Basic units of data storage:

Bit. Exa byte.

Byte. Zeta byte.
Yotta byte.
Kilo byte.
Mega byte.
Giga byte.
Tera byte.
Peta byte.
Bit:
Computer works with binary digits these digits are in the form of
(0’s and 1’s).
A binary digit is called bit. It is smallest unit of data storage.
Byte:
A collection of 8-bits is called byte. It is used to
store a single character.
8-bits = 1 byte.
Kilo byte:
A kilo byte consists of 1024bytes. It is denoted by
KB.
1024 bytes = 1 KB.
Mega byte:
A mega byte consists of 1024 kilo bytes. It is
denoted by MB
1024 KB = 1MB.
Cont’d
Giga byte:
A giga byte consists of 1024 MB. It is denoted by
GB.
1024 MB = 1 GB.
Tera byte:
A tera byte consists of 1024 GB. It is denoted by
TB.
1024 GB = 1 TB.
Peta byte:
A peta byte consists of 1024 TB. It is denoted by
PB.
1024 TB = 1 PB.
Cont’d
Exa byte:
An exa byte consists of 1024 PB. It is denoted
by EB.
1024 PB = 1 EB.
Zeta byte:
A zeta byte consists of 1024 EB. It is denoted by
ZB.
1024 EB = 1 ZB.
Yotta byte:
A yotta byte consists of 1024 ZB. It is denoted
by YB
1024 ZB = 1 YB.
 Difference between memory and
storage:
Memory Storage

It is a volatile memory. It is non-volatile.

It is faster than storage. It is slower than memory.
It is more expensive than It is less expensive than
storage. memory.
It is smaller in size than
storage. It is bigger in size than
Programs are copied from memory.
storage during execution. Programs are stored in
The capacity of memory is storage when no execution
less than storage. takes place.
Its contents are stored The capacity of storage is
electronically. much more than memory.
It consists of memory chips.
Its contents are stored
magnetically.
It consists of magnetic
platters.
Factors affecting processing speed:

Following are some important factors that affect processing speed:

Registers.
RAM.
System clock.
Buses.
Cache memory.
Registers:

It is a small, high speed memory inside a C.P.U.

C.P.U contains a number of registers.
Registers stores data and instructions while the
C.P.U processes them.
The size of register is in bytes. A register can be of 1,
2, 4 or 8 bytes.
R.A.M:

R.A.M stands for Random Access Memory.

Amount of directly effects the speed of computer.
Bigger amount of R.A.M means that more programs,
instruction and data can be stored in memory.
System clock:

It is an electronic component. It generates electric

signals at fast speed. The time required to execute a
single instruction is called clock speed. Clock speed
is measured as cycles/second. It’s unit is Hz hertz.
Busses:

A bus is a path between components and computer.

Data and instructions pass through this path.

Cache memory:
It is a high speed memory which holds most recent data
that have been loaded by the C.P.U.
Computer bus:
A bus consists of set of parallel lines. It is used to transfer data
between different components of computer. One line of bus can
transfer 1-Bit at a time. The capacity of computer bus depends on
the number of data lines in it. C.P.U communicates with other
components through busses.
Types of busses:
Different types of busses are as follow:-
System busses.
Data busses.
Address busses.
Control busses.
System bus:

It is used to connect the main components of a

computer such as C.P.U and main memory. System
busses are part of the mother board.
Data bus:
It is the most common type of bus. It is used to transfer
data between different components of computer. The
data bus consists of 8, 16, 32, 64 lines.
Address bus:

Many components are connected to one another

through busses. Each component is assigned a unique
I.D. This I.D is called the address of that component.
The address bus is a uni-directional bus.
Control bus:
It is used to transmit different commands from one
component to another component. That is called control
bus.
Terminal:-
Terminal is a device that performs input and output. It consists of a
monitor, keyboard and a video card.
Types of terminal:-
Dumb terminal.
Intelligent terminal.
Special purpose terminal.
Point of sale terminal.
Automated teller machine.
Ports:-

It is an interface or point attachment. It is used to connect

peripheral devices with computer such as printer, keyboard
or mouse.
All peripheral devices communicate with the computer using
ports.
Port connectors are attached to mother board.
Types of ports:-
There are three types of ports.
Serial port.
Parallel ports.
USB port.
Serial port:
A type of port that transmits 1-bit at a time is
called serial port.
The speed of serial port is 115 Kilo/Sec.
Parallel port:
A type of port that transmits many bits at a time
is called parallel port.
The speed of parallel port is 12MbPs.
USB port:
USB stands for universal serial bus it is plug and
play hard ware interface.
Soft ware:-

A set of instructions given to the computer to solve a problem is

called soft ware.
Software is also called a program. Different soft wares are used to
solve different problems. A computer works according to the
instructions written in software. Software is a logical part of
computer and cannot be touched. The hardware cannot perform
any task without software. Software is usually stored in hard disk
or CD’s. It is loaded from the disk to R.A.M as and when required.
Types of software:-
There are two types of soft wares:-
System software.
Application software.
System software:-

It is a set of program to control and manage the actual operations

of computer hardware. It controls the usage and allocation of
different hardware components. It controls the basic operations as
follow:
Saving data on disk.
Making computer to work for us.
Printing a document.
Types of system software:
There are two types of system software:
Operating system.
Utility programs.
Application software:
It is used to perform various applications on the
computer. It helps a computer user to perform specific task.
People use application software according to their needs. It is
also known as application package.
Categories of application software:-
There are two main categories of application
software.
Customized software.
Package software.
Example of application software:
Word processing.
Spread sheet.
Data bases.
Graphics.
Communication.
Difference between system software and
application software:
Application software
System software
It is general purpose It is specific purpose
software. software.
It is used to manage It is used to solve practical
computer resources. problems.
It executes all the time in It executes as and when
computer. required.
The number of system The number of application
software is less than software is much more than
application software. system software.
System is essential for a Application software is not
computer to work. essential for a computer to
work.
System software interacts
Application software interacts
with the hardware directly.
with hardware indirectly via
system software.