CHAPTER 14 Computers and Peripherals Definition A computer is a programmable microprocessor system with a large amount of random access memory (RAM), a keyboard and a visual display unit (VDU) as minimum requirements. Data in binary form can represent denary numbers, words, pictures, or sound. The actions of the computer are made possible by the programs that it can run. For general-purpose use a computer needs an operating system (see Chapter 15). A peripheral is a device that is connected to a computer to perform such actions as display, printing, selection of operations, communication, etc. n Note The computer is just one example of a class of devices that are known as state machines. A state machine is anything that can store information, change information, and cause