Introduction to Computer

A computer system has three main components: hardware, software, and people. The equipment associated with a computer system is called hardware. Software is a set of instructions that tells the hardware what to do. People, however, are the most important component of a computer system – people use the power of the computer for some purpose. In fact, this course will show you that the computer can be a tool for just about anyone from a business person, to an artist, to a housekeeper, to a student – an incredibly powerful and flexible tool.

A computer is a machine that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into useful information (output), and store it away (in a secondary storage device) for safekeeping or later reuse. The processing of input to output is directed by the software but performed by the hardware.