Page 14 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 7 : E-book

Introduction

A computer is a machine that can perform a variety of operations in accordance with a set of
instructions called program. It processes the input data given by the programmer/user and
provides the desired information as output. Computers have made life easier for everyone in
the world. They are being used everywhere in nearly all the fi elds such as banking, railways,
airways, hotels, schools, colleges, shops, industries, defence and designing.

Computer works with an interaction of hardware and software.

Hardware refers to any physical component of a computer. Monitor, keyboard and hard disk
are physical components and thus, are hardware. The most important piece of hardware is a
CPU. It is called the ‘brain’ of the computer.
Software refers to the programs, which are required to operate the computer. Disk Operating
System (DOS), Windows, Oracle and Tally are all software.

Both hardware and software are dependent on each other. Devices like CPU, memory unit
and hard disk are useless unless they are provided with instructions and data for storage and
processing.

Internal Hardware

The hardware parts that are installed within the CPU cabinet are called internal hardware.
Motherboard, CPU, RAM, ROM and sound card are some examples of internal hardware.
Motherboard

A motherboard is a sheet of plastic that holds all the circuitry to connect various components of
a computer system. It is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together
many crucial components of a computer, including the Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory
and connectors for input and output devices. In addition to circuits, motherboard contains
a number of sockets and slots to connect other components. All the activities related to the
connected devices start and end in the motherboard.
A motherboard mainly consists of the following.

• Processor chip
• BIOS
• Memory chips
• External storage controllers for video display and audio

• Expansion slots for connecting additional circuit boards
Sound Card

Sound cards are also known as audio adapters. A sound
card is an expansion component used in computers to
receive and send audio. Sound cards are confi gured
and utilised with the help of a software application

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