Technololgy Revealed Essay, Research Paper

“Technology Revealed”

The computer is no longer something new and special to many people nowadays,

because many families now have at least one computer in their homes. When most

people think of a computer they think of the monitor, the tower, and the small pieces that

come with it, like the keyboard and mouse. In fact, a computer can be broken down into

four distinct categories, which include the output, input, CPU, processor, and the power

supply.

The term ”output” consists of all components that display words and graphics so

that a person can see them. Many people can easily understand why the monitor is a form

of output device since it is the screen that tells them what the computer is actually doing.

Simply put, without a monitor, the computer itself is basically useless. Another form of

output, which is rarely noticed by many computer users however, is the printer. Many

people have probably used a printer before, but it is just that they never realize it is also a

form of output.

As opposed to the “input” consists of components that take in information from

the users themselves so that the computer will know the tasks it is supposed to perform

and accomplish. The keyboard is classified as a form of input because this is where the

users enter commands and text. There are many other forms of input as well.

Nonetheless, many people just don’t realize them, or are too lazy to classify them. For

instance, the mouse belongs to input, since it provides a floating pointer on the screen so

that the users can access commands faster and easier. The scanner is another form of

input, because it acts like a photocopier, except it scans the image and makes it onto the

computer screen instead of onto a piece of paper.

The CPU, Central Processing Unit is probably one of the most important category

of the five . As the name implies, it is the soul of a computer, very much alike the human

brain. For some weird reason, people often call the CPU a computer. This is incorrect,

the word computer is just a general term which must always include all the

five categories in order to operate. Perhaps the components of a CPU itself should be

mentioned. To make it easier to understand, this central unit must have memory blocks

to store data temporarily; disk drives to store data permanently; and last but not least, the

main processor chip which performs all the jobs and mathematical calculations, as well

as determines the speed of a CPU.

When a person looks for a computer they should always look at the processor

speed. It is a very important because the processor is the part of the computer that makes

your computer perform certain tasks. The most common task im talking about is when

you click on a certain icon or program and the processor is what brings that program up.

The faster the processor the quicker the program will come up and be able to use and

access. There are only two types of processors the are Pentiums and Athalon processors.

Both are easily up gradable to any speed our fast technological world creates.

The most important unit of the CPU is the power supply. There are 3 main power

sources you have to hook up to any one hundred-ten volt outlet on your wall. One power

source is the plug that hooks up from the monitor to the wall, which gives power to your

monitor and speakers. Another supply is the link up that hooks up to your monitor and

the actual tower, in this case gives the monitor and tower both power to one another so

they can run with the same amount of power and no use to much energy, so you don’t

have a huge electric bill. The main power root is the plug that leads from the tower to the

plug outlet, and this gives the CPU all the power to run all the other functions mentioned.

These are the five categories that the readers must know should they need to

classify a computer again in the future. Also, it can be seen that a computer is not as

simple as many people think it is, for it consists of many internal components which are

often neglected and ignored. It should also be emphasized that the components listed in

this essay are not the only ones available, since developers and manufacturers will

continue to create newer and more sophisticated gadgets everyday, and will never stop.