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Professor Deniver 1.0

About the Tutorial

Computer is an advanced electronic device that takes raw data as an input from the
user and processes it under the control of a set of instructions (called program),
produces a result (output), and saves it for future use.

This tutorial explains the foundational concepts of computer hardware, software,

operating systems, peripherals, etc. along with how to get the most value and impact from
computer technology.

Audience

This tutorial has been prepared for beginners as well as advanced learners who want to
deal with computers. The tutorial is also very useful for undergraduate students of
computer science, engineering, business administration, management, science, commerce
and arts, where an introductory course on computers is a part of the curriculum.

After completing this tutorial, you will find yourself at a moderate level of expertise in the
knowledge of computer basics from where you can take yourself to the next level.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of computers is not a prerequisite to follow the contents of this tutorial. This
The tutorial assumes no background in Computers or Computer programming.

Copyright & Disclaimer

© Copyright 2023 by professor denver (I) Pvt. Ltd.

All the content and graphics published in this e-book are the property of professor
Denver(I) Pvt. Ltd. The user of this e-book is prohibited to reuse, retain, copy, distribute or
republish any contents or a part of contents of this e-book in any manner without written
consent of the publisher.

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Table of Contents

1. COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS ─ OVERVIEW

Data ………................................................................................................................ 1
Information ............................................................................................................. 3
Knowledge .............................................................................................................. 3
Wisdom ................................................................................................................... 5

2. INTRODUCTION OF COMPUTER

Functionalities of a Computer........................................................... 5
Advantages of Computers ................................................................ 6
Disadvantages of Computers ........................................................... 7

3. HISTORY OF COMPUTERS ............................. 10

4. COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS ─ GENERATIONS

First Generation Computers ........................................................ 12

Second Generation Computers .................................................. 13
Third Generation Computers ...................................................... 14
Fourth Generation Computers .................................................. 15
Fifth Generation Computers ...................................................... 16

5. ANALOG COMPUTER .................................... 18

6. DIGITAL COMPUTER .................................... 20

7. HYBRID COMPUTER .................................... 22

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8. FUNCTION OF COMPUTER

Input function ............................................................................ 23

Process function ........................................................................ 24
Output function ........................................................................ 25
Storage function ........................................................................ 26

9. COMPUTER LANGUAGE

Low - Level Language ...................................... 28

Middle - Level Language .................................. 30
High - Level Language ...................................... 31

10. PERIPHERAL DEVICE

Input devices .................................................................................... 32

Output devices ................................................................................. 33
Storage Devices .............................................................................. 35

11. COMPUTER COMPONENTS

CPU ................................................................................................... 36
Software............................................................................................. 38
Hardware ........................................................................................ 39

12. MEMORY

Computer memory ...................................................................... 39

Types of memory ........................................................................ 40
Primary memory ........................................................................ 41
Secondary memory ................................................................... 42

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COMPUTER FUNDAMENTAL - OVERVIEW

➢ DATA :- - Data is collection of raw facts and figures is called data Data is collected
from different sources, it is collected for different purposes.

● Data may consist of numbers, characters, symbols or pictures etc.

➢ Information :- The processed data is called information. Information is

an organized and processed form of data. It is more meaningful than data and is
used for decision making.
● When data is converted into meaningful and useful forms after processing 5 it is
known as information.

➢ KNOWLEDGE :- Knowledge is a the appropriate collection of

information such that its intent is to be useful.

● By knowledge we mean human understanding of a subject

matter that has been acquired through proper study and

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experience. Knowledge is usually based on learning, thinking

and proper understanding of the problem area.

➢ Note:-
• Knowledge is not information and information is not data
• Knowledge is derived from information in the same way
• information is derived from data.

➢ WISDOM :- The ability to use your knowledge and experience to

make good decisions and judgments.

● The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the

quality of being wise.

➢ What is a Computer ?

Computer is an electronic device. Which takes input from the user Store and
processes it, then finally gives output in the Form of result to a user.

● The computer is an electronic device that stores, retrieves and processes

the data in binary form according to our needs. It takes some input,
processes it, and produces some output”. The word computer is derived
from the Latin word “,” which means “to calculate and programmable
machines.”

➢ Father of computer :- Charles Babbage’s invention of the

analytical engine in 1837 with parts like ALU(Arithmetic Logic
Unit), flow of control and basic memory, made him the father of
computers.

