EduGateway(TM) QBASIC Lessons

Preliminary Version - January 28, 1995

Computer Programming with QBASIC

by

Robert M. Kuczewski


Welcome to the second in a series of computer lessons designed specifically for the Anthracite Area Computer Club. These lessons review and build on the computer classes that were held in the Mount Carmel Public Library from December 26, 1994 through January 2, 1995. While this document is freely available for non-profit use within the Anthracite Area Computer Club, it remains the intellectual property of its author. The author retains all copyrights as well.

Note: This description was tailored for AACC computers (IBM XT's).

<<     Lesson 2 - Parts of the Computer     >>

Parts of the Computer - Requires about 5 minutes to read. No computer required.

While our definition of a computer from lesson 1 is conceptually accurate, it ignores the physical aspects of a computer that we must use to communicate with it. This short lesson will acquaint you with the most important of those physical aspects. Since one picture is worth a thousand words, we will focus our attention on the following two drawings:


The left drawing shows a typical computer configuration consisting of a Computer Case, a Screen, a Keyboard and a Mouse. The drawing also shows the Power Switch which is usually located on the right side of the computer (some manufacturers use a different location). Don't turn the computer on yet. We'll save that for the next lesson. For now we just want to get to know the parts. The most important parts of the computer are located inside the Computer Case. This is where the processor, memory, and disk drives are found. The other components (Screen, Keyboard, and Mouse) are called Input and Output devices because they are used to put information into the computer (Keyboard and Mouse) and to get information out of the computer (Screen). The disk drives deserve special attention because they are used to store information when the computer is turned off. Most computers have at least two disk drives - a hard disk drive and a floppy disk drive. The hard disk drive is usually inside the computer and can usually store more than 10 million letters of information. Because the hard disk is inside, it is often called a "non-removable" or "fixed" disk. The other kind of disk drive is for "floppy" disks. A floppy disk uses a flexible magnetic surface to store information. This flexible (or floppy) surface is usually housed in either a soft or hard plastic case. Floppy disks are removable which means you can store information on them and then take them out of the computer much like an audio cassette. The drawing on the right shows how a floppy disk is inserted into the floppy disk drive. The disk should always be inserted as shown with the label up and the oblong slot pointed toward the disk drive. You should gently slide the disk all the way into the slot and then gently twist the Floppy Disk Drive Door Handle downward until it is vertical (as shown in the lower right). Floppy disks are removed by gently twisting the Door Handle upward and to the right until it is horizontal and clear of the opening. Then you can pull the floppy disk out of the drive. When you are not using a floppy disk you should always store it in a special paper envelope that is designed to protect it from damage. If you have any questions on how to use floppy disks, you should ask someone for help.

Note: This series of lessons includes an optional Typing Lesson and an optional Mouse Lesson.

Review:

This lesson has introduced the following parts of a computer:

  1. Computer Case contains processor, memory, and disk drives.
  2. Power Switch turns the computer on or off.
  3. Screen displays output from the computer.
  4. Keyboard facilitates textual input to the computer (words and letters).
  5. Mouse facilitates positional input to the computer (coordinates and movement).
  6. Hard Disk stores information when computer is off (also called "fixed disk").
  7. Floppy Disk stores information for saving or exchanging with other computers.
Computer Programming with QBASIC     Copyright © 1994-2001 by Robert M. Kuczewski