COMPUTER & IT

1 Introduction
to Computer
A computer is an electronic device that accepts data from the user, processes the data by
performing some calculations and operations on it and then generates the desired output as a
result. The term computer is derived from the Latin word ‘computare’ which means ‘to
compute’.

History of Computer Evolution

Computer is not the creation of one day, rather it took a long period for the development of
modern computer.
Invention Inventor Time Characteristics Applications
Abacus China 1602 u
First mechanical u
Used for addition and
calculating device. subtraction operations.
Napier’s Bones John Napier 1617 u
Holding numbers from u
Perform multiplication on
0 to 9 only. numbers.
Pascaline Blaise Pascal 1642 u
First mechanical adding u
Perform addition and
machine. subtraction of two numbers.
Jacquard’s Joseph Marie 1801 u
First mechanical loom. u
Simplified the process of
Loom Jacquard textiles.
u
Mainly weaved a silk
based pattern.
Analytical Charles 1837 u
First general-purpose u
Generally used for basic
Engine Babbage computer. arithmetic operations.
(Father of u
It was a decimal machine
Computer)
used sign and magnitude for
representation of a number.
Tabulating Herman 1890 u
It used punched cards u
Read one card at a time.
Machine Hollerith with round holes.
u
It was the first
electromechanical
machine, which was
designed to process the
data for census in 1890.
MARK-I Howard Aiken 1944 u
Data can be entered u
Mainly used in the war
manually. effort during World War-II.
ENIAC JP Eckert and 1946 u
First electronic digital u
Used for weather
JW Mauchly computer. predictionry atomic
energy calculation and
other scientific uses.
EDSAC John Von 1949 u
It was first computer u
Capable of storing
Neumann which provided storage instructions and data in
capacity. memory.
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Invention Inventor Time Characteristics Applications
UNIVAC J. Presper 1951 u
First general-purpose u
Used magnetic tapes as
Eckert and electronic computer with input and output.
John large amount of input
Mauchly and output.
IBM-650 IBM Company 1953 u
Provided input/output u
Payroll processing.
Computer units converting u
Market research analysis.
alphabetical and special
characters to two-digits
decimal code.

Generations of Computer
A generation refers to the state of improvement in the development of system. Computers are
built of Electromechanical, before generation. Each generation of computer is characterised
by a major technological development that fundamentally changed the way, computers
operate.

Switching Storage Operating

Generation Year Speed Language
Device Device System
First 1940-56 Vacuum tubes Magnetic drums milli Batch operating Machine language
second system (Binary number 0s
and 1s)
Second 1956-63 Transistors Magnetic core micro Time-sharing Assembly language
technology second system,
Multitasking OS
Third 1964-71 Integrated Circuits Magnetic core nano Real-time High level language
(ICs) (Made up of as primary second system (FORTRAN, COBOL
semiconductor) storage medium ALGOL)
Fourth 1971- Large Scale Semi pico Time sharing PASCAL, ADA,
Present Integrated (LSI) conductor second COBOL-74
circuit / memory, FORTRAN IV
microprocessor Winchester disk
Fifth Present- Super Large Scale Optical disc — Knowledge Natural language
Beyond Integrated (SLSI) information
chips system

n
Alan Turing is known as the father of modern computer.
n
In 1958, Jack St. Clair kilby and Robert Noyce invented the first IC.
n
EDVAC was the first electronic computer constructed at the Moore School of Engineering (USA).
n
ENIAC was the world’s first successful electronic computer which was developed by the two scientists
namely J P Eckert and J W Mauchy. It was the beginning of first generation computer.

Classification of Computer
Computers are mainly classified as three types
Classification of Computer

Based on Size Based on Work Based on Purpose

Microcomputer Mainframe Analog Hybrid General Special

Computer Computer Computer Purpose Purpose
Minicomputer Digital Computer Computer
Supercomputer
Computer
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
3

Based on Size
On the basis of size, computers are categorised as follows
1. Microcomputer
These types of computers are the least powerful, yet the most widely used and fastest
growing type of computers and are also called portable computers. Microcomputer
consists of three basic categories of physical equipment i.e system unit, input/output and
memory.
Some types of microcomputer are
■ Desktop computer or personal computer ■ Notebook
■ Handheld computer or palmtop ■ Tablet computer
■ Embedded computer
2. Minicomputer
These are smaller in size, faster, cost lower than mainframe computers. Initially, the
minicomputer was designed to carry out some specific tasks, like engineering and
Computer Aided Design (CAD) calculations. But now, they are being used as central
computer which is called as Server. Mini computers are IBM-17, DEC PDP-11, HP-9000, etc.
3. Mainframe Computer
These types of computers having large internal memory storage and comprehensive
range of software. Mainframe computer serves as a backbone for the entire business
world. Mainframe computers are IBM-370, IBM-S/390, UNIVAC-1110, etc.
4. Supercomputer
These are the fastest and the most expensive machines. They have high processing speed
compared to other computers. The speed of supercomputers are measured in FLOPS
(Floating Point Operations Per Second).
Supercomputers are used for highly calculation intensive tasks, such as weather
foresting, nuclear research, military agencies and scientific research laboratories.
n
Siddhartha was the first supercomputer developed in India.
n
CRAY-1 was the world’s first supercomputer introduced by Seymour R.CRAY in 1976.
n
PARAM YUVA II is the machine in the series of PARAM made by C-DAC (Pune) in India. It performs at a
peak of 524 teraflops. It has been ranked 33rd in the list of Top 500 supercomputers in world.
n
Tianhe-2 is the world’s fastest supercomputer launched by China at NUDT University in 2013. It is
based on Kylin Linux operating system with 33.86 petaflops.
n
PARAM was the first supercomputer developed in India in 1990.
n
Pratyush India’s fastest and first multi-petaflops (PF) supercomputer named Pratyush was unveiled at
Pune based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). Pratyush is fourth fastest supercomputer in
the world dedicated for weather and climate research.

Based on Work
On the basis of work, computers are categorised as follows
1. Analog Computer
These computers are the job-oriented computers. They carry out arithmetic and logical
operations by manipulating and processing of data. e.g., speedometers, seismograph, etc.
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
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2. Digital Computer
These computers do work by calculating the binary digits. A digital computer, not only
performs mathematical calculations, but also combines the bytes to produce desired
graphics, sounds. e.g., desktop (PC).
3. Hybrid Computer
These computers are the combination of analog and digital computers. Machines used in
hospitals like ECG and DIALYSIS are the commonly used hybrid computers.
n Quantum computers was first introduced by Richard Feynman. It uses quantum mechanical
phenomena. It is the fastest computer imitating brain working.

