Components of the Computer System

The various components of the computer system are classified into two groups. 

• Hardware
• Software

1. Hardware

Hardware is the physical tangible component of the computer system. This type of component is touchable. CPU, Mouse, Keyboard are examples of hardware components. So, the hardware of the computer system are:

• Input Device: Input devices allow the user to enter data/information in the CPU (Central Processing Unit). Mouse, Keyboard, scanner, barcode reader are general examples of input devices. 
• Output Device: Output devices input the processed data/information into human-readable form. Monitor, speaker, projector, printer are general examples of output devices. 
• Central Processing Unit (CPU): The CPU is referred to as the brain of a computer system. It is used to processed data/information and provides output to output devices.  The CU (control unit), ALU (arithmetic and logical unit), and registers are components of the CPU.
• Storage: In a computer, storage devices are used to store the data or information that entered into the computer system and the output comes from processing the information or data.

2. Software:

Software is a collection of programs (set of instructions), data, and protocols. It is not in material form so we can not touch such types of components. The execution of software programs is performed by hardware. Firmware, operating systems, applications are examples of software. 

The term computer was taken from the Greek word compute means calculation and the computer was a person or device that did computation. In this article, we will learn what exactly a computer is, how it affects our lives, and the applications of computers in our life.