Introduction To Computer

Understanding the meaning and basic components of a

computer system.
A computer is an electronic device which accepts raw data as input ,processes it to output a
meaningful information .

Output could be in form of a text of a photograph.

A computer is a programmable device and it therefore rely on instructions fed into it by the
user.

Primary functions of a computer

Providing input (accepting raw data)

Processing data (execute operations on data )

Generating the output ( presenting the results)

Storing (saving output for future reference)

 Computer Hardware and Software
Hardware.

This is the physical ,tangible components of a computer that can be seen or touched.

Types

Input devices such as; keyboard , scanner ,Mouse, and a microphone.

Output devices such as Monitor, Speaker, and a printer.

Processing devices such as the Central Processing Unit

Storage devices like PEN drive(This is also called a USB drive since it has flash memory and a
built-in USB interface) ,memory cards and CDs.

Software.

This are the set of program and instructions that governs the operations of a computer system.

For a computer system to perform a task it has to be instructed to do a specific task.

The sequence of instructions a computer must follow is known as a program

Usually written in a language the computer understands.

Features of a computer system.

A computer system is made up of many components which collectively communicate efficiently and
effectively.

i). Speed: The processing speed of a computer is very high; it can perform millions of instructions in a
fraction of a second. They can handle large quantity of data simultaneously for multiple processing. The
speed of computer is calculated in Million Instructions per Second (MIPS) or Million Floating Point
Operations Per Second (MFLOPS).

ii) Accuracy. The chances of a computer giving wrong results are least and very rare. They work on GIGO
principle i.e. Garbage In Garbage Out.

iii). Storage: Computers have large storage capacity and can store large quantity of data and instructions.
This large storage capacity is attributed to secondary storage devices like memory cards and CD s
iv) Versatility .They can be used in different kinds of applications simultaneously. The same computer
can be used for scientific, mathematical, financial, managerial and other types of functions. The user can
use the computer to type a document, send an email, prepare pay slips, maintain accounts, play music.

v) Diligence: A computer doesn’t have human traits like tiredness, lack of concentration, fatigue etc.

ix. Resource Sharing: In the initial stages of computer evolution, they used to be lonely machines. With
the tremendous growth of technology, today computers are no longer isolated machines as they can
now be connected with each other using wires (Ethernet cables) and internet.

Generations of Computers.
The evolution of computers can be divided into five generations.

i) First Generation of Computers (1940-56):

 They use vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drum for memory.
 Programming for this generation was done using machine language i.e. the language of ‘0’s and
‘1’S.
 The input was provided through punched cards and paper tapes. Printouts were used to display
the output.
 They were bulky and large in size and occupy the space of a room.
 They generated lot of heat, which served as the main cause of malfunction in their operation.
 They lack versatility and speed

Examples of first generation computers are: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator),
EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)

ii) Second Generation Computers (1956-63);

 Transistors replaced the bulky vacuum tubes

 These computers used magnetic core as main memory , punched card readers for input and
printers for output
 They were more reliable and have less chances of hardware malfunction.
 Generated low levels of heat and the need for air conditioning was therefore reduced.
 They were having higher speed than first generation computers.
 They were used mostly for scientific purpose.

Examples of second generation computers include: IBM 1920, IBM 1401.

Third Generation Computers (1964-71):

  Transistors were replaced by Integrate Circuits. Multiple transistors were placed on a silicon
chip. This has reduced the size of computers enormously
 Computers used lesser power and generated lesser heat
 Magnetic core was replaced by micro-chip for storage purpose.
 Keyboards were used to provide input and monitors were used to get the output from the
machine. Operating system and other application software were introduced.
 Computers now have become much smaller, faster and more reliable
 The cost has also reduced considerably.

Examples of third generation computers were: IBM-360 series, CDC 1700

Fourth Generation Computers (1971 – to present):

Development of microprocessors is the main feature of fourth generation technology, which is

considered as an extension of third generation technology.

