FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER 1

C – Commonly

O - Oriented The word computer is

derived from the word
M - Machine
compute.
P - Particularly
Compute means to
U - Used calculate. The computer
was originally defined
T - for Trade as a super fast
calculator.
E - Education

R - and Research

Today’s world is an information-rich world and it has become a

necessity for everyone to know about computers. A computer is an
electronic data processing device, which accepts and stores
data input, processes the data input, and generates the output
in a required format.

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To know about the working of a computer, first need to understand

various terms such as Data, Processing and Information. First of all,
lets start with basic terms:-

1. Data : Data is a collection of basic facts and figure without any

sequence. This data is also called as raw data. When the data is collected
as facts and figures, there is no meaning to it, at that time, for example,
name of people, names of employees etc.

2. Processing : Processing is the set of instructions given by the user to

the related data that was collected earlier to output meaningful
information. The computer does the required processing by making the
necessary calculations, comparisons and decisions.

3. Information : Information is the end point or the final output of any

processed work. This meaningful output data is called information.

4. Program: The set of instructions given to the computer to perform

various operations is called as the computer program.

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COMPONANTS OF COMPUTER

All types of computers follow the same basic logical structure and
perform the following five basic operations for converting raw input data
into information useful to their users.

Input Unit- This unit contains devices with the help of which we enter
data into the computer. This unit creates a link between the user and the
computer. The input devices translate the information into a form
understandable by the computer.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)- CPU is considered as the brain of the

computer. CPU performs all types of data processing operations. It stores
data, intermediate results, and instructions (program). It controls the
operation of all parts of the computer.

CPU itself has the following three components:

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 ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)- This unit consists of two

subsections namely,
1. Arithmetic Section
2. Logic Section

Arithmetic Section- Function of arithmetic section is to perform

arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division. All complex operations are done by making repetitive use of the
above operations.

Logic Section- Function of logic section is to perform logic operations

such as comparing, selecting, matching, and merging of data.

 Memory Unit- This unit can store instructions, data, and

intermediate results. This unit supplies information to other units
of the computer when needed. It is also known as internal storage
unit or the main memory or the primary storage or Random
Access Memory (RAM). Its size affects speed, power, and
capability. Primary memory and secondary memory are two
types of memories in the computer. Functions of the memory unit
are −
 It stores all the data and the instructions required for processing.
 It stores intermediate results of processing.
 It stores the final results of processing before these results are
released to an output device.
 All inputs and outputs are transmitted through the main memory.

 Control Unit- This unit controls the operations of all parts of the
computer but does not carry out any actual data processing
operations.

Functions of this unit are −

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 It is responsible for controlling the transfer of data and

instructions among other units of a computer.
 It manages and coordinates all the units of the computer.
 It obtains the instructions from the memory, interprets them, and
directs the operation of the computer.
 It communicates with Input/Output devices for transfer of data or
results from storage.
 It does not process or store data.

Output Unit- The output unit consists of devices with the help of which
we get the information from the computer. This unit is a link between the
computer and the users. Output devices translate the computer's output
into a form understandable by the users.

Advantages of Computers

1. High Speed
 Computer is a very fast device.
 It is capable of performing calculation of very large amount of
data.
 The computer has units of speed in microsecond, nanosecond, and
even the Pico second.
 It can perform millions of calculations in a few seconds as
compared to man who will spend many months to perform the
same task.

2. Accuracy
 In addition to being very fast, computers are very accurate.
 The calculations are 100% error free.
 Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy provided that the
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input is correct. Storage Capability

3. Memory is a very important characteristic of computers.

 A computer has much more storage capacity than human beings.
 It can store large amount of data.
 It can store any type of data such as images, videos, text, audio,
etc.

4. Diligence
 Unlike human beings, a computer is free from monotony,
tiredness, and lack of concentration.
 It can work continuously without any error and boredom.
 It can perform repeated tasks with the same speed and accuracy.

