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Computer—Hardware



                    Components
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                         Learning Outcomes


                             Hardware                                  New Trends in Hardware






                 A computer system is made up of two types of components: hardware and software. Both these
                 components are equally important for the functioning of a computer system. Without software
                 components, the hardware components are useless and vice-versa.
                 Software is a set of instructions that make the computer perform tasks. Software is another
                 term for a computer program. Software can be classified into two broad categories: system
                 software and application software. We have already learnt about different types of software in
                 the previous classes. Let us learn more about hardware in this chapter.


                  i +  HARDWARE

                 All the physical components of a computer system are called hardware. These are the parts that
                 we can see or touch. Hardware components are classified into two types: internal and external.
                 Let us learn about these in detail.

                 Internal Hardware Components

                 All the hardware components that are located inside the CPU Box (System Cabinet) are called
                 internal hardware components. Examples of the internal hardware components are the CPU,
                 Motherboard, Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS), Disk Drives, Modem, Ports, etc. Let us learn
                 about some of them in detail.

                 CPU                                                                                 Memory Unit
                 CPU (Central Processing Unit) is a processor,
                 sometimes  called a  microprocessor.  It is
                                                                                                     Control Unit
                 the  brain  of  the  computer  that  does all the
                 calculations and runs all the programs.  It
                 manages all the operations and carries out the
                                                                                                         ALU
                 basic instructions that operate a computer.


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