➢ Characteristic of computer :-

I. Speed
II. Accuracy
III. Versatility
IV. Reliability
V. Automation

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● Speed :- The first feature of a computer is

speed. It is a very fast device which can
perform any type of task in a fraction of
second. The speed of a computer can be measured
in picoseconds (10-12 second) that means a
trillion parts of a second. A powerful computer
is capable of performing several billion (109)
simple arithmetic in a second.

● Accuracy :- Accuracy means exactness of result. The

accuracy with which a computer performs calculation or
process data is very high. A computer never gives any wrong
information unless and until the user does.

● Versability :- Versatility is an important feature of

computers. For example, one moment it is preparing the
results of an examination, the next moment it is busy
preparing electricity bills and in between it may be helping
the office secretary to trace an important letter.

● Reliability :- A computer is a reliable machine. Modern

electronic components have long lives. Computers are designed
to make maintenance easy.

● Automation :- A computer can perform a particular work

continuously for hours together without human intervention.

➢ Disadvantages of Computers :-

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● No I.Q. :- A computer is a machine with no intelligence to

perform any task. Each instruction has to be given to the
computer. A computer cannot make any decision on its own.

● Dependency :- It functions as per the user's instruction.

Thus it is fully dependent on humans.

● Environment : - The computer's operating environment

should be dust-free and suitable.

● No Feeling :- Computers have no feelings or emotions.

It cannot make a judgment based on feeling, taste, experience,
and knowledge, unlike humans.

➢ Functions of computer :- Any computer is supposed to

carry out the following function.

A. Accepting the data as input.

B. Storing the data and instructions in its memory and
recalling the same as and when required.
C. Processing the data as per instructions to convert it into
useful information.
D. Communicating the information as output.

➢ HISTORY OF COMPUTER :- The history of computers is

a long and fascinating journey that spans centuries of human
innovation and technological advancement. Here is a brief
overview of key milestones in the history of computers :-

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1. ABACUS :- The earliest and the simplest device that was

used for calculations was the abacus. Abacus has been in use
since 3000 BC . It was developed in China. ABACUS was a
clay board consisting of beads that could slide over wires. The
wires represented columns and the rightmost column
represented UNITS, next column for TENS and so on. By
moving appropriate beads one could represent various
numbers.

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2. Napier's Bones :- This was invented by John Napier’s

(1550 – 1617). In this calculating tool, he used 9 different ivory
strips or bones marked with numbers to multiply and divide.
So, the tool became known as "Napier's Bones. It was also the
first machine to use the decimal point.
● He also invented logarithms which made it possible to do
division and multiplication by performing addition and
subtraction.

3. Slide Rule :- This was invented by William Oughtred (1575 -

1660). This device consists of graduated scales capable of
relative movement, by means of which simple calculations may
be carried out mechanically.

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● Typical slide rules contain scales for multiplying, dividing, and

extracting square roots, and some also contain scales for
calculating trigonometric functions and logarithms. The slide
rule remained an essential tool in science and engineering and
was widely used in business and industry until it was
superseded by the portable electronic calculator late in the
20th century.

4. Pascaline :- Pascal's calculator (also known as the arithmetic

machine or Pascaline) is a mechanical calculator invented by
Blaise Pascal in 1642. Pascal was led to develop a calculator by
the laborious arithmetical calculations required by his father's
work as the supervisor of taxes in Rouen.[2] He designed the
machine to add and subtract two numbers directly and to
perform multiplication and division through repeated addition or
subtraction.

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5. Step Reckoner or Leibnitz wheel :- It was developed by

a German mathematician-philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibnitz in 1673. He improved Pascal's invention to develop this
machine. It was a digital mechanical calculator which was called
the stepped reckoner as instead of gears it was made of fluted
drums. It was the first calculator that could perform all four
arithmetic operations.

6. Colmar’s Calculator :- Colmar’s Calculator was most often

referred to as the Arithmometer. Colmar’s Calculator is a
mechanical calculating machine designed to perform the 4 basic
functions.

● Colmar’s Calculator was invented by the Frenchman Thomas de

Colmar in 1820.

