Chapter 3Computer Hardware and Peripherals: Your Digital Toolbox

Chapter 3Computer Hardware and Peripherals: Your Digital Toolbox

Chapter Outline / Key Terms / Study Questions
3.1 A World of Digital Devices / peripheral device / What makes a device "peripheral"?
3.2 The Parts That Make Up Your Computer / What are the basic components of a computer?
What’s Contained on the Motherboard? / motherboard
read-only memory (ROM)
BIOS
expansion card
PC Card / What is the function of the motherboard?
What is on the motherboard?
Take the Next Step: Activity 3.2.1 / multicore processor
parallelized / How does a multicore processor system work?
Power Supply / power supply / What job does the power supply do?
Ports / port
physical port
serial port
universal serial bus (USB) port
FireWire port
Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port
MIDI / What do ports do?
What are the different types of ports that might be found on a computer?
Storage / drive / How are drives identified on a Windows-based computer?
How are they identified on Macintosh computers?
Hard Disks / hard disk / What are the basic components of a hard disk?
Optical Drives / CD
DVD
Blu-ray disc
optical drive
optoelectronic sensor / How are data stored to and retrieved from optical drives?
External Hard Drives / external hard drive
network attached storage (NAS) / How do external hard drives connect to your computer?
What are they typically used for?
Flash Drives / flash drive
flash memory / What are some other names for flash drives?
How are flash drives used?
Solid-State Drives (SSDs) / solid-state drive / What does an SSD replace?
Which computers were the first to use SSDs?
Cloud Storage / How can you access your files stored in the cloud?
In addition to storing data, what other uses can cloud storage serve?
What are some popular cloud storage services?
Take the Next Step: Activity 3.2.3 / What devices can be built into your computer to enable communications?
3.3 Input and Output Devices / input device
output device / What are some examples of input and output devices?
A Wide Assortment of Input Devices / keyboard
mouse
infrared technology
touchpad
scanner
webcam
gaming device
wired data gloves
mobile Internet device (MID)
assistive technologies
electronic pen
bar code reader
RFID reader
microphone / What types of input devices can be used with a computer?
When was the mouse introduced?
What technologies can be found in the various types of mice?
How does a touchpad work?
How do scanners work?
What types of scanners are mentioned in Chapter 3?
What other types of input devices are discussed in Chapter 3, and how are they used?
Getting Things Out of Your Computer with Output Devices / keystroke logging software / What are the basic ways content can be output from a computer?
Monitors and Speakers / monitor
speaker
Bluetooth headset
TFT active matrix liquid crystal display (LCD)
LED display
plasma display
surface-conduction electron-emitter (SED)
organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) / What types of computing devices send output to a monitor?
What are the different technologies used in today's monitors?
Printers and Faxes / printer
photo printer
thermal printer
plotter
fax machine / When were laser printers introduced?
What types of specialized printers are discussed in Chapter 3, and how do they work?
Why is a fax machine considered a computer output device?
Devices That Project Computer Content / LCD projector
document camera
interactive whiteboard (IWB) / What technologies are used to project computer output?
Virtual Reality Displays / virtual reality system / How do virtual reality systems work?
Take the Next Step: Activity 3.3.1 / How do touchscreens work?
3.4 Purchasing a Computer / Why do people sometimes feel overwhelmed when deciding which computer to purchase?
What Are Your Computing Needs? / What factors might go into determining your computing needs?
What Processor Speed Do You Need? / processor speed
gigahertz (GHz)
Moore's Law / What impact does processor speed have?
What is Moore's Law and how does it relate to processing speed?
How Much Memory and Storage Is Enough? / memory capacity
access speed
megahertz (MHz)
gigabytes (GB) / What are the different types of RAM?
How does RAM's access speed affect computer operations?
How is a computer's hard drive capacity measured?
Spotlight on the Future Podcast: Can You Future-Proof Your New Digital Device? / How has the lifespan of a typical PCchanged over the years?
What are the things you should look for in a PC to ensure that it will last as long aspossible?
Does innovation suffer when people are holding on to their PCs longer?
Why do smartphones and tablet computers have a shorter life span at the moment?
When might the life cycle of smartphones and tablet computers increase significantly?
Which Operating System Is Right for You? / What are the pros and cons of Windows?
What is Linux?
What can you expect if you choose a Macintosh?
How Do You Want to Connect with the Online World? / wireless adaptor / What can you expect from today's computers with regard to online connectivity?
What Are You Willing to Spend? / What types of computers (desktops, laptops, netbooks) are most/least expensive?
What should you consider in terms of where to shop?
Should You Opt for Higher-End Graphics and Sound? / What factors affect whether you should consider higher-end graphics or sound?
Take the Next Step: Activity 3.4.1 / clock speed / What affects your computer's speed?
Take the Next Step: Activity 3.4.2 / How do you install external devices and update drivers on your system?

Our Digital World: Introduction to ComputingChapter 3 Study Notes