Task 1.2 Explain the hardware, software and peripheral components of a computer system and the functional relation between these components.
Hardware
Hardware refers to tangible objects like disks, disk drives, display screens, keyboards, printers, boards, power supply and system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips). The motherboard store many components (microprocessor, RAM, controller…) and connect every other equipment. The microprocessor is the brain of the computer also known as CPU (Central Processing Unit) and will process the calculations and instructions of the computer.
The CPU deals with each instruction as follow; first the instruction will be found in the memory, the instruction will then be
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The pages and the ink are the hardware, while the words, sentences, paragraphs, and the overall meaning are the software. A computer without software is like a book full of blank pages -- you need software to make the computer useful just as you need words to make a book meaningful. (Anon., 2012).
Computer software is available in different forms and types and can be classified into three categories.
1. System software:
It is the most important component for running a system or computer. Also known as operating system it helps start a computer and works as a main platform in order to run any application. One of the most popular operating system is Microsoft 's OS (Anon., 2014).
2. Application software :
It is a set of one or more programs designed to carry out operations for a specific application. Application software such as word processor or web browser depends on system software to execute different tasks using computer. For example, User will be unable to surf on internet without Internet browser software. The Internet browser will be unable to read the page without an operating system software as the browser would not be able to run on the computer. (Anon.,
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For example, most printers can 't do much on their own, and they only become functional when connected to a computer system. Peripheral devices depend on the computer system. (Zandbergen, n.d.)
Peripheral devices fall into three general categories:
1. Input devices, such as Joysticks and digital cameras (COMPUTER HOPE, 2013)
2. Output devices, such as a speaker and a 3D printer (COMPUTER HOPE, 2013)
3. Storage devices, such as a hard drive or USB flash drive and refer to any hardware capable of holding information (COMPUTER HOPE, 2013)
Some devices fall into more than one category. Consider a CD-ROM drive; you can use it to read data or music (input), and you can use it to write data to a CD (output).
Peripheral devices are not essential for the function of the computer. For example, a printer can be disconnected and the computer will keep on working just fine. However, remove the monitor of a desktop computer and it becomes pretty much useless.
Performance
Without the computer hardware I won’t be able to use the computer software for example I use monitor to be able to see and access my data, (edit it).
These devices are attached to the motherboard through different connections. The output devices like monitors and printers can be used by a file server to show different files or print hard copies of files. These devices take the data from the computer and put it into a format that users can read and understand. I would like to take a moment here and go over the different kinds of monitors that a person can use as an output device. The first is the regular CRT monitors are heavy and use a lot of electric power to display objects, but are preferred by graphical artist for the color rendition. Then there are the flat panel monitors, which can use liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or a plasma display. These displays use electronically at each pixel to control the color. The input devices like a keyboards and a mouse. These inputs take the movements from the users and turn it into data that the computer can understand. (Beach,
Imagine a gravely sick person in a hospital bed. Tubes and wires connect him to whirring machines like medical jumper cables; he lays almost lifeless except for the barely perceptible vitality pumped into them by the system of machines we call life support. Take a moment to think about the roles that computers play in this scenario. Now imagine the scene and the patient's condition without computers. That's easy. There is nothing: no slow breathing, no whirring of machines, no dripping IV, no beeping heart monitor. Not only would the person probably be dead, but everything from the reclining bed to the nurse call button to the life support system relies on computers.
The process of allocating a certain amount of memory towards a program is called partition. When the memory is full, the operating system starts to store copies into files in the hard
Software - the programs or language that controls the functioning of the hardware. Table of contents - a section on a CD that lists the locations of files to help a computer locate data.
A computer program is executable software that runs on a PC or computer system (Christensson). An executable file is a type in a computer file that runs a program when it opens (Christensson). Software is the instructions tell the computer what to do (“Software”). Software is the entire set of programs, procedures, and routines associated with the operation of a computer system, including the operating syst...
A CPU has various discrete units to help it in these tasks for example there is an arithmetic and logic unit(ALU) that takes care of all the math and logical data comparisons that need to performed. A control register makes sure everything happens in the right sequence. The motherboard is the main circuit board inside the PC. All other components are either slotted into or soldered to this board.
Operating system is a most important and crucial software system which can help the computer to generate the computer programs runs, because a computer with no operating system will can’t perform well. So that the operating system can connected to input device keyboard or mouse, output device like screen or printer and controlling the disk drive.
By having allocated an address to each partition, it allows the computer to know/identify every location within the memory sub-system. Memory purpose is to (As mentioned in the Von Neumann section of this documentation) to store instruction and hold data, with that data the memory unit will pass on the information to the CC and the ALU, to carry out the calculation and be able to have the data to execute them.
A motherboard is a much larger topic to discuss. The motherboard sometimes referred to as the mainboard, system board, planar board or logic board is the main printed circuit board in computers. It is a large board generally made of silicon that holds basically all of the crucial electronic components of the system. Components such as the CPU, memory, optical drives, video card, sound card and connections for other peripherals are fixed on the motherboard. Motherboards vary greatly as far as what components they are compatible with. Each mother board only supports one type of (CPU).
We all use output devices in our normal day to day life, most of us use them a lot more than we may realize now that we are in school. An output device is any processing equipment used to communicate the results of data carried out by a computer or other processing devices which turns information into an easier form for us to read. (Wikipedia).
A storage device is the system where your computer stores and retrieves your data. Storage devices can be a hard disk drive, DVD, CD drives, Blu-Ray drives or flash drives. A computer can retrieve the data by being “commanded” to retrieve it from the storage area and retrieve it to your RAM. The RAM of the computer is your temporary memory where your data is inputted, and then processed and stored onto a storage device for permanent placement.
A computer is a combination of several parts. These parts are Random Access Memory (RAM), a Central Processing
In designing a computer system, architects consider five major elements that make up the system's hardware: the arithmetic/logic unit, control unit, memory, input, and output. The arithmetic/logic unit performs arithmetic and compares numerical values. The control unit directs the operation of the computer by taking the user instructions and transforming them into electrical signals that the computer's circuitry can understand. The combination of the arithmetic/logic unit and the control unit is called the central processing unit (CPU). The memory stores instructions and data.
The motherboard is the main circuit board of your computer and is also known as the mainboard or logic board. If you ever open your computer, the biggest piece of silicon you see is the motherboard. Attached to the motherboard, you'll find the CPU, ROM, memory RAM expansion slots, PCI slots, and USB ports. It also includes controllers for devices like the hard drive, DVD drive, keyboard, and mouse. Basically, the motherboard is what makes everything in your computer work together.