Storage Devices and Media Quiz

Computer Concepts Module 2: Computer Hardware

• Learning Objectives: Identify and describe input devices, different types of display devices and printers, storage devices and storage media. Explain advantages and disadvantages of magnetic, optical, and solid-state storage systems, optical storage options, and types of solid-state cards and drives. Identify expansion ports and cards, and explain how to use them.

Input Devices

• Definition: Computer hardware used for communication with the computer.

• Keyboards: Used for typing letters, numbers, and navigation. Include keys like Home, End, and arrows.

• Mice: Control on-screen pointers.

  • Optical Mice: Use LED light to track movement.
  • Laser Mice: Use a laser as the light source.

• Other Pointing Devices:

  • Touchpad: Also called trackpad, touch-sensitive surface.
  • Trackball: Roller ball on top of a mouse similar to mouse.
  • Touch Screen: Virtual keyboard and gestures
  • Other Input Methods: Scanners, microphones, digital cameras.

Display Devices

• Monitors (Display Screens): Standalone devices, often found with desktop computers.

  • The area where output is displayed.

• LCD (Liquid Crystal Display): Manipulates light within a layer of liquid crystal cells.

• LED (Light Emitting Diode): Uses light-emitting diodes for backlighting.

• Graphics Card: Circuitry that displays images, using special memory to store images as they are processed.

  • Speed at which screens update displays is the Response rate.
  • Maximum horizontal and vertical pixels is Resolution, with pixel being the smallest unit of a graphic image. Each pixel fills one cell of the grid.

• Screen Size: Measured diagonally in inches.

• Aspect Ratio: Proportional relation between width and height.

  • 4:3 was standard for early PCs and televisions.
  • 16:9 is more common today in widescreen devices.

Printers

• Hard Copy: Printed output.

• Soft Copy: Output viewed on a display device.

• Ink-jet Printer: Sprays ink onto paper.

• Laser Printer: Produces dots of light on a light-sensitive drum using toner cartridges.

• Printer Resolution: Quality (measured in dots per inch, or dpi).

• Printer Speed: measured as pages per minute (ppm).

• Duplex Printer: Prints on both sides of the paper.

• Network-enabled Printer: Connects directly to a network (wired or wireless), allowing multiple users to print.

• Photo Printer: Produces professional images on specialized papers.

• 3D Printer: Creates three-dimensional objects from designs.

Data Storage

• Data Storage System: Combination of a storage device and storage medium.

• Storage Device: Equipment for storing and retrieving data from the medium. (e.g., hard drive, card reader, flash drive, optical drive, solid-state card readers)

• Storage Medium: Technology holding the data. (e.g., hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, CDs, DVDs, Blue-ray discs)

• Hard Drives: Internal or external. The main storage on PCs. Could be mechanical or solid-state.

• Additional Storage Devices: USB flash drives, CD/DVD/BD drives, and solid-state card readers.

• Solid-State Storage: Data is stored on a non-volatile and erasable chip/electronic circuit, widely used in compact storage cards and devices.

• Card Reader: Required to transfer data to/from solid-state storage cards.

• Storage Systems Features:

  • Storage Capacity: Maximum data storage, measured in MB, GB, or TB.

  • Access Time: Average time to locate data and read it, measured in ms.

  • Data Transfer Rate: Amount of data moved per second from storage medium.

• Data Storage Types:

  • Magnetic: Stores data by magnetizing microscopic particles.
  • Optical: Stores data as light/dark spots on a disc.

Data Storage Systems - Optical Storage (CDs/DVDs/BDs)

• CD-ROM: Read-only technology.
• DVD/BD-ROM: Read-only, high-capacity discs.
• CD/DVD-R/BD-R: Recordable, write in multiple sessions.
• CD/DVD/BD-RW/BD-RE: Rewritable technology. Allowing for erasing and re-recording.
• Optical drives can be used with computers in conjunction with hard drives

Data Storage Systems - Solid-State Storage

• Solid-state is a modern form of data storage.
• It stores data on a chip using electronic circuits.

Expansion Devices and Ports

• Expansion Card: Small circuit boards allowing peripheral devices to communicate with the computer.

• Expansion Slots: Special slots on motherboards for expansion cards.

• Expansion Ports: Connectors on expansion cards allowing data transmission between computer and peripheral device, including graphic, firewire, ethernet, USB, and audio ports.

• Motherboard: The main circuit board. It connects all integrated circuits.

Other Important Terms

• RAM (Random Access Memory): Volatile main memory.
• Device Driver: Software controlling communication with peripheral devices or expansion cards.
• USB (Universal Serial Bus) Port: Used for connecting many peripheral devices.

Test your knowledge of storage devices and media. Explore the relationship between storage devices and media, factors affecting file access times, and differences between mechanical hard drives and solid-state drives. Determine the best storage choice for specific needs.