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- 1 November, 1993.
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- Essay: Classification Analysis
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- Computer is no longer something new and magical to many people
- nowadays, because many families now have at least one computer
- in their homes. It is without doubt that there are thousands
- and millions of computer users in the country, but is it ever
- possible for all of them to explain how a computer works? No.
- Alright, can they even classify the components of a computer
- appropriately? Not quite. They may know how to describe the
- physical appearance of a computer and they will probably
- include two or three other terms as well, such as monitor,
- keyboard or a mouse. Nonetheless, classification of a computer
- should not be done this way. In fact, a computer can be broken
- down into three distinct categories, namely output, input and
- CPU.
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- The term 'output' consists of all components that display words
- and graphics so that a person can see them. Many people can
- easily understand why the monitor is a form of output device
- since it is the screen that tells them what the computer is
- actually doing. Simply put, without a monitor, the computer
- itself is basically useless. Another form of output, which is
- rarely noticed by many computer users however, is the printer.
- Many people have probably used a printer before, but it is just
- that they never realize it is also a form of output.
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- As opposed to 'output', 'input' consists of components that
- take in information from the users themselves so that the
- computer will know the tasks it is supposed to perform and
- accomplish. The keyboard is classified as a form of input
- because this is where the users enter commands and text. There
- are many other forms of input as well. Nonetheless, many people
- just don't realize them, or are too lazy to classify them. For
- instance, the mouse belongs to input, since it provides a
- floating pointer on the screen so that the users can access
- commands faster and easier. The scanner is another form of
- input, because it acts like a photocopier, except it scans the
- image and makes it onto the computer screen instead of onto a
- piece of paper.
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- The CPU, Central Processing Unit is probably the most important
- category of the three. As the name implies, it is the soul of a
- computer, very much alike the human brain. For unknown
- reasons though, people often call the CPU a computer. This is
- absolutely incorrect. The word computer is merely a general
- term which must always include all the three categories in order
- to operate. Perhaps the constituents of a CPU itself should be
- mentioned. Simply stated, this central unit must have memory
- blocks to store data temporarily; disk drives to store data
- permanently; and last but not least, the main processor chip
- which performs all the jobs and mathematical calculations, as
- well as determines the speed of a CPU.
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- These are the three categories that the readers must know
- should they need to classify a computer again in the future.
- Also, it can be seen that a computer is not as simple as many
- people think it is, for it consists of many internal components
- which are often neglected and ignored. It should also be
- emphasized that the components listed in this essay are not the
- only ones available, since developers and manufacturers will
- continue to bombard the market with newer and more sophisticated
- gadgets everyday.
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