Based on purpose
On the basis of purpose, computers are categorised as follows
1. General Purpose Computer These computers used to solve variety of problems by
changing the program or instructions. e.g., to make small database, calculations,
accounting etc.
2. Special Purpose Computer These computers used to solve a single and dedicated type of
problems. e.g., automatic aircraft landing, multimedia computer etc.

Assessment
1. Computer 5. Which was the first electronic computer
1. Is a device capable of storing data. constructed at the Moore School of
2. Is capable of analysing data. Engineering?
3. Is capable of maintaining total secrecy. (a) EDVAC (b) UNIVAC
4. Is sometimes attacked by virus. (c) ENIAC (d) EDSAC
Select the correct answer from the code 6. ENIAC was
given below: [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2005] (a) an electronic calculator
(b) an memory device
Code (c) an electronic digital computer
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3 (d) an engine
(c) 1, 2 and 4 (d) All of these
7. Abacus can perform
2. Which work is not done by a computer? (a) addition (b) subtraction
[MPPCS (Pre) 2015] (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) multiplication
(a) Computing 8. Which one of the following is the main
(b) Processing electronic component of the third
(c) Understanding generation computer?
(d) Outputting [UPPCS (Mains) 2017]
3. The first computer was made by (a) Electronic tube (b) Transistor
[UPPCS (Pre) 2007] (c) Optical fiber (d) Integrated circuit
(a) Bill Gates 9. Which type of computer could be found in
(b) Bill Clinton a digital watch? [MPPCS (Pre) 2013]
(c) Charles Babbage (a) Mainframe
(d) Marconi (b) Supercomputer
4. Who invented electronic computer? (c) Notebook computer
[MPPCS (Pre) 2006, 2000] (d) Embedded computer
(a) Dr. Alan M. Turing 10. The IC chips are made of
(b) Karl Benz [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2007]
(c) Thomas Alva Edison (a) fiber (b) semiconductor
(d) Edward Teller (c) plastic (d) None of these
ASSESSMENT
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11. First indigenously developed Indian 14. Which of the following refers to the
supercomputer is named as fastest, biggest and most expensive
[UPPCS (Mains) 2004] computer?
(a) Gati (b) Dharam (a) Notebook computer
(c) Shakti (d) Param (b) Personal computer
(c) Laptops
12. Consider the following statements (d) Supercomputer
[CDS 2012]
15. First supercomputer of the world is
I. Supercomputer Saga-220 is capable (a) CRAY-1 (b) PARAM
of performing at the speed above (c) Tianhe-2 (d) IBM-370
200 Tflops.
16. Which of the following is the smallest
II. India has only 2 supercomputer and fastest computer imitating brain
systems on the Top 500 working?
supercomputers list of the world.
(a) Supercomputer
Which of the statements given above (b) Quantum computer
is/are correct? (c) Param-10000
(a) Only I (d) IBM chips
(b) Only II 17. Which one of the following is the fastest
(c) Both I and II Indian supercomputer recently developed
(d) Neither I nor II by ISRO? [CDS 2012]
13. Which one of the following countries has (a) Akash-A1 (b) Saga-220
developed the Tianhe-1A, one of the (c) Jaquar-Cray (d) Tianhe-1A
world’s fastest supercomputer? 18. Word length for supercomputer range up
[CDS 2012] to [RAS / RTS (Pre) 2007]
(a) Japan (b) South Korea (a) 16 bits (b) 32 bits
(c) China (d) Chinese Taipei (c) 64 bits (d) 128 bits

1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (a) 6. (c) 7. (d) 8. (d) 9. (d) 10. (b)
11. (d) 12. (c) 13. (c) 14. (d) 15. (a) 16. (b) 17. (b) 18. (c)
2 Computer Architecture
and I/O Devices
In computer science, computer architecture is a set of disciplines that describes the part of
computer system and their relations. It deals with the functional behaviour of a computer
system as viewed by a programmer.
The first computer architecture was introduced in 1970.

Components of a Computer
A computer consists of three main components
1. Input/Output Unit
The computer accepts coded information through input unit by the user. e.g., keyboard,
mouse, etc. The output unit sends the processed results to the user. e.g., monitor, printer,
plotter, etc.
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Central Processing Unit is often called the brain of computer. The CPU is fabricated as a
single Integrated Circuit (IC) chip and is also known as Microprocessor. A CPU controls all
the internal and external devices and performs arithmetic and logic operations.
The CPU consists of two main sub-systems are as follows:
(i) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) It is used to perform all arithmetic calculations
(addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and logical calculation (<,> =, AND,
OR, etc). ALU uses registers to hold the data that is being processed.

Registers
These are used to quickly accept, store and transfer data and instructions that are
being used immediately by the CPU. These registers are the top of the memory
hierarchy and are the fastest way for the system to manipulate data.

(ii) Control Unit (CU) Control unit coordinates with the input and output devices of a
computer. It directs the computer to carry out stored program instructions by
communicating with the ALU and the registers.
3. Memory Unit
Memory is that part of the computer, which holds data and instructions.
The memory unit consists of two types of memories are as follows:
(i) Primary Memory The memory unit that communicates directly with the CPU is
called main memory or internal memory or primary memory. The primary memory
allows the computer to store data for immediate manipulation and to keep track of
what is currently being processed. It has limited storage capacity. The primary
memory is of two types; Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory
(ROM).
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE AND I/O DEVICES
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■ Random Access Memory (RAM) It directly provides the required information
to the processor. RAM is a volatile memory. It provides temporary storage for data
and instructions. RAM is classified into two categories
(a) Static Random Access Memory (SRAM)
(b) Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)
■ Read Only Memory (ROM) It is used for storing standard processing programs
that permanently reside in the computer. ROM is a non-volatile memory. It can
only be read not written.
ROM is classified into three categories
(a) Programmable ROM (PROM)
(b) Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM)
(c) Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM)
(ii) Secondary Memory Secondary memory is also known as secondary storage or
auxiliary memory. It used for storing data and instructions permanently.
Secondary memory devices include as follows :
■ Hard Disk Drive (HDD) It is a non-volatile and random access digital data storage
device. HDD is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital
information using rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. It is a
fixed disk, i.e. cannot be removed from the drive.
■ Floppy Disk (Diskette) It is used to store data but it can store small amount of data
and it is slower to access than hard disks. Floppy disk is removable from the drive.
■ Compact Disc (CD) A CD is capable of being used as a data storage device alongwith
storing of digital audio. The files are stored on this particular contiguous sectors.
CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW are main types of CD.
■ Digital Video Disc (DVD) It is an optical disc storage media. DVDs offer higher
storage capacity than CDs while having the same dimensions. They are not
rewritable media.
■ Blu-ray Disc It is an optical disc storage medium designed to re-capture the data
normally in DVD format. The name Blu-ray disc refers to the blue laser used to
read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density than the
longer-wavelength red laser used in DVDs.

