INFORMATICS PRACTICES NEW (065)
CLASS – XI
1. COMPUTER SYSTEM
COMPUTER SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM?
WHAT IS COMPUTER?
• A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to accept data(input),
process it and generate result (output). A computer along with additional hardware
and software together is called a computer system.
• Memory: Memory enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and
programs.
• Input device: Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit
through which data and instructions enter a computer.
• Output device: An output device is a display screen, printer, or other device that
lets you see what the computer has accomplished.
• Central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer, this is the component
that actually executes instructions.
• A motherboard: This component allows all of the other components to
communicate with one another.
COMPONENTS OF A CPU
• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical
operations.
• The control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes
and executes them, calling on the ALU when necessary.
• Memory Unit(MU): Memory unit is a component which is responsible for
storing all data and information and instructions for processing.
Memory of computer is more like a predefined working space where it temporarily keeps
information and data to facilitate its performance. When the task is performed, it clears its
memory and memory space is then available for the next task to be performed.
This memory is often called main memory.
The secondary memory (also called storage device) is used to store data, instructions and
results permanently for future use.
There are two types of memory: Primary and Secondary.
• Primary Memory: Primary memory is an essential component of a computer
system. Program and data are loaded into the primary memory before processing. The
CPU interacts directly with the primary memory to perform read.
Following are the Primary memory:
• Secondary Memory: A computer system needs auxiliary or secondary memory to
permanently store the data or instructions for future use.
Secondary memory is non-volatile and has a larger storage capacity than primary
memory.
It is slower and cheaper than the main memory. But, it cannot be accessed directly by
the CPU.
Example of Secondary Memory are
➢ Hard Disk
➢ CD/DVD
➢ USB flash drive
➢ Memory card
• Cache Memory: RAM is faster than secondary storage, but not as fast as a
computer processor. So, because of RAM, a CPU may have to slow down. To speed
up the operations of the CPU.
Cache memory is very high speed memory which is placed between processor and
RAM to speed up the operations of CPU.
WHAT IS RAM & ROM?
RAM-Random access memory (RAM
a) The memory available for the operating system, programs and processes to use when the
computer is running.
b) RAM is a type of volatile memory. Data in RAM is not permanently written. When you
power off your computer the data stored in RAM is deleted.
c) There are different types of RAM, including DRAM (Dynamic Random Access
Memory) and SRAM (Static Random Access Memory).
ROM is Read Only Memory.
a) The memory that comes with your computer that is pre-written to hold the
instructions for booting-up the computer.
b) ROM is a type of non- volatile memory. Data in ROM is permanently written and is
not erased when you power off your computer.
c) There are different types of ROM, including PROM (programmable read-only
memory) that is manufactured as blank memory (e.g. a CD-ROM)
and EPROM (erasable programmable read-only memory).
Computer Memory Measurement Units
A computer system uses binary numbers to store and process data. The binary digits 0 and 1,
which are the basic units of memory, are called bits. These bits are grouped together to form
words.
No. Unit Description
1 Bit (Binary Digit) A binary digit is logical 0 & 1
2 Nibble 1 Nibble = 4 bits
3 Byte (B) 1 Byte = 8 bits
4 Kilobyte (KB) 1 KB = 1024 Bytes
5 Megabyte (MB) 1 MB = 1024 KB
6 Gigabyte (GB) 1 GB = 1024 MB
7 Terabyte (TB) 1 TB = 1024 GB
8 Petabyte (PB) 1 PB = 1024 TB
9 Exabyte (EB) 1 EB = 1024 PB
10 Zettabyte (ZB) 1 ZB = 1024 EB
11 Yottabyte (YB) 1 YB = 1024 ZB
Data Capturing, Storage, Retrieval, Deletion and Recovery
➢ Data Capturing
The process of gathering data from different sources in digital form called
Data Capturing. Data may be captured using, keyboard, bar code readers,
remote sensors on earth orbiting satellites etc.
➢ Data Storage
There are many different types of storage device are available which can be
used to store data. Now a day due to rise in computers, Internet and
Technology large volume of data being produced and hence the storage device
should be of large capacity and updated regularly. to store large amount of
data, Server can be deployed or Cloud computing can also be used.
Data Server: In large organizations, computers with larger and faster
storage called data servers, are deployed to store vast amount of data. Such
dedicated computers help in processing data efficiently.
➢ Data Retrieval
Data Retrieval refers to accessing or fetching data from storage device as per
requirement. Due to large volume of data now a day, system must have good
quality and effective programs in order to access data at minimum time.
➢ Data Deletion and Recovery
Deletion means removing of files or folders from the storage device is called
Data Deletion. The storage devices can malfunction or crash down resulting in
the deletion of the stored data.
Data recovery is a process of retrieving deleted, corrupted and lost data from
secondary storage devices. In case data gets deleted accidentally or corrupted,
there arises a need to recover the data. Recovery of the data is possible only if
the contents/memory space marked as deleted have not been overwritten by
some other data.
