Hardware And Software Flashcards
What is hardware?
The physical parts of a computer eg. Mouse, keyboard
CPU
.Central Processing Unit
.The brain of the computer
RAM
.Random Access memory
.Stores simple instructions needed to start up a computer
ROM
.Read only memory
.Stores any programs
Input device
Takes information from the user and puts it into the computer. Eg. Keyboard, mouse
Output device
Takes information from the computer and sends it to the user eg. Printer, speaker
Volatile
When the power is turned off all of the data is lost
Secondary storage
A long term storage which stores files, music, apps and the operating system
Magnetic storage
A storage that is cheap and can hold a lot of data but is bulky and fragile
Optical storage
A storage that is durable and easy to transport but can not hold a lot of data
Solid state storage
A storage that is expensive but is very portable and durable
OS
An Operating System is software that controls all of the computer’s hardware and software
Application software
A software that lets users complete tasks, jobs or okay games eg. Minecraft, word
Utility Software
A software that is needed to keep the computer ‘healthy’ and working correctly eg. Anti-virus
Lossy compression
When some of the data from the previous file is lost when it is compressed