Cache Memory
It is a very high speed memory placed in between RAM and CPU. It increases the
speed of processing. Cache memory is a storage buffer that stores the data which is
used more often, temporarily and makes, them available to CPU at a fast rate.

Memory Measurement Units

Units of computer memory measurements:
1 Bit = Binary Digit (0 or 1) 8 Bits = 1 Byte = 2 Nibble
1024 Bytes = 1 KB (Kilo Byte) 1024 KB = 1 MB (Mega Byte)
1024 MB = 1 GB (Giga Byte) 1024 GB = 1 TB (Tera Byte)
1024 TB = 1 PB (Peta Byte) 1024 PB = 1 EB (Exa Byte)
1024 EB = 1 ZB (Zetta Byte) 1024 ZB = 1 YB (Yotta Byte)
1024 YB = 1 (Bronto Byte) 1024 Brontobyte = 1 (Geop Byte)
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
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Motherboard
The main circuit board contained in any computer is called a motherboard. It is
also known as the mainboard or logic board or system board or planar board.
All the other electronic devices and circuits of computer system are attached to
this board like, CPU, ROM, RAM, expansion slots, PCI slots and USB ports.

Instruction Cycle
The instruction cycle represents the sequence of events that take Fetch
place as an instruction is read from memory and executed.
A simple instruction cycle consists of the following steps: Instruction
Store Decode
Step I Fetching the instruction from the memory. Cycle
Step II Decoding the instruction for operation.
Step III Executing the instruction. Execute

Step IV Storing in memory.

Input and Output Devices

A computer interacts with the external environment via the Input-Output (I/O) devices
attached to it. Input device is used for providing data and instructions to the computer. After
processing the input data, computer provides output to the user via the output devices. The I/O
devices that are attached, externally to the computer machine are also called peripheral devices.

Input Devices
An input device can be defined as an electro mechanical device that allows the user to
feed data into the computer for analysis and storage and to give commands to the
computer. Some of the commonly used input devices are described ahead.
Keyboard The layout of the keyboard was borrowed from the regular typewriter with
some additional keys. Keyboard is used to enter data or information, which may be in
numeric form or alphabets form, in a computer system.
Mouse is a small handheld device having two or three buttons on its upper side and also
has a small wheel between these buttons. It is a pointing device which provides a means
to input data and commands in graphic form by selecting through moving an arrow called
pointer on monitor.
n
Mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart at Stanford Research Centre in 1963.
n
Optical mouse was introduced by Microsoft in 1999. It uses a light beam to detect the movement.
Trackball is another pointing device which is an alternative to a mouse. It is used on
CAD/CAM workstations.
Joystick is a device that moves in all directions and controls the movement of the
cursor. Joysticks are used in flight simulators, CAD/ CAM system, etc.
Light Pen is a handheld electro-optical pointing device, which is used for making
drawings, graphics and for menu selection.
Scanner is an optical input device and uses light as an input source to convert an image
into an electronic form that can be stored on the computer.
Touchscreen is an input device that accepts input when the user places a fingertip
on the computer screen.
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE AND I/O DEVICES
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Touch screen is generally used in applications like ATM, hospitals, airline reservation,
supermarkets etc.
Digitizers and Graphic Tablets allows artists to create handmade images and
graphical images with motion and action.
Bar Code Reader is an input device used for reading printed barcodes (Universal
Product Code) available on product to be sold.
Optical Mark Reader (OMR) is the process of detecting the presence of intended
marked responses. OMR is widely used to read answer of objective type tests, voting
applications and other evaluation studies.
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) reads the characters by examining their
shapes in a matrix form.
It is generally used in banks to process the cheques for recognising the magnetic encoding
numbers printed at the bottom of a cheque.
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a technique for the scanning of a printed page,
translating it and then using the OCR software to recognise the image as ASCII text that is
editable. It translates the array of dots into text that the computer can interpret as words
and letters.
Smart Card Reader is a device which is used to access the microprocessor of a smart
card. Smart cards are used in large companies and organisations for stronger security
authentication.
Biometric Sensor is a device which recognises physical or behavioural traits of the
individual. Biometric sensors are mainly used for the security purpose and for making
attendance of employees/ students in organisations/institutions.
Webcam is a digital camera attached to computers and can be used for video
conferencing, online chating etc.
Microphone We can send input to the computer through a special manual input device
called microphone or mic. A mic converts the received sound into computer’s format,
which is called digitised sound or digital audio.
Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the
results of data processing carried out by information processing to the outside world.
The output produced by the output devices can be of the following forms:
Monitor is also known as Visual Display Unit (VDU). The monitor is provided along
with the computer to view the display result.
The popular type of monitors are
■ CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
■ LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
■ LED (Liquid/Light Emitted Diode)
■ TFT (Thin Film Transistor)
Printer prints information and data from the computer onto a paper. It can print
documents in colour as well as in black and white. The quality of a printer is determined
by the clarity of a print. Printers are divided into two basic categories:
(i) Impact printers strike on paper and ribbon together to form a character like,
typewriter. Types of impact printers are dot matrix printers, daisy wheel printers,
line printers and drum printers.
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
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(ii) Non-impact printers use electrostatic chemicals and inkjet technologies. Types of
non-impact printers are inkject printer, thermal printer, laser printer,
electromagnetic printer and electrostatic printer.
Plotter is an output device that uses a pen, pencil, marker or other writing tools for
making vector graphics. A plotter is a special kind of output channel, like a printer, that
produces images on paper. They are mainly used to produce large drawings or images such
as construction plans, blueprints for mechanical objects, AUTOCAD, CAD/CAM, etc.
Speaker is an output device that receives sound in the form of electric current. It needs a
sound card connected to a CPU, that generates sound via a card.

Input/Output (I/O) Port

Input/output ports are the external interfaces that are used to connect input and output
devices like printer, plotter etc., to the computer.
The I/O devices are connected to the computer via the following ports:
Parallel Port is an interface for connecting eight or more data wires. The data flows
through the eight wires simultaneously. Parallel port is used to connect printer to the
computer.
Serial Port transmits one bit of data through a single wire. Serial port is used to connect
external modems, plotters, bar code reader, etc.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a common and popular external port available with
computers. Normally, two or four USB ports are provided on a PC. A single USB port can
support connection of upto 127 devices.
Firewire is used to connect audio and video multimedia devices like video camera. It is
an expensive technology used for large data movement.

