Unit 01 (Part 02)
Unit 01 (Part 02)
1- RAM (Random Access Memory): It is volatile. Volatile memory stores information based on the
power supply. If the power supply fails/is interrupted/stopped, all the data and information on this
memory will be lost. RAM is used to boot up or start the computer. It temporarily stores
programs/data which has to be executed by the processor.
i. Magnetic Tapes: Magnetic tape is a long, narrow strip of plastic film with a thin,
magnetic coating on it that is used for magnetic recording. Bits are recorded on tape
as magnetic patches called RECORDS that run along many tracks.
ii. Magnetic Disks: A magnetic disk is a circular metal or a plastic plate and these
plates are coated with magnetic material. The disc is used on both sides. Bits are
stored in magnetized surfaces in locations called tracks that run in concentric rings.
iii. Optical Disks: It’s a laser-based storage medium that can be written to and read. It
is reasonably priced and has a long lifespan. The optical disc can be taken out of the
computer by occasional users.
Hardware and Software concept
Hardware
The term hardware refers to a mechanical device that makes up a computer.
Computer hardware consists of interconnected electronic devices that we can use
to control the computer’s operation, input, and output. Examples of hardware are
CPU, keyboard, mouse, hard disk, etc.
Hardware Components-
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Scanner
• Printer
• Monitor
• Hard drive
• Power supply
• Motherboard
• Central processing unit (CPU)
Software
A set of instructions that drives a computer to do stipulated tasks is called a
program. Software instructions are programmed in a computer language,
translated into machine language, and executed by a computer.
1. System Software
2. Application Software
3. Utility Software
Computer Register?
Registers are a type of computer memory used to quickly accept, store, and
transfer data and instructions that are being used immediately by the CPU. The
registers used by the CPU are often termed Processor registers.
a. Accumulator Register
b. Program Counter (PC) Register
c. General-Purpose Registers
d. Instruction Register (IR)
e. Memory Address Register (MAR)
f. Memory Data Register (MDR)
g. Stack Pointer (SP)
h. Floating-Point Registers
Computer Languages
1. Low-level language
a- Machine level language
b- Assembly language
2. High level language
1. Low-Level Language
A Low-level computer language consists of only 1’s and 0’s. First and Second-generation
computers were first built using this language. This type of language is easily understood by
a computer but it is very difficult for humans to understand this. It has two types- Machine-
level language and assembly-level language.
Positive Logic: In this, the presence of voltage is denoted by 1 and the absence of
voltage is denoted by 0.
Negative Logic: Here, the presence of voltage is denoted by 0 while the absence of
voltage is denoted by 1.
b. Assembly Level Language
The assembly-level language was introduced with the advancement of machine-level
language. This computer language uses symbols, popularly known as mnemonics in
computer terminology to write the instructions. Hence, writing a program in assembly-level
language is more understandable to humans than machine-level language. In this language,
symbolic names are used to denote addresses and data. The assembly language code gets
converted into a machine language code with the help of an assembler so that the
computer can understand the binary-converted assembly language.
2. High-Level Language
High-Level Languages are the advanced development languages in the evolution of
computer languages. The main goal of these languages is to make programming easier and
less error-free. These high-level languages use words and commands along with symbols
and numbers. High-level programming languages are created to be more user-friendly and
easier for humans to understand than Low-level languages. They use keywords similar to
English words, making coding more intuitive.
Examples of High-Level Programming languages are-
• C
• C++
• Java
• Java Script
• Python
• C#
• PHP