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7. Jacquard Loom :- A Jacquard loom is a mechanical weaving

device invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in the early 19th
century that uses a series of punched cards to control the
weaving of intricate patterns and designs in textiles.
● The Jacquard loom is a loom machine developed in the early
1800s that used a series of punch cards to control weave
operations. It is named for Joseph Marie Jacquard, its inventor,
and is considered part of the historical chain of progress toward
modern computing operations.

8. Difference Engine :- In the early 1820s, it was designed by

Charles Babbage who is known as the "Father of Modern
Computer". It was a mechanical computer which could perform
simple calculations. It was a steam driven calculating machine
designed to solve tables of numbers like logarithm tables.

9. Analytical engine :- This calculating machine was also

developed by Charles Babbage in 1830. It was a mechanical
computer that used punch-cards as input. It was capable of solving
any mathematical problem and storing information as a permanent
memory.

10. Tabulating Machine :- It was invented in 1890, by

Herman Hollerith, an American statistician. It was a mechanical
tabulator based on punch cards. It could tabulate statistics and
record or sort data or information. This machine was used in the
1890 U.S. Census. Hollerith also started the Hollerith?s Tabulating
Machine Company which later became International Business
Machine (IBM) in 1924.

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11. Differential Analyzer :- It was the first electronic

computer introduced in the United States in 1930. It was an analog
device invented by Vannevar Bush. This machine has vacuum tubes
to switch electrical signals to perform calculations. It could do 25
calculations in a few minutes.

12. Mark I :- In 1934 Harvard Professor Howard Eiken, built an

automatic calculating machine which was called Mark I digital
computer. Its internal operations were automatically controlled.
I was the realization of Babbage’s dream long after his death.

13. ENIAC :- The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And

Calculator) was designed in 1945 at the university of Pennsylvania to
calculate figures for thousands of gunnery tables required by the US
army for accuracy in artillery fire. It could perform 5000 additions or
500 multiplications per minute. It used thousands of vacuum tubes
(18000), weighed

30 tons, occupied a number of rooms (1500 sq ft space), needed a

great amount of electricity and emitted excessive heat.

➢ TYPES OF COMPUTER :-

1. Computers can be categorized in two ways :-

A. Size.
B. Data handling capabilities.

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A. Based on the size, computers are divided into five

types :-

I. Supercomputer
II. Mainframe Computer
III. Mainframe or Minicomputer
IV. Workstation
V. Microcomputer

B. Based on data handling, the computers are divided

into three parts :-

I. Analog computer
II. Digital Computer
III. Hybrid computer

(A.) 1. INTRODUCTION OF SUPERCOMPUTER :- The

upper end of the state of the art mainframes are the super computer.
These are amongst the fastest machines in terms of processing
speed and use multiprocessing techniques, where a number of
processors are used to solve a problem.

• Supercomputer are mainly being used for weather for

casting, image processing, bio-medical applications, remote
sensing etc.

● The word length of a supercomputer is ranging from 64

bit to 128 bits.

● The multicourse processors and Graphics processing unit

(GPUs) are used in the supercomputers. The

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supercomputer performs parallel processing. There are

two types of parallel processing.

1. Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP)

2. Massively Parallel Processing (MPP)

★ Ex:- PARAM 10000, ROBOT, CRAY, CRAY-2, NEX SY-2

➢ Types of Supercomputer :- The supercomputer has to be

divided into three categories such as Vector processing
machines, tightly connected cluster computers and finally
commodity computers.

1. Vector processing machines.

2. Tightly connected cluster computer.
3. Commodity Cluster.

2. Mainframe Computer :- Mainframe computers are generally

32 bit machines or on the higher side. These are suited to big

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organizations to manage high volume and also used as central host

computers in distributed systems It .
● also used as central host computers in distributed
systems.
It allows 200 users to work at a time.

★ Ex:- DEC-1090, Cyber 170, IBM-360/370, etc.

3. Minicomputer :- The micro computer originated in the late

1970s. The first micro computers were built around an 8-bit
microprocessor. A micro computer CPU is a microprocessor.
This type of computers are called as personal computers as
It is a single user system that only one user can work at a time.

Ex:- PDP -8, PDP-II, VAX -7500, HCL Daysise.

4. Workstation :- A workstation refers to an individual

computer, or group of computers, used by a single user
to perform work.

★ Ex :- Dell Precision workstations, Lenovo P Series

workstations, and Z by HP workstations.

