The Components of a Computer and Information Processing System

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The Components of a Computer and Information Processing System In today’s world, computers are everywhere. People use them in a wide range of ways in every aspect of life whether it is interacting with friends, cooking a meal, or transferring funds from one account to another. However, many people do not think about the many aspects of computing and the various devices and software that are part of the information process. Basics of the Computer A computer is a device that can be programmed to perform a specific operation. Computers take input from human operators and process it into something the user can see on an output device (Computer, 2012). Hardware/Software Hardware and software are what make up computers. Hardware is the physical aspect of a computer. The monitor, mouse, keyboard, and the computer itself would all be hardware. Software is the program that runs on a computer like Apple’s OS X Lion, for example. Software is usually thought of as something involved with computers but it can actually be used on other forms of hardware such as cell phones, GPS devices, or PDAs (Kayne, 2012). Basic Components of a Computer Computers today come in many different shapes and sizes. However, the basic components that make up computers are all generally the same. The computer case is where all the other components are stored. The brain of the computer is the CPU, or central processing unit. It is used to process all the functions the computer performs. RAM is where data is temporarily stored and accessed and is attached to the motherboard. The motherboard is the most important component; it connects all the other hardware in a computer system. A power supply sends the other hardware power so that they can run. Hard drives are... ... middle of paper ... ...Networking Hardware. (2012, January 20). Retrieved 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Networking_hardware Networks. (2012). Retrieved 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_network Process (computing). (2012, January 16). Retrieved 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_%28computing%29 Beach, T. E. (2010, September 7). Computer Terminology. Retrieved 2012, from Computer Concepts and Terminology: http://www.unm.edu/~tbeach/terms/inputoutput.html Karbo, M. (2002, September 2). Information Processing Cycle. Retrieved January 22, 2012, from iNFOSYSSEC: http://www1.pacific.edu/comp25/reading/1-InfoProcessingCycle.html Kayne, R. (2012). What is the Difference Between Hardware and Software? Retrieved January 22, 2012, from wiseGEEK: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-hardware-and-software.htm

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