The computer

The computer

1. Hardware

   • All the physical components of a computer that we can touch.
   • Motherboart
     • It is a rigid plastic sheet with an engraved circuit on the surface (PCB). In it all the elements of the computer are conected.
   • Microprocessor
     • It is an integrated chip or circuit that acts as the computer brain. It handles large volume of data and performs mathematical calculations very quickly. It has a fan on the top to cool it.
   • RAM
     • Random Access Memory. It is a temporal memory, it erases when you turn off the computer.
   • Power supply
     • It transforms alternate current from the network to direct curent to power the computer.
   • Hardrive
     • Saves data permanetly (like documents, programs...) and as a determined capacity (kB, MB, GB, TB...).
   • Optical memory devices
     • Plastic disks having recorded information on its surface. They use a laser beam to read and write data. They can be read only, recordable and rewritable.
     • CD
       • 700MB capacity.
     • DVD
       • 4.7GB or 8.5GB of capacity.
   • Ports
     • They are electrical connections that the microprocessor uses to communicate with the peripherals (USB, PS2, VGA, HDMI, Sound, Network...).
   • Expansion Cards
     • Printed circuits designed to expand the computer capabilities. They are inserted in expansion slots. Ex: Graphics card, Sound  card, Network card...
   • Peripherals
     • Components that allow the computer to comunicate with the outside.
     • Inputs
       • They make possible to enter information into the computer. Ex: keyboard, mouse, webcam, scanner, game controller, microphone...
     • Output
       • Allow the computer to send its information to the outside. Ex: monitor, printer, speakers...
     • Input/Output
       • Allow the computer to recibe and send information. Ex: hard drive, CD/DVD reader/writer, USB memory, modem, touch screen...

2. Software

   • Software is everything that we cannot see or touch (programs, data...).

3. Types

   • There are three large groups of computers.
   • Personal computers
     • Small computers designed to serve a person.  There are several types, depending on the size, appearance and storage capacity.
     • Laptop
       • Easy to transport, reduced size and weight and integrated peripherals.
     • Desktop Computer
       • Classic personal computers, designed to be in a fixed place.  Large storage capacity.
     • Tablet
       • They have a touch screen which replaces the keyboard. They have screens bigger than the smartphones.
     • Smartphone
       • Small computers increasingly powerful and with more features. They usually have internet access, GPS positioning, camera, video and audio player, etc.
   • Mainframes
     • Medium-sized computers with large storage capacity and processing data at high speed. Many users at the same time can connect to a mainframe.
   • Supercomputers
     • They have a processing capacity of very large information and consist of many smaller machines connected together. Ex: Magerit, MareNostrum...

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