5. Micro computer :- The micro computer originated in

the late 1970s. The first micro computers were built
around an 8-bit microprocessor. A micro computer CPU
is a microprocessor. This type of computer is called a
personal computer as it is a single user system that only
one user can work at a time.

★ Example :- Intel Pentium I/II/III, Zilog z 80,MOS-6502,Intel

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8080,and MC 6809.

(B.) 1. Analog computer :- A computer that represents data

in terms of physical measures or quantities and proceeds along
continuum constituted by its components. Analogue computers are
especially suited for the solutions of nonlinear equations and for the
simulation of multi dimensional, parallel and continuous processes.
Most common media are fluids and glasses which can be made to
vary in numerous dimensions.

Ex :- Hybrid Controller, Speedometer, Thermometer, Telephone

lines, Television.

2. Digital Computer :- A computer that stores data in forms of

digits(number) and proceeds in discrete steps from one state to
the next. The steps of a digital computer involve binary digits
which may take the form of the presence or absence of magnetic
markers in a storage media (memory) on-off switch or relays. In
digital computers even letters words and whole texts are
represented digitally.

Ex :- IBM PC, the Apple Macintosh, and modern smartphones.

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Fig :- digital Computer and it's component

3. Hybrid computer :- Hybrid computers are those computers

which has a desirable qualities of both analogue and
digital computers.

Ex :- Electrocardiogram Machine, Ultrasound Machine, ATM

machine, defense.

❖ Digital computers Vs Analogue computers :-

Analogue computers do not have ability of digital

computer to store data in large quantities nor they have
comprehensive logical facility is afforded by the programming
digital machines. Although the arithmetic functions performed
by the computing units are more complex in analogue machines
than in digital systems.

● Analogue machines are designed for specific application

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but most electrical and electronic analogue computers provide a

number of different computing devices which can be connected
together via plug board or provide different methods of operation
for special problems.

★ In digital machines numbers to be stored to be used in some

calculations were represented by physical quantities such as
electrical voltage.

➢ Functions of a computer :- Four basic functions done

by the computer can be identified as follows :-

1. Input function
2. Process function
3. Output function
4. Storage function

1. Input function and Devices :- In computing, an input

device is a piece of equipment used to provide data and
control signals to an information processing system, such as a

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computer or information appliance.

Ex :- input devices include keyboards, mouse, scanners,
cameras, joysticks, and microphones.

2. Process function and Devices :- Processing devices

are the components responsible for the processing of
information within the computer system. This includes devices
such as the CPU, memory and motherboard.

3. Storage function and Devices :- A storage device is any

type of computing hardware that is used for storing, porting or
extracting data files and objects. Storage devices can hold and
store information both temporarily and permanently.

➢ Computer language :- Language is a means of

communication. We use natural languages such as Hindi,
English to communicate our ideas and emotions to others.
Similarly, a programmer uses a computer language to instruct
a computer what he/she wants it to do.

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➢ There are three types of computer languages :-

1. Low-Level Language
2. Middle-Level Language
3. High-Level Language

1. Low-Level Language :- A low-level programming

language is close in relation to a computer’s instruction set
and directly interacts with its hardware components to
convert the orders into action.

A. Machine Language :- Machine language is a code or

object code composed of binary digits (0s and 1s), which a
the computer system can easily interpret. It is a native
language that the central processing unit (CPU) directly
understands and processes. However, it can be difficult to
understand machine language due to binary commands,
thereby leading to different opinions and results.

★ Note:- Machine language is considered to be the first

generation language.

● Advantage of machine language :- It is faster in

execution since the computer directly starts executing it.
● Disadvantage of machine language :- It is difficult to
understand and develop a program using machine language.
Anybody going through this program for checking will have a
difficult task to understand what will be achieved when this
program is executed.

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B. Assembly Language :- Assembly language is simply a

low-level programming language to write instructions for
microprocessors and various programmable devices. It is often
referred to as a second-generation language of computer,
while machine language is the first-generation language.
Assembly language is common for writing scripts for
operating systems and desktop applications. It’s a low-level
language of a computer because it’s closer to the way
computers actually work.

● Advantage of assembly language :- Writing a

program in assembly language is more convenient than in
machine language. Instead of binary language sequence,
as in machine language, it is written in the form of
symbolic instructions.
● Disadvantage of Assembly Language :- Assembly
language is specific to particular machine architecture.
Assembly languages are designed for a specific make and
model of a microprocessor. It means that assembly
language programs written for one processor will not
work on a different processor if it is architecturally
different.

