a) Microphone
b) High speed, large capacity disk to store data
c) High-resolution video display
d) Printer
A high-speed, large capacity disk is the most critical hardware component for a database management system (DBMS).
Here’s why:
- Data Storage: A DBMS is designed to store and manage vast amounts of data. A large capacity disk provides the necessary space to accommodate the growing database.
- Performance: High-speed disks enable rapid data access and retrieval. This is essential for efficient database operations like querying, updating, and deleting data.
- Reliability: Databases often contain critical information. A reliable disk ensures data integrity and prevents data loss.
While other components like a monitor, printer, or microphone are important for interacting with the DBMS, they are not as critical to its core functionality as the disk.
Therefore, option b) is indeed the correct answer.