5. Versatility
 A computer is a very versatile machine.
 A computer is very flexible in performing the jobs to be done.
 This machine can be used to solve the problems related to various
fields.
 At one instance, it may be solving a complex scientific problem
and the very next moment it may be playing a card game.

6. Reliability
 A computer is a reliable machine.
 Modern electronic components have long lives.
 Computers are designed to make maintenance easy.

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7. Automation
 Computer is an automatic machine.
 Automation is the ability to perform a given task automatically.
Once the computer receives a program i.e., the program is stored
in the computer memory, then the program and instruction can
control the program execution without human interaction.

8. Reduction in Paper Work and Cost

 The use of computers for data processing in an organization leads
to reduction in paper work and results in speeding up the process.
 As data in electronic files can be retrieved as and when required,
the problem of maintenance of large number of paper files gets
reduced.

Computer Applications.

1. Banking and Financial company : Computers are used in bank

for electronic money transfer, voucher, ledger, bank sheet, etc.
different systems are used in Financial Company such as ATM
(Automatic Teller Machine), EFTS (Electronic Fund Transfer
System) etc which is computer based systems for customer
services provided by banks.
2. Education : The computer helps in providing a lot of facilities in
the education system. The computer provides a tool in the
education system known as CBE (Computer Based Education).
CBE involves control, delivery, and evaluation of learning.
Computer education is rapidly increasing the graph of number of
computer students. It is used to prepare a database about
performance of a student and analysis is carried out on this basis.
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3. Healthcare : Computers have become an important part in

hospitals, labs, and dispensaries. They are being used in hospitals
to keep the record of patients and medicines. It is also used in
scanning and diagnosing different diseases. ECG, EEG, ultrasounds
and CT scans, etc. are also done by computerized machines.
4. Military : Computers are largely used in defence. Modern tanks,
missiles, weapons, etc. Military also employs computerized
control systems. Some military areas where a computer has been
used are:

• Missile Control

• Military Communication

• Military Operation and Planning

• Smart Weapons

5. Communication : Communication is a way to convey a message,

an idea, a picture, or speech that is received and understood
clearly and correctly by the person for whom it is meant. Some
main areas in this category are:

• E-mail

• Chatting

• Usenet

• FTP

• Telnet

• Video-conferencing
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6. Government : Computers play an important role in government

services. Some major fields in this category are:

• Budgets

• Sales tax department

• Income tax department

• Computation of male/female ratio

• Computerization of voters lists

• Computerization of PAN card

• Weather forecasting

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER

ABACUS- The abacus is one of the earliest known computation devices. It

is a tool that helped in calculating answers of arithmetic problems. It is
simply a wooden rack holding parallel wires on which beads are strung.
Calculations are done by manipulating the beads. The abacus was
developed in China about 5000 years ago. The abacus was so successful
that its use spread from China to many other countries.

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Pascal’s calculator called ‘Pascaline’- In the year 1642, Blaise Pascal a

French scientist invented an adding machine called Pascal’s calculator.
Though these machines were early forerunners to computer engineering,
the calculator failed to be a great commercial success.

Analytical engine or difference engine- Charles Babbage a British

mathematician at Cambridge University invented the first analytical
engine or difference engine. This machine could be programmed by
instructions coded on punch cards and had mechanical memory to store
the results. For his contributions in this field Charles Babbage is known as
‘the father of modern digital computer.

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ENIAC (Electronic Numeric Integrator and Calculator) –In 1944 John

Mauchley and J. Presper proposed an electronic digital computer called
ENIAC, and completed it in 1946 which is regarded as first successful
general digital computer.

EDVAC(Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) – In the

mid 1940’s Dr. John von Neumann designed the Electronic Discrete
Variable Automatic Computer with a memory to store both program and
data. This was the first machine which used the stored program concept.
It had five distinct units - arithmetic, central control, memory, input and
output. The key element was the central control. All the functions of the
computer were co-ordinate through this single source, the central control.
The programming of the computers was done in machine language.

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UNIVAC 1 – Remington Rand designed this computer specifically for

business data processing applications. The Universal Automatic Computer
was the first general purpose commercially available computer.