Assessment
1. The brain of the computer is known as 4. Both the ALU and control section have
[Uttarakhand PCS (Mains) 2002] special purpose storage locations, called
(a) memory (b) keyboard [SSC CHSL 2012]
(c) hard disk (d) CPU (a) address (b) registers
2. Consider the following statements: (c) accumulators (d) bus
I. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is 5. A name for the short term memory of
the brain and most important part of the computer that is lost when the
the computer. computer is turned OFF.
[UP Lower Sub. (Mains) 2013]
II. The CPU is the software within a (a) CPU (b) Hardware
computer system which carries out the
(c) Processor (d) RAM
instructions of a computer program.
6. Types of computer memory is/are
Which of the statement(s) given above
(1) Semiconductor
is/are correct? [UPPCS (Pre) 2012]
(2) Magnetic
(a) Only I (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II (d) Neither I nor II (3) Server
(4) Optical
3. With relation to computers ALU means Select the correct answer from the codes
[Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2005] given below.
(a) Algebraic Logic Unit [Uttarakhand UDA/LDA (Pre) 2003]
(b) Arithmetic Logic Unit
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) Algebraic Local Unit
(d) Arithmetic Local Unit (c) 1, 2 and 4 (d) All of these
ASSESSMENT
11
7. Consider the following statements: 13. The main board of the computer is known
[CSAT 2011] as [Uttarakhand PCS (Mains) 2002]
I. Blu-ray Disc (BD) have storage (a) father board (b) motherboard
capacity of 25 GB per layer or 50 GB (c) keyboard (d) None of these
with dual layer discs. 14. A pen drive is
II. Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2006]
medium designed to supersede the (a) a fixed secondary storage unit
DVD format. (b) a magnetic secondary storage unit
(c) a removable secondary storage unit
III. The standard physical medium of BD is
(d) None of the above
a 12 cm plastic optical disc, the same
size as DVDs and CDs. 15. Which of the following is not an output
Which of the statement(s) given above device? [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2006]
is/are correct? (a) Monitor (b) Printer
(a) I, II and III (b) I and III (c) Mouse (d) Plotter
(c) II and III (d) Only II 16. Which industry is primary user of
8. A new optical disc format known as the Magnetic Ink Character Recgonition
Blu-ray Disc (BD) is becoming popular. In (MICR)? [Uttarkhand PCS (Pre) 2010]
what way is it different from the (a) Banks
traditional DVD? [IAS (Pre) 2011] (b) Footwear designing
(c) Book Publishing
(i) DVD supports Standard Definition (d) None of the above
video while BD supports High
Definition video. 17. First computer mouse was built by
[SSC CGL 2013]
(ii) Compared to a DVD, the BD format has
several times more storage capacity. (a) Douglas Engelbart (b) William English
(c) Oaniel Coogher (d) Robert Zawacki
(iii) Thickness of BD is 2.4 mm while that
of DVD is 1.2 mm. 18. Daisy wheel printer is a type of
Which of the statement(s) given above [UP Lower Sub. (Mains) 2013]
(a) laser printer (b) manual printer
is/are correct?
(a) Only (i) (b) (i) and (ii) (c) dot matrix printer (d) impact printer
(c) (ii) and (iii) (d) All (i), (ii) and (iii) 19. …… printer cannot print more than one
9. A nibble is equal to ........... bits. character at a time. [SSC CHSL 2013]
(a) 16 (b) 32 (a) Line (b) Daisy-wheel
(c) 4 (d) 8 (c) Laser (d) Dot matrix
10. The memory of a computer is commonly 20. Which one of the following printers is
expressed in terms of kilobytes or known as ‘non-impact printer’ in general?
megabytes. A byte is made up of [SSC Grad 2008]
(a) eight binary digits [IAS (Pre) 2000] (a) Line printer (b) Drum printer
(b) eight decimal digits (c) Serial printer (d) Laser printer
(c) two binary digits
(d) two decimal digits 21. In which port do you plug-in the cable of
your keyboard?
11. The memory of the computer is measured [UP Lower Sub. (Mains) 2015]
by [UPPCS (Mains) 2006] (a) VGA port (b) Ethernet port
(a) bits (b) ohms (c) USB port (d) Serial port
(c) amperes (d) volts
22. The transfer of data from a CPU to
12. 1024 kilobytes are equal to peripheral devices of computer is
[MPPCS (Pre) 2016] achieved through [SSC FCI 2012]
(a) 1 megabyte (b) 1 gigabyte (a) interfaces (b) buffer memory
(c) 10 kilobytes (d) 1024 bytes (c) modems (d) I/O ports

1. (d) 2. (a) 3. (b) 4. (b) 5. (d) 6. (c) 7. (a) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (a)
11. (a) 12. (a) 13. (b) 14. (c) 15. (c) 16. (a) 17. (a) 18. (d) 19. (d) 20. (d)
21. (c) 22. (d)
3 Data
Representation
Data representation refers those methods which are used internally to represent information
stored in a computer.

Number System
A number system defines a set of values that is used to represent quantity. Digital computers
internally use the binary number system to represent data and perform arithmetic calculations.
Types of Number System
The number systems generally used by a computer are as follows:
(i) Binary Number System It contains only two unique digits 0s and 1s. It is also
known as Base 2 system. The binary numbers 0 and 1 called a bit. The computer
always calculates input in binary form. e.g., ( 10101 ) 2 .
■ Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz developed the binary system.
(ii) Decimal Number System It consists of ten digits from 0 to 9. These digits can be
used to represent any numeric value. It is also known as Base 10 system or positional
number system. e.g., ( 1275 ) 10 , ( 10406 ) 10 .
(iii) Octal Number System It consists of 8 digits from 0 to 7. It is also known as Base 8
system. e.g., ( 125 ) 8, ( 670 ) 8.
(iv) Hexadecimal Number System It provides us with a shorthand method of
working with binary numbers. There are 16 unique digits available in this system.
These are 0 to 9 and A to F, where A denotes 10, B denotes 11 ....... F denotes 15. It is
also known as Base 16 system or simply Hex. e.g., ( 23 A ) 16 , ( 459 BD ) 16 .

