Define data, explain its three forms, and the general steps a computer performs related to data.

What will be an ideal response?

Data includes words, numbers, videos, graphics, and sound that programs manipulate, display, and otherwise process. The basic function of many programs is to accept some form of data (sometimes called input data), manipulate the data in some manner (sometimes called processing), and create some form of data that is usable by people or other computers (sometimes called output data or information). In short, many computer programs perform the following general steps: accept input data, process the data, and create output data. The data that acts as input to a program, the processing that occurs, and the output that is created vary with the requirements of the program.