Data Discussion Paper

Data Discussion Paper

This paper will cover many aspects of data as it applies to computer usage, storage, performance, input, and output devices. First, I will discuss methods of data input and which would be best for various situations. Then, I will talk about methods of output and which devices would work best in several different situations keeping in mind that convenience and quality are very important in output devices. I will then cover different types of storage devices and which ones are more effective in certain scenarios. The final portion of this paper will explain the role of many different aspects of a computer which determine the computer’s speed.

Accuracy of Data Input

There are many different way to input data into a computer for processing and considering the situation, one input device may be more effective than another input device. A printed questionnaire may be inputted into a computer in several different ways: the information could be hand typed in using a keyboard, or scanned using an optical data reader. It is probably more efficient to use an optical data reader to scan in a questionnaire. A telephone survey would be highly effective if you used a voice recognition device to directly input the information received into a computer for processing and organizing. Bank checks are more than likely to use a magnetic ink character recognition input device which would be fast and accurate for inputting bank check data. Retail tags would probably use a barcode scanner to efficiently input data into the computers for processing. Long documents, while able to be typed in using a keyboard, are better suited for an optical data reader (scanner). If the right software is available, your long documents can be scanned in and converted to text which can then be edited.

Output Methods

There are a lot of different output methods for data, photos, documents, and presentations. The most important aspect of data output is quality and, depending on the situation you are faced with, one output device may be more effective than another output device. If you have a handheld computer the best output device would most likely be a LCD screen which can give you a clear liquid crystal display for your viewing pleasure. A color photograph has several options for output. You could use a high quality printer to make a hard copy of your photograph, but an organic light emitting diode might give you a higher quality display of your photograph. A standard resume or even a memorandum would probably be best suited for a standard inkjet printer for output. One could make many copies of a resume or memorandum which would all look exactly the same and could be used many times. A statistical report or a company annual report have several options for output as well, it would certainly depend on the situation and what was called for. If giving a presentation, an overhead projector or a display monitor would be the best output devices for a statistical report or a company annual report. A printer would also be an effective output device for a statistical report or a company annual report.

Storage Devices

There are many different types of storage devices available to the everyday computer user and one device may be better suited than another device, depending on the situation at hand. A hard disk would probably be used for an upgraded inventory control system, as it can store a massive amount