Personal computer
device · 1975 · Digital age
A computer for one person (Altair, Apple II, IBM PC).
What it is made of
- Microprocessor — has part. The PC became possible thanks to the microprocessor.
- RAM — has part. RAM.
- Hard disk drive — has part. A hard disk.
- Keyboard — has part. A keyboard.
- Computer mouse — has part. A mouse.
- Monitor — has part. A monitor.
- Motherboard — has part. The main board.
- Switched-mode power supply — has part. A power supply.
- CPU cooler — has part. A cooler.
- Graphics card — has part. A graphics card.
- Power supply — has part. The power supply turns mains power into the voltages the board and drives need.
Principles and materials it uses
- Operating system — uses. An operating system.
- x86 architecture — uses. IBM PC — x86.
- BASIC — uses. The first PCs came with BASIC.
- Silicon — is made of. The chips are silicon.
- Steel — is made of. The hull is steel.
Where it is used
- Spreadsheet — is used in. It ran on the Apple II.
- Desktop publishing — is used in. Page layout on a PC.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Minicomputer — evolved from. Shrinking the computer to desktop size.
- Laptop — evolved into. A portable PC.
What it is a kind of
- Computer — is a kind of. A computer.
- Raspberry Pi — includes. A single-board computer.