CHAPTER1

BASIC
COMPUTER
SKILLS
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS A
COMPUTER?
• The word “Computer” is derived from the word
„compute". It means „to calculate"
• We apply mathematical operations like addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. and many
other formulae for calculations
• So man explored with the idea to develop a
machine, which can perform this type of arithmetic
calculation faster, and with full accuracy
DEFINITION OF A
COMPUTER
• “A computer is an electronic device, which can be
programmed to perform high speed mathematical
or logical operations to put it simply.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF A COMPUTER

LET US IDENTIFY
THE MAJOR
CHARACTERISTICS
OF A COMPUTER
1. SPEED

It takes only few seconds for You will be surprised to know that
calculations that we take hours to computer can perform several million
complete of instructions and even more per
second

Therefore, we determine the speed

of computer in terms of microsecond
or nano-second
2. ACCURACY Suppose someone calculates faster but
commits a lot of errors in computing,
then such a result is useless

But a computer can give up to 100

decimal places within a fraction of
second and that too accurately

Hence, in addition to speed, the

computer provides very high level of
accuracy or correctness in computing
3. DILIGENCE

If millions of calculations
Due to this capability, it is
A computer is free from are to be performed, a
better than human being
tiredness, lack of computer will perform
in routine and repetitive
concentration, fatigue, etc every calculation with the
types of work
same accuracy
4. VERSATILITY

IT MEANS THE CAPACITY TO YOU MAY USE YOUR COMPUTER

PERFORM COMPLETELY TO PREPARE PAYROLL SLIPS
DIFFERENT TYPE OF WORK

NEXT MOMENT YOU MAY USE IT

FOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
OR TO PREPARE ELECTRICITY BILLS
OR PREPARE ACCOUNTS, ETC
5. MULTI- A human being cannot do more than one
TASKING task at the same time without losing his
concentration or with his full efficiency

But for a computer, it is a normal thing to

do many tasks simultaneously without
compromising in its efficiency

This is known as multi-tasking

6. POWER OF MEMORY
OR STORAGE
• Computer has the power of storing huge amount of
information or data
• Information can be stored and recalled if you require
it, for any number of years
• You can also store data in secondary storage
devices such as floppies and CDs, which can be kept
outside your computer and can be carried to other
computers
7. NO IQ
• Believe me!
• Computer is a dumb machine, and it cannot
do any work without instructions from the
user
• It is considered as a faithful idiot that can
only perform the instructions given to it at a
tremendous speed and with high accuracy
without understanding of the work being
done by it
8. NO FEELINGS
• Computers do not have feelings or emotion, taste,
knowledge and experience
• Thus, a computer does not get tired even after doing
long hours of work
• It does not distinguish between users and different
kinds of work being done by it
HISTORY OF
COMPUTERS
• This process of counting of large numbers generated
various systems of numeration like Babylonian
system of numeration, Greek system of numeration,
Roman system of numeration and Indian system of
numeration
• Out of these the Indian system of numeration has
been accepted universally
• It is the basis of modern decimal system of
numeration
CALCULATING
MACHINES
• It took generations for early man to build mechanical
devices for counting large numbers
• The first calculating device called ABACUS, was
developed by the Egyptian and Chinese people
• The word ABACUS means calculating board
NAPIER’S BONES

English mathematician
John Napier built a
The device was known as
mechanical device for the
Napier"s bones
purpose of multiplication
in 1617 AD
SLIDE
RULE
ENGLISH MATHEMATICIAN THIS MACHINE COULD PERFORM
EDMUND GUNTER DEVELOPED OPERATIONS LIKE ADDITION,
THE SLIDE RULE SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION,
AND DIVISION

IT WAS WIDELY USED IN EUROPE

IN 16TH CENTURY
PASCAL’S ADDING AND
SUBTRACTION MACHINE
• You might have heard the name of Blaise Pascal
• He developed a machine at the age of 19 that could
add and subtract
• The machine consisted of wheels, gears and
cylinders
LEIBNIZ’S MULTIPLICATION
AND DIVIDING MACHINE

