COMPUTER stands for Common Operating Machine Purposely Used for Technological and

Educational Research.
Computer Terminology
Application - a program in which you do your work.
Bit - the smallest piece of information used by the computer. In computer language, it is
either a one (1) or a zero (0).
Backup - a copy of a file or disk you make for archiving purposes.
Boot - to start up a computer.
Bug - a programming error that causes a program to behave in an unexpected way.
Byte - a piece of computer information made up of eight bits.
Card or Expansion Card – a printed circuit board that adds some feature to a computer.
CD-ROM - an acronym for Compact Disc Read-Only Memory.
Control panel - a program that allows you to change settings in a program or change the way
a computer looks and/or be haves.
CPU – Central Processing Unit. The processing chip that is the “brain” of a computer.
Crash - a system malfunction in which the computer stops working and has to be restarted.
Cursor - The pointer, usually an arrow or cross -shaped, controlled by the mouse.
Desktop - The shaded or colored backdrop of the screen.
Dialog box - an on-screen message box that appears when additional information is required
before completing a command.
Disk - a spinning platter made of magnetic or optically etched material on which data can be
stored.
Disk Drive - the machinery that reads the data from a disk and/or writes data to a disk.
Document - a file you create, as opposed to the application that created it.
Download - to transfer data from one computer to another. (If you are on the receiving end,
you are downloading. If you are on the sending end, you are uploading).
Driver - a program on a computer that tells it how to communicate with an add-on piece of
equipment (like a printer).
Expansion slot - a connector inside the computer that allows one to plug in a printed circuit
board that provides new or enhanced features.
File - the generic word for an application, document, control panel, or other computer data.
Floppy Disk - a 3.5-inch square rigid disk that holds data. (Named for the earlier disks that
were flexible).
Gigabyte (GB) - 1024 megabytes.
Hard Drive - a large capacity storage device made of multiple disks housed in a rigid case.
Icon - a graphic symbol for an application, file or folder.
Kilobyte (K) - 1024 bytes.
Launch - start an application.
Megabyte (MB) - 1024 kilobytes.
Memory - the temporary holding area where data is stored while it is being used or changed;
the amount of RAM a computer has installed.
Menu - a list of program commands listed by topic. Menu Bar - the horizontal bar across the
top of the screen that lists the menus.
Operating System - the system software that controls the computer.
PC - acronym for personal computer.
RAM - acronym for Random-Access Memory.
Save - to write a file onto a disk.
Save as - (a File menu item) to save a previously saved file in a new location and/or with a
new name.
Scroll bar - a bar at the bottom or right side of a window that contains the scroll box and
allows scrolling.
Server - a central computer dedicated to sending and receiving data from other computers
(on a network).
Shut Down - the command from the Special menu that shuts down the computer safely.
Software - files on disk that contain instructions for a computer.
Upload - to send a file from one computer to another through a network.
Parts of Computer:
Basic Components of Computer
Case or Tower - This is the plastic box that contains the computer. Housed in the case, you
will find the floppy drive, CD ROM drive, and the main components of the computer. Some
of these are the hard drive, motherboard and the processor chip (CPU). The case keeps them
neatly and safely together.
Monitor or Screen - This is the TV-type screen on which you see the work you’re doing on
your computer.
Mouse - The mouse allows you to move, select and click on objects. Keyboard - The
keyboard is used to type in information and operate the computer.
Speakers - Sometimes speakers are connected to the computer so that you can hear music
and sound.
Microphone - A microphone can provide a way to talk through or to the computer.
Printer - A device that makes a printed copy of your work on a sheet of paper.

Input Devices:
Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer −
 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Joy Stick
 Light pen
 Track Ball
 Scanner
 Graphic Tablet
 Microphone
 Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
 Optical Character Reader(OCR)
 Bar Code Reader
 Optical Mark Reader(OMR)
Keyboard
Keyboard is the most common and very popular input device which helps to input data to
the computer. The layout of the keyboard is like that of traditional typewriter, although there
are some additional keys provided for performing additional functions.
Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104 keys or
108 keys are also available for Windows and Internet.
The keys on the keyboard are as follows −
S.N Keys & Description
o

Typing Keys
1 These keys include the letter keys (A-Z) and digit keys (09) which generally give
the same layout as that of typewriters.

Numeric Keypad
It is used to enter the numeric data or cursor movement. Generally, it consists of a
2
set of 17 keys that are laid out in the same configuration used by most adding
machines and calculators.

Function Keys
The twelve function keys are present on the keyboard which are arranged in a row at
3
the top of the keyboard. Each function key has a unique meaning and is used for
some specific purpose.

Control keys
These keys provide cursor and screen control. It includes four directional arrow
4
keys. Control keys also include Home, End, Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down,
Control(Ctrl), Alternate(Alt), Escape(Esc).

Special Purpose Keys

5 Keyboard also contains some special purpose keys such as Enter, Shift, Caps Lock,
Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print Screen.
Mouse
Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control device having
a small palm size box with a round ball at its base, which senses the movement of the mouse
and sends corresponding signals to the CPU when the mouse buttons are pressed.
Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the right button and a wheel is present
between the buttons. A mouse can be used to control the position of the cursor on the screen,
but it cannot be used to enter text into the computer.
Joystick
Joystick is also a pointing device, which is used to move the cursor position on a monitor
screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper ends. The lower
spherical ball moves in a socket. The joystick can be moved in all four directions.

The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in Computer
Aided Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.
Light Pen
Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It is used to select a displayed menu item or
draw pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a photocell and an optical system placed
in a small tube.
When the tip of a light pen is moved over the monitor screen and the pen button is pressed,
its photocell sensing element detects the screen location and sends the corresponding signal
to the CPU.

Track Ball
Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of a
mouse. This is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on the ball, the pointer
can be moved.Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space than a
mouse. A track ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a button, or a square.
Scanner
Scanner is an input device, which works more like a photocopy machine. It is used when
some information is available on paper and it is to be transferred to the hard disk of the
computer for further manipulation.

Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into a digital form that
can be stored on the disk. These images can be edited before they are printed.
Digitizer
Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into digital form. Digitizer
can convert a signal from the television or camera into a series of numbers that could be
stored in a computer. They can be used by the computer to create a picture of whatever the
camera had been pointed at.
Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and pictorial
data into binary inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for fine works of drawing and
image manipulation applications.
Microphone
Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in a digital form.

The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a multimedia
presentation or for mixing music.
Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)
MICR input device is generally used in banks as there are large number of cheques to be
processed every day. The bank's code number and cheque number are printed on the cheques
with a special type of ink that contains particles of magnetic material that are machine
readable.

This reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). The main
advantages of MICR is that it is fast and less error prone.
Optical Character Reader (OCR)
OCR is an input device used to read a printed text. OCR scans the text optically, character
by character, converts them into a machine readable code, and stores the text on the system
memory.
Bar Code Readers
Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data in the form of light and
dark lines). Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the books, etc. It
may be a handheld scanner or may be embedded in a stationary scanner.
Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an alphanumeric value, which is
then fed to the computer that the bar code reader is connected to.
Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made by pen or
pencil. It is used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected and marked.
It is specially used for checking the answer sheets of examinations having multiple choice
questions.

Output Devices:

Some of the popular output devices are:

1. Monitor
o CRT Monitor
o LCD Monitor
o LED Monitor
o Plasma Monitor
2. Printer
o Impact Printers
A. Character Printers
i. Dot Matrix printers
ii. Daisy Wheel printers
B. Line printers
i. Drum printers
ii. Chain printers
o Non-impact printers
A. Laser printers
B. Inkjet printers
3. Projector