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EDSAC( Electronic delay storage automatic computer)- Ist computer

capable of storing instructions and data in memory.

GENERATION OF COMPUTER

First Generation Computers - The period of first generation was from

1946-1959. The computers of first generation used vacuum tubes as the
basic components for memory and circuitry for CPU (Central Processing
Unit). These tubes, like electric bulbs, produced a lot of heat and the
installations used to fuse frequently. Therefore, they were very expensive
and only large organizations were able to afford it.

In this generation, mainly batch processing operating system was used.

Punch cards, paper tape, and magnetic tape was used as input and output
devices. The computers in this generation used machine code as the
programming language.

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The main features of the first generation are:

• Vacuum tube technology

• Unreliable

• Supported machine language only

• Very costly

• Generated a lot of heat

• Slow input and output devices

• Huge size

• Need of AC

• Non-portable

• Consumed a lot of electricity

Some computers of this generation were:

• ENIAC

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• EDVAC

• UNIVAC

• IBM-701

• IBM-650

Second Generation Computers - The period of 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. In this
generation, magnetic cores were used as the primary memory and
magnetic tape and magnetic disks as secondary storage devices. In this
generation, assembly language and high-level programming languages
like FORTRAN, COBOL were used. The computers used batch processing
and multiprogramming operating system.

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The main features of second generation are:

• Use of transistors

• Reliable in comparison to first generation computers

• Smaller size as compared to first generation computers

• Generated less heat as compared to first generation computers

• Consumed less electricity as compared to first generation

computers

• Faster than first generation computers

• Still very costly

• AC required

• Supported machine and assembly languages

Some computers of this generation were:

• IBM 1620

• IBM 7094

• CDC 1604

• CDC 3600

• UNIVAC 1108

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Third Generation Computers - The period of third generation was from

1965-1971. The computers of third generation used Integrated Circuits
(ICs) in place of transistors. A single IC has many transistors, resistors,
and capacitors along with the associated circuitry. The IC was invented by
Jack Kilby. This development made computers smaller in size, reliable,
and efficient. In this generation remote processing, time-sharing, multi-
programming operating system were used. High-level languages
(FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68 etc.) were
used during this generation.

The main features of third generation are:

 IC used
 More reliable in comparison to previous two generations
 Smaller size
 Generated less heat
 Faster
 Lesser maintenance
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 Costly
 AC required
 Consumed lesser electricity
 Supported high-level language

Some computers of this generation were:

 IBM-360 series
 Honeywell-6000 series
 PDP (Personal Data Processor)
 IBM-370/168
 TDC-316

Fourth Generation Computers

The period of fourth generation was from 1971-1980. Computers of

fourth generation used Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. VLSI
circuits having about 5000 transistors and other circuit elements with
their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have
microcomputers of fourth generation.

Fourth generation computers became more powerful, compact, reliable,

and affordable. As a result, it gave rise to Personal Computer (PC)
revolution. In this generation, time sharing, real time networks,
distributed operating system were used. All the high-level languages like
C, C++, DBASE etc., were used in this generation.

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The main features of fourth generation are:

 VLSI technology used

 Very cheap
 Portable and reliable
 Use of PCs
 Very small size
 Pipeline processing
 No AC required
 Concept of internet was introduced
 Great developments in the fields of networks
 Computers became easily available

Some computers of this generation were:

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 DEC 10
 STAR 1000
 PDP 11
 CRAY-1(Super Computer)
 CRAY-X-MP(Super Computer)

Fifth Generation Computers

The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In the fifth generation,

VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology,
resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten million
electronic components. This generation is based on parallel processing
hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence)software. AI is an emerging
branch in computer science, which interprets the means and method of
making computers think like human beings. All the high-level languages
like C and C++, Java, .Net etc., are used in this generation.