• The German philosopher and mathematician

Gottfried Leibniz built around 1673 a mechanical
device that could both multiply and divide
BABBAGE’S
ANALYTICAL
ENGINE
IT WAS IN THE YEAR 1823 THAT A LATER HE DEVELOPED A GENERAL
FAMOUS ENGLISH MAN CHARLES PURPOSE CALCULATING MACHINE
BABBAGE BUILT A MECHANICAL CALLED ANALYTICAL ENGINE
MACHINE TO DO COMPLEX
MATHEMATICAL CALCULATIONS

YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT CHARLES

BABBAGE IS CALLED THE FATHER OF
COMPUTERS
MECHANICAL AND
ELECTRICAL CALCULATOR

• In the beginning of 19th century, the mechanical

calculator was developed to perform all sorts of
mathematical calculations, and it was widely used
till
• Later the routine part of mechanical calculator was
replaced by electric motor
• It was called the electrical calculator
MODERN ELECTRONIC
CALCULATOR
• The electronic calculator used in 1960s was run with
electron tubes, which was quite bulky
• Later it was replaced with transistors and as a result
the size of calculators became too small
• The modern electronic calculators can compute all
kinds of mathematical computations and
mathematical functions
COMPUTER
GENERATIONS
• You know that the evolution of computer started
from 16th century and resulted in the form that we
see today
• The present day computer, however, has also
undergone rapid changes during the last fifty years
• This period, during which the evolution of computer
took place, can be divided into five distinct phases
known as Generations of Computers
FIRST
GENERATION These computers were large in size and writing
programs on them was difficult
COMPUTERS

Some of the important computers of this generation

were: ENIAC: It was the first electronic computer built
in 1946 at University of Pennsylvania, USA by John
Eckert and John Mauchly

The ENIAC was 30 x 50 feet long, weighed 30 tons,

contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors,
10,000 capacitors and required 150 kilowatts of
electricity
SECOND
GENERATION
COMPUTERS
Around 1959 an electronic device It is in the second generation that the
called Transistor replaced the bulky concept of Central Processing Unit ,
vacuum tubes in the first-generation memory, programming language and
computer input and output units were
developed

Some of the computers of the Second

Generation were •IBM 1920 : Its size
was small as compared to First
Generation computers and mostly
used for scientific purpose
THIRD GENERATION
COMPUTERS
• The third-generation computers were introduced in
• Some of the computers developed during this period
were IBM-360, ICL-1900, IBM-370, and VAX
• The features of computers belonging to this
generation were: (Used tiny Ics, Relatively very
small in size , Made use of operating system, High
processing speed, More reliable, Power efficient and
high speed, Use of high-level languages, Large
memory, and Low cost.
FOURTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS
• The present day computers that you see today are
the fourth-generation computers that started around
• It uses Large Scale Integrated Circuits built on a
single silicon chip called microprocessors
• Due to the development of microprocessor it is
possible to place computer's central processing unit
on a single chip
FIFTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS
• The computers, which can think and take decisions
like human beings have been characterized as Fifth
generation computers and are also referred as
thinking machines
• The concept of Artificial Intelligence has been
introduced to allow the computer to take its own
decision
• A lot of research and development work is going on
in this area in United States and Japan, but it will
take some time before such machines are produced
for use by the industry
CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS
Differences in certain computer characteristics have led to the
development of major computer classifications based on the type
of electronic signal and memory size

Types of computers based on electronic signal they transmit are:-

• Analogue,
• Digital, and
• Hybrid Computers.
CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS
Types of computers based on memory size are:-Analogue,
• Micro Computers:- Microcomputer is at the lowest end of the
computer range in terms of speed and storage The most
common microcomputer is a personal computer (PC). The PC
supports a number of input and output devices. An
improvement of 8-bit chip is 16-bit and 32-bit chips. Examples
of microcomputer are IBM PC, PC-AT.
CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS
Types of computers based on memory size are:-Analogue,
• Mini Computers:- This is designed to support more than one
user at a time. (various users can work at the same time) It
possesses large storage capacity and operates at a high speed
than a microcomputer. This type of computer is generally used
for processing large volume of data in an organization. They
are also used as servers in Local Area Networks (LAN).
CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS
Types of computers based on memory size are:-Analogue,
• Mainframe Computers:- These types of computers are
generally 32-bit computers. They operate at very high speed,
have very large storage capacity and can handle the workload
of many users. They are generally used in centralized
databases. They are also used as controlling nodes in Wide
Area Network (WAN). Example of mainframes are DEC, ICL and
IBM 3000 series.
CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS
Types of computers based on memory size are:-Analogue,
• Super Computers:-This is the fastest and most expensive
machines. It has high processing speed compared to other
computers. They also have multiprocessing technique. One of
the ways in which supercomputers are built is by
interconnecting hundreds of microprocessors.
• Supercomputer is mainly used for weather forecasting,
biomedical research, remote sensing, aircraft design and other
areas of science and technology. Examples of supercomputers
are CRAY YMP, CRAY2, NEC SX-3, CRAY XMP and PARAM
from India.
APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS
IN VARIOUS FIELDS

