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Day 1

The document discusses the history and components of computers. It covers five generations of computers from the 1940s to present, defined by their underlying hardware and technology. The major components of a computer system are then described as the input, processing, storage and output units.

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39 views5 pages

Day 1

The document discusses the history and components of computers. It covers five generations of computers from the 1940s to present, defined by their underlying hardware and technology. The major components of a computer system are then described as the input, processing, storage and output units.

Uploaded by

emadeeu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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COMPUTER

• The term "Computer" is derived from the Latin word "Computare" which means "to compute"
or "to calculate."
• Computers are machines that perform tasks or calculations according to a set of instructions
or programs.
• It is an electronic device used to store data and gives the results accurately within a fraction of
second.

GENERTION OF COMPUTER
Computers can be categorized into different generations based on their technological
advancements and the underlying hardware and architecture.
1. First Generation (1940s-1950s):
- Characterized by vacuum tube technology.
- Large, expensive, and unreliable.
- Examples include ENIAC and UNIVAC.
2. Second Generation (1950s-1960s):
- Transition to transistor technology from vacuum tubes.
- Smaller, faster, and more reliable than first-generation computers.
- Examples include IBM 1401 and CDC 1604.
3. Third Generation (1960s-1970s):
- Introduction of integrated circuits (ICs) and smaller transistors.
- Greater speed, reliability, and reduction in size and cost.
- Examples include IBM System/360 and DEC PDP-11.
4. Fourth Generation (1970s-1980s):
- Emergence of microprocessors and microcomputers.
- Personal computers (PCs) became accessible to individuals and businesses.
- Examples include IBM PC, Apple II, and Commodore 64.
5. Fifth Generation (1980s-Present):
- Focus on parallel processing, artificial intelligence, and advanced computing.
- Development of supercomputers and high-performance computing (HPC).
- Examples include IBM Watson, Cray supercomputers, and modern CPUs/GPUs.

COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM


• The computer is an electronic device that accepts (reads) data from the user and processes the
data by performing calculations and operations on it, and generates (writes) the desired output.
• A computer consists of four major components such as
➢ Input Devices (Input Unit)
➢ CPU (Processing Unit)
➢ Memory (Storage Unit)
➢ Output Devices (Output Unit)

FIG 1: Components of Computer Input Unit


• An input device is a hardware or peripheral device used to send data to a computer.
• An input device allows users to communicate and feed instructions and data to computers for
processing, display, storage and/or transmission. The important and most commonly used
input devices are
➢ Keyboard
➢ Mouse

• Other input devices are


➢ Joystick
➢ Scanner
➢ Barcode Reader

CPU (Processing Unit)


• The CPU is the heart of the computer, it is the part of a computer which interprets and executes
instruction.

Functional block of CPU


• The two components in CPU are
➢ Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU)
➢ Control Unit (CU)
FIG 2: Functional block of CPU
• Arithmetic and logic unit (ALU)
➢ The ALU performs arithmetic and logical operations.
➢ Arithmetic operations include addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
➢ Logical operations include comparing numbers, letters and
special characters.
➢ The ALU is a fundamental building block of the Central Processing Unit of a computer.
• Control Unit (CU)
➢ A Control Unit (CU) handles all processor control signals.
➢ It directs all input and output flow, fetches code for instructions from microprograms and
directs other units and models by providing control and timing signals.

• Memory Unit

➢ Computer memory is a device that stores computer's data and programs.

FIG 3: Computer Memory (RAM)


➢ It stores program, data results or any kind of information.
➢ Memory stores binary information, i.e. 0's and 1's in internal storage areas in
the computer.

➢ Moreover, the term memory is usually used as shorthand for physical


memory, which refers to the actual chips capable of holding data.
➢ Some computers also use virtual memory, which expands physical memory
onto a hard disk.

• Output Unit
➢ Output devices are peripheral equipment that converts a computer's output to a form that
can be seen, heard or used as an input for another device, process or system.
➢ The important output devices, which are used in computer systems are Monitors, Printer,
Graphic Plotter.

Characteristics of Computer

• Computers have some important features which have made them so popular.
• A Computer can be categorized according to: -
 Speed
 Accuracy
 Versatility
 Reliability
 Power of remembering
 Diligence
 Storage

• Speed
➢ Computers work at an incredible speed.
➢ It can carry out instructions at a very high speed.
➢ A powerful computer is capable of performing about 3-4 million simple instructions per
second.
➢ It can perform arithmetic and logical operations within a fraction of second.
• Accuracy
➢ Computer provides a high degree of accuracy.
➢ Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy.
➢ The degree of accuracy of a computer depends on the instruction and processor type.

• Versatility
➢ Computer is versatile in nature.
➢ It can perform different types of task easily.
➢ At one moment user can use the computer to prepare a letter document and in the next
moment they may play music or print a document.

• Power of remembering
➢ A computer can store and recall any information because it has secondary storage.
➢ All information can be retained as long as desired by the user and that can be recalled
almost simultaneously and accurately even after several years.

• Diligence
➢ Computers can perform long and complex calculations with the same speed and accuracy
from the start till the end.
➢ Being a machine, a computer does not suffer from the human traits of tiredness and lack
of concentration.

• Storage
➢ Large volume of data and information can be stored in the computer and also retrieved
whenever required.
➢ Computer has two types of storage. They are Primary storage and Secondary storage.
➢ In Primary Storage, a limited amount of data can be stored temporarily like RAM, ROM.
➢ Secondary storage can store a large amount of data permanently like floppy and compact
disk.

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