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NCM 110 Lecture

This document discusses computer hardware, software, and networking devices. It begins by defining the difference between computer hardware and software, with hardware being physical devices and software being programming code. Next, it provides a brief history of computers from the abacus to the development of punched cards and early electromechanical computers. It then describes computer networking devices and their functionality in communication. It defines a computer system as consisting of hardware and operating system software that manages programs. Finally, it explains how web browsers work by retrieving and displaying information from the internet using HTTP.

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83 views3 pages

NCM 110 Lecture

This document discusses computer hardware, software, and networking devices. It begins by defining the difference between computer hardware and software, with hardware being physical devices and software being programming code. Next, it provides a brief history of computers from the abacus to the development of punched cards and early electromechanical computers. It then describes computer networking devices and their functionality in communication. It defines a computer system as consisting of hardware and operating system software that manages programs. Finally, it explains how web browsers work by retrieving and displaying information from the internet using HTTP.

Uploaded by

Genesis Palangi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Roosevelt R.

Gamer
BSN-2
NCM 110 (Nursing Informatics)
Prelim
LECTURE

ACTIVITY 1.

1. Define the difference between a computer software and computer hardware.


Computer hardware is any physical device used in or with your machine, whereas software
is a collection of programming code installed on your computer's hard drive. In other words,
hardware is something you can hold in your hand, whereas software cannot be held in your
hand. You can touch hardware, but you cannot touch software. Hardware is physical, and
software is virtual.

2. Discus the history of computers.


The history of computers starts out about 2000 years ago in Babylonia (Mesopotamia), at
the birth of the abacus, a wooden rack holding two horizontal wires with beads strung on
them.

Blaise Pascal is usually credited for building the first digital computer in 1642. It added
numbers entered with dials and was made to help his father, a tax collector. The basic
principle of his calculator is still used today in water meters and modern-day odometers.
Instead of having a carriage wheel turn the gear, he made each ten-teeth wheel accessible
to be turned directly by a person's hand (later inventors added keys and a crank), with the
result that when the wheels were turned in the proper sequences, a series of numbers was
entered and a cumulative sum was obtained. The gear train supplied a mechanical answer
equal to the answer that is obtained by using arithmetic. This first mechanical calculator,
called the Pascaline, had several disadvantages. Although it did offer a substantial
improvement over manual calculations, only Pascal himself could repair the device and it
cost more than the people it replaced! In addition, the first signs of technophobia emerged
with mathematicians fearing the loss of their jobs due to progress.

Contrary to Pascal, Leibniz (1646-1716) successfully introduced a calculator onto the


market. It is designed in 1673 but it takes until 1694 to complete. The calculator can add,
subtract, multiply, and divide. Wheels are placed at right angles which could be displaced
by a special stepping mechanism. The speed of calculation for multiplication or division
was acceptable. But like the Pascaline, this calculator required that the operator using the
device had to understand how to turn the wheels and know the way of performing
calculations with the calculator.

Charles Babbage, an English mechanical engineer and polymath, originated the concept of
a programmable computer. Considered the "father of the computer”, he conceptualized
and invented the first mechanical computer in the early 19th century. After working on his
revolutionary difference engine, designed to aid in navigational calculations, in 1833 he
realized that a much more general design, an Analytical Engine, was possible.
A step towards automated computing was the development of punched cards, which were
first successfully used with computers in 1890 by Herman Hollerith and James Powers,
who worked for the US. Census Bureau. They developed devices that could read the
information that had been punched into the cards automatically, without human help.
Because of this, reading errors were reduced dramatically, work flow increased, and, most
importantly, stacks of punched cards could be used as easily accessible memory of almost
unlimited size. Furthermore, different problems could be stored on different stacks of cards
and accessed when needed.

These advantages were seen by commercial companies and soon led to the development
of improved punch-card using computers created by International Business Machines
(IBM), Remington (yes, the same people that make shavers), Burroughs, and other
corporations. These computers used electromechanical devices in which electrical power
provided mechanical motion -- like turning the wheels of an adding machine.

Reference: http://egov.uok.edu.in/elearningug/tutorials/7934_1_2016_161115135359.pdf

3. Describe computer network/ communication devices and functionality.


Network devices, or networking hardware, are physical devices that are required for
communication and interaction between hardware on a computer network.

4. Define the term system and describe how the term applies to the field of computer.\
A computer system consists of hardware components that have been carefully chosen so
that they work well together and software components or programs that run in the
computer. The main software component is itself an operating system that manages and
provides services to other programs that can be run in the computer.

5. How does web browser work?


A web browser takes you anywhere on the internet. It retrieves information from other parts
of the web and displays it on your desktop or mobile device. The information is transferred
using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which defines how text, images and video are
transmitted on the web.

ACTIVITY 2.
Answer:
In the world of medicine, one wrong word can spell a death sentence for a patient. Of course, not all
data is this serious, but you should still take care when you are managing healthcare or medical
research data.
Excel is a powerful tool for keeping track of patient appointments, scheduling doctors, and organizing
other information, such as contact numbers or insurance data.
Many clinics, hospitals and practitioners use Excel for these functions. Anyone seeking a career in
medical office administration must take Excel as part of their curriculum.
Excel can also be used to keep track of medications, prescriptions and other health information.
Some doctors are providing patients with a spreadsheet to keep track of their health records. It’s a very
helpful way to ensure that patients who have to take medications on a schedule can follow that plan.

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