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Basic Anatomy of a Computer System

A computer system comprises hardware and software components. Hardware refers to the physical parts of the computer system and software is the set of instructions or programs that are necessary for the functioning of a computer to perform certain tasks. Hardware includes the following components:

 

Input devices - They are used for accepting the data on which the operations are to be performed. Examples of input devices are a keyboard, mouse, and trackball.

Processor - Also known as CPU, it is used to perform the calculations and information processing on the data that is entered through the input device.

Output devices - They are used for providing the output of a program that is obtained after performing the operations specified in a program. Examples of output devices are monitor and printer

Memory - It is used for storing the input data as well as the output of a program that is obtained after performing the operations specified in a program. Memory can be primary memory as well as secondary memory. Primary memory includes Random Access Memory (RAM) and secondary memory includes hard disks and floppy disks.