1.2 Parts of a Computer

In this section you will learn or review the basic parts of a computer system. Please note that your computer may not have all of the parts listed below, depending on when it was built.
A computer system is composed of two things broadly: hardware and software. A hardware is any physical device used in or with your machine. A software is a collection of code installed onto your computer’s hard drive which does all the processing on your input to produce an output. For example, the screen you are using to read this text is a hardware while the code that made it possible for the text to be displayed on it is considered a software.
For more understanding of hardware and software follow the instructions:

Hardware

All the following links are from GCFLearning.org/computerbasics/ page. These are chapters 3,4 and 5 .  Do not click on any tutorial links embedded in these chapters, just read through all the material, watch any videos and complete any interactive exercises and then come back to this page for further instructions.

• Basic Parts of a computer(Chapter 3)
• Other important parts of a computer and connecting other devices to it (Chapter 4)
• Exploring the insides of a computer (Chapter 5)

Other hardware include:

USB Flash Drive
USB is an acronym for Universal Serial Bus. In the last five years USB Flash drives have replaced floppy disks as the main way of saving and storing files, documents, photos, etc. They are smaller, faster, and hold much more data than floppy disks. USB Flash Drives (or Memory Sticks) plug into a computer’s USB port or slot (see next bullet).

Flash Memory Cards
Like USB flash drives, these devices are used for storing data such as digital photos, MP3 files, and video game consoles. They are small in size and are re-recordable.

Flash Memory Reader
This device allows you to plug Flash Memory Cards of different sizes from things like digital cameras so you can view the pictures on your computer. Flash Memory Readers usually plug into a USB port.

Modem or Router
These devices allow you to connect to the internet and then allow internet access to multiple devices.

Software

All the following links are from GCFLearning.org/computerbasics/ page. These are chapters 8 and 9 .  Do not click on any tutorial links embedded in these chapters, just read through all the material, watch any videos and complete any interactive exercises and then come back to this page for further instructions.

• Operating System (Chapter 8)
• Applications (Chapter 9)