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Activity 3.3

The document provides an overview of the basics of computers, including their features, operations, and main components. It explains the functions of input and output units, the central processing unit (CPU), memory types, and the distinction between system and application software. Key characteristics of computers such as speed, efficiency, reliability, versatility, and storage capacity are also highlighted.

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6 views4 pages

Activity 3.3

The document provides an overview of the basics of computers, including their features, operations, and main components. It explains the functions of input and output units, the central processing unit (CPU), memory types, and the distinction between system and application software. Key characteristics of computers such as speed, efficiency, reliability, versatility, and storage capacity are also highlighted.

Uploaded by

gleyypanganiban
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Republic of the Philippines

SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY


Naga City

Basics of Computer and its Operation

Basics of Computer and its Operation


The Basics of Computer and its Basic Operations is an important topic. Computer is Electronic
Device that receives input from the user, calculates, processes the raw data into meaningful
information and provides the desired results as output. Basically, it has the capability to
transform Data.

The computer was invented by Charles Babbage. One should wonder how a machine can
perform so many varieties of tasks so efficiently. Let us learn about the basics of a computer
and its operation, features, parts, etc.

Important Features of a Computer


Some basic characteristics of a computer are:

Speed
Computers perform very fast calculations and processing of million instructions and tasks in a
few seconds.

Efficiency
The computers are not only fast but also, the information processed is highly efficient and
accurate.

Reliable
Computers are highly reliable for long working hours and can do heavy amounts of work for long
durations, unlike humans.

Versatile
The variety of tasks that a computer can perform is highly versatile as the functions and tasks
performed can be of a billion types ranging from simple calculations to highly complicated
science researches.

Storage
The amount of data that a computer can store is very vast and also the management and
accessing of data is very organized and efficient. It also avoids the loss of data.

JANICE V. CORTEZANO 1
Republic of the Philippines
SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Naga City

Basics of Computer and its Operation

Basic Operations of the Computer


Accept/Input Data
This refers to collecting the data and instructions being given by the user. It can also be termed
as Data Capturing.

Data Storage
The data is required to be stored at various levels while processing, before processing, or even
after processing to store desired results. This is data storage.

Data Processing
This refers to processing the given data according to the given instructions and producing the
required output.

Displaying the Calculated Results


This refers to producing the output on the output devices once the result is calculated.

Main Parts of a Computer


To understand the basics of computer er we need to learn about its various parts. A computer
has several components. Let us learn about them one by one. A computer has basically five
parts:

Input Unit
The input unit basically includes the input devices and its operation is to take the input from the
user. The input data is not in machine language. Therefore, the input unit converts it into the
language of the computer (binary code). Some important input devices are Keyboard, Mouse,
Microphone, Scanner, Barcode Reader, Light Pen, Joystick, etc.

Output Unit
The output unit basically involves the output devices and its operation is to give the processed
information as an output on the computer. The results of processing are always in binary code.
Humans cannot understand this code. Therefore the output unit converts it into a form that we
can understand. Some important output devices are Monitors (also called Visual Display Unit),
Speakers, Printers, etc.

JANICE V. CORTEZANO 2
Republic of the Philippines
SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Naga City

Basics of Computer and its Operation

Central Processing Unit (CPU)


This is a really important part of a computer as it performs all the processing parts of the
computer. The CPU carries out and performs different calculations and other operations on the
data and instructions. It has two subparts:

Arithmetic and Logical Unit


As the name suggests, this unit is responsible for performing arithmetic tasks like addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division and also making logical decisions like greater than less than,
etc. Hence, its name is also the ‘brain’ of the computer.

Control Unit
This unit is responsible for looking after all the processing being done. It organizes and
manages the execution of tasks that the CPU performs.

Primary Memory
This can also be named as the main memory of the computer which is present internally. Here,
the data and instructions are stored while the processing is taking place in the CPU. RAM
(Random Access Memory) is a primary memory which is volatile (data is lost when the power is
disconnected). Another primary memory is ROM(Read Only Memory).

Secondary Memory
As we know that the primary memory is volatile therefore, we need some devices to store the
data permanently so we use some external storage devices for this purpose which we name as
the secondary memory.

Basics of Computer: Software


Software is one of the important terms we should understand to get familiar with the basics of
computers. It is the set of programs that perform various special tasks or functions on the
computer. The software can be classified further into two categories:

System Software
The system software is responsible for handling all the internal workings of a computer. Some
types of system software are:

JANICE V. CORTEZANO 3
Republic of the Philippines
SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Naga City

Basics of Computer and its Operation

Operating System
An operating system is basically software used for interaction between the user and the
computer hardware. It controls all the parts of a computer system and manages them.
Examples are Microsoft Windows, Linux, etc.

Language Processors
converts the code given by the user (source code) to computer language (machine code).

System Utilities
This software is responsible for the proper and smooth functioning of computers. And also,
keeping the system safe. Examples are Antivirus Software, File Management Tools, etc.

Device Drivers
This software basically has the instructions in order to run the hardware devices.

Application Software
This software performs only a specific task. Examples are MS-Excel, PowerPoint, Google
Chrome, etc.

JANICE V. CORTEZANO 4

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