you have not typed before,

it can take a long time to enter all of the data into the

computer.

OCR Scanner

An OCR Scanner is a way in which we can capture still images or text

to be used and stored into the computer. The scanner uses light to

capture the picture or text. It shines a light onto the paper and

measures the amount of light reflected back from each part of the

page.

For example, a scanner is often required to convert photographs which

may be used in a desktop published document.

Advantages

* Any image can be converted into digital format from paper and then