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What is Computer?
● The word computer comes from the word “compute”, which means, “to
calculate”
● Thereby, a computer is an electric device that can perform arithmetic
operations at high speed
● A computer is also called a data processor because it can store, process,
and retrieve data whenever desired

Consumers who uses computers:

Students, Teachers, Family Members, Business Owners, Military Personnnel,
Doctors, Many more…

Data Data Processing

● The activity of processing data using a
computer is called data processing
Capture
Data ● Data is raw material used as input and
information is processed data obtained
Manipulate as
Data output of data processing

Output
Results

Informatio
n

Characteristics of Computers
● Automatic
● Speed
● Accuracy
● Diligence
● Versatility
● Remebrance Power
● No I.Q
● No Feelings

1. Automatic
● Done without thinking or human interventions
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● Given a job, computer can work on it actually without human
intervention
2. Speed
● A very fast device
● Perform operation with high speed
● Usually measured
❖ Microseconds (10¿¿−6)¿
❖ Nanoseconds (10−9)
❖ Picoseconds (10−12)
● The amount of work that a man can do in an entire year, computer
perform that work in seconds even in milliseconds

3. Accuracy
● Computer is basically made for two main reasons
❖ Speed
❖ Accuracy
● The degree if accuracy of a computer depends on its design
❖ Each and every calculation or task is performed with the
same acccuray.

Note: Errors may occur in computers, but these are man made errors rather
that technological weakness, that is imprecise thinking by a programmer

4. Diligence
● Computer is free from
❖ Boredness
❖ Tiredness
❖ Lack of concentration
● It can work for hours without creating any error and without any
complain.
● Computer has a litt;e edge over in doing routine type of jobs that
require great accuracy.
❖ If ten million calculations have to be performed, a
computer will perform the last one with exactly the same
accuracy and speed as he first one.

5. Versatility
● Computer is a versatile device
● It can adapt to itself in any condition or situation.
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❖ One moment, It is preparing the results of particular
examination, the next moment it is busy preparing
electricity bills.
● So, a compter is capable of performing any task provided that the
task can be reduced to a series of logical steps.
● We can do variety of work in computer.
❖ It just requires the particular software to perform required
work.

6. Remembrance Power
● Computer can store and recall any amount of information because
of its secondary storage capability.
● It forgets or looses certain information only when it is asked to do
so.

7. No I.Q
● I.Q stands for Intelligence Quotient.
● As a computer is a machine which does not have intelligence of its
own. Computer perform the tasks that is fed to it.
● So therefore, it cannot take its own decisions.
● It is not like human beings who possess thinking capability.
❖ Allah gifted the thinking capability to human while human
trying to gift the thinking capability to computer.
● As now-a-days programmers are trying ti make a computer
intelligent machine. Programmers are programming artificial
intelligence in computers using different languages.

8. No Feelings
● Computer is a machine due to which it is lacking emotions and
feelings.
● Although men have succeeded in building a memory for the
computer, but no computer possess the equivalent of a human
heart and soul.
● Based on our feelings, taste, knowledge, and experience, we often
make such judgements on their own.
● Their judgements is based on the instructions given to them in the
form of programs that are written by us.
● They are only as good as man makes and uses them in the form of
programs that are only as good as man makes and uses them. As
computers have no feelings they work for us day and night without
any difficulty
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Evolution of Computer systems

● People were searching for fast and accurate calculating device, as a result
computer came into bein. There are several researchers and scientists who
played a key role in the evolution of computer systems.
● First mechanical adding machine was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642
● Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz of Germany invented the first
calculator for multiplication in 1671
● Keyboard machines originated in the United States around 1880
● Around the same period, Herman Hollerith came up with concept of
punch cards that computers used extensively as input medium even in late
1970s.
● Business machines and calculator made their appearance in Europe and
America towards the end of the 19th❑ century.
● Charles Babbage is considered to be the father of modern digital
computers
❖ He designed “Difference Engine” in 1822
❖ He design a fully automatic analytical engine in 1842 for
performing basic arithmetic functions
❖ His efforts established a number of principles that are fundamental
to the design of any digital computer

Some well known Early Computers

The Mark I Computer (1937 -44)

● Known as Automatic Sequence

Controlled Calculator
● Fully automatic calculating
machine designed by
Howard
A. Aiken in collaboration with
IBM
● Design was based on punched
card machinery
● It was complex in design and
huge in size
● Uses 3000 electrically actuated
switches and was 50ft.
Long
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and 8ft. Long

The Atanasoff-Berry Computer

(1937 - 44)

● The first fully electronic digital

computer.
● The machine was not
programmable, being
designed
only to solve systems of
linear
equations.
It was successfully tested in 1942. However, however, it its intermediate res ult
storage mechanism, a paper card writer/reader, was unreliable, and when
Atanasoff left lowa State University for World War II assignments, work on the
machine was discontinued.

The ABC pioneered important elements of modern computing, including binary

arithmetic and electronic switching elements, but its special-purpose nature d
lack of a changeable, stored gram distinguish it from ern computers.

Capabilities of Computer System

● We see computer everywhere
● They are important pieces of equipment and they help man in so many
ways.
● Many people depend so much on computers
● They use computer to do their work,
❖ To have fun
❖ To keep in touch with their loved ones
❖ To store important documents
● Because computers are capable of doing so many things. The following are
the capabilities of a computer.
● The computer process information very fast
● The Computer gives accurate results. Some scientists us the computer in
their experiments. The needed data for their experiments are processed in
the computer. They can get almost perfect and more accurate results
through it.
● The computer stores large amount of data and information
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● The computer enables one to restore or bring any of his works
● It is automatics
● The computer can fo things two things at the same time.
● The computer can be improved and upgraded

Limitation of Computer Systems

● The computer is not a perfect machine. Thus, it has its own limitations,
like the following:
❖ The computer can only do what you tell it to do
❖ It cannot generate information on its own
❖ The computer will give you wrong information if you feed it with
wrong data.
❖ The computer cannot correct wrong instructions.
❖ Depends on user
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