Computer Codes
In computer, any character like alphabet, digit or special character is represented by collection
of ‘1s’ and ‘0s’ in a unique coded pattern. In computers, the code is made up of fixed size groups
of binary positions.
Coding schemes that are commonly used as follows:
Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
Binary coded decimal is a number system where four bits are used to represent each
decimal digits. BCD is a method of using binary digits to represent the decimal digits (0-9).
■ BCD system was developed by IBM corporation.
American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
ASCII characters are represented by seven bits. Basically, ASCII codes are of two types as
follows:
■ ASCII-7 is a 7-bit standard ASCII code. It allows 2 7 = 128 (from 0 to 127) unique
symbols or characters.
DATA REPRESENTATION
13
■ ASCII-8 is an extended version of ASCII-7. It is an 8-bit code. It allows 2 8 = 256
(0 to 255) unique symbols or characters.
Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC)
In EBCDIC, characters are represented by eight bits. These codes store information which
is readable by other computers. It allows 2 8 = 256 combination of bits.
UNICODE
Uses 16-bits to represent a symbol in the data. It represents any non-english
character, scientific symbol in any language like Chinese, Japanese.

ASSESSMENT
1. Binary language consists of how many 9. The octal system
digits? [MPPCS (Pre) 2015] (a) needs less digits to represent a
(a) 2 (b) 3 (c) 4 (d) 16 number than in the binary system
2. The number system based on 0 and 1 only, (b) needs more digits to represent a
known as number than in the binary system
(a) binary number (b) barter system (c) needs the same number of digits to
(c) number system (d) All of these represent a number as in the binary
system
3. To perform calculation on stored data,
(d) needs the same number of digits to
computer uses ............. number system. represent a number as in the decimal
(a) decimal (b) hexadecimal system
(c) octal (d) binary
10. The most widely used code that represents
4. In the binary language, each letter of the each character as a unique 8-bit code is
alphabet, each number and each special (a) ASCII (b) UNICODE
character is made up of a unique (c) BCD (d) EBCDIC
combination of
(a) 8 bytes (b) 8 KB 11. Which of the following is not a computer
(c) 8 character (d) 8 bits code?
(a) EBCDIC (b) ASCII
5. Which of the following is an example of (c) CISC (d) UNICODE
binary number?
12. Most commonly used codes for representing
(a) 6AH1 (b) 100101
bits are
(c) 005 (d) ABCD
(a) ASCII (b) BCD
6. What type of information system would (c) EBCDIC (d) All of these
be recognised by digital circuits? 13. In EBCDIC code, maximum possible
(a) Hexadecimal system [SSC CGL 2013]
character set size is
(b) Binary system
(a) 356 (b) 756 (c) 556 (d) 256
(c) Both (a) and (b)
(d) Octal system 14. Unicode encoding scheme represents a
character as a group of
7. In binary code, 7 is writen as
[RAS/RTS (Pre) 2005]
[RAS/RTS (Pre) 2003]
(a) 16 bits (b) 4 bits
(a) 110 (b) 111 (c) 101 (d) 100
(c) 8 bits (d) 12 bits
8. Decimal number system is the group of
15. A hexadecimal number is represented by
............ numbers. (a) three digits (b) two digits
(a) 0 or 1 (b) 0 to 9
(c) four digits (d) All of these
(c) 0 to 7 (d) 0 to 9 and A to F

1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (a)
11. (c) 12. (d) 13. (d) 14. (a) 15. (c)
4 Computer
Software
Software is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions
for telling a computer what to do and how to do it. The software is an interface between the
user and the computer hardware.
Types of Software
Software can be divided into two major categories:
1. System software
2. Application software

System Software
System software consists of several programs, which are directly responsible for
controlling, integrating and managing the individual hardware components of a
computer system. It also provides the interface between the user and components of the
computer.
System software can be further divided into following categories:
(i) Operating System (OS)
It consists of programs, which control, coordinate and supervise the activities of the
various components of a computer system. Its function is to provide link between the
computer hardware and the user.
The operating system performs the following functions:
■ It recognises input from keyboard and sends output to the display screen.
■ It makes sure that programs running at the same time do not interfere with each
other.
■ It is also reponsible for security and ensuring that unauthorised users do not
access the system.
There are many types of OS and most common OS are as follows:
Microsoft Windows It is a family of operating systems for personal computers.
Windows provides a graphical user interface, virtual memory management, multitasking
and support for various peripheral devices.
BOSS (Bharat Operating System Solutions) BOSS GNU/Linux developed by C-DAC
(Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) derived from Debian for enhancing the
use of Free/Open source software throughout the India.
Apple Macintosh It was introduced by Steve Jobs and was initially names as system
software, which was later renamed as MAC OS. One drawback of this system is that it can
only be run on Apple produced products.
Unix The first version of Unix was developed by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. It is
primarily used to a server rather than a workstation and should not be used by anyone
who does not understand the system.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
15
Linux The first Linux kernel was released by Linus Torvalds. It is an open source
software. Linux is similar to Unix in operations.
BIOS
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is commonly known as System BIOS. The
BIOS controls various electronic components within the main computer system.
The initial function of the BIOS is to initialize system devices such as the RAM,
hard disk, CD/DVD drive, video display card and other hardwares.
Booting
Booting is a boot strapping process which starts the operating system when a
computer is switched ON and the operating system gets loaded from hard disk to
main memory.
There are two types of booting
a Cold Booting When a computer is turned ON after it has been completely
shutdown.
a Warm Booting When a computer is restart by pressing the combination of
Ctrl + Alt + Del keys or by restart button.

Mobile Operating System

This OS operates on smartphones, tablets and digital mobile devices. It controls mobile
devices and its design supports wireless communication and different types of mobile
applications.
Mobile operating system can be classified as:
Android It was introduced by Google in 2007. Android is an OS based on Linux. It is
basically designed for touch screen mobile devices like tablets, smart phones, etc.
Symbian It is the OS developed and sold by Symbian Ltd. Symbian is an open-source
mobile OS designed for smart phones. It has been used by many major handset
manufacturers including Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony, etc.
iOS It is the popular mobile operating system developed by Apple incorporation. This
operating system is commonly used in Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and
second-generation Apple TV.

WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp Messenger is a proprietary, cross-platform instant messaging subscription
services for smartphones. Using this facility, user can send text messaging, images,
video and audio media messages.

