Knowing the Computer
Input and output devices
Decide whether a device is an input or an output device by asking which way the information travels.
Every device plugged into a computer is there to carry information one way or the other. If it carries information into the computer, it is an input device. If it carries information back out to you, it is an output device. That single question — which way is it traveling? — settles almost every device you will ever meet.
The test that always works
Do not try to remember lists. Ask instead: am I giving something to the computer, or is the computer giving something to me? A scanner takes a page and gives it to the computer, so it is input. A printer takes a page from the computer and gives it to you, so it is output.
Worked example
Is a webcam an input device or an output device?
Ask what the webcam produces: a moving picture of whatever is in front of it.
Naming what the device makes is easier than trying to remember which list it belongs on.
Try it together
Now work out three of them yourself.
Each time, ask which way the information travels and answer with the one word: input or output.
1.A plotter draws a large map onto paper using pens. Which kind of device is it?
Have a go
Have a go on your own. A buzzer makes a beep when the computer wants your attention. Answer with one word: which kind of device is it?
Hint: The beep starts inside the computer. Where does it end up?
Ready to practice?
Eight questions on what you have just read. Nothing is timed, and you can play as many times as you like.