2. Middle-Level Languages :- Middle-level language is a

computer language in which the instructions are created using
symbols such as letters, digits and special characters. Assembly
language is an example of middle-level language. In assembly
language, we use predefined words called mnemonics.

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3. High-Level Languages :- The earlier types of computer

language had portability issues, making it difficult to transfer code
from one machine to another. To address this, high-level languages
were introduced. Programmers started developing high-level
languages to respond to the challenges of lower-level language
programs. These types of computer languages are designed to be
user-friendly, allowing programmers to write code quickly and easily.

★ Types of High-Level Languages :-

A. Procedural Language :- A procedural language is a

third-generation language easily created with simple
procedures. These procedures are instructions in a sequence
with a unique name. Hence, the execution of these instructions
happens with a name or title assigned to that instruction.

● Ex of Procedural Language :-
I. C Language
II. Fortran
III. Pascal
IV. COBOL

B. Functional Language :- Functional language is a type of

high-level language that revolves around mathematical functions as
their fundamental concept. Functional languages give functions
equal status by assigning them to variables, using them as
arguments in other functions, and returning them as values from
functions. This means that functions can be useful in flexible and
powerful ways, making it easier to solve problems and create
programs.

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● Ex of Functional Language :-

I. Haskell
II. Lisp
III. Clojure
IV. F#

C. Object-Oriented Programming Language :-

Object-oriented programming languages have become the
predominant approach in developing new software. The
development process in these languages revolves around creating
and interacting with objects, which consist of pieces of code
(modules) and data structures.

● Ex of Object-Oriented Programming Language :-

I. Java
II. Python
III. C ++
IV. Ruby

D. Scripting Language :- Scripting languages are high-level

languages to be user-friendly and easy to learn for automating
repetitive tasks and creating dynamic web pages. Developers prefer
interpreted scripting languages because they do not require
compilation before execution, enabling quick prototyping and testing.

● Ex of Scripting Language :-

I. Javascript
II. Python
III. Perl

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IV. Bash

1. Readability:- Programs written in these languages are more

reliable than assembly and machine language .

2. Portability :- Program can be run on different machine with

little or no change.

3. Easy debugging :- Errors could easily be removed .

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4. Easy software development :- Software could easily be

developed. Commands of programming languages are similar to
natural language.

Note:- High Level Languages are also called third generation

languages.

5. Fourth Generation Language 4GL :- The fourth

generation of
programming language is not as clearly defined as the earlier
generations. Fourth generation language commonly referred to as
4GL is a high level language that requires significantly fewer
instructions to accomplish a particular task than a third
generation language does most 3rd generation languages are
procedural language but most 4th generation languages are non
procedural language.

6. Assembler :- An assembler is a translator which takes its

input in the form of an assembly language program and produces
machine language code as its output. It is a system software supplied
by the manufacturer.

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7. Compiler :- A compiler is a translator program that

translates a high-level language program into its equivalent machine
language program.

8. Interpreter :- Interpreter is a translator which is used to

translate a high level language program into machine language.

➢ Difference between Compiler and Interpreter :-

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➢ GENERATION OF COMPUTER :- According to the

component and technology used in computer system they are
divided into different generations as follows:

● 1. FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTER :- VACUM

TUBES (1940 - 1956)

● 2. SECOND GENERATION :- TRANSISTORS

(1956 - 1963)

● 3. THIRD GENERATION :- INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

(1964 - 1971 ) IC Chip with SSI and MSI technology.

● 4. FOURTH GENERATION :- MICROPROCESSORS

(1971 - 1980 ) with LSI and VLSI technology.

● 5. FIFTH GENERATION :- ARTIFICIAL

INTELLIGENCE (1989 to till date) with ULSI
technology.

★ SSI(Small Scale Integration) :- Integration of only

about ten or twenty electronic components on a single Chip.

★ MSI(Medium Scale Integration) :- A circuit with about

100 transistors fabricated on a single chip.

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★ LSI(Large Scale Integration) :- Integration of over

30,000 electronic components on a single chip.

★ VLSI(Very Large Scale Integration) :- An electronic

circuit with about 1 lakh transistors fabricated on a single chip.

★ ULSI(Ultra Large Scale Integration) :- Integration of

about 10 million electronic components on a single chip.

