Computer Station: Visitors explore different computer programs.

Computer Basics

The basic function of a personal computer is to work with information. Information can be numbers, text, images, sounds and or other types of information which can be converted to a form which a computer understands.

A computer has four main capabilities:

• it takes information in (called "input")
• it sends information out (called "output")
• it stores information (in "memory" or "storage")
• it performs calculations on information (called "processing").

To accomplish a task using a computer, you need a combination of hardware, software, and input.

Hardware consists of parts like the computer itself, the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Inside the computer there are smaller hardware parts, including the motherboard, where you would find the main processing chips that make up the central processing unit (CPU). The hardware processes the commands it receives from the software, and performs tasks or calculations.

Computer CPU -- The hardware processes the commands it receives from the software, and performs tasks or calculations.	Motherboard -- this is where the main processing chips that make up the central processing unit (CPU) are joined together.	Keyboard and Mouse -- Two parts that give the computer input which is then processed using software prgrams.

A computer can take information in from a variety of sources, such as a keyboard, or from data stored on a magnetic disk or on a CD-ROM drive. It then follows a set of instructions, called a program. For example, the program might instruct the computer to take the next letter key you press, and show it on the screen, also called a monitor. The computer can also send information to a printer, or to a disk, where it can be stored permanently.

Data Storage -- Floppy disks and CD ROM's store data for the computer to take into the CPU and process.	The Monitor -- This is the television-like part of the computer. It is an output device. The computer takes the data is processes and displays it on the monitor.	Printer -- A printer is an output device for the computer that allows a hard copy (a copy on paper) to be made.

Software is the name given to the programs that you install on the computer to perform certain types of activities. There is operating system software, such as the Apple OS for a Macintosh, or Windows 95 or Windows 98 for a PC. There is also application software, like the games we play or the tools we use to compose letters or do math problems.

Speaking of games, now you've read about computer basics, take our computer quiz.