 More portable computers attributed to integration of thousands and millions of transistors on

a small silicon chip.
 Computers are widely used for commercial as well as personal purpose.
 Semiconductor memory replaced magnetic memory of previous generation computers.
 Secondary storage devices became smaller in size and large in capacity.
 The computers could be connected using LAN, WAN and MAN. This eventually led to the
development of internet
 Pointing devices like mouse were introduced.
 Operating systems like M S DOS and Windows were developed and introduced.
 High level languages like C and C++ are used for writing programs.
 The computation speed has increased.
 Less power consumption and negligible heat emission have reduced maintenance cost.
 Examples of fourth generation computers include , Apple, Macintosh.

Fifth Generation Computers (Present and Beyond):

The starting point for fifth generation computer has been set in early 1990’s. They are programmed to
work according to the artificial intelligence provided to them to simulate the human way of thinking and
reasoning.

 Working based on artificial intelligence. They can think and take decisions like human.
 Voice recognition has also become a mode to provide input to the computers.
 Speed and size of main memory and secondary memory have largely increased.
 In place of serial processing, they used the concept of parallel processing* which allowed the
execution of several instructions at the same time which has enabled faster processing speed
of computers.
 Use of multimedia applications and internet based applications.
 Portable computers, more powerful, cheaper, reliable and easier to use desktop machines

Applications of fifth generation computers include; )

 controlling the defense systems and route of a missile using intelligent systems
 Inventions of programs that could translate documents from one language to another

Examples include: IBM notebooks, PARAM 10000.

Functional Units of Computer

A computer has four functional units ;

Input unit.

Output unit.

Central processing unit (CPU) .

Secondary storage unit.

 Functional Units of a Computer System.

Input Unit:

Input unit is used to provide data, information and instructions to the computer so that it can perform
processing on data according to the instructions given by the user.

It is through the input unit that the user communicates with the computer.

In this way it serves as a link between user and computer.

A computer accepts data in two ways, either manually or directly.

 Key board is used to enter data manually by the user and scanner is an example to enter data
directly into the computer.

Commonly used input devices are: keyboard, mouse, joystick and a scanner.
i) Keyboard:

It is most common device used to enter data into computer manually.

Texts and commands can be entered by the user simply by pressing keys placed on the keyboard.

The number of keys on a typical keyboard varies between 84 keys to 104 keys. It is designed to
resemble a regular typewriter with some additional keys.

There are basically five kinds of keys on a keyboard:

 numeric keys (1,2,3…),

 alphabetical keys (A, B, C….),
 function keys (F1, F2…..),
 control keys (ctrl, alt…)
 special keys (Enter, shift, spacebar….).
ii) Mouse:

A mouse is a hand held pointing device with a rubber or a laser beam ball at its bottom and three
buttons on its top.

Buttons on the top of mouse are used to input command to the computer.

Left click button is used to select and execute the command, right click button is used to show on
screen the concerned dialog box and middle button is used to scroll across the window.

The data is entered by pointing and clicking the mouse to a particular location on the computer screen.
The movement of the cursor depends on the movement of the mouse on a flat surface. The cursor on
the screen also moves in the same direction as the direction of mouse’s movement. It allows the user to
move an object by dragging or select an object by clicking or creating graphic elements on the screen
such as lines, curves and freehand shapes. A mouse can be used in five ways:

(a) pointing to a location or object on computer screen,

(b) left click to select or execute a command or icon on the screen,

(c) right click to display the concerned menu for options like cut, copy, paste etc. for the items on which
the mouse is pointing,

(d) double click to execute a program or open a folder .

(e) drag & drop for repositioning of an object on the computer screen.

It involves pointing mouse to an object/icon on the screen, and then pressing the left button, moving
the mouse to another location on the screen by keeping the left button pressed and in last releasing the
left button. These actions will move the object to a new location.
iii) Trackball:

Trackball is also a pointing device like a mouse.

It is easy to use, requires less space than mouse and has the similar functionality of mouse.

It is like ball attached to a square board, which when rotated by fingers in any direction, moves the
cursor accordingly.

The device remains static on the surface; only the ball is moved with fingers, thumb or palm of the hand.
The cursor gets activated when the buttons on the device are pressed. It is mostly used by designers and
gamers because of its precision and accuracy.

iv) Joystick:

A joystick consists of a small lever which can be moved in all directions to control the movements of the
cursor.

