Understand Your Computer

“A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.” - Emo Philips

The purpose of this article is to educate you on the most essential pieces of your computer. Understanding these and being able to use them efficiently is essential to becoming a master of technology and the web. By the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Understand what your computer box is.
• Understand what your mouse is used for.
• Understand what your keyboard is used for.
• Understand what your monitors are.
• Understand USB.

Your Computer Box

Your computer box (sometimes called a computer tower) is a device with working parts in it – kind of like a car engine. What’s most important to know for you right now is that there is a power button and a place to plug your keyboard, mouse, monitors, speakers/headset, and power into. When all of these are plugged in, you have a working computer. If you have speakers or a headset, you get sound with your computer.

Common pieces of your computer are your CD drive, USB ports, power supply, sound card, video card, motherboard, and hard drive.

Your Mouse

Your mouse is like the steering wheel of a car – it helps you drive the computer you are using. Your mouse is used to get to specific places in the applications you use on your computer. The most common functions of a mouse are scrolling, left click, and right click.

Your Keyboard

Your keyboard is the main way to interact with your computer. It’s most useful as a typing tool to enter in text. This is especially important if you are coding and developing software applications or websites. Learning to type fast and without looking on your keyboard is an essential skill for efficient development and computer usage.

Your Monitors

Your monitor is used to display the software and applications from your computer. The most common monitors today are flat screen monitors. You’ll connect your monitors to the back of your computer either in a VGA or DVI port, depending on what your video card provides.

USB

USB is one of the ‘standard’ ways to connect things to your computer. Most keyboards and mice connect to your computer using USB. Think of USB as a way to hook things up to your computer. Unfortunately, your monitors will not use a USB connection, but another kind called VGA or DVI.