Inputs & Outputs (AQA GCSE Computer Science)
Revision Note
Written by: James Woodhouse
Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham
Inputs & Outputs
What is an input?
An input is a value that is read from an input device and then processed by a computer program
Typical input devices include:
Keyboards - Typing text
Mice - Selecting item, clicking buttons
Sensors - Reading data from sensors such as temperature, pressure or motion
Microphone - Capturing audio, speech recognition
Without inputs, programs are not useful as they can't interact with the outside world and always produce the same result
In programming the keyboard is considered the standard for user input
If the command 'USERINPUT' is executed, a program will wait for the user to type a sequence of characters
In other programming languages different command words can be used
Examples
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What is an output?
An output is a value sent to an output device from a computer program
Typical output devices include:
Monitor - Displaying text, images or graphics
Speaker - Playing audio
Printer - Creating physical copies of documents or images
In programming the monitor is considered the standard for user output
If the command 'OUTPUT' is executed, a program will output to the screen
In other programming languages different command words can be used
Example
AQA pseudocode | Python |
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Worked Example
A bus company offers a discount to passengers if they have a valid 'student' card or are over 65 years of age.
Identify all the inputs that will be required in an algorithm to solve this problem [2]
Answer
Student card (YES/NO)
Age (integer)
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