This blog post will introduce five core functions of a computer that receive input, process it, and output it.
A computer is a machine that automatically performs complex calculations that are difficult for humans to do, starting with simple calculations. For example, a computer can perform not only basic calculations such as simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication, but also advanced calculations such as calculus and complex matrix calculations. It is also used as a tool for various disciplines that apply mathematics. For example, computers can perform complex calculations for weather forecasting and rockets.
However, today’s computers are capable of much more than just computing. They can be used to create documents and store a huge amount of data. They can also be used for a variety of entertainment purposes. You can play computer games, create and edit videos and music, and watch multimedia content. You can also search for a huge amount of data on the Internet and communicate with other people. In other words, computers are general-purpose machines that can perform a variety of tasks on behalf of humans.
Computers come in many different forms. The most common forms are desktops, which are used on a desk, and laptops, which are highly portable. In recent years, most people have been using smartphones, which have become more and more capable of doing many things thanks to their portability and powerful computer functions. Smartphones can do most of the same things as desktops and laptops, so they are a form of computer rather than just a phone.
Computers, which perform various tasks and exist in various forms, can be divided into five major functions: input function, calculation function, memory function, output function, and control function.
The first input function is to accept external information, just like the sensory organs in our bodies. A person using a computer must input the information necessary to perform calculations, such as what commands to give to the computer and what data to process. The form of input varies depending on the input device. Characters and numbers can be entered through the keyboard, and the mouse can be used to select or manipulate information on the screen. In addition, you can use a scanner to input documents or photos into the computer, or you can input images taken with a digital camera. You can communicate information through various input devices, including OMR, OCR, joysticks, trackballs, and touchpads.
Recently, the development of sensors has made it possible to use a wider variety of input methods. For example, you can input the current temperature using a temperature sensor or detect the tilt of a computer using an acceleration sensor. On a smartphone, you can input information by touching the screen directly using the touch screen, which can be used as a substitute for mouse clicks.
When a user gives a command through an input device, the computer performs the corresponding operation. This operation function is one of the core functions of a computer, and the CPU (Central Processing Unit) is mainly responsible for this role. The CPU is a device that controls all the actions of the computer and performs the necessary operations, just like the human brain. The computer performs operations using machine language, which is composed of 0s and 1s. The CPU interprets this machine language and performs the calculations, and the performance of the CPU is sometimes measured by the number of instructions that it can process per second. For example, the unit MIPS (Million Instructions Per Second) indicates the CPU’s ability to process millions of instructions per second.
When we think about the process of a person doing addition, when they are asked to calculate 15 and 23, they must remember these numbers in order to perform the calculation. Computers also use memory to perform calculations. A device called memory is responsible for this role, and memory can be divided into primary and secondary memory. The main memory temporarily stores the instructions and data required for the operation, while the secondary memory stores the data for the long term. The main memory is very fast but has a small capacity, while the secondary memory is slow but has a large capacity. Typical secondary memory includes hard disks, flash memory, and recently, cloud storage is also widely used.
Now, the process of outputting the calculation results to the outside is required. The calculation results must be output so that others can see them. For example, a monitor displays the calculation results on the screen, a printer prints the results on a document, and a speaker delivers the results in voice. The output function plays an important role in all of these processes. Input and output devices are often referred to as I/O devices, which enable interaction between the computer and the user.
Finally, the control function controls the entire system so that each function of the computer can operate smoothly. The CPU consists of an arithmetic unit and a control unit, and the control unit interprets the instructions stored in the main memory and manages each function of the computer to operate in harmony. The control function enables the computer to efficiently handle complex tasks.
Computers perform various tasks through five functions: input, calculation, memory, output, and control. Computers started out as calculators that quickly processed complex calculations, but as these five functions have evolved, they have become a universal machine that can perform various tasks on behalf of humans. Today, we can manage almost every aspect of our lives more conveniently and efficiently through computers.
