Categories of Peripherals:

The type of computer peripherals and their uses determines the category of the peripheral. The three categories are the following.

• Input devices

• Output devices

• storage devices and 

• Communication devices

These categories are based on the direction of data flow. Some peripherals send data to the computer, while other peripherals receive data from the computer. Other peripherals can do both; they can both send and receive data from the computer. Detailed information about each category is discussed bellow;

Input Device: is a piece of equipment/device used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system, such as a computer or information appliance. They do not receive information from the computer. Input devices are one-way devices. Input devices provide us a way to give input or instruct the computer to perform a function. It can be any information or data given to the processor and this processor gives the output by some output device. Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer −

• Keyboard

• Mouse

• Joy Stick

• Light pen

• Scanner

• Microphone

• Barcode reader

• Track ball

• Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)

• Optical Character Reader(OCR)

• Optical Mark Reader(OMR) e.t.c

Keyboard:

A computer keyboard is an input device used to enter characters and functions into the computer system by pressing buttons, or keys. It is the primary device used to enter text. A keyboard typically contains keys for individual letters, numbers and special characters, as well as keys for specific functions. A keyboard is connected to a computer system using a cable or a wireless connection.