I-O DEVICES AND MEMORY

                                          

Input Devices:
Devices used to provide data and instructions to the computer are called Input devices.
Some important input devices are
Key board,
Mouse, Scanner,
MICR,
Web camera,
Microphone.

Output devices:
Any device that is capable of representing information on a computer is called an Output device. Output devices receive information from the CPU and present it to the user in the desired form.
Some important Output devices are:
Monitor,
Printer

MEMORY OF THE COMPUTER:
Memory or storage capacity is one of the important components of a computer. Any storage unit of a computer system is classified on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Access time: This is the time required to locate and retrieve stored data from the storage unit in response to program instructions.
2. Storage capacity: It is the amount of data that can be stored in the storage unit.
3. Cost per bit of storage.

Types of Memory: A computer memory is of two types
  1. Primary Memory ( Internal storage)
  2.  Secondary Memory ( External storage)

Primary Memory: Primary memory is also called internal memory and is an important part of a computer. It is the main area in a computer where the data is stored. The stored data can be recalled instantly and correctly whenever desired. This memory can be quickly accessed by the CPU for reading or storing information. Primary memory is further classified into two types:
  1. Random Access Memory (RAM)
  2. Read- Only Memory (ROM )

Secondary memory: The primary memory which is faster (and hence expensive) is generally not sufficient for large storage of data. As a result, additional memory, called the auxiliary or secondary memory‖ is used. It is also referred as backup storage as it is used to store large volume of data on a permanent basis which can be transferred to the primary memory whenever required for processing.
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Some of the devices of secondary storages are
·        Floppy Disk,
·        Hard Disk,
·        CD-ROM, 
·        DVD and
·        Flash drive.

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