(ii) Device Drivers

A software, which is written with the objective of making a device functional when it is
connected to the computer is called device driver.
(iii) Language Translator
A language translator helps in converting programming languages to machine
language.
There are three different kinds of language translator:
(a) Assembler It is used to convert the assembly language into machine language
(i.e., 0 or 1).
(b) Compiler It is used to convert high level language program into machine language,
which can be understood by the processor.
(c) Interpreter This language processor converts a high level language program into
machine language by converting it line-by-line.
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
16
Application Software
It is a computer software designed to help the user to perform single or multiple tasks. It is
a set of instructions or programs designed for specific uses or applications, that enable the
user to interact with a computer. Application softwares are also called the end-user
programs. These programs do the real work for users.
There are two types of application software :
(i) General Purpose Software
General purpose softwares are designed to perform general tasks. Some of the general purpose
software are as follows :
■ Word Processing Software ■ Presentation Software
■ Electronic Spreadsheets ■ Database Management System (DBMS)
(ii) Specific Purpose Software
These softwares are designed to perform specific tasks. This type of application software
generally has one purpose to execute.
Some of the specific purpose softwares are as follows :
■ Inventory Management System and Purchasing System
■ Payroll Management System
■ Hotel Management System

System Utilities
These programs perform tasks related to the maintenance of the computer system. These are
the packages which are loaded into computer during time of installation of operating system.
System utility mainly consists of the following functions :
■ Disk Compression ■ Disk Fragmenters
■ Backup Utilities ■ Disk Cleaners
■ Anti-virus

Open Source Software

It refers to something that can be modified and shared as its designed is publicly
accessible. e.g., Linux, Google chrome, Open office, Unix etc.

Assessment
1. Written programs, due to which 3. A computer cannot ‘boot’ if it does not
computers functions in the desired way, have the
are called (a) compiler (b) loader
[Uttarakhand UDA/LDA (Mains) 2007] (c) operating system (d) assembler
(a) Codes (b) Instructions 4. An operating system is a/an
(c) Software (d) None of these (a) accounting software [SSC CGL 2013]
2. A program that controls a computer’s (b) application software
basic functions? (c) system software
(d) utility software
[UP Lower Sub (Mains) 2013]
(a) Operating System 5. ‘Windows-3’ a popular windowing
(b) Motherboard environment was released by Microsoft in
(c) Hard Drive the year [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2005]
(d) CPU (a) 1985 (b) 2000 (c) 1995 (d) 1990
ASSESSMENT
17
6. Windows Software has been developed by 14. In programming, repeating some
[Uttarakhand PCS (Mains) 2002] statements is usually called
(a) IBM [SSC CGL 2013]
(b) Apple Corporation (a) looping
(c) WIPRO (b) control structure
(d) None of the above
(c) compiling
7. American television and Telegraph has (d) structure
developed such computer procedure
which gives multi-user environment, it is 15. Word processing, spreadsheet and photo
called [RAS/RTS (Pre) 1994] editing are examples of
(a) VGA (b) Unix [MPPCS (Pre) 2014]
(c) VLSI (d) UTA (a) Application software
(b) System software
8. Which of the following is an Operating
System? [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2016] (c) Operating system software
(a) UNIX (b) JAVA (d) Platform software
(c) ORACLE (d) MS-Office
16. The software tools that enable a user to
9. MS-DOS is usually supplied on a interact with a computer for specific
(a) hard disk (b) cartridge tape purposes are known as
(c) CD-ROM (d) floppy disk (a) hardware
(b) networked software
10. Linux is a type of ........ software. (c) shareware
(a) shareware
(d) applications
(b) commercial
(c) proprietary 17. The basic unit of Excel spreadsheet where
(d) open source we enter data is known as
11. Which process checks to ensure the [MPPCS (Pre) 2016]
(a) Tab (b) Box
components of the computer are
(c) Cell (d) None of these
operating and connected properly?
(a) Booting 18. A software program that adds
(b) Processing functionality to your computer or help
(c) Saving your computer perform better is called as
(d) Editing (a) Utility program
12. What is the extended form of BIOS? (b) Function program
[SSC 2014] (c) Special program
(a) Basic Internal Output System (d) All of the above
(b) Basic Intera Operating System
19. Which of the following windows utilities
(c) Basic Internal Organ System
erase unneeded files?
(d) Basic Input Output System (a) Backup wizard
13. The function of an assembler is (b) Disk cleanup
(a) to convert basic language into (c) Disk defragmenter
machine language
(d) Antivirus
(b) to convert high level language into
machine language 20. Which of the following is not an open
(c) to convert assembly language into source software?
machine language [Jharkhand PCS (Pre) 2016]
(d) to convert assemble language into (a) Internet explorer (b) Google chrome
high level language (c) Linux (d) Open office

1. (c) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (d) 6. (d) 7. (b) 8. (a) 9. (a) 10. (c)
11. (a) 12. (d) 13. (c) 14. (b) 15. (a) 16. (d) 17. (c) 18. (a) 19. (b) 20. (a)
5 Data Communication
and Networking
Data communication is the exchange of data between two devices using some form of
transmission media. Data is transferred from one place to another in the form of signals.
There are three types of signals-digital signal, analog signal and hybrid signal.

Communication Channel
The communication channel refers to the direction of signal flow between two linked
devices.
There are mainly three types of communication channel as follows:
(i) Simplex Channel In this channel, the flow of data is always in one direction, with
no capability to support response in other direction. e. g., Radio, Television, Keyboard,
etc.
(ii) Half-Duplex Channel In this channel, the data can flow in both directions, but not
at a same time. e.g., Walkie–Talkie.
(iii) Full Duplex Channel In this channel, the flow of data is in both directions at a
same time. e.g., Wireless handset (mobile phone).

Communication Media
Communication media of a network refer to the transmission media or the connecting
media used in the network.
Communication/Transmission media can be divided into two broad categories as guided and
unguided media:
Guided Media or Wired Technologies
It consists of a cable composed of metals like copper, tin or silver.
Basically, these are divided into three categories:
1. Ethernet Cable or Twisted Pair Cable
■ Wires are twisted together ■ Physically flexible
■ Can be easily connected ■ Has low weight
2. Coaxial Cable
■ Transmission quality of coaxial cable is better than twisted pair cable.
■ Can transmit several channels simultaneously, so can be used for broadband
transmission.
3. Fiber-Optic Cable
■ It is immune to electrical and magnetic fields. So, the data does not get disturbed
and pure data is retrieved on the other end.
■ Highly suitable for harsh industrial environment.
■ It guarantees secure transmission and has a very high transmission capacity.
Unguided Media or Wireless Technologies
When the computers in a network are interconnected and data is transmitted through
waves, then they are said to be connected through unguided media.
DATA COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING
19
Some commonly used unguided media of transmission are:
1. Radiowave Transmission
■ Cheaper than wired network. ■ Provides mobility.
■ Easy to use over difficult terrain. ■ Omnidirectional radio waves.
2. Microwave Transmission
n Bandwidth determines the data
■ Cheaper than digging trenches for laying cables
transfer rate. It is measured in
and using repeaters. cycle per second (cps) or Hertz
■ Using microwave, communication is possible even (Hz).
in difficult terrains. n Throughput is the amount of
3. Satellite Communication data that is actually transmitted
between the two computers. It is
■ It covers a vast range of area. specified in bits per second (bps).
■ The wired communication is almost impossible n Giga bits per second (Gbps) is
and too costly to use across the continents where the fastest speed unit per data
the satellite communication proves to be the best transmission.
alternative.
4. Infrared Wave Transmission
■ Power consumption is less. ■ Circuitry cost is less.
■ Circuitry is simple.
5. Bluetooth
■ We are able to share data without any cord.
■ We are able to share data without disclosing our private data.

