In the area of technology there is the term "peripheral" to refer to all those devices and implements that are highly useful for the proper functioning of the computer and that are external to the CPU. There are numerous types of peripherals and while some are of temporary use, others are of permanent use.
Peripheral devices are by definition those that are located on the periphery of the CPU. They are all the elements that allow input and output activities to be carried out and that complement the tasks that are carried out internally in the CPU or in the memory spaces of the computer. In this sense, a large part of the components of a computer are considered peripherals, although some of them seem to be part of the central nucleus of any device of this style. Thus, both the monitor, the mouse, the keyboard or the speakers are peripheral elements that must be added to the CPU but which in turn are extremely necessary for it to function properly. Having then the CPU, the memory unit and the elementary input and output peripheral devices, we can speak of a computer as we normally understand it.
However, there are other types of peripheral elements that are useful and interesting but do not fall into the category of basic or extreme necessity. Among them we must mention for example microphones, webcams, joysticks, printers, headphones, faxes, scanners, CD and DVD readers and recorders, floppy disks, portable and flash memory, routers and many others. Each of these elements provides the computer with interesting possibilities that allow it to carry out different activities and processes beyond the basic ones.
Peripheral devices are usually organized into categories according to their function. The most common are input peripherals (those that make data enter the computer that is then processed and exposed, for example a keyboard or mouse), output peripherals (those that expose the information received and processed, for example the monitor or the printer), storage peripherals (all those that allow data to be recorded and stored, such as different external memories) and communication peripherals whose main function is to communicate and allow the interaction of one or more devices (for example the router or network cards).
