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If you're like most people, computers are becoming a part of your life, and it helps

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to know how they work.

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They seem complicated inside, but by understanding just a few parts, you can see a simpler side

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of computers.

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This is computer hardware in plain English.

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You've seen them.

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They come in all shapes and sizes, but work pretty much in the same ways.

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In fact, if you could look inside these computers, they'd have the same basic parts.

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It's these parts, the hardware, that do a lot of the work in computers.

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To explain, let's look at something you already know, a house.

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One of the great things about living in a house is that you have room for all of your

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stuff.

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In fact, many houses have basements that become the perfect place for storing things you want

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to use later.

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And the bigger the basement, the more you can store.

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The same thing is true for computers.

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Instead of boxes and bicycles, we need a place to store things like photos, music, documents,

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and software.

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In a computer, it's not the basement, but a hard drive.

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A computer's hard drive is where you keep all the things you want to use later.

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And like basements, the bigger the hard drive, the more you can store.

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But basements aren't perfect.

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Going to the basement takes too much time whenever you need something.

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Closets on the main floor can help.

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They're small and make things easier to access when you need them.

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You don't need to go all the way downstairs.

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It's the same with computers.

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Some of the information stored on computers is hard for the computer to open quickly because

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it needs to take the long way.

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To solve this problem, computers use RAM, or Random Access Memory.

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It makes information easier for the computer to access.

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This means RAM makes computers faster.

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Plus, this kind of closet gets cleaned out every time you restart your computer.

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Of course, houses have all kinds of parts that need to work together.

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It would help to have someone like a butler in the house, making sure the house is always

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in working order.

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If it's too hot, maybe the air conditioning needs adjustment.

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When it's dark, lights are needed.

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Computers need this too.

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Something has to make sure all the parts run smoothly.

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In computers, this is called the processor.

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It's a tiny part that's like the butler of the computer.

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It sends and receives information, completes tasks, and puts the software to work.

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And the faster it can complete tasks, the faster your computer will be.

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So, let's review.

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The hard drive is like a basement.

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It stores all the things you need for later.

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RAM is like a closet on the main floor.

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It makes some information quick and easy to access.

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And the processor is like having a butler around.

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It's always completing tasks and making things work together.

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The next time you use a computer, think about what's happening under the hood.

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Computer hardware is working together to help you get things done.

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I'm Lela Feber of Common Craft, and this has been Computer Hardware in Plain English.

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Do you need this for work?

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Find presentation-quality, unbranded versions of all Common Craft videos at CommonCraft.com.

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Common Craft.

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Learn more at commoncraft.com

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Common Craft.

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