Computer Network
A computer network is a collection of two or more computers, which are connected together
to share information and resources.
Types of Computer Network
Computer network is broadly classified into following:
(i) Local Area Network (LAN) It is a system in which computers are interconnected
and the geographical area such as home, office, buildings, school may be within a
building to 1 km.
(ii) Wide Area Network (WAN) It is a geographically dispersed collection of LANs. A
WAN like the internet spans most of the world. A network device called a router
connects LANs to a WAN.
(iii) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) It is a data network designed for a town or
city. It connects an area larger than a LAN, but smaller than a WAN, such as a city,
with dedicated or high performance hardware.

Network Devices
These devices are required to amplify the signal to restore the original strength of signal
and to provide an interface to connect multiple computers in a network.
There are many types of network devices used in networking, as follows:
1. Repeater It amplifies the signals when they are transported over a long distance so
that the signal can be as strong as the original signal.
2. Hub It is like a repeater with multiple ports used to connect the network channels. It
acts as a centralised connection to several computers with the central node or server.
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
20
3. Gateway It is an interconnecting device, which joins two different network
protocols together. They are also known as protocol converters.
4. Switch It is a small hardware device that joins multiple computers together within
one LAN. It helps to reduce overall network traffic.
5. Router It is a hardware device which is designed to take incoming packets, analyse
packets, moving and converting packets to the another network interface, dropping
the packets, directing packets to the appropriate locations, etc.
6. Bridge It filters data traffic at a network boundary. Bridges reduce the amount of
traffic on a LAN by dividing it into two segments.
7. Modem It is a device that converts digital signal to analog signal (modulator) at the
sender’s end and converts back analog signal to digital signal (demodulator) at the
receiver’s end, in order to make communication possible via telephone lines.

Network Topology
Topology can be referred as the geometric arrangement of a computer system.
The most commonly used topologies are:
(i) Bus Topology A bus topology is such that there is a single line to which all nodes are
connected.
(ii) Ring or Circular Topology In ring topology, data is transmitted in form of Token
over a network. After passing through each node, the data returns to the sending node.
(iii) Star Topology In this network topology, the peripheral nodes are connected to a
central node as hub.
(iv) Mesh Topology In mesh topology, every node has a dedicated point to point link to
every other node.
(v) Tree Topology This is a network topology in which nodes are arranged as a tree.
OSI Model
Open System Interconnection (OSI) is a layered framework for the design of network
system that allows communication between all types of computer system. It is mainly
consists of seven layers across a network as Application layer, Presentation layer, Session
layer, Transport layer, Network layer, Data link layer and Physical layer.

Mobile Telephony
It is the phone which may move around freely rather than stay fixed in one location.
Mobile phones connect to a terrestrial cellular network of base stations (cell sites),
whereas satellite phones connect to orbiting satellites. Both networks are
interconnected to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to allow any phone in
the world to be dialled.

Generations of Mobile Phone

1G : Analog Cellular Networks
The main technological development that distinguished the first generation mobile phones
from the previous generation was the use of multiple cell sites and the ability to transfer
calls from one site to the next as the user travelled between cells during a conversation.
2G : Digital Networks
These 2G phone systems differed from the previous generation in their use of digital
transmission instead of analog transmission and also by the introduction of advanced
and fast phone-to-network signaling.
DATA COMMUNICATION AND NETWORKING
21
3G : High Speed IP Data Network
The 2G technology was nowhere near up to the demand for data services, so the industry
began to work on the next generation of technology known as 3G. The main
technological difference that distinguishes 3G technology from 2G technology is the use
of packet switching rather than circuit switching for data transmission.

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

It is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication
system’s Global System for Mobile communications (GSM). GPRS was originally
standardised by European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in response to
the earlier Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) and i-mode packet-switched cellular
technologies. It is now maintained by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

4G : Growth of Mobile Broadband

It is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications technology, succeeding 3G and
preceding 5G. A 4G system, in addition to the usual voice and other services of 3G,
provides mobile ultra-broadband Internet access. Conceivable applications include
amended mobile web access, IP telephony, gaming services, high definition mobile TV,
video conferencing, 3D television, etc.
5G : Wireless Systems
It is a term used to denote the next major phase of mobile telecommunication standards
beyond the current 4G/IMT-Advanced standards. Although updated standards that define
capabilities beyond those defined in the current 4G standards are under consideration,
those new capabilities are still being grouped under the current 4G standards.

Video Scape
The system, called Video Scape, includes a set-top box. Software interface and other gear,
allows people to watch and search across live, on-demand and recorded television
programming and a smattering of online video.