➢ First Generation of Computer :- It is considered that

the first generation of computer is related with the era of
vacuum tubes, when vacuum tubes were the main component
of the computer.
★ Examples of some first generation computers are ENIAC,
UNIVAC, EDVAC, EDSAC etc.

● The memory of these computers used electromagnetic relays

and all data and instructions were fed into the system from
punched cards. The instructions were written in machine and
assembly language.

❖ Characteristics of First Generation of Computers :-

• They were the fastest calculating device of their time.

• They were too bulky in size, requiring large rooms for

installation.

• They used thousands of vacuum tube that emitted large

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amount of heat.

• Power consumption of these computers was very high.

• This machine had limited storage capacity.

• Needed more maintenance.

❖ Second generation of computer :- The period of the

second generation was from 1959-1965. In this generation,
transistors were used that were cheaper, consumed less power,
more compact in size, more reliable and faster than the first
generation machines made of vacuum tubes.
● For e.g., IBM 1401, IBM 1920, etc.

★ Characteristic of second generation of computer :-

● They were more than ten times faster than the first generation
computer.

● They were smaller than first generation computers and

required smaller space.

● They consumed less power and dissipated less heat than the
first generation computers.

● They were more reliable and less prone to hardware failure

than the first generation computers.

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➢ Third generation of computer :- Use of ICs(Integrated

Circuits) define the third generation of computers. ICs are the
result of microelectronics. In an integrated circuit the
components such as transistors, registers and conductors are
fabricated on semiconductor material such as silicon. Initially
ICs are made up with SSI technology.Letter with the
advancement in technology ICsare made up with MSI
technology.

● Third generation computers for more powerful, more reliable,

less expensive and much smaller in size than second generation
computers.

★ Some examples of third generation computers are IBM 370,

PDP-11, IBM System/360, UNIVAC 1108, Honeywell-6000,
DEC series, and ICL 2900.

❖ Characteristics of third generation computers :-

• They were more powerful than second generation computers;

they were capable of performing about 1 million instructions per
second.

• They were smaller than second generation computers requiring a

smaller space.

• They consumed less power and dissipate less heat than

second generation computers.

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• They were more reliable and less prone to hardware failure than
second generation computers requiring lower maintenance cost.

• Large storage capacity.

➢ Fourth Generation :- In the 4th generation of

computers ICs were replaced by microprocessors. A
microprocessor contains all circuits needed to perform
arithmetic logic and control functions, the core activities of
computers on a single chip. Large Scale Integration and Very
Large Scale Integration technology were used in 4th
generation. It started a new social revolution PC (personal
computer) revolution.
During 4th generation semiconductor memories
were replaced by magnetic core memories resulting in large random
access memories with very fast access time.

★ Some examples of Fourth Generation computers

are IBM 4341, DEC 10, STAR 1000 and PUP 11.

❖ Characteristics of 4th generation :-

• PCs were smaller and cheaper than the third generation.

• Consumed less power than the third generation.

• They were general purpose machines.

• They had faster and larger primary and secondary stories as

compared to third generation computers.

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➢ Fifth generation :- In the fifth generation of Computer

VLSI technology was replaced by ULSI(ultra large scale
integration technology). This technology helped to develop
very small but extremely powerful and fast computers. The size
of the computer was very much reduced compared to fourth
generation computers. They are very small in size and easy to
carry out. These computers are used for general purpose and
special purpose.Example of some fifth generation computers
are mainframe, supercomputer, robot etc.

❖ Characteristics of Fifth Generation of Computers :-

• ULSI technology.
• Development of true artificial intelligence.
• Development of Natural language processing.
• Advancement in Parallel Processing.
• More user-friendly interfaces with multimedia features.
• Availability of very powerful and compact computers at
cheaper rates.

➢ PERIPHERAL DEVICE :- A peripheral device is an

internal or external device that connects directly to a computer
or other digital device but does not contribute to the
computer's primary function, such as computing. It helps end
users access and use the functionalities of a computer.

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★ Classification of Peripheral devices :- It is generally

classified into 3 basic categories which are given below.

1. Input devices
2. Output devices
3. Storage devices

1. INPUT DEVICES :- The input device is defined as it

converts incoming data and instructions into a pattern of
electrical signals in binary code that are comprehensible to a
digital computer.

