What is computer?

A computer is an electronic device that executes the instructions in a program. The computer can do anything you want provided you can write the appropriate program that will instruct it on what to do.

How does the computer basically perform its function. It does this through 4 basic processes as shown below:

»Accepts data

»Processes data

»Produces output

»Stores result

The computer is made up of two inseparable parts namely The Hardware and The Software. The Hardware is the physical part of the computer that we can touch. The Software is the part of the computer that we can not see. The Software is the program that controls the hardware. Below are some computer terms we need to know.

RAM: RAM means Random Access Memory. It is used for the temporal storage of data in the computer.

Data: A set of information entered into the computer for storage or for analysis.

Default : The factory setting of the computer

Storage Devices: Devices that store information magnetically. Example is the Hard disk, Floppy Diskette etc.

Input Devices: Allow user of a computer to enter information into the computer. e.g is the keyboard

Output Devices: Displays the result which the computer generates.

Your personal computer is made of the System Unit, the Keyboard, The Monitor or the Display, the Mouse, Diskettes and Disk Drives

The System Unit is the central component of the computer. It contains the microprocessor, memory and disk drives. It is on the System Unit that all the computer peripherals are connected.

The front view of the System Unit contains buttons, LEDs, floppy drive and CD-Rom Drive. Most current models of Computer have two buttons on their front view, unlike most old models which have only one button. In current models of computer you will find the Power button and the Reset button.

The power button is a dual purpose button. You can use it to power the computer on and off. For some models, it is just used to power on the computer. In most old model, the power button can be used as reset button.

The reset button is always used when the computer hangs. When a computer hangs, it stops responding to commands especially keyboard commands. In such a situation we apply warm booting.

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