WHAT IS SOFTWARE?
Software is a set of instructions, data, or programs used to operate a computer and execute
specific tasks.
It’s a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts, and programs that run on devices
such as PCs, mobile phones, tablets, and other smart devices. Software contrasts
with hardware, which is the physical aspects of a computer that perform the work.
I) Application software
Application software is software that helps an end user complete tasks such as
doing research, taking notes, setting an alarm, designing graphics, or keeping an account
log. Application software designed for the end use and is specific in its functionality. This
type of software is sometimes referred to as non-essential software because it’s installed
and operated based on the user’s needs. Any application on a mobile phone is an example
of application software.
Types of application software include:
• Word processors: Applications used for documentation.
Examples - Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and AppleWorks
• Database software: Software used to create and manage a database to organize
data. This is also known as database management software (DBMS).
Examples - MySQL, Clipper, and FileMaker
• Multimedia software: Tools that are able play, create, or record images, audio, or
video files. It’s used for video editing, animation, graphics, and image editing.
Examples - Adobe Photoshop and Picasa
• Internet browsers: Software used to access and view websites.
Examples - Google Chrome and Internet Explorer.
• Email programs: Software used for emailing.
Examples - Outlook and Gmail.
II) System software
System software helps the user, hardware, and application software interact and
function with each other. System software acts as a mediator or middle layer between the
user and the hardware. It’s essential in managing the whole computer system.
The most well-known example of system software is the OS, which manages all
other programs in a computer. Aside from the OS, other examples of system software
include:
• Basic input/output system (BIOS): the built-in firmware that determines what a
computer can do without accessing programs from a disk.
• Boot: loads the OS into the computer’s main memory or RAM.
There are two broad categories of application software—
➢ General purpose software
➢ Customized software
➢ General Purpose Software: The application software was
developed for generic applications, to cater to a bigger audience in
general is called general-purpose software.
Such ready-made application software can be used by end users as
per their requirements.
For example, the spreadsheet tool Calc of LibreOffice can be used
by any computer user to do calculations or to create an account
sheet. Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, Mozilla web browser, iTunes, etc.,
fall in the category of general-purpose software.
➢ Special Purpose (Customized Software): These are
custom or tailor-made application software, that are developed to
meet the requirements of a specific organization or an individual.
They are better suited to the needs of an individual or an
organization, considering that they are designed as per special
requirements.
Some examples of user-defined software include websites, school
management software, accounting software, etc.
• Programming Language: In order to get some work done by the computer, we
need to give instructions that are applied to the input data to get the desired outcome.
Computer languages are developed for writing these instructions. Humans are able to
write programs in high-level language (i.e. English language), computers understand
machine language.
There is a need to convert high-level to machine-level language, for which translators
are needed.
Classification of Programming Languages: It is very difficult for a
human being to write instructions in the form of 1s and 0s i.e. binary digits. So
different types of computer programming languages are developed to simplify
the coding.
Two major categories of computer programming languages are-
(i) Low-level languages
(ii) High-level languages
➢ Low-level languages are machine-dependent languages and
include machine language and assembly language.
❖ Machine language uses 1s and 0s to write
instructions that are directly understood and
executed by the computer.
❖ Assembly Language: To simplify the
writing of code, assembly language was
developed that allowed the usage of English-like
words and symbols instead of 1s and 0s, called
Mnemonics codes.
➢ High-level languages are machine independent and are simpler
to write code into.
Instructions are using English-like sentences and each high-level
language follows a set of rules, similar to natural languages.
However, these languages are not directly understood by the
computer. Hence, translators are needed to translate high-level
language codes into machine language
Examples of high-level languages include C++, Java, Python, etc.
Language Translators: As the computer can understand only the machine
language, a translator is needed to convert the program written in assembly
high-level language to machine language
Source code: The program code written in assembly or high-level language
is called source code.
Object Code (Machine Code): The source code is converted by a
translator into the machine-understandable form called object (machine) code.
Types of Language Translators: As we have different types of
computer languages, different translators are needed to convert the
source code to machine code.
The three types of translators used in computing systems are
(i) Assembler,
(ii) Compiler, and
(iii) Interpreter
➢ Assembler: The translator used to convert the code
written in assembly language to machine language is
called an assembler.
➢ Compiler: The compiler converts the codes written in
a high-level language (source code) to machine-
understandable form (machine code) for execution by
the computer.
If the code follows all syntactic rules of the language,
then it is executed by the computer. Once translated, the
compiler is not needed.
➢ Interpreter: An Interpreter also translates the code
written in a high-level language to machine code.
An interpreter translates one line at a time instead of the
whole program in one go.( Line by line).
Open Source Software - Developers of some software allow public to freely use
their software along with source code with an aim to improve further with each
other’s help. Such software is known as Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).
For example, the source code of operating system Ubuntu is freely accessible for
anyone with the required knowledge to improve/add new functionality.
More examples of FOSS include Python, Libreoffice, Openoffice, Mozilla Firefox,
etc.
