GER-111, CSC-111

Applied Info & Communication Tech

Lab 01: Computer Fundamentals

Student Name: ______________________

Day & Date: _________________________
Student Signatures: __________________

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
1/12
What is a Computer and What does It do?
A computer can be defined as a programmable, electronic device that accepts data, per forms
operations on that data, presents the results, and stores the data or results as needed. The fact
that a computer is programmable means that a computer will do whatever the instructions—
called the program—tell it to do. The programs used with a computer determine the tasks the
computer can perform.
The four operations described in this definition are more technically referred to as input,
processing, output, and storage. These four primary operations of a computer can be defined
as follows:

 Input—entering data into the computer.

 Processing—performing operations on the data.
 Output—presenting the results.
 Storage—saving data, programs, or output for future use.

Figure 1. Information Processing Cycle

Computer Hardware
The physical parts of a computer (the parts you can touch and feel) are called hardware. The
instructions or programs are used with computer-called software. Hardware components can
be internal (located inside the main box or system unit of the computer) or external (located
outside the system unit and connected to the system unit via a wired or wireless connection).

1. Input Devices
An input device is any piece of equipment that is used to input data into the computer. The
input devices shown in Figure 2-9 are keyboard, mouse, and microphone. Other common
input devices include scanners, digital cameras, digital pens and styluses, touch pads and
touch screens, fingerprint readers, and gaming controllers.

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
2/12
 Figure 2-10. Typical Computer Hardware

1.1. Keyboards
Most computers today are designed to be used with a keyboard —a device used to enter
characters at the location on the screen marked by the insertion point or cursor.
Keyboards can be built into a device, attached by inserting the keyboard’s wired cable or
wireless receiver into a USB port, or connected via a wireless networking connection. A
typical desktop computer keyboard is shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11. Typical Computer Keyboard

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
3/12
1.2. Pointing and Touch devices
Pointing devices are used to select and manipulate objects,
to input certain types of data (such as handwritten data), and
to issue commands to the computer. The most common
pointing devices are the mouse, the pen/stylus, and devices
that use touch input.

Figure 12. MICE

1.3. Pens/Styluses
Many devices today, including computers, media tablets, and smartphones, can accept
pen input; that is, input by writing, drawing, or tapping on the screen with a pen-like
device called a stylus. Sometimes, the stylus (also called a digital pen, electronic pen,
or tablet pen).

Figure 13. Pens/Stylus

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
4/12
1.4. Touch Screens
Touch Screens Touch screens allow the user to touch the screen with his or her finger to
select commands or otherwise provide input to the computer associated with the touch
screen. Touch screens are common on portable computers, as well as on smartphones.

Figure 14. Touch screens

1.5. Scanners, Readers, and Digital Cameras

A Scanner, more o icially called an optical scanner, captures an image of an object
(usually a flat object, such as a printed document or photograph) in digital form, and
then transfers that data to a computer. Typically, the entire document (including both
text and images) is input as a single image that can be resized.
The text in the scanned image, however, cannot be edited unless optical character
recognition (OCR) software is used in conjunction with the scanner to input the
scanned text as individual text characters.

Figure 15. Scanners

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
5/12
A barcode is an optical code that represents data with bars of varying widths or heights.
Two of the most familiar barcodes are UPC (Universal Product Code), the type of
barcode found on packaged goods in supermarkets and other retail stores, and ISBN
(International Standard Book Number), the type of barcode used with printed books.

Barcodes are read with barcode readers. Barcode readers (see Figure 16) use either
light reflected from the barcode or imaging technology to interpret the bars contained in
the barcode as the numbers or letters they represent. Then, data associated with that
barcode— typically identify data.

Figure 16. Barcode Readers

Digital cameras are available in a wide variety of sizes and capabilities, such as
inexpensive point-and-shoot digital cameras designed for consumers, professional
digital cameras, and digital cameras integrated into mobile phones.

