Page 61 - Artificial Intellegence_v2.0_Class_9
P. 61
Characteristics of a Computer
Following are some of the important characteristics of a computer:
• Speed: A computer can process data at a speed of millions of instructions per second. It is faster than human
beings in doing complex tasks which can otherwise take a few days to process manually. It uses its internal clock
to measure the processing speed for completing the job. The unit of computer speed is Hertz = one cycle per
second.
• Accuracy: The information provided by the computer is very accurate. Sometimes we may feel that we are
not getting the desired result or maybe the output generated is not accurate. When we give wrong input to
the computer, the system malfunctions or gives wrong output. It works on the principle of GIGO(Garbage In
Garbage Out).
• Reliability: Information received using a computer is highly reliable. During an online flight reservation, seat
allocated to one person cannot be reallocated to another at any cost. So, we can totally depend on the availability
of information of seats during online booking or availability of stock during online shopping.
• Storage: Large volumes of data can be easily stored in a small space. Data can be preserved for a long time with
least possibility of data tamper or data loss. There is no need to maintain a huge volume of manual registers and
separate store room allocation to it.
• Versatile: Computer doesn’t mean a laptop or a personal computer. It can be a smartphone, tablet, online
booking counter machine, ATM machine, X-ray machine in hospitals and GPS system in our cars. It is available in
a variety of forms. So, we can say that it is highly versatile and has been designed to do any kind of job.
Input Devices
The devices which help to give data or instructions to the computer are called input devices. The most commonly
used are keyboard and mouse. Let us learn about some of the input devices.
Keyboard
A keyboard is probably the mostly used input device which can be either
wired or wireless. It is used to accept textual data from the user. It is
impossible to imagine a computer without one. A typical keyboard has a
typing area that includes the letters of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation
marks, and other basic keys similar to that of a type writer. Keyboard
Mouse
A mouse is another input device which is also known as a Pointing Device. As you move the
mouse, the pointer on the screen moves. A typical mouse has two buttons and a wheel. It
can be either wired or wireless.
Mouse
Scanner
A scanner is a device used to read the hand written notes, images, photos and transfer
it in a digital form onto the computer where it can later be saved or manipulated as per
the requirement.
Scanner
ICT Skills-I 59

