GCSE ICT REVISION CARDS

• Data is raw facts and figures. The sorting and processing is called data processing this makes the data have meaning.
• The data with meaning is called Information

Data----Data Processing---Information

• All tasks can be broken down

Input---Process---Output

• Manual information systems: e.g a telephone directory - slow and unreliable
• Computerised information system: e.g School managing system - flexible and faster.

• Lots of filing cabinets are uneeded - a single computer can store all the information
• Many people can access the information with terminals anytime.
• Data entered only once can be used for many things
• System can be used with wordprocessors to send mail
• Information can be transferred in many ways, e.g optical mark reader, keyboard, plotter ect.
• All aspects of administration can be done

• Everything depends on the computer's system, if there is a power cut, virus or system break down and alternative system needs to be used
• To use the computerised system the staff need to be trained, and when they leave or retire, new staff need to be trained.
• Security will need to be provided so data can be kept safe, so it can't be misused.

• Hardware, the hard parts of the computer you can touch and handle, its a collective name given to the parts which make up the computer system.This includes:
• Input device (used to get data into the computer)
• CPU (Central processing unit) (Computers brain)
• Backing storage (disk drives used to store data when power is off)
• Output devices (printers moniters ect. provide output in forms of display sound printouts ect. )
• Software is the name used for actual programmes that allow the hardware to work and do a usefull job. Its made up of a series of instructions that tell the computer what to do.

• Computers are fast
• Computers are accurate
• Computers keep large amounts of information in small spaces
• Computers can work 24 hours a day
• Computers can do some jobs that are imposiible without them

• Computers can replace people
• Computers hold personal information that can be misused
• Staff need to be trained
• Computers can break down and problems can arise when they can't be used.

• Data can be processed in many ways
• calculating
• sorting
• searching
• storing
• drawing

The CPU

• The control unit
• Arithmetic and logic unit
• Immediate access store

• To get data into a system
• Keyboard
• Concept keyboard
• Mouse
• Tracker ball
• Touch sensitive pad
• Joystick
• Light pen
• Touch screen
• Magnetic stripe reader
• Graphics tablets
• Barcode readers
• Optical character recognision OCR
• Magnetic ink character recognition MICR

• Optical mark reader
• Punched cards
• Kimball tag
• Voice recognition
• Microphone
• Video digitiser
• Electronic point of sale (EPOS)
• Electronical fund transfer at point of sale (EFTPOS)
• Scanner
• Digital camera
• Web cam

• Provide results in suitable form after data proccessing. This can be in the form of a printout or a screen display
• Moniters
• LCD screens
• Graphical display units
• Laser printers
• Inkjet printers
• Dot matrix printers
• Colour printers
• Graph plotters
• Voice output
• Robots

• Memory main store there are two types
• read only memory ROM

-Its contained in a chip inside the pricessor, to hold data which cannot be changed by the user, its data that comes with the computer when it is manufactured

• random access memory RAM

-it can be randomly accessed and deleted and modified