BASIC 4 || COMPUTING || NOTES || PAGE 2

1. Inputting

What is Inputting?

*Inputting is a process by which a user enters any type of data into a computer system.

*Inputting is the first basic operations of computer system. Input devices are used to provide information to the computer. 

*For example, your mouse or keyboard may be an input device.

*You can also use the camera to take pictures or videos and then upload them to your PC.

*The keyboard is an example of an input device.

*When you type on a keyboard, pressing your individual keys converts the letters - A, B, C - into binary code that is sent to the system's processor or CPU.

*The CPU then parses this code and produces an appropriate output based on what was input.

*If you're inputting data from another source (such as a camera), it's likely to go through an interface card before reaching the CPU.

*For example, if you typed "ABC" on the keyboard, "ABC" would be parsed as ABC by the system's processor or CPU and it would generate a letter for each key pressed (i.e., A = a; b = b; c = c).

*Computers are not only used to run programs but also to store data.

*There are several types of storage devices you can use to store data - a hard drive, a DVD, a USB flash drive, etc.

*And computers have several ways to input data into these storage devices, such as through a USB port or by using a keyboard.

Note - You cannot enter any type of data into the computer without the use of an input device.If you want to enter any data into the computer, then you will have to use an input device.

*Examples of input devices are:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Joy Stick
• Light pen
• Track Ball
• Scanner
• Graphic Tablet
• Microphone
• Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
• Optical Character Reader(OCR)
• Bar Code Reader

2. Processing

*Processing is the second basic operations of a computer system. 

*In simple language, the processing means, when the computer system starts executing the instructions given by the user, then this process is called processing.

*The processor is the component of a computer that does most of the "work" in terms of processing.

*It's responsible for running programs and carrying out instructions from the user.

*The processor reads and writes information to and from the hard disk (a type of storage device) and sends messages to other components in the computer like the monitor, mouse, or keyboard.

*All this data flowing through your PC happens because electricity is running through each component at a specific speed or frequency.

*This is called clock speed. The higher the clock speed, the more quickly information will be processed on your PC.

*For example, some PCs may run at 1 GHz (which means one billion cycles per second), while others might run at 800 MHz (800 million cycles per second).