Figure 17. Digital Cameras

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
6/12
2. Processing Devices
The main processing device for a computer is the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is
located inside the system unit and performs the calculations and comparisons needed for
processing. It also controls the computer’s operations. For these reasons, the CPU is often
considered the “brain” of the computer. Also involved in processing are various types of
memory that are located inside the system unit and used to store data and instructions while
the CPU is working with them, as well as additional processors such as the graphics
processing unit (GPU).
The main circuit board inside the system unit is called the motherboard.

Figure 18. Inside Typical System Unit

Figure 18. Block Diagram of Computer

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
7/12
2.1. Processors
The primary processor is the central processing unit (CPU) also called the microprocessor
when talking about personal computers— which does most of the processing for a
computer.
Another processor located inside the system unit is the graphics processing unit (GPU),
which takes care of the processing needed to display images (including still images,
animations,

Figure 19. CPU & GPU

2.1.1. Arithmetic and Logic Unit

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is responsible for performing arithmetic and logic
operations in the CPU. It works by loading data from registers, processing it, and storing
the result in an output register. The ALU collaborates with the control unit (CU) to move
data between registers, memory, and the ALU itself.
Control Unit (CU) directs the operations of the CPU by converting input into control
signals that guide the hardware's actions. It ensures that the CPU, memory, and
input/output devices respond correctly to instructions. The specific tasks of a CU vary
based on the CPU's architecture.

2.1.2. Memory Unit

The memory unit is the most important part of the CPU, also known as the main
memory of the computer system. It stores data, program instructions, internal results,
and final output temporarily before sending it to an appropriate output device. The
memory unit consists of thousands of memory locations, and data is stored in the form
of 0 and 1.
Computer memory is of two types:

 Primary Memory
 Secondary Memory

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
8/12
Primary Memory: This is the most important part of the
computer, also called internal memory, where all the
computer's tasks, data, and instructions are stored.
(A) Random Access Memory (RAM): RAM is the primary
memory of the system, also known as read-write memory.
The CPU can directly access data from RAM, but it is
volatile, meaning data is lost when the power is o , or the
system shuts down.

(B) Read Only Memory (ROM): ROM stands for Read-Only

Memory, and data cannot be written to it. It is non-volatile,
meaning it retains data even when the power is o . ROM stores
basic instructions needed to operate the computer (BIOS).
(C) Cache Memory: Cache memory is a special group of very fast memory circuitry
located on or close to the CPU. Cache memory is used to speed up processing by
storing the data and instructions that may be needed next by the CPU in handy
locations.
(D) Registers: A register is high-speed memory built into the CPU. Registers are used by
the CPU to store data and intermediary results temporarily during processing. Registers
are the fastest type of memory used by the CPU, even faster than Level 1 cache.
Generally, more registers and larger registers result in increased CPU performance.
Most CPUs contain multiple registers; registers are discussed in more detail later in this
chapter.

Secondary Memory: Primary memory is insu icient for storing large amounts of data
and instructions, so secondary storage memory is used. This memory stores data
permanently, allowing users to save work for future use. Examples of secondary storage
devices include hard disks, optical disks, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs.

Figure 20. Secondary Storage Devices

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
9/12
 Lab Activity/Exercise
Activity 1:

Activity 2:

Write the function of Input Devices.

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
10/12
Activity 3:
List the primary functions of the following keys on a keyboard:

Keys Primary Function

Ctrl (Control):

Alt (Alternate)

Shift

Caps Lock

Enter

Backspace

Tab

Esc (Escape)

Spacebar

Function Keys (F1-F12)

Ctrl (Control):

Activity 4:
Write down the main di erences between RAM & ROM Memory?

RAM Memory ROM Memory

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
11/12
Activity 5:
a. Which storage devices are also known as auxiliary storage or mass storage.

b. What happens to data stored in RAM when the computer is powered o ?

c. Define Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

Instructor: Muhammad Faisal Zia email: [email protected]

Department of Computer Science, Iqra University (IUIC) H9 Campus, Islamabad
12/12