What a computer is
Computers follow instructions. Learn the four jobs every computer does, and the difference between hardware and software.
What is a computer? Let's find out. A computer is a machine that follows instructions. You give it information, it works on that information very fast, and it gives you a result.
Computers are everywhere
You might think a computer is only the big machine on an office desk. But computers are all around you. The smartphone in your pocket is a computer. So is a laptop at school or at work. The ATM at the bank is a computer, and so is the POS machine a shop uses when you pay with a card. Even some TVs, cars and washing machines have small computers inside them.
Every computer does four jobs
Every computer, big or small, does four main jobs. First, input. That's how information gets into the computer: when you type, tap the screen, speak, or take a photo. Second, processing. The computer's brain, called the processor, works on that information. Third, storage. The computer saves information so it's still there later, like your photos and messages. And fourth, output. That's the result you see or hear: words on a screen, a sound, or a printed page. Let's spot the four jobs on a phone. When you open the camera and take a photo, that's input. The phone processes the picture, making it clear and bright, and then stores it in your gallery. When you open the photo and it fills the screen, that's output.
Hardware and software
A computer has two sides. Hardware is all the parts you can touch: the screen, the keyboard, the battery and the buttons. Software is the instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Apps and games are software. You can't touch software, but you use it every day. Hardware can't do anything without software, and software needs hardware to run on. They always work together.
New word: Operating system
One very important piece of software is called the operating system. It's the main software that runs the whole device. Most phones in Nigeria use Android. iPhones use iOS, and many computers use Windows or macOS.
Quick check
Quick check. Is a game on your phone hardware or software? Software! You can't touch the game itself. It's instructions running on your phone's hardware. Options: Hardware; Software.
Recap
So, a computer is a machine that follows instructions. It does four jobs: input, processing, storage and output. Hardware is the parts you can touch. And software is the instructions, like the apps on your phone.
Key points
- A computer is a machine that follows instructions. Phones, laptops, ATMs and POS machines are all computers.
- Every computer does four jobs: input, processing, storage and output.
- Hardware is the parts you can touch. Software is the instructions, such as apps and games.
- The operating system (Android, iOS, Windows or macOS) is the main software that runs the device.
Try it: Hardware or software?
Put each item in the right box. Tap an item, then tap the box it belongs in.