S Abdul Wahab teaching center

 

  Mic The mic, or microphone, is another optional part of the computer. It allows us to give voice input to the computer system. It comes in various shapes and sizes. We can connect a mic to a computer when we need to insert audio into our presentation, do voice conferencing, recording, broadcasting, giving voice commands to the computer, etc.   The mics are designed to read sounds from the surroundings and convert this sound (analog waves) into electrical signals. The signals are further converted into digital forms to be stored on the computer. Some common mics are  dynamic mic, ribbon mic, condenser mic, etc

  Speakers Speakers are one of the optional parts of the computer. They can be connected to a computer to get audio output while watching movies, listening to the audio, listening to game music or dialogue, etc. The speakers are attached to the sound card and convert the sound card's recovered electromagnetic waves into audible audio waves. These speakers also have amplifiers that enable us to adjust the volume level of the sound output.  Many monitors and laptop computers come with built-in speakers. However, they can also be connected externally to a computer using a computer port (such as an audio jack or  USB ). By using external speakers, we can get enough loud sound output from the computer.

  What is an operating system? An  operating system  is the  most important software  that runs on a computer. It manages the computer's  memory  and  processes , as well as all of its  software  and  hardware . It also allows you to  communicate  with the computer without knowing how to speak the computer's language.  Without an operating system, a computer is useless .

  Mouse The  mouse  is another important tool for communicating with computers. Commonly known as a  pointing device , it lets you  point  to objects on the screen,  click  on them, and  move  them. There are two main mouse types: optical and mechanical. The  optical  mouse uses an electronic eye to detect movement and is easier to clean. The  mechanical mouse  uses a rolling ball to detect movement and requires regular cleaning to work properly.

  Keyboard The  keyboard  is one of the main ways to communicate with a computer. There are many different types of keyboards, but most are  very similar  and allow you to accomplish the same basic tasks. Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about the different parts of the keyboard.

  Monitor The  monitor  works with a  video card , located inside the computer case, to display images and text on the screen. Most monitors have  control buttons  that allow you to change your monitor's display settings, and some monitors also have built-in speakers. Newer monitors usually have  LCD  (liquid crystal display) or  LED  (light-emitting diode) displays. These can be made very thin, and they are often called  flat-panel displays . Older monitors use  CRT  (cathode ray tube) displays. CRT monitors are much larger and heavier, and they take up more desk space

  Computer case The  computer case  is the metal and plastic box that  contains the main components  of the computer, including the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), and power supply. The front of the case usually has an  On/Off button  and   one or more  optical drives . Computer cases come in different shapes and sizes. A  desktop case  lies flat on a desk, and the monitor usually sits on top of it. A  tower case  is tall and sits next to the monitor or on the floor.  All-in-one  computers come with the internal components built into the monitor, which eliminates the need for a separate case

  Introduction The basic parts of a desktop computer are the  computer case ,  monitor ,  keyboard ,  mouse , and  power cord . Each part plays an  important role  whenever you use a computer.

  Computer Basics: Inside a Computer Inside a computer Have you ever looked  inside a computer case , or seen pictures of the inside of one? The small parts may look complicated, but the inside of a computer case isn't really all that mysterious. This lesson will help you master some of the basic  terminology  and understand a bit more about what goes on inside a computer

  Bluetooth card (or adapter) Bluetooth is a technology for wireless communication over short distances. It's often used in computers to communicate with wireless  keyboards ,  mice , and  printers . It's commonly built into the motherboard or included in a  wireless network card . For computers that don't have Bluetooth, you can purchase a USB adapter, often called a  dongle .

  Network card The  network card  allows your computer to communicate over a network and access the Internet. It can either connect with an  Ethernet  cable or through a  wireless  connection (often called  Wi-Fi ). Many motherboards have built-in network connections, and a network card can also be added to an expansion slot

  Video card The  video card  is responsible for  what you see  on the monitor. Most computers have a  GPU (graphics processing unit)  built into the motherboard instead of having a separate video card. If you like playing graphics-intensive games, you can add a faster video card to one of the  expansion slots  to get better performance.

  Power supply unit The power supply unit in a computer  converts the power  from the wall outlet to the type of power needed by the computer. It sends power through cables to the motherboard and other components. If you decide to open the computer case and take a look, make sure to  unplug  the computer first. Before touching the inside of the computer, you should touch a grounded metal object —or a metal part of the computer casing —to discharge any static buildup. Static electricity can be transmitted through the computer circuits, which can seriously damage your machine.

  Hard drive The  hard drive  is where your software, documents, and other files are stored. The hard drive is  long-term storage , which means the data is still saved even if you turn the computer off or unplug it. When you run a program or open a file, the computer copies some of the data from the  hard drive  onto the  RAM . When you  save  a file, the data is copied back to the  hard drive . The faster the hard drive, the faster your computer can  start up  and  load programs .

  RAM (random access memory) RAM is your system's  short-term memory . Whenever your computer performs calculations, it temporarily stores the data in the RAM until it is needed. This  short-term memory disappears  when the computer is turned off. If you're working on a document, spreadsheet, or other type of file, you'll need to  save  it to avoid losing it. When you save a file, the data is written to the  hard drive , which acts as  long-term storage . RAM is measured in  megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB) . The  more RAM  you have, the more things your computer can do at the same time. If you don't have enough RAM, you may notice that your computer is sluggish when you have several programs open. Because of this, many people add  extra RAM  to their computers to improve performance

  PROCESSER CPU/processor The central processing unit (CPU), also called a  processor , is located inside the  computer case  on the motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you're sending instructions to the CPU. The CPU is usually a  two-inch ceramic square  with a  silicon chip  located inside. The chip is usually about the size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the motherboard's  CPU socket , which is covered by the  heat sink , an object that absorbs heat from the CPU. A processor's  speed  is measured in  megahertz (MHz) , or millions of instructions per second; and  gigahertz (GHz) , or billions of instructions per second. A faster processor can execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual speed of the computer depends on the speed of many different components—not just the pr...

  DESKTOP  AND LAPTOP The  motherboard  is the computer's  main circuit board . It's a thin plate that holds the CPU, memory, connectors for the hard drive and optical drives, expansion cards to control the video and audio, and connections to your computer's ports (such as USB ports). The motherboard connects directly or indirectly to every part of the computer.

  The parts of computer   CPU :  The central processing unit (CPU), also called a   processor , is located inside the   computer case   on the motherboard. It is sometimes called the brain of the computer, and its job is to carry out commands. Whenever you press a key, click the mouse, or start an application, you're sending instructions to the CPU. The CPU is usually a  two-inch ceramic square  with a  silicon chip  located inside. The chip is usually about the size of a thumbnail. The CPU fits into the motherboard's  CPU socket , which is covered by the  heat sink , an object that absorbs heat from the CPU. A processor's  speed  is measured in  megahertz (MHz) , or millions of instructions per second; and  gigahertz (GHz) , or billions of instructions per second. A faster processor can execute instructions more quickly. However, the actual speed of the computer depends on the speed of many different compo...