What is the purpose of an output device?

Updated: 11/16/2019 by

What is the purpose of an output device?

An output device is any peripheral that receives data from a computer, usually for display, projection, or physical reproduction. For example, the image shows an inkjet printer, an output device that make a hard copy of anything shown on the monitor. Monitors and printers are two of the most commonly used output devices used with a computer.

Types of output devices

What is the purpose of an output device?

The following list contains many different examples of output devices. For further information about the output device, select any of the listings with blue text.

  • 3D Printer
  • Braille embosser
  • Braille reader
  • COM (Computer Output Microfilm)
  • Flat-panel
  • GPS
  • Headphones
  • Monitor
  • Plotter
  • Printer (dot matrix printer, inkjet printer, and laser printer)
  • Projector
  • Sound card
  • Speakers
  • SGD (Speech-generating device)
  • TV
  • Video card

What are the output devices of my computer?

Every computer has a monitor, an audio adapter, and a GPU (either onboard or discrete). Each of these is an output device. A printer is also very commonly used with computers. Depending on the type of computer and how the computer is used, other output devices may be used with a computer. The best method of determining all of the output devices your computer has is to go through the list above.

Why do computers need output devices?

A computer can still work without an output device. However, you'd have no way of determining what the computer is doing. Using an output device, you can view and get the results of input from a computer.

How does an output device work?

An output device works by receiving a signal from the computer and using that signal to perform a task to display the output. For example, below is a basic list of the steps of how an output device works.

  1. On a computer keyboard (input device), if you type "H", it sends (inputs) a signal to the computer.
  2. The computer processes the input and once completed, sends a signal to a monitor (output device).
  3. The monitor receives the signal and displays (outputs) the "H" to the screen.
  4. If supported, that "H" could also be printed (outputed) to a printer, which is another example of an output device.

If no output device was connected to the computer and it was functional, you could still type "H" on the keyboard, and it would still be processed. However, you'd be unable to see what happened or confirm the input with no output device.

Note

An output device does not send anything back to the computer. So, in the case of the monitor, a computer sends a signal without knowing if it was received. If an output device sends information back to the computer, it's considered an input/output device.

Hardware terms, Input, Input device, Input/output device, Output, Printer terms, Video terms

What is the purpose of an output device?
A LEVEL COMPUTING

What is the purpose of an output device?
Input, output, storage

What is the purpose of an output device?
Theory


5. Purpose of output devices

What is the purpose of an output device?

Output is the stage where the information obtained via processing is presented to the user in a suitable format.

Most outputs involve converting digital data into some physical effect that the person senses with eyes or ears. This means that you might be able to see the output, perhaps a print out or displayed on a computer screen. Maybe you can hear the output as music, voice instructions or a computer generated alarm.

Examples of output include:

- a printout of student examination results displayed in order from highest to lowest

- a digital display at the petrol pump showing how much fuel has been delivered and the cost of that fuel.

- an alarm from a fire alarm system which has detected smoke in the room

What is the purpose of an output device?

The other kind of output is where the data remains in digital form such as sending data directly to another computer. But eventually the data has to be converted to a form that a person can use.

Examples of output devices and the way they represent data :-

Output deviceHow it works
Video screen Digital data is loaded into video memory. The screen hardware reads this data and turns on the correct coloured pixels on the screen. It does so many times per second
Printer Digital data is sent to the printer. This device then places ink dots on paper to represent the data. The ink can be black or colour.
Wi-Fi Digital data is sent to a Wi-Fi enabled router. This converts data into radio waves that other devices can pick up.
Speakers Digital data is sent to a sound card. The card converts it into an analogue sound signal. This is sent to the speakers that then move air to cause sound.
Stored file

The digital data is stored on some medium using a physical effect. Such as:

Hard disk -> magnetic particles

DVD disk -> Light and dark pits

What is the purpose of an output device quizlet?

An output device is sending the information from the computer. Numeric Keypad is used only for putting numerical information that needs to be enter.

What is the purpose of input and output devices?

An input/output (I/O) device is a piece of hardware that can take, output, or process data. It receives data as input and provides it to a computer, as well as sends computer data to storage media as a storage output.

Why is output device important to the computer?

Computer output devices allow users to visualize or hear the information stored inside personal computers. Learn about the different computer output devices, the different types of monitors, speakers, and printers, their characteristics, and how to choose the right device.