Components of Computer: Hardware and Software

The hardware and the software make up a complete operating computer system. Hardware is
the mechanical device in a computer system that is interconnected for operation. The user may
not be able to see all the hardware devices because they are internal to the computer’s casing.
An example of this would be storage drives. Most of the hardware devices are a part of the
motherboard that is responsible for controlling the computer.
Software, on the other hand, works on the idea of instructing programs in computer language for
execution. They tell the device what to perform and how to do it using a set of instructions.
The software developers design the programs in such a way that there are instructions for all
kinds of tasks. This is by using a high-level programming language which is then translated to
binary form for the computer to read.
But software and hardware cannot function without each other. Hardware needs
instruction to perform while software needs a processor to instruct. Thus they are
dependent on each other.

Computer Hardware:

1. Peripheral Devices
These devices are the ones that provide input/output to the computer externally. They are
auxiliary devices meant to form a connection with the device externally via a cable or Bluetooth
to function. Some examples are mouse, headphones, etc.
2. Input devices
The input device allows the user to send data or information to the computer to perform a task.
Keyboards, joysticks, mouse, etc. are some of the examples.
3. Output devices
The output device completes the task related to the data sent by the input device. They receive
the data from the input devices and execute the tasks accordingly. Printers, monitors,
headphones, etc. are some of the output devices.
4. Secondary storage devices
The place where all the data on the computer goes is a storage device. This allows users to access
all the data safely and without any trouble.
It is a hardware device to store digital data in multiple forms like text, images, audio, etc. Some
examples are – hard drives, USBs, memory cards, etc.
5. Internal components
The components that are already a part of the motherboard and the system are internal
components. Computer memory is internal to the system, becoming a good example of this.
Many devices may become a part of the system from inside using ribbon cables and insertion
cards. Some examples are – RAM, CPU, etc.
When any of these devices start performing poorly, the system replaces or upgrades. This
process of changing the device refers to hardware upgrades. Like users often upgrade their RAM
to have more space in the computer.

INPUT & OUTPUT DEVICES

Input and output devices allow the computer system to interact with the outside world by moving
data into and out of the computer system .nput Devices: A piece of equipment/hardware which
helps us enter data into a computer is called an input device. For example keyboard, mouse, etc.

Examples of some input devices are:

 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Joystick
 Microphone
 Bar code reader
 Graphics tablet
 Pen drive
 CD/DVD
 Digital Camera
 OCR
 OMR
 MICR

1. Keyboard

 A simple device comprising keys and each key denotes either an alphabet, number or
number commands which can be given to a computer for various actions to be performed
 It has a modified version of typewriter keys
 The keyboard is an essential input device and computer and laptops both use keyboards
to give commands to the computer

2. Mouse

 It is also known as a pointing device.

 Using mouse we can directly click on the various icons present on the system and open
up various files and programs.
 A mouse comprises 3 buttons on the top and one trackball at the bottom which helps in
selecting and moving the mouse around, respectively
 In case of laptops, the touchpad is given as a replacement of the mouse which helps in the
movement of the mouse pointer

3. Joy Stick

 It is a device which comprises a stick which is attached at an angle to the base so that it
can be moved and controlled.
 Mostly used to control the movement in video games.
 Apart from a computer system, a joystick is also used in the cockpit of an aero plane,
wheelchairs, cranes, trucks, etc. to operate them well

4. Light Pen

 It is a wand-like looking device which can directly be moved over the device’s screen
 It is light-sensitive

5. Microphone

 Using a microphone, sound can be stored in a device in its digital form

 It converts sound into an electrical signal
 To record or reproduce a sound created using a microphone, it needs to be connected with
an amplifier

6. Scanner

 This device can scan images or text and convert it into a digital signal
 When we place any piece of a document on a scanner, it converts it into a digital signal
and displays it on the computer screen

7. Barcode Reader

 It is a kind of an optical scanner

 It can read bar codes
 A source of light is passed through a bar code, and its aspects and details are displayed on
the screen

8. OCR (optical character recognition)

 OCR is the use of technology to distinguish printed or handwritten text characters inside
digital images of physical documents, such as a scanned paper document.
 The basic process of OCR involves examining the text of a document and translating the
characters into code that can be used for data processing.
 OCR is sometimes also referred to as text recognition.

9. OMR( optical mark recognition)

 The acronym “OMR” stands for Optical Mark Recognition.

  This popular and highly accurate recognition technology is used for collecting data from
“fill-in-the-bubble” types of questions on student tests, surveys, ballots, assessments,
evaluations, and many other types of forms.

10. MICR(magnetic ink character recognition):

11. Biometrics:

A biometric input device measures a unique physical chracteristic of a person. The most
common biometric devices are used to input a person's fingerprint into a computer. More
sophisticated devices use a camera to input a description of a person's iris (the coloured part of
the eye).

Biometric devices are usually used for security purposes. A record of a person's fingerprint or
iris pattern is stored in a database. Later on the identity of a person can be determined by re-
scanning the finger or eye and looking up the results of the scan in the database. Biometric
devices provide a very reliable way of identifying people.
Output device: A piece of equipment/hardware which gives out the result of the entered input,
once it is processed (i.e. converts data from machine language to a human-understandable
language), is called an output device. An output device is used to send data out of the system.
The user sees the result after processing of data by the computer through output devices. For
example printer, monitor, etc.