Assessment
1. How many bits are there in the ethernet Which of the statement(s) given above
address? is/are correct? [CSAT 2011]
(a) 64 bits (b) 48 bits (a) Only I
(c) 32 bits (d) 16 bits (b) Only II
(c) Both I and II
2. Which of the following is an
(d) Neither I nor II
advantage for using fibre optics in data
transmission? 4. Ethernet is an example of
(a) Resistance to data theft [MPPCS (Pre) 2017]
(b) Fast data transmission rate (a) MAN (b) LAN
(c) Low noise level (c) WAN (d) Wi-Fi
(d) All of the above 5. ‘Bluetooth’ technology allows only
3. Consider the following statements: [UPPCS (Mains) 2011]
I. Bluetooth creates Personal Area (a) signal transmission on mobile phones
Networks (PANs) with high levels of (b) landline phone to mobile phone
security. communication
II. Bluetooth use radiowaves to transmit (c) satellite television communication
data and information between two (d) wireless communication between
terminals wirelessly. equipment
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
22
6. What is ‘Virtual Private Network’? 12. To increase the length of a network
[IAS (Pre) 2011] without loss of signal strength, we
(a) It is a private computer network of an would use [MPPCS (Pre) 2008]
organisation where the remote users (a) repeater (b) router
can transmit encrypted information (c) gateway (d) switch
through the server of the organisation.
13. Which of the following items is not used
(b) It is a computer network across a
public internet that provides users to in Local Area Networks (LANs)?
access their organisation’s network [SSC CGL 2012]
while maintaining the security of the (a) Interface card (b) Cable
information transmitted. (c) Computer (d) Modem
(c) It is a computer network in which 14. Which is the name of the network
users can access a shared pool of topology in which there are
computing resources through a bidirectional links between each
service provider.
possible node? [SSC CGL 2012]
(d) Name of the statement (a), (b) and (c)
(a) Ring (b) Star
given shows is a correct description of
(c) Tree (d) Mesh
‘Virtual Private Network’.
15. A modem converts [MPPCS (Pre) 2017]
7. Networking of computers
(a) analog signals into digital signals
[Uttarakhand PCS (Pre) 2006] (b) digital signals into analog signals
(a) increases the chances of threats (c) Both (a) and (b)
(b) increases the utility of computers (d) None of the above
(c) increases the information access
possibilities 16. Internet system uses which of the
(d) All of the above following technology?
8. As exclusively private network used by [UP Lower Sub. (Mains 2013]
(a) Bus (b) Ring (c) Star (d) Tree
employees of a company in a single
location will be classified as 17. The layer between physical and network
(a) Internet [MPPCS (Pre) 2008] is known as
(b) Local Area Network [UP Lower Sub. (Mains) 2013]
(c) Wide Area Network (a) data link layer (b) transport layer
(d) ARPANET (c) session layer (d) None of these
9. Which type of network would use phone 18. For which word, the letter ‘G’ has been
lines? used in ‘2G Spectrum’?
(a) WAN (b) LAN [53rd to 58th BPSC (Pre) 2011]
(c) WWAN (d) Wireles (a) Global (b) Government
10. ........ is the most important/powerful (c) Generation (d) Google
computer in a typical network. 19. The full form of SIM is
(a) Desktop (b) Network client [UPPCS (Pre) 2012]
(c) Network server (d) Network station (a) Subscriber’s Identity Module
(b) Subscribver’s Identity Machine
11. The device by which data are transferred
(c) Self Identity Machine
by telephone with the help of binary (d) Self Identity Module
signal is
[UPPCS (Pre) 2002, (Mains) 2007] 20. The system called video scape includes
(a) Modern (b) Analog (a) setup box (b) set top box
(c) Monitor (d) OCR (c) GPRS (d) GSM

1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (b) 5. (d) 6. (b) 7. (d) 8. (b) 9. (a) 10. (c)
11. (b) 12. (a) 13. (d) 14. (d) 15. (c) 16. (d) 17. (a) 18. (c) 19. (a) 20. (b)
6 Internet and
Computer Security
Internet stands for International Network, which began in 1950’s by Vint Cerf known as the
Father of the Internet.
Internet is a ‘network of networks’ that consists millions of private and public networks of
local to global scope.

Internet Connections n Intranet is a private network for Internet

tools but available within an
Bandwidth and cost are the two factors that help organisation. In large organisation,
you in deciding which Internet connection is to intranet allows an easy access to
use. corporate information for employees.
Some of the Internet connections available for Extranet is a private network that uses
n

Internet access are: the internet protocol and the public

1. Dial-Up Connection It is a method of telecommunication system to security
connecting to the Internet using an existing share part of a business information.
telephone. ERNET is the short form of Education
n

and Research Network. It combines the

2. Broadband Connection The term
main educational institution and
broadband commonly refers to high speed research centre of the country.
Internet access that is always on and faster
than the traditional dial-up access.
It uses a telephone line to connect to the Internet.
Broadband includes several high speed transmission technologies such as
■ Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
■ Cable Modem
■ Broadband over Power Line (BPL)
3. Wireless Connection Wireless broadband connects a home or business to the
Internet using a radio link between the customer’s location and the service provider’s
facility.
Some ways to connect the Internet wirelessly are:
■ Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)
■ Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)
■ Mobile Wireless Broadband Services
■ Satellite

Hyperlink & HyperText

Hyperlink is simply called a link and is a reference in a hypertext document to
another document or to another place on the same text.
HyperText is the text that appears on the page, on which we can click and reach to
another page with which it is linked.
 Encyclopedia OF GENERAL SCIENCE
24

Internet Protocols
A protocol is a set of rules that govern data communications. A protocol defines what is
communicated, how it is communicated and when it is communicated.
Generally, some of protocols used to communicate via an Internet are as follows:
1. Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
The details of TCP/IP are as follows:
(a) Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) It provides reliable transport service, i.e.
it ensures that message sent from sender to receiver is properly routed. TCP
converts messages into a set of packets at the source which are then
reassembled back into messages at the destination.
(b) Internet Protocol (IP) It allows different computers to communicate by
creating a network of networks. IP handles the dispatch of packets over the
network. It maintains the addressing of packets with multiple standards. Each IP
packet must contain the source and the destination addresses.
Note An IP address is 32 bit number.
2. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) It can transfer files between any computers that have an
Internet connection and also works between computers using totally different
operating systems. Some examples of FTP software are FileZilla, Kasablanca, gFTP,
konqueror, etc.
3. HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) It defines how messages are formatted and
transmitted and what actions should be taken by the web servers and browsers in
response to various commands.

HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

n It is used for designing web pages. A markup language is a set of markup
(angular bracket, <>) tags which tell the web browser how to display a
web page’s words and images for the user. Each individual markup code
is referred to as an element or a tag.

4. Telnet Protocol Telnet is a program that runs on the computer and connects PC to a
server on the network. Telnet session will started by entering valid username and
password.
5. Usenet Protocol The usenet service allows a group of Internet users to exchange
their views/ideas and information on some common topic that is of interest to all the
members belonging to that same group.
Several such groups exist on the Internet are called newsgroups. Usenet has no
central server or administration.
6. Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) It is a dial account which puts your computer directly
on the Internet.
7. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) It is the standard protocol for E-mail services
on a TCP/IP network. It provides the ability to send and receive E-mail messages.
8. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) A WAP browser is a commonly used web
browser for small mobile devices such as cell phones.
9. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) It allows delivery of voice communication over
Internet Protocol networks. e.g., IP calls.
INTERNET AND COMPUTER SECURITY
25
Internet Related Terms
There are some terms related to Internet
World Wide Web (WWW) It was introduced on 13th March, 1989. The world wide
web is a system of Internet servers that supports hypertext and multimedia to access
several Internet protocols on a single interface. The world wide web is a way of
exchanging information between computers on the Internet,
Web Page The backbone of the world wide web is made of files, called pages or
web pages, containing information and links to resources - both text