Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery -- wires, transistors, and circuits -- is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software.
All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components:
- Memory: enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs.
- Mass Storage Device: allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape drives.
- Input Device: usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
- Output Device: a display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished.
- Central Processing Unit (CPU): the heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions.
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