• We find their applications in almost every sphere of

life-particularly in fields where computations are
required to be done at a very fast speed and where
data is so complicated that the human brain finds it
difficult to cope up with
• As you must be aware, computer now-adays are
being used almost in every department to do the
work at a greater speed and accuracy
• Some of the prominent areas of computer
applications are in Tourism, Banks, Industries,
Transportation, Education, Entertainment and so on.
ENTIFY THE MODELS
OF COMPUTERS
• Hard drive for storage
• These computers do not have keywords but relay on
touch screen technology for user input
CONCEPTS OF HARDWARE
AND SOFTWARE

• Computer hardware is the collection of physical

elements that comprise computer system
• Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or
components of computer such as monitor, keyboard,
hard disk, mouse, etc
• Computer software or just software, is a collection
of computer programs and related data that provides
the instructions for telling a computer what to do
and how to do it
PHYSICAL COMPONENTS
OF COMPUTER
• Mother Board: It is also called as system board /
panel board / main board
• Processor Chip: It is also called as Central
Processing
MEMORY
• Memory: It is a storage device used to store information in
computers
• The semiconductor memory is organized into memory cells or
bistable flip-flops, each storing one binary bit
• The memory cells are grouped into words of fix word length, for
example 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 bit
• Each word can be accessed by a binary address of N bit, making it
possible to store 2 raised by N words in the memory What are bits,
bytes, and other units of measure for digital information?
• So in computer jargon, the following memory units are used: There
are different types of memories in computers:- Registers: Small
memory, internal to processor, where actual processing is done
MEMORY
• Other memory devices can access the storage data
only in a predetermined order, because of
mechanical design limitations
SECONDARY MEMORY
• Both hard disk and hard disk drive comes in a single unit,
it is permanently fixed in a system unit
• A Hard Disk Drive is device for storing and retrieving
digital information, primarily computer data
• A typical HDD design consists of a spindle that holds flat
circular disks, also called platters, which hold the
recorded data
• The platters are made from a nonmagnetic material,
usually aluminium alloy and are coated with a shallow
layer of magnetic material typically 10-20 nm in depth,
with an outer layer of carbon for protection
FLOPPY DISK DRIVE

A floppy disk, or diskette, is a disk

storage medium composed of a
FDD : Floppy disk drive is a It has a control circuit which
disk of thin and flexible magnetic
mechanism which drives FD to transfers data between FD and
storage, sealed in a rectangular
rotate for read / write operations computer
plastic carrier lined with fabric
that removes dust particles
COMPACT DISK DRIVE
• : The CD-Drive is a mechanism used to read / write digital information on
a CD
• CD-Drives are available in different forms, CD drive is an optical disc drive
that uses LASER light or Electromagnetic waves of suitable wavelength as
part of the process of reading or writing data to or from CD
• CD drives are commonly both readers and recorders, also called burners or
writers
• Compact Disc , Digital Versatile Disc and Blue-ray Disc are common types
of A recorder encodes data onto a recordable CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R
• For rewritable CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD- RAM, or BD-RE media,
the laser is used to melt a crystalline metal alloy in the recording layer of
the disc
COMPACT
DISK
DRIVE

