COMPUTERS

Teaching ICT as an Exploratory Course

 Table of Contents

01 What is a Computer? 02

What is a

01 Computer?
02 Computer Generations

03 Elements of Computer

04 05
Accessories of Computer Parts of the System Unit

Accessories of Parts of the

04 Computer
05 System Unit
 01
What is a
Computer?
What is a Computer?

● a programmable machine.

● a machine that manipulates data according to a list of

instructions.

● any device which aids humans in performing various

kinds of computations or calculations.
What are the characteristics of a Computer?

● It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-

defined manner.

● It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions

(a program).

● It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.

 02
Computer
Generations
Computer Generations

● There are five generations of computer:

○ First generation – 1946 - 1958

○ Second generation – 1959 - 1964
○ Third generation – 1965 - 1970
○ Fourth generation – 1971 - today
○ Fifth generation – Today to future
 03
Elements Of
Computer
Elements of Computer

● A computer is made up of different elements. These

elements make the computer work or function. All
these elements are very important for the computer. If
one is missing, the computer cannot work.
Elements of Computer

● Software

● Hardware

● Peopleware
Software
● A collection of computer programs, procedures, and
documentation that perform some task on a computer
system.
● The intangible part of the computer.
● Software includes the programs which we see on the
monitor that help us finish our work faster.
● People cannot use the computer without the software
because the computer cannot run without instructions
to follow.
Hardware

● Devices that are physically connected to the

computer or something that can be physically
touched.
● The tangible part of the Computer
● The different computer parts are called the Hardware.
● Every part of the computer is a hardware element, no
matter how tiny it is.
Peopleware

● The one that operates and uses the computer.

● This is the element where you belong.
● Everyone who uses the computer is a peopleware.
● The Computer is just a machine, without the people,
computers are useless.
04
Accessories of
Computer
Accessories of Computer
● Also known as Computer Peripherals.
● An auxiliary device used to put information into and get
information out of the computer.
● All hardware components that are attached to a computer and
are controlled by the computer system, but they are not the core
components of the computer like CPU, motherboard, etc.
● Devices which can be easily removed and plugged into a
computer system.
● External devices that enhance your machine's functionality
through better performance, design, sound quality and more.
Accessories of Computer
● There are 4 categories of Computer Peripherals

○ Input Devices
○ Output Devices
○ Storage Devices
○ Networking Devices
Input Devices
● Composed of devices that accepts data and instructions from the
user or from another computer system.
● There are 2 Types of Input Devices:
○ Keyboard Entry - Data is inputted to the computer through a
keyboard.
○ Direct Entry - A form of input that does not require data to
be keyed in through a keyboard. Direct-entry devices create
machine-readable data that is fed directly into the
computer’s CPU.
Input Devices: Keyboard Entry
● Keyboard - The first input device developed for the PC. Data is
transferred to the PC over a short cable with a circular 6-pin Mini-
din connector that plugs into the back of the motherboard.
Input Devices: Direct Entry
● There are 3 categories of Direct Entry devices

○ Pointing Devices
○ Scanning Devices
○ Voice-Input Devices
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Mouse - The most common 'pointing device' used in PCs. Every
mouse has two buttons and most have one or two scroll wheels.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Mouse - The most common 'pointing device' used in PCs. Every
mouse has two buttons and most have one or two scroll wheels.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Touchpad/Trackpad- a pointing device featuring a tactile
sensor, a specialized surface that can translate the motion and
position of a user's fingers to a relative position on the operating
system that is made output to the screen.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Touch Screen - A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of
a finger or stylus. Used in myriad applications, including ATM
machines and retail point-of-sale terminals.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Light Pen - A light-sensitive stylus wired to a video terminal used
to draw pictures or select menu options. The user brings the pen
to the desired point on screen and presses the pen button to
make contact.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Pointing Devices
● Digitizer Tablet - A graphics drawing tablet used for sketching
new images or tracing old ones. Also called a "graphics tablet,"
the user contacts the surface of the device with a wired or
wireless pen or puck. Often mistakenly called a mouse, the puck
is officially the "tablet cursor."
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Scanning Devices
● Scanner - A device that can read text or illustrations printed on
paper and translates the information into a form the computer
can use.
Input Devices: Direct Entry: Voice-Input Devices
● Microphone - allows users to send audio signals to a computer
for processing, recording, or carrying out commands and allow
users to speak to the computer in order to record a voice
message or navigate software.
Output Devices

● Any piece of computer hardware that displays results after the

computer has processed the input data that has been entered.
Output Devices: Display Monitor

● Displays information in visual form, using text and graphics.