The basic design of a joystick consists of a stick attached to a plastic base with a flexible rubber
underneath with a set of buttons to perform certain actions for which they are programmed.

It is used for playing games on computers involving speed like racing and flying for its ability to control
the speed of the cursor.
v) Light Pen:

It is an electro-optical pen like pointing device.

The location of the pen on the screen is identified by a light-sensitive element which is placed at the tip
of the light pen, which senses light of the displayed objects when the light pen touches it.

Light pen allows an easy interaction of the user with computer. Light pens are perfect for applications
where mouse cannot be used because of limited desk space, in harsh workplace environments and any
situation where fast and accurate input is required.

vi)Touch Screen:

A touch screen is an input device through which the user can directly provide input to the computer
simply by touching the screen.

vii) Digital Camera:

It is used to click an image which can be transferred to a computer using data cable.

viii)Scanner: It is an input device that is used to enter the data to the computer directly without typing
the data.They are used to scan the entire text document or image and convert it into electronic format
that can be stored.
ix)Optical Character Recognition (OCR):

Optical character recognition (OCR) is an input device that is used to mechanically or electronically
convert the images of type-written or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to enter
data from printed paper data records, whether passport documents, invoices, bank statement, receipts,
business card, mail, or other documents.

x) Optical Mark Reader (OMR):

It is an input device that recognizes or detects the presence of pen or pencil marks made in pre-defined
positions on paper forms. To capture presence and absence of marks, a beam of light is reflected on the
paper containing marks by OMR device. The presence of marks is detected by measuring the reflected
light.

The OMR technology could be used if data is to be collected from a large number of sources and
processed in a short period of time.

Bar Code Reader:

A barcode reader is an electronic device that reads barcodes printed on packages or tags attached to
products. Barcodes represents a pattern of parallel vertical lines of different widths which can be read
only by using a machine. They are generally seen on packets of goods sold in the market and on library
books. Bar code reader consists of a light source, a lens and a light sensor that translates optical
impulses of barcode into electrical ones.

Output Unit;

Output devices are used to display the result of the processing done by CPU on the input provided by
the user.

The output generated by the CPU is in coded form and cannot be understood by the user. It translates
the coded output from machine language to human understandable language. The output may be
displayed on the monitor or printed on a paper or listened through speakers.

Examples of output devices are monitor, printer, plotter, speaker.

1) Monitor:

This is the most commonly used output device used for displaying the processed results to the user.

It is television like screen attached to the computer.

A monitor is of two kinds;

(a) monochrome monitor that displays text using only one color.

(b) color monitor that has the capacity to display 256 colors at once.

2) Printer:

Printer is an output device that is used to get the hard copy of the output in the form of printed papers.

It prints information and data from the computer on to a paper.

The data or information may be textual or graphical in nature.

3) Plotter:

They are used to create high resolution graphs, images charts, blueprints, maps, circuit diagram and
other line based diagrams.
Central Processing Unit (CPU):

CPU is referred to as the brain and heart of the computer system which is responsible for all the
processing done on the data entered by using input device. . It is the unit that is responsible for
converting raw data into meaningful information.

The CPU ;

 controls all the external and internal devices attached to the computer,
 performs arithmetic and logical operations on the data
 control the usage of memory and the sequence of operations.

It consists of three units

 Control Unit (CU),

 Arithmetic & Logical Unit (ALU)
 Main/Primary storage unit.

Raw data provided by the input unit is first transferred to ALU from the main memory for processing and
then the processed data is sent back to the main memory for temporary storage and lastly it is sent to
the output device in the desired form. All this is done as per the directions of the control unit.

The Control Unit (CU)

It is responsible for interpreting the instructions provided by the user and directing the sequence of
operations accordingly. CPU does not perform actual processing on data rather it controls and
coordinates the overall functioning of the computer system. It first instructs the input unit to transfer
raw data and instructions to memory unit, secondly, sends it to ALU for processing, thirdly processed
data is sent back to memory unit for temporary storage and lastly displays the result of processing to the
user through output unit.

ALU: Execute mathematical operations such as; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.