Exercises: Peripherals

Classify these peripherals as input, output, or input-output (both at the same time): keyboard, monitor, printer, microphone, speakers, touchscreen, webcam. Justify each case with a short sentence.

Explain in your own words what an input peripheral is and give two examples that you use; do the same for an output peripheral. Then name a device that you connect to a computer or mobile phone and classify it.

The diagram shows a computer with several connected peripherals. The blue arrows carry information to the computer and the green ones carry it away; the touchscreen does not have an arrow yet, as shown in the figure.

State what type of peripheral each labelled device is (input or output) by looking at the direction of the arrows. Then decide which arrow or arrows the touchscreen, marked with '?', would need, and explain why.

Classify these peripherals as input, output, or input-output, and justify each case: a 3D printer, a scanner, a graphics tablet (without a screen, drawn on while looking at the monitor), a television used as a second computer screen, and a fingerprint scanner.

You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.

Which peripheral do you need in each situation? (a) you want to listen to music without disturbing anyone; (b) you want to transfer a paper photo to the computer; (c) you want to be heard on a video call; (d) you want to show your presentation on a large scale to the whole class. Explain what type each one is.

The classroom projector shows the computer screen on the wall: is it an input or output peripheral? The classroom interactive whiteboard, besides displaying images, responds when you touch it with the pen: what about that one? Reason both answers.

Is the hard drive inside the computer tower a peripheral? What about an external hard drive connected via USB? Explain the criteria you use to distinguish an internal component from a peripheral.

Name two output peripherals that can show you the same information in different ways (for example, text on a screen or on paper) and explain in which situation each one is suitable.

You make a video call to your grandparents from your computer. Name all the peripherals involved in the call, classify them as input, output, or input-output, and explain what you would notice in the conversation if each one failed.

The classroom printer prints documents but also scans photocopies and sends them to the computer. Explain why it is considered an input-output peripheral, just like a touchscreen, and look for two other devices at home that also combine input and output of information.

The school drama group wants to record their plays using the computer and edit the videos. Make a list of the peripherals they would need for recording, editing, and showing the result to the audience, indicating the type of each one and justifying why you would choose it.

The figure shows the rear panel of a computer with four ports labelled with letters, and below it four cards with cables and devices to connect, as shown in the diagram.

Match each card to its port (A, B, C, or D) and explain which peripheral or device you would connect in each case and what for.

A shop needs to print price labels quickly and also transfer paper delivery notes signed by customers to the computer. State which two peripherals it needs, what type each one is, and where you would place them (at the counter or in the storeroom), justifying the decision.

You connect your mobile phone to the computer using a cable: sometimes you transfer photos from the phone to the computer and other times you transfer music from the computer to the phone. Analyse in which cases the phone acts as an input peripheral and in which as an output peripheral, and explain why it makes sense to consider it input-output.

A classmate says: 'the printer is an input peripheral because you put paper into it.' Correct their mistake by explaining what counts as 'information' when classifying a peripheral, and give a counterexample with another device that you also 'put' something physical into.

The class wants to set up a small podcast studio with two microphones, headphones, and a mixing desk connected to the computer. Classify each item (input, output, or input-output) and explain what you would lose in the recording if each one failed.

A classmate draws comic strips and wants a digital workstation. Design her peripheral setup (think about how she draws, how she sees the result, and how she saves and shares her artwork), justify each choice, and indicate which peripheral you would buy first if there were only enough money for one.

You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.

Lucas has severely reduced mobility in his arms and hands (he cannot press small keys or hold a conventional mouse) and also has low vision. At his high school, he has been assigned a standard computer with a traditional keyboard, an optical mouse, and a 21-inch monitor.

1. a) Analyze the accessibility problems of this workstation: identify what physical barrier Lucas encounters for data input and which one for information output.
2. b) Design an adapted workstation for him: select at least two alternative input peripherals and one alternative output peripheral that address his specific limitations, justifying how Lucas will interact with each of them without depending on another person's help.

The Technology department is going to buy 30 new mice for the computer lab. The class representative suggests buying Bluetooth wireless mice because "they are more modern, eliminate cable clutter on the desks, and work exactly the same as wired ones." However, the teacher prefers wired USB optical mice.

1. a) Refute the class representative's argument: explain two technical or operational drawbacks of having 30 wireless mice operating at the same time in the same small classroom.
2. b) A student is going to compete in a fast-paced action video game tournament where every millisecond counts. Technically justify which type of mouse (wired or wireless) they should choose, analysing latency (response time) and power reliability.

Imagine that you are part of a library's technical support team and you need to adapt a computer so that a completely blind person can search the web catalogue, write documents, and print their study notes independently.

1. a) A colleague proposes solving the information output by installing a much larger and brighter screen. Explain why this measure is useless and which two alternative output peripherals (based on other human senses) you must install to replace the monitor.
2. b) For data input, the user needs to write long texts containing formulas and numbers. Compare the use of a microphone with voice recognition versus an adapted keyboard: state one advantage and one limitation of each option in the environment of a quiet study room.

During a school festival, you take a photo with a digital camera, transfer it to the computer to edit it, and finally print it on a paper poster.

1. a) The camera and the printer perform inverse information transformations between the physical world and the digital world. Explain what type of physical signal enters and what data comes out of the camera (input), and what data enters and what physical result the printer produces (output).
2. b) A classmate claims: "If the photo looks blurry and dark when projected onto the classroom wall, it means that the file saved on the computer is corrupted." Provide a reasoned justification for why their statement is wrong, distinguishing between the stored digital information and the characteristics of the output peripheral used.

A friend claims that a virtual reality headset is "just a very advanced output peripheral, because its only function is to display 3D images in front of your eyes and emit surround sound."

1. a) Refute their claim by showing why the headset is an essential input/output (mixed) peripheral: identify which input elements are built into it and what user data they continuously capture.
2. b) Imagine that while playing, the motion sensors (gyroscope and accelerometer) break down, but the internal screens continue to work perfectly. Predict what will happen when you turn your head to look to the side inside the game and explain why the experience would cease to be realistic.

The inkjet printer in the Technology classroom is printing defectively: the pages come out with horizontal white lines cutting through the black text, but the titles and logos in red and blue print with complete clarity.

1. a) Analyse the situation and provide a reasoned dismissal of two common potential causes: could it be due to a faulty USB cable? Could it be that the computer does not have the driver installed? Justify why these faults do not match the symptoms.
2. b) Formulate the most likely hypothesis about which component of the peripheral is failing (think about the ink cartridges/tanks and the nozzles/printheads).
3. c) Design a logical three-step procedure to try to solve the problem, ordered from lowest to highest cost or difficulty, before concluding that the printer is broken.

At a supermarket checkout there is a central computer (POS/TPV) connected to several peripherals: a laser barcode reader, a built-in scale, a card payment terminal (chip and PIN / EFTPOS machine), a touchscreen, and a thermal receipt printer.

1. a) A customer buys bananas by weight and pays by tapping their contactless card on the card terminal. Explain the flow of information in this operation: which input peripheral is involved in registering the product, what data does it transmit, and why does the card terminal act as a mixed (input/output) peripheral during the payment process?
2. b) During a sale, the touchscreen is bumped: it continues to display the prices and products on screen perfectly, but it does not respond when the cashier touches it with their finger. Deduce which part of the peripheral has failed (input or output) and reason whether the supermarket can continue charging customers using the rest of the available peripherals.