● The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called
the screen or video display terminal.
Output Devices: Display Monitor: Types of Monitor
● CRT Monitors - Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) were the only type of
displays for use with desktop PCs. They are relatively big (14" to
16" deep) and heavy (over 15 lbs).
Output Devices: Display Monitor: Types of Monitor
● LCD Monitors – Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology has been
used in laptops for some time. It has recently been made
commercially available as monitors for desktop PCs.
Output Devices: Display Monitor: Types of Monitor
● LED Monitors (Light Emitting Diode) - A display and lighting
technology used in almost every electrical and electronic product
on the market, from a tiny on/off light to digital readouts,
flashlights, traffic lights and perimeter lighting.
Output Devices: LCD Projector
● Utilizes two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution
between them.
● An electric current passed through the liquid causes the crystals to align
so that light cannot pass through them.
● Each crystal, therefore, is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass
through or blocking the light.
Output Devices: Speakers
● Device used to play sound.
● They may be built into the system unit or connected with cables.
● Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects
from your computer.
Output Devices: Printer

● A device that prints text or illustrations on paper or on other

printable materials.
Output Devices: Printer: Types of Printer
● Ink-Jet or Bubble-Jet Printer - spays ink at a sheet of paper. Ink-
jet printers produce high-quality text and graphics.
Output Devices: Printer: Types of Printer
● Laser Printer - Uses the same technology as copy machines.
Laser printers produce very high-quality text and graphics.
Output Devices: Printer: Types of Printer
● LCD and LED Printer - Similar to a laser printer but uses liquid
crystals or light emitting diodes rather than a laser to produce an
image on the drum.
Output Devices: Printer: Types of Printer
● Dot Matrix Printer - printer which uses pins impacting an ink
ribbon to print. These printers are generally considered outdated,
as they cannot create high-quality prints and are costly as well.
Output Devices: Printer: Types of Printer
● Thermal Printer- An inexpensive printer that works by pushing
heated pins against heat-sensitive paper. Thermal printers are
widely used in calculators and fax machines.
Storage Devices

● Any apparatus for recording computer data in a permanent or

semi-permanent form.
Storage Devices: Floppy Diskette
● A random access, removable data storage medium that can be
used with personal computers. The term usually refers to the
magnetic medium housed in a rigid plastic cartridge measuring
3.5 inches square and about 2millimeters thick. Also called a "3.5-
inch diskette," it can store up to 1.44 megabytes (MB) of data.
Storage Devices: Compact Disc (CD)
● Also called optical disc is a nonmagnetic, polished metal disk
used to store digital information. The disc is read by the CD-
ROM.
Storage Devices: Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)
● An optical disc technology with a 4.7 gigabyte storage capacity
on a single-sided, one-layered disk, which is enough for a 133-
minute movie.
Storage Devices: Flash Drive
● Also known as Jump drive and USB flash drive.
● is a plug-and-play portable storage device that uses flash
memory and is lightweight enough to attach to a key chain. A
USB drive can be used in place of a floppy disk, Zip drive disk, or
CD.
Storage Devices: External Hard Drive
● A hard disk that comes in a case that connects to your computer
with a USB cable.
Networking Devices

● Any computer peripheral that requires an Ethernet connection.

Networking Devices: Network Hub
● A small, simple, inexpensive device that joins multiple computers
together. Many network hubs available today support the
Ethernet standard. Other types including USB hubs also exist, but
Ethernet is the type traditionally used in home networking.
Networking Devices: Router
● Small physical devices that join multiple networks together.
Networking Devices: Modem

● a contraction of the term modulator and

demodulator.
● Modems perform a simple function: They
translate digital signals from a computer
into analog signals that can travel across
conventional phone lines.
● The modem modulates the signal at the
sending end and demodulates at the
receiving end.
Networking Devices: NOTE

● MODEM vs ROUTER - modem is a box that connects your home

network to the wider Internet. A router is a box that lets all of
your wired and wireless devices use that Internet connection at
once and also allows them to talk to one another without having
to do so over the Internet.
 05
Parts of the
System Unit
The Motherboard

● Often called the mainboard or system board, it is the main circuit

board for the computer system.
● Every device in the computer system will either be part of the
motherboard or connected to it.
● It contains all the circuits and components that run the
computer.
● Motherboards are processor specific.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
● The processor is the main “brain” or “heart” of a computer system.
● It performs all of the instructions and calculations that are
needed and manages the flow of information through a
computer.
● The processor’s function is to control the activities of the
computer system.
● A computer program is made up of instructions and when the
program is run, the processor is responsible for carrying out
these instructions in an orderly fashion.
Primary Storage (Main Memory Or Memory)
RAM – (Random Access Memory) RAM is volatile, meaning it holds
data only when the power is on. When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost.

● The computer's working storage space that holds data,

instructions for processing and processed data (information)
waiting to be sent to secondary storage.
● Physically, primary storage is a collection of RAM chips.
● Data and programs currently in use are held in RAM.
Secondary Storage (Hard Drive)

● In addition to RAM, every computer also has another storage

drive that’s used for storing information on a long-term basis, and
this is known as secondary storage.
● Any file you create, or download is saved to the computer’s
secondary storage.
● Also known as a backup memory.
Secondary Storage (Hard Drive)

● It is a non-volatile type of memory meaning data is stored

permanently even when the power of the computer is switched
off.
● Often removable, so you can replace or upgrade your computer’s
storage, or move your storage drive to a different computer.
There are notable exceptions however, like MacBooks, which
don’t offer removable storage.
Power Supply Unit (PSU)

● Installed in the back corner of the PC case, next to the

motherboard. It converts standard AC power into DC voltages
that are used by other components in the PC.
● It converts the power from Alternating current (AC) as supplied
by the electric supplier to Direct current (DC) as required by the
computer system