CD data is stored as a series of tiny indentations Instead, nonreturn-to-zero encoding is used: a

known as "pits", encoded in a spiral track moulded change from pit to land or land to pit indicates a
into the top of the polycarbonate layer one, while no change indicates a series of zeros
SWITCHED MODE
POWER SUPPLY
• SMPS: It refers to Switched Mode Power Supply
• Ports:- Ports are the sockets available on the system
box
• Serial Port :- It is a Serial Communication physical
interface through which information transfers in or
out one bit at a time
• Parallel Port It is a type of interface used to connect
a printer to the computer
• USB :- It combines all the advantages of multi-
platform serials ports
VGA / SVGA / AGP
• SOUND CARD It is an expansion card that records and
plays back sound by translating the analog signal from a
microphone into a digitized form that the computer can
store and process and then translating back the modified
data into analog signals or sound
• Network Card;- If we want to connect our computer to
another computer we will need a Network Interface Card
• MODEM ;- In order to go online and surf the web or check
E-mail, we need a modem to connect to an internet
service provider
INPUT
DEVICES • Input Devices: The input devices are used for
transferring / entering user command or data
or choice to the computer
• Input unit captures or reads data /
information and converts these data into form
that computer understands and transfers
these data to memory unit for execution
• • Eg: Keyboard, Mouse, Scanner, Joystick,
Floppy, CD, DVD etc
KEYBOARD
• The keys on a keyboard is almost similar to
typewriter keys with some additional keys such as
programmed function keys, programmable keys,
cursor control keys and numeric keys
• Standard"full-travel"alphanumeric keyboards have
keys that are on three-quarter inch centers , and
have a key travel of at least 0.150 inches
• Windows standard keyboards has 104-keys, which
includes alphabetic characters, punctuation symbols,
numbers and a variety of Function keys
MOUSE The mouse sometimes features other elements, such as
"wheels", which allow the user to perform various
system-dependent operations, or extra buttons or
features that can add more control or dimensional input

The mouse's motion typically translates into the motion

of a pointer on a display, which allows for fine control of
a graphical user interface

Optical mice make use of one or more Light Emitting

Diodes and an imaging array of photodiodes to detect
movement relative to the underlying surface, rather than
internal moving parts as does a mechanical mouse
SCANNER
• Scanner is a device that optically scans images,
printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts
it to a digital image
• Common examples found in offices are variations of
the desktop scanner where the document is placed
on a glass window for scanning
• Scanner consists of two components, the first one to
illuminate the object so that the optical image can
be captured and the other to convert the optical
image into digital format for storage by computer
JOYSTICK
• A joystick is an interactive input device consisting of
a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or
direction to the device it is controlling
• Joysticks are often used to control video games, and
usually have one or more push-buttons whose state
can also be read by the computer
OUTPUT Output Devices: An output device is a computer hardware

DEVICES
equipment used to communicate the results of data
processing carried out by computer by converting the
electronically generated information into human-readable
form

Output devices produces information in the form of printouts,

display on monitor etc., Output devices converts
processeddataintoformthattheuserunderstands instantly

• Eg: Monitor, Printer, Plotter, Speakers, Headphones,

Projectors etc
MONITOR
The monitor comprises the display device, circuitry,
and an enclosure

The display device in modern monitors is typically

a Thin Film Transistor or Liquid Crystal Display thin
panel, while older monitors use a Cathode Ray
Tube about as deep as the screen size

The first computer monitors used Cathode Ray

Tubes
TFT-LCD

Thin film transistor liquid crystal TFT LCD is one type of Active
display is a variant of LCD which matrix LCD, though all LCD-
uses thin-film transistor screens are based on matrix
technologytoimproveimagequality addressing
LED AND OLED
• Organic light-emitting diode monitors provide higher
contrast and better viewing angles than LCDs, and
are predicted to replace
PRINTER
• A printer is a peripherals which produces the hard
copy output of a text or graphics of documents
stored in electronic form, usually on physical print
media such as paper or transparencies
• Many printers are primarily used as local
peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or,
in most new printers, a USB cable to a computer
which serves as a document source
• There are two types of printers
PLOTTER
• Plotter is an output device similar to printer, which
produce hard copy output of graphs, maps, charts,
etc., on any sort of paper
• The plotter is very convenient and invaluable tool in
business graphics applications for printing on very
large size papers like Film posters, AutoCAD building
drawings etc
OPERATING SYSTEM
• An Operating System is a program that controls the
overall activity of your computer
• It manages the various files in your computer
• It allows the computer hardware to interact with
your computer software