Basics Of Computers

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to manipulate symbols. and store the user datas ..

Its principal characteristics are:

• It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner.
• It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
• It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.

Therefore computers can perform complex and repetitive procedures quickly, precisely and reliably. Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery (wires, transistors, and circuits) is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software. All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components

• Central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer
• Memory (fast, expensive, short-term memory)
• Mass storage device (slower, cheaper, long-term memory)
• Input device: Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer
• Output device: A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished