Years 5–6 Digital Systems Definitions Worksheet: Inside digital systems (Modules 1–10)
Name:
Date:
Class:
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Key terms
Write what each term means, in your own words.
1
digital system
2
hardware
3
software
4
input, process, store, output
5
peripheral
6
input device
7
output device
8
CPU
9
RAM
10
storage device
Answer Key
Years 5–6 Digital Systems · Modules 1–10 · Student wording will vary for definitions
1digital system — A combination of hardware and software that inputs, processes, stores and outputs data for a purpose, such as a laptop, tablet, smart speaker or games console.
2hardware — The physical parts of a digital system that you can touch, such as a keyboard, screen or CPU. Hardware needs software to tell it what to do.
3software — The set of instructions, or programs, that tells hardware what to do. You cannot touch it, and it needs hardware to run. Apps are one kind.
4input, process, store, output — A digital system takes in data (input), works on it (process), keeps it (store) and shows a result (output).
5peripheral — An external device, wired or wireless, that connects to a digital system to add input, output or storage, such as a mouse, printer or USB drive.
6input device — A piece of hardware, like a keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, scanner, sensor or touchscreen, that sends data into a digital system.
7output device — A piece of hardware that shows or gives the results of processing to the user, such as a monitor, projector, speakers, headphones or printer.
8CPU — The central processing unit is the 'brain' of a digital system. It carries out program instructions one after another and processes data. Its speed affects how fast tasks run.
9RAM — Random Access Memory: fast, temporary memory that holds the data and programs currently in use. It is volatile, so everything in it is lost when the power is turned off.
10storage device — Hardware that keeps data permanently, even when the power is off. Examples are a hard disk drive, solid state drive and USB flash drive, which differ in storage capacity.