Computer

Lesson 2: What is a Computer? /en/computerbasics/about-this-tutorial/content/ What is a computer? A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data. You may already know that you can use a computer to type documents, send email, play games, and browse the Web. You can also use it to edit or create spreadsheets, presentations, and even videos. Watch the video below to learn about different types of computers. Looking for the old version of this video? You can still view it Hardware vs. software Before we talk about different types of computers, let's talk about two things all computers have in common: hardware and software. • Hardware is any part of your computer that has a physical structure, such as the keyboard or mouse. It also includes all of the computer's internal parts, which you can see in the image below. Everything you do on your computer will rely on both hardware and software. For example, right now you may be viewing this lesson in a web browser (software) and using your mouse (hardware) to click from page to page. As you learn about different types of computers, ask yourself about the differences in their hardware. As you progress through this tutorial, you'll see that different types of computers also often use different types of software. What are the different types of computers? When most people hear the word computer, they think of a personal computer such as a desktop or lap...

Lesson 3: Basic Parts of a Computer /en/computerbasics/what-is-a-computer/content/ Introduction The basic parts of a desktop computer are the computer case, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power cord. Each part plays an important role whenever you use a computer. Watch the video below to learn about the basic parts of a computer. The computer case is the metal and plastic box that contains the main components of the computer, including the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU), and power supply. The front of the case usually has an On/Off button and one or more optical drives. Computer cases come in different shapes and sizes. A desktop case lies flat on a desk, and the monitor usually sits on top of it. A tower case is tall and sits next to the monitor or on the floor. All-in-one computers come with the internal components built into the monitor, which eliminates the need for a separate case. Monitor The monitor works with a video card, located inside the computer case, to display images and text on the screen. Most monitors have control buttons that allow you to change your monitor's display settings, and some monitors also have built-in speakers. Newer monitors usually have LCD (liquid crystal display) or LED (light-emitting diode) displays. These can be made very thin, and they are often called flat-panel displays. Older monitors use CRT (cathode ray tube) displays. CRT monitors are much larger and heavier, and they take up more desk space. Keyboard The keyboard is ...

Tip You can find further information about other History of the computer The first digital computer and what most people think of as a computer was called the Early computers like the ENIAC used • How are computers used today? Today, computers do jobs that used to be complicated much simpler. For example, you can write a letter in a • • • What components make up a desktop computer? Today's desktop computers have some or all the components ( • • • • Optical drive: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • What parts are needed for a computer to work? A computer does not require all the components mentioned above. However, a computer cannot function without having at the very minimum the parts listed below. • • • • However, if you had a computer with only the minimum parts above, you would be unable to communicate with it until you connected at least one Tip Once a computer is set up, running, and connected to a network, you could disconnect the keyboard and monitor and • Computer connections All computers have different types of connections. An example of the back of a personal computer and brief descriptions of each connection is found on our • Types of computers Computers can be classified as one of three types of computers: a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or specialized computer. A A special-purpose computer is embedded in almost all electronic devices and is the most widely-used computer. This computer is designed for a specific task and is found in A specia...