55 Think of other types of input, output, and storage peripherals. Can you think of other digital systems that you use every day? FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT Components A digital system has several components that make the process from input to output possible: input devices, such as a keyboard or a mouse, which are used to key in the input information; a processor, which transforms the signals. It consists of one or more silicon chips; output devices, such as a monitor or speakers, which show the user the result of the processing activity; storage devices, such as DVD drives and flash drives, which store the data processed by the system . Input, output, and storage devices are called peripherals; they can be incorporated into the computer or connected to it through cables or wirelessly. Working procedure The most common example of a digital electronic system is the computer . A computer works following some steps, which are basically: the input step, in which the information is entered into the digital system; processing, which is the function that manipulates discrete quantities of information transformed in bits, to produce a final result; the output phase, in which the results of the whole process are given out in a form that can be read and understood by the user. What happens when we use a computer When we use a computer, we generally write texts, search for images, watch videos, record or listen to audio files. In each case, the information entered through an input device is transformed into numbers using the binary code to make it possible for the computer to process it. Text writing: when we press a letter on the keyboard, the letter is converted into a binary number, and every word becomes a sequence of numbers. These numbers are then processed by the computer and released on the screen in the form of a readable text. Images: each image is formed by millions of very small, coloured dots called pixels. Every colour of the pixels can be represented by a number in the binary code and processed by the computer. Sound can be graphically transformed into a waveform and every point on it can be represented by a number in the binary code, so that every sound can be broken down in a series of bits. The higher the number of bits in which the sound is transformed, the better the sound quality. Peripherals to break down: frammentare dot: puntino flash drive: chiavetta USB to key in: inserire to press: premere processing: elaborazione 130