The needs of input, output, storage communication devices to computer processing cycle

Essay by rapist815 April 2005

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Introduction

Computer is a machine that can be programmed to accept data (input) process it into useful information (output) and stored it away (in a secondary storage device) for safekeeping or later reuse. The processing input to output is directly by the software but performed by the hardware.

To function, a computer system requires four main aspect of data handling:

        Input

        Processing

        Output

        Storage

                                Secondary Storage

Input                                         Processing                                 Output

Figure 1.1 the hardware responsible for these four areas

        Input devices accept data or commands in a form that computer can use; they send the data or commands to the processing unit.

        The processor; more formally known as Central Processing Unit (CPU); has electronic circuitry that manipulates input data into the information people want. The Central Processing Unit actually executes computer instructions.

        Output devices show people the processed data-information-in understandable and usable form.

        Storage usually means secondary storage, which consists of secondary storage devices such as disk-hard disk or diskettes or some other kind of disk-that can store data and programs outside of the computer itself. These devices supplement memory or primary storage, which can hold data and program only temporarily.

Input: Getting data from the user to the computer

Some input data can directly to the computer for processing. Input in this category includes barcodes, speech that enters the computer through a microphone, and data entered by means of a device tat convert motions to one screen action. Some input data, however, go through a good deal of intermediate handling, such as when it is copied from a source documents (jargon of originally written data) and translated to a medium that a machine can read, such as a magnetic disk. In either case the task is to gather data...