Computer Hardware: Input and Output Devices Quiz

Input Devices

• Optical mice have no moving parts and can be used on any surface.
• Barcode readers are heavily used in grocery stores for automated checkout and inventory control.

Scanning Devices

• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) is commonly used to read encoded characters on checks in banks.
• Radio-frequency identification (RFID) Readers are used to track and identify objects.

Image Capturing Devices

• Digital cameras capture images digitally and store them in memory.

Mainframe Computers

• The IBM System/360, introduced in 1964, marked the beginning of widespread commercial use of mainframe computers.
• Mainframe computers became powerful enough to support thousands of online remote terminals during the 1970s and 1980s.

Personal Computers

• The proliferation of PCs in the 1980s and early 1990s launched the client-server architecture.
• The System/360 series was introduced in the 1965 era.

Storage

• RAM (Random Access Memory) is volatile and temporary storage.
• Hard disk drives use magnetic charges to represent 1s and 0s.
• Laser printers use a laser light beam to produce images.

Performance Characteristics

• Access time is the primary characteristic used to describe the amount of time required to retrieve data from storage.
• Capacity defines how much the media can hold in terms of data and programs.

CPU and Control Unit

• The Control Unit is responsible for controlling communication for the entire computer system.
• The function of the Control Unit in a CPU is to retrieve and execute instructions.

Memory and Storage

• Flash Memory is used to store data in a computer system.
• TV Tuners, when installed in a computer, allow for TV signal reception.

Power Supply

• The power supply unit in a desktop computer system provides power to all components.

Networking and Cloud Computing

• Client-server computing architecture is defined by multiple clients connected to a central server.
• In the early 1990s, firms turned to TCP/IP for networking standards and software tools.
• Cloud computing refers to on-demand access to a shared pool of computing resources.
• The processing power of personal computers determines their capability.

Laptops and Desktops

• Laptops are characterized by their portability compared to desktops.

Storage Devices

• Solid-state drives (SSDs) are characterized by their high speed and low power consumption.
• USB Drives (or Flash Drives) have a capacity range from 1GB to 1TB.
• Lands on portable optical discs represent the reflective material.

Data Storage

• Read-Only Memory (ROM) is a type of data storage that cannot be written to or erased.

Emerging Technology

• Nanotechnology will potentially extend Moore’s Law into the next decade.