Hardware And Software Essay

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Hardware and software combined with several other devices work together to makes up a computer system. One part has little value without the other. The components need each other to fulfill their potential. The way the components interact allows people to use the computer to complete many different tasks (Ambrose, 2005, p. 58). The purpose of this assessment is to recognize computer system hardware components including devices that perform the functions of input, processing, data storage, and output. The document will briefly describe each of these functions and give examples of the device that perform them. Furthermore, it will mention and describe the different classes of computers as well as briefly describe two classes of software with …show more content…

They enable one to put data into the computer. Key board helps enter numeric and alphabetical data while the mouse controls the pointer on the screen. The central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of the computer. This processing device housed on a silicon chip contains switches and path ways that help the computer make important decisions (Beach, 2004). Data Storage Device and Output Devices To maintain a copy of data, one must store it on some type of storage medium. The floppy diskettes, hard drives, CDs, and flash memory cards are such data storage devices. The output devices display information. The common type of output devices are monitors and printers (Christensson, 2009). Classes of Computers Supercomputers and Microcomputers. Supercomputers are the largest and fastest computers. Government agencies and corporations with volumes of data to process use these computers. Microcomputers are used at domestic level and are generally classified by the operating system they use (Ambrose, 2005, p. 10). This explains that computers are classified by size, speed, and application. So, computers share the same basic

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