Classwork Series and Exercises {Computer Science – SS1}: Input Devices

Topic: Input Devices

Input devices are equipment used to get instructions into the computer. It takes in data (facts) and instructions in a suitable form.

Types of input devices

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Scanner
• Microphone
• Joystick
• Card reader
• Light pen
• Digital camera e.t.c

1. Keyboard: This is the most important input device used when working with a computer. It is used to type instructions that direct the computer on what task to perform. There are four types of keys on the keyboard.

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• Function key: These are keys with f1, f2, f3 ….. f12 on the keyboard. They are used to give commands to the computer.
• The alphabetic key: These are the type writer keys (A-Z) on the keyboard. They are used for typing documents, letters and symbols e.t.c
• The numerical keys: The numeric keys contain numbers 0….9.
• The special keys: These include the arrow key, insert key, delete key, home key, backspace key, page up and down, control key and shift key e.t.c

There are two main types of keyboards, the QWERTY keyboard and the enhanced keyboard. The most commonly used keyboard is the QWERTY keyboard.

2. Mouse: The mouse is a pointing device used to give instructions to the computer. It is used to select and move items on the computer screen.

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Uses of Mouse

• It is used for dragging and dropping.
• It is used for making selections
• It is used to point at objects on the screen.

Types of Mouse

• The mechanical mouse
• Optical mouse
• Opto-mechanical mouse
• Cardless mouse

 3. Light Pen: A light pen is a computer input device in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in conjunction with a computer’s CRT display. It allows the user to point to displayed objects or draw on the screen in a similar way to a touchscreen but with greater positional accuracy.

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    4. Scanner: The scanner provides copy, fax, and scan-to-network capability. A scanner is a digital device that converts films, documents and photographic prints to digital images. A scanner is a device that captures images from photographic prints, posters, magazine pages, and similar sources for computer editing and display.

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     5. CPU (Central Processing Unit): The brain of the computer. The thing that carries out the tasks you give it. Better CPUs can perform more tasks at once, and perform them faster. That said, not everyone actually takes       advantage of their processor’s full speed, so the high-end models are only really crucial.

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 6. Fan: To keep CPU cool and prevent overheating. A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling, and may refer to fans that draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside, or move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component.

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