The Monitor: Displaying Information

Learning Objectives Identify the monitor as an output device. Explain that the monitor's job is to show information from the computer. Define a 'pixel' as a tiny dot of light. Describe how many pixels work together to create an image. Explain that clicking a mouse or pressing a key causes the computer to send new information to the monitor. List three examples of information a monitor can display. Have you ever wondered how your favorite cartoon or video game magically appears on the screen? 🖥️ It's not magic, it's technology! Today, we're going to learn about the computer's screen, called a monitor. The monitor is like the face of the computer, showing us everything it's thinking and doing. We'll discover the tiny secret dots th...

TermDefinitionExample MonitorThe screen that shows you pictures, words, and videos from the computer. It's the part you look at!When you play a game, the monitor is what displays your character and the world. PixelA single, tiny dot of light on the monitor. It's the smallest piece of a picture.If you look very, very closely at the screen, you might see the tiny red, green, and blue squares that are pixels. ImageA picture made up of thousands or millions of tiny pixels all working together.A photo of a cat on your screen is an image made from a specific pattern of colored pixels. DisplayAnother word for the screen or what the monitor is showing.The display on your monitor can show a website, a drawing program, or a movie. Output DeviceA part of the computer that gives information...

The Pixel Pattern Rule Many Pixels + A Color Pattern = A Picture The computer tells every single tiny pixel what color it should be. By arranging the colored pixels in a special pattern, the computer can display any image, letter, or number on the monitor. The Input-Output Rule Your Action (Input) -> Computer Thinks -> Monitor Shows (Output) When you do something like click the mouse or press a key (an event), you are giving the computer an 'input'. The computer's brain processes it and sends a signal to the monitor, which then changes the picture as an 'output'.