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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 02 / Friday
5/6
Week 02 · Input and output

Friday

Sort the devices
// Devices that take information in and send it out
⏱ about 15 min

Friday: Sort the devices

The Fix-It Bay bench is covered in gadgets. Rocket holds up a mouse, a speaker and a headset. "Let us sort them all!" he says.

Raven draws three circles on the whiteboard: In, Out and Both. "What do you notice about the headset?" she asks. "Where does it go?"

Nova lights up each circle in turn. "Sorting is a technician skill," she says. "Would you like a hint? Ask what each device does for you."

Three circles

Every device fits one of three circles. Input devices send information in. Output devices send results out. Some devices do both.

To sort a device, ask two questions. Does it take something in from you or the world? Does it send something out to you?

Yes to the first only means input. Yes to the second only means output. Yes to both means both.

InOutBoth
KeyboardScreenTouchscreen
MouseSpeakerHeadset with microphone
MicrophonePrinterGame controller with rumble
CameraLightsSmart speaker
SensorsVibration motor

Week two review

  1. Input devices send information into a computer.
  2. Output devices send results out.
  3. Sensors are inputs that measure the world: light, motion, heat and sound.
  4. Some devices do both jobs, like a touchscreen.
  5. When a device acts up, test one job at a time.
SORT IT
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Where does a camera go?
Where does a printer go?
Where does a touchscreen go?
Where does a light sensor go?
StatementTrue or false?
A mouse is an input device.?
A speaker takes in your voice.?
A headset with a microphone is both input and output.?
A sensor is a kind of output device.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe two questions sort any device, even one you have never seen before.

Now sort a whole task. A video call uses many devices at once.

The camera and microphone take you in. The screen and speaker bring the other person out. The touchscreen does both when you tap to hang up.

On a video call, which device takes in your face?
Which device takes in your voice?
Which device plays the other person's voice?
Which device shows the other person's face?
Which word means an input device that measures the world?
WHY THIS EXERCISESensors are the inputs that work without a tap. They measure light, motion, heat and sound.
PUT THE VIDEO CALL PATH IN ORDER
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
1First
2Next
3Then
4Last
Try it
On paper, draw three circles: In, Out and Both.
Write five devices from your home into the right circles.
Check each one with the two sorting questions.

Week two is done! You can sort any device by its job. Tomorrow the Crew Quest turns your family into a living machine.

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