Lec 1
Lec 1
Lecture 1
Dr.Latifah Alshammary
Welcome to the Course!
Agenda
• Course Objectives
• Textbook
• Assessment
• Weekly Plan
• Office Hours
• General Rules
Course Objectives
1. Introduce students to the fundamental concepts of computer devices’
organization and operation.
- Attached.
Email & Office Hours
Office Number: Next to office number 06 Office hours: Monday 08:00 – 10:00
Lecture 1: Introduction to
Computers
What is computer?
Computer is an electronic device that accepts input from the user, process and store
data, and produces the output.
Parts of computer:
Computer system is divided into two main parts:
- Computer Hardware.
- Computer Software.
Hardware
1. A processor to interpret and execute programs.
2. A memory to store both data and programs.
3. A mechanism for transferring data to and from the outside world.
Common Prefixes Associated with Computer Organization and
Architecture:
1) System unit: System unit includes the electronic circuitry inside the computer. Its two important
parts are:
a) Microprocessor: It is the brain of the computer, and it processes the data to produce the information.
b) Memory: Memory holds data and program instructions for processing the data. It is
also known as RAM (random access memory) or primary storage. It is temporary memory and when the
computer is turned off, the memory finishes.
2) Input/output devices:
Input devices convert the data and the programs that human can understand into the form that computer can
understand and process. Input devices: Keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone etc.
Output devices convert the processed information from the computer to that which people can understand.
Output devices: Monitors, printers, speakers etc.
Common Prefixes Associated with Computer Organization and
Architecture:
3) Secondary storage devices:
These devices hold the data and the programs permanently even after the computer is turned off. You
can save you data in these storage devices.
Secondary storage devices: Floppy disks, CD ROM disk, Hard disk etc.
4) Communication devices:
For the computers to talk to each other, they use communication devices.
For example: Modem uses telephone line to connect to other computers. Network cards are used to
connect the computers together without telephone connection.
Computer Software
Software gives the instructions to the hardware and tells it how to perform work and
what to do. The computer hardware consists of physical things, like CPU,
motherboard, I/O cards, monitor, keyboard and mouse etc.
Application Software:
These are the software used to carry specific task inside computer. Computer can
work without application software, but computer cannot work without system
software. Examples of application software is Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
Programming Language:
Language is by itself an application software in which we can make other programs
or software. All the system software and application software are made using any
programming language. Examples of programming languages are C/C++, Java,
Python, etc.