Input & Output Devices

 

Q1       (a)     what is input? Also, describe different ways to give input to the computer.

            (b)     What are the uses of input devices? List a few of them.

 

    (a)   Input

Anything given to the computer is called input. The data and instructions are given to the computer as input. There are two ways to enter input into the computer.

(i)                  Direct input

(ii)                Indirect input

(i)                Direct input

In this way, data is entered directly into the computer from the source. The source data-entry device is used for direct input. For example, information printed on paper is directly entered into the computer through the scanner. The most commonly used source data-entry devices are scanners, microphones, and digital cameras.

(ii)              Indirect Input

In this way, data is entered into the computer after doing some intermediate work on the input data. The most common commonly used indirect input devices are a keyboard, and many pointing devices (such as a mouse).

(    (b)                               Input Device

                     The device used to enter data and instructions into the computer are called input devices. The input devices are hardware components. It takes input (data or instruction) from the user and converts it into a form that is understandable by to computer.

                   There are three general types of input devices. These are

(i)                  Keyboard

(ii)                Pointing devices

(iii)               Source data-entry device

                 A list of the most popular and commonly used input devices is given;

Ø      Keyboards

Ø      Mouse

Ø      Scanners

Ø      Digital camera