● EXAMPLE :- Keyboard , mouse , scanner , microphone ,

Joystick , Light pen , OCR (optical character reader) , OMR
(optical mark reader) , Webcam , Touch screen , Bar code
reader etc.

● KEYBOARD :- A keyboard is an input device that allows

users to enter text and commands into a computer system.

● MOUSE :- A mouse is an input device that allows users to

control the cursor on a computer screen.

● SCANNER :- A scanner is an input device that allows users

to convert physical documents and images into digital files.

● MICROPHONE :- A microphone is an input device that

allows users to record audio.

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➢ OUTPUT DEVICES :- An output device is generally the

reverse of the input process and generally translates the
digitized signals into a form intelligible to the user. The output
device is also performed for sending data from one computer
system to another. For some time punched card and paper tape
readers were extensively used for input, but these have now
been supplanted by more efficient devices.

★ EXAMPLE :- Monitors , headphones , printers ,

Projector , audio speaker , GPS , Sound Card ,
Plotter etc.

● MONITOR :- A monitor is an output device that displays

visual information from a computer system.

● HEADPHONE :- The Headphones or earphones are the

hardware output devices. We can listen to the audio or watch
the movie without disturbing the people around us with the
help of headphones or earphones.

● PRINTERS :- A printer is an output device that produces

physical copies of documents or images.

● PLOTTERS :- The plotter is the computer hardware device

like the printer. It is used for printing the vector graphics.

● GPS :- The GPS Navigation device can receive the

information from the GPS satellite to calculate the device’s
geographical position.

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● SPEAKER :- A speaker is an output device that produces

audio.

➢ Storage Devices :- Storage devices are used to store and

record data.

EXAMPLE :- Hard disk Drives , Floppy Disk Drives ,

Flash memory , Memory Cards, Compact Disc Drives etc.

● HARD DISKS DRIVES :- A hard drive is a storage device

that stores data and files on a computer system.

● COMPACT DISC DRIVES :- Compact Disc Drives store

information on pits burned into the surface of a disc of
reflective material such as CD-ROM. CD-ROMs can store about
as much information as a hard drive but have a slower rate of
information retrieval.

● FLASH DRIVES :- A flash drive is a small, ultra-portable

storage device which, unlike an optical drive or a traditional
hard drive, has no moving parts.

● MEMORY CARDS :- A memory card is a small, portable

storage device that is commonly used in digital cameras and
smartphones.

● HARD DRIVE :- A hard drive is a storage device that stores

data and files on a computer system.

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● USB DRIVE :- A USB drive is a small, portable storage

device that connects to a computer system to provide additional
storage space.

● EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE :- An external hard drive is a

storage device that connects to a computer system to provide
additional storage space.

➢ COMPUTER COMPONENTS :- There are basically three

important components of a computer: Input Unit. Central
Processing Unit(CPU) Output Unit.

● A computer system is a combination of three

components :-
I. Input unit
II. CPU (Central Processing Unit)
III. Output unit

1. Input unit :- The Input Unit consists of input devices such

as a mouse, keyboard, scanner, joystick, etc. These devices are
used to input information or instruction into the computer
system. Like other electronic machines, a computer takes inputs
as raw data (binary data) and performs necessary processing
giving out processed data. Therefore, the input unit is the
medium of communication that takes data from us to the
computer in an organized manner for processing.

❖ The Input Unit performs the following major

functions :-

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● The input unit converts the inputted data or instructions into

binary form for further processing.
● Input Unit transmits the data to the main memory of the
computer.

2. CPU (Central Processing Unit) :- CPU stands for

Central Processing Unit. It is often referred to as the "brain" of
a computer because it is the primary component responsible for
executing instructions and performing calculations in a
computer system. The CPU interprets and carries out
instructions from computer programs, making it a critical
component for the overall functioning of the computer.

● This unit consists of two major components, that are the

arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and control unit (CU).
★ Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) :- Here arithmetic logic
unit performs all arithmetic operations such as addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division. It also uses logic
operations for comparison.

★ Control Unit (CU) :- The Control Unit (CU) is a critical

component of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) in a computer.
Its primary function is to manage and coordinate the execution
of instructions and operations within the CPU. The Control Unit
plays a crucial role in the fetch-decode-execute cycle, which is
the fundamental process of CPU operation. Here are the key
functions and responsibilities of the Control Unit.

★ Memory Unit :-

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