Computer blog

 Definition of Computer Hardware

Physical parts of computer are called hardware.

 History of Computer Hardware

Since civilizations began, many of the advances made by science and
technology have depended upon the ability to process large amounts of
data and perform complex mathematical calculations. For thousands of
years, mathematicians, scientists and businessmen have searched for
computing machines that could perform calculations and analyze data
quickly and efficiently. One such device was the abacus.
The abacus was an important counting machine in ancient Babylon, China, and throughout
Europe where it was used until the late middle ages.  It was followed by a series of
improvements in mechanical counting machines that led up to the development of accurate
mechanical adding machines in the 1930’s. These machines used a complicated assortment
of gears and levers to perform the calculations but they were far too slow to be of much use
to scientists.  Also, a machine capable of making simple decisions such as which number is
larger was needed. A machine capable of making decisions is called a computer.
The first computer like machine was the Mark I developed by a team from IBM and Harvard
University. It used mechanical telephone relays to store information and it processed data
entered on punch cards. This machine was not a true computer since it could not make
decisions.
In June 1943, work began on the world's first electronic computer. It was built at the University
of Pennsylvania as a secret military project during World War II and was to be used to calculate
the trajectory of artillery shells. It covered 1500 square feet and weighed 30 tons. The project
was not completed until 1946 but the effort was not wasted. In one of its first demonstrations,
the computer solved a problem in 20 seconds that took a team of mathematicians three days.
This machine was a vast improvement over the mechanical calculating machines of the past
because it used vacuum tubes instead of relay switches. It contained over 17,000 of these
tubes, which were the same type tubes used in radios at that time.
The invention of the transistor made smaller and less expensive computers possible.  Although
computers shrank in size, they were still huge by today’s standards. Another innovation to
computers in the 60’s was storing data on tape instead of punch cards. This gave computers
the ability to store and retrieve data quickly and reliably.

. Identify Types of Hardware

A generic term used to describe any component of a  computer system with a physical
presence and which can, therefore, been seen and touched.
Hardware components are often categorized as being input, output, storage or processing
components. Devices which are not an integral part of the  CPU are referred to as being
peripherals. Peripherals are usually used for input, storage or output (such as a  hard disk,keyboard or printer). A device does not necessarily have to be outside the same physical box
as the CPU. The best example of this is the hard disk, which is a peripheral even though it is
not usually housed within the main case.

Input devices are hardware devices which take information from the user of the computer
system, convert it into electrical signals and transmit it to the processor. The primary function
of input devices is to allow humans to interact with the computer system. For instance a mouse
allows the user to control the movement of the pointer (a common element in user interface
design).
Output devices take data from the computer system and convert it to a form that can be
interpreted by humans. For instance a monitor creates a visual electronic display to output
information created by the processor to the user.
Processing devices are the components responsible for the processing of information within
the computer system. This includes devices such as the CPU, memory and motherboard.
Storage devices are components which allow data to be stored within a computer system. This
includes devices such as hard disk drives and compact disk drives.

. Role of Hardware in Computer System

Computer hardware plays a vital role in computer system.
Hardware refers to the physical elements of a computer. Also referred
to as the machinery or the equipment of the computer. Examples of
hardware in a computer are the keyboard, the monitor, the mouse and
the processing unit However, most of a computer's hardware cannot be
seen; It's inside the computer case.
I/O lets the computer talk with the world around it. Sometimes it’s
necessary to add functionality to a computer to keep it up to date, or
make it better. The amount of I/O a computer has can be changed, by
adding expansion cards that support I/O. A graphics card can be added
to a computer to let it talk with a display, or a Wi-Fi card can be added,which will let a computer talk to other computers without a connecting wire. Sometimes
functionality can be added through a universal port, a port that supports multiple kinds of I/O.
USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt (Types of I/O) support multiple data types. Your keyboard,
mouse, and monitor all connect to a computer's I/O.
CPUs or processors perform computations. They do the math for your calculator application,
they compare the size of numbers; people have likened the CPU to the "brain" of a computer.
Memory is what allows a computer to remember things. Similar to human memory, there's
long term memory (a hard disc or optical media (like a CD)) and short term memory (RAM).
When a computer is turned off, it forgets everything in the RAM, so the computer saves
everything it knows it will need later on in the long term memory. The short term memory is
easier to use because it can do I/O faster, so when a data is needed by the CPU, it's sent from
the hard disk drive (HDD) to the RAM. The short term memory lives on RAM, while the long
term memory is in the hard disk drive (HDD). Optical disks let you change certain parts of the
memory, it's kind of like having a book or notebook that you might read and get information
from.
Motherboard is a piece of hardware that makes connections in the right places between all
of the other components in a computer. It tells data where it should go. When the CPU finishes
processing some data, it might say to the CPU, OK, put this in the HDD, and the motherboard
will figure out where the HDD is and send the data there.

. Hardware Components in a Computer

System unit
Case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data

Common Components Inside the System Unit

1. Motherboard

2. Slot for Processor:

3. Expansion Slots:

4. Memory Slots:

What is memory?

How is memory measured?