U N I T 2 COMPUTERS In this Unit you will read about the different components that can be found inside the computer, especially the ones which are essential to make the PC work. You will also read about the information processing cycle, the different types of internal memories and mass storage devices. A. WHAT IS A COMPUTER? 1 PAIR WORK. Before reading the text below, ask and answer these questions in turns. a. What type of computer do you have? b. Are you able to work on a PC? c. What do you usually do? d. Have you got any ideas of how a PC works? e. What do you know about the main components of a PC? the real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers A computer can be defined as an electronic device capable of executing instructions in a program. It has four functions, it: accepts data processes data produces results stores results These four functions together make up the Information Processing Cycle. There are at least three factors that make a computer powerful: speed (it can do billions of actions per second), reliability (failures are due to human error), storage (it can keep huge amounts of data). Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows: Supercomputer. An extremely fast computer that can carry out hundreds of millions of instructions per second. Mainframe. A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously. Minicomputer. A multi-user computer capable of supporting up to hundreds of users simultaneously. Workstation. A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like GLOSSARY a personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and, up to: fino a in general, a higher-quality monitor. 184