Examples of some output devices are:

 Monitor
 Printer
 Plotter
 Speaker
 Headphones

1. Monitor

 The device which displays all the icons, text, images, etc. over a screen is called the
Monitor
 When we ask the computer to perform an action, the result of that action is displayed on
the monitor
 Various types of monitors have also been developed over the years

2. Printer

 A device which makes a copy of the pictorial or textual content, usually over a paper is
called a printer
 For example, an author types the entire book on his/her computer and later gets a print
out of it, which is in the form of paper and is later published
 Multiple types of printers are also available in the market, which can serve different
purposes

3. Plotters

A plotter is a type of printer that prints vector graphics. It is a piece of computer gear that
converts computer commands into paper line drawings. It draws a line with one or more
 automatic pens. Unlike a traditional printer, a plotter uses a pen, marker, pencil, or other
writing tools to draw multiple rather than toner. It may also use vector graphics files or
commands to draw continuous point-to-point lines. Though it was previously widely used
for computer-aided design, it is now only used to print hard copies of schematics and
other comparable application.

4. Speakers

 A device through which we can listen to a sound as an outcome of what we command a

computer to do is called a speaker
 Speakers are attached with a computer system and also are a hardware device which can
be attached separately
 With the advancement in technology, speakers are now available which are wireless and
can be connected using Blue Tooth or other applications

5. Projector

 An optical device which presents an image or moving images onto a projection screen is
called a projector
 Most commonly these projectors are used in auditoriums and movie theatres for the
display of the videos or lighting
 If a projector is connected to a computer, then the image/video displayed on the screen is
the same as the one displayed on the computer screen
Applications of Plotters
 o Draw charts
o Computer-aided designs
o Architectural Blueprints
o Textile Printing
o Banners and Billboards
o Electric circuit layouts
o Geographical layouts
o Building plans
o Line Art

6. Headphones

 They perform the same function as a speaker, the only difference is the frequency of
sound
 Using speakers, the sound can be heard over a larger area and using headphones, the
sound is only audible to the person using them
 Also known as earphones or headset
What is Printer?

A printer is a hardware output device that is used to generate hard copy and print any document.
A document can be of any type such as a text file, image, or the combination of both. It accepts
input command by users on a computer or on other devices to print the documents. For example,
if you have to submit a project report at your college, you need to create a soft copy of your
report and print it with the help of the printer.

Printers are one of the common computer peripheral devices that can be classified into two
categories that are 2D and 3D printers. The 2D printers are used to print text and graphics on a
paper, and 3D printers are used to create three dimensional physical objects.

Types of printer

Although there are different types of printers, nowadays, two types of printers are commonly
used, which are inkjet and laser printers. A list of all the various types of printers is given below:

Printers (Inkjet printer, Laser printer, Thermal printer, Dot matrix printer, Plotter, Photo printer)

o Inkjet Printers
 o Laser Printers
o Dot Matrix Printers
o Thermal printer
o Plotter

Inkjet Printers

It is widely used by home and business computer users that prints characters by spraying the ink
using magnetic plates on the paper. It contains a paper feed assembly, ink cartridge, print
head, stabilizer bar, and belt.

It stores the ink in cartridges, and uses separate cartridge to print several types of color
documents. These colors are a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black color. These
types of printers have the ability to create high-quality pictures with the help of vivid colors.
Furthermore, the inkjet printers are more affordable and easier to use as compared to other
printers.

Laser printers

The laser printer is one of the common personal computer printers. It was introduced in 1971,
and after that it was developed at Xerox PARC by Gary Starkweather. It uses the laser
technology to print the text and images on the paper. Whenever it gets input to print any
document, a laser beam draws the document on the selenium-coated drum with the help of
electric charges.

o When the drum is charged, it is rolled in toner (dry ink powder). The ink follows the
image, which has charged on the drum. The ink is combined with the paper, including
heat and pressure, then transferred on a chunk (piece) of paper.

When the document is printed, the excess toner is collected, and an electric charge is removed
from the drum.
There are many differences between a laser printer and inkjet printer, such as:

o The laser printer contains dry ink, while an inkjet contains wet ink.
o An inkjet printer is approximately ten times more expensive than the laser printer as it
requires replacing the ink very frequently.
o If a paper is wet, the inkjet printer will print the document with blur, but the laser printer
will print clear. The inkjet printer is suitable for printing fewer documents, while the laser
printer has the ability to print more documents.

Dot Matrix Printers

The dot matrix printers are also known as a pin printer that was released by IBM in 1957. It
strikes an ink ribbon using print heads that place thousands of little dots to form images and text.
Nowadays, as compared to laser and inkjet printers, it is less used, as its printing speed slow and
generates lower quality images. However, dot matrix printers are still in use in some sectors like
package delivery companies and auto part stores.
Thermal printer

The thermal printer is invented by Jack Kilby that is also known as an electrothermal printer,
thermal transfer printer, or thermal wax-transfer printer. It utilizes heated pins in order to
produce the image on paper. These types of printers are widely used in banking, airline, grocery,
entertainment, retail, healthcare industries, fax, and calculator machines. These printers are low-
cost and print fast. They primarily depend on the thermal paper to produce the images.

This technology is useful for an organization as it is reliable as well as cost-effective. Employees

can work continuously without getting interrupted because they do not need to change the
cartridges or ribbons in this printer.