AI includes:

 Robotics
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 Neural Networks
 Game Playing
 Development of expert systems to make decisions in real-life
situations
 Natural language understanding and generation

The main features of fifth generation are:

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

Some computer types of this generation are:

 Desktop
 Laptop
 NoteBook
 UltraBook
 ChromeBook

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TYPES OF COMPUTER

There are three major categories based on which computers can be

classified. These are:

1. Based on Size

2. Based on Purpose

3. Based on Types

Types of Computer-Based on Types

The three types of computers along with their functions are given below:

• Analog Computer – An analog computer one that uses the

continuously changeable aspects of physical phenomena to model the
problem being solved. These phenomena may be such as electrical,
mechanical, or hydraulic quantities and they are extremely complex to be
used. Such computers are mostly used for scientific and industrial
applications. Examples of Analog computers include Thermometer,
Operational Amplifiers, Electric Integrators, etc.

• Digital Computer – Such computers are capable of solving

problems in discrete format. It only operates on data entered in binary
language and can perform the dynamic function of managing large
amounts of data and regulating the operations of the machine, Examples
of Digital computers are Desktop, Laptop, Mobile Phones, etc.

• Hybrid Computer – Computers that exhibit features of both

Analog and Digital computers are called Hybrid Computers. The logical
operations are solved by the digital aspects and the differential equations

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are solved using the analog features. Few important examples of Hybrid
Computers include Space Flights, Food processing Plants, etc.

Types of Computers – Based on Size

Described below are the four types of Computers based on their sizes
along with their functions:

• Micro Computers – A relatively inexpensive and small computer

comprising a microprocessor and a Central Processing Unit (CPU) is
called a Microcomputer. Such computers are made with minimal circuitry
mounting over a single circuit board. Examples include Desktop, Laptop,
etc.

• Mini Computer – Developed in the mid-1960s, Mini computers

are comparatively smaller than mainframe computers. They were
developed keeping in consideration human interaction, control
instrumentation and were cost-effective. For example Smartphones,
iPads, etc.

• Mainframe Computer – Computers used by large Organisations

to manage bulk data are called Mainframe computers. Main functions of
such type include managing customer statistics, census and other heavy
data in a single device. For example, the system used at Trading
companies.

• Super Computer – Supercomputers are the biggest and fastest

computers. They are designed to process huge amount of data. A
supercomputer can process trillions of instructions in a second. It has
thousands of interconnected processors.

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Supercomputers are particularly used in scientific and engineering

applications such as weather forecasting, scientific simulations, Quantum
Mechanics, Climate research and nuclear energy research.

 Param Shivay, the India’s first supercomputer assembled

indigenously, was installed in IIT (BHU), followed by Param Shakti
and Param Brahma at IIT-Kharagpur and IISER, Pune,
respectively. Bhatkar is best known as the architect of India's
national initiative in supercomputing where he led the
development of Param supercomputers. He developed the first
Indian supercomputer, the PARAM 8000, in 1991 and later the
PARAM 10000 in 1998.

 Vijay Pandurang Bhatkar, a technocrat is considered the father

of the Indian Supercomputer.

 The CDC 6600, released in 1964, is generally considered the

first supercomputer, designed by Seymour Cray who is
considered the father of Super Computer.
 Arm-powered Fugaku, in Kobe, Japan, is the the world's
fastest supercomputer as of November 2020.

Types of Computer – By Purpose

On the basis of purpose, there are just two variety of computers. Those
two varieties have been discussed in detail below:

• General Purpose – Based on General Purpose, there are these

following functions which a device is expected to perform:
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1. Basic Input/Output functions

2. Calculations

3. Data Saving on a smaller scale

4. General performing activities

These may include basic calculators, laptops, desktop computers, mobile

phones, etc., which can help people with their basic necessary functions
are included in the General Purpose computer type.

• Special Purpose – When a computer is designed specifically to

perform a certain function, such type of computers are known as Special
Purpose computer. These types may include:

1. Thermometers to test temperature

2. Generators to manage electricity

3. Devices used for analysing Climate Change

4. Large computers for IT Companies

5. Machines used at Manufacturing Units and the list goes on and on

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