Editing Peripheral

{{Short description|Auxiliary input/output device for a computer}}
{{about|a type of hardware device|other uses|Periphery (disambiguation){{!}}Periphery}}
{{redirect|Computer peripherals|the American printer manufacturer|Computer Peripherals}}
{{One source|date=April 2023}}
A '''peripheral  device''', or simply '''peripheral''', is an auxiliary [[Electronic hardware|hardware]] device that a [[computer]] uses to transfer information externally.<ref>{{cite book|last=Laplante|first=Philip A.
|title=Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology
|date=2000|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=0-8493-2691-5|page=366
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U1M3clUwCfEC|access-date=January 16, 2018
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903145316/https://books.google.com/books?id=U1M3clUwCfEC&pg=PA366
|archive-date=September 3, 2016}}</ref> A peripheral is a hardware component that is accessible to and controlled by a computer but is not a core component of the computer.

A peripheral can be categorized based on the direction in which information flows relative to the computer:

* The computer receives data from an ''[[input device]]''; examples: [[Computer mouse|mouse]], [[Keyboard technology|keyboard]], [[image scanner|scanner]], [[game controller]], [[microphone]] and [[webcam]]

* The computer sends data to an ''[[output device]]''; examples: [[computer monitor|monitor]], [[Printer (computing)|printer]], [[headphones]], and [[computer speakers|speakers]]

* The computer sends and receives data via an ''input/output device''; examples: [[computer data storage|storage device]] (such as [[Disk storage|disk drive]], [[solid-state drive]], [[USB flash drive]], [[memory card]] and [[tape drive]]), [[modem]], [[Router (computing)|router]], [[Gateway (telecommunications)|gateway]] and [[network adapter]]

Many modern electronic devices, such as Internet-enabled [[Watch|digital watches]], [[Video game console|video game consoles]], [[Smartphone|smartphones]], and [[Tablet computer|tablet computers]], have interfaces for use as a peripheral.

==See also==
{{Wiktionary}}
* [[Display device]]
* [[Expansion card]]
* [[Punched card input/output]]
* [[Punched tape]]
* [[Video game accessory]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.britannica.com/technology/input-output-device Peripheral] – ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' 

{{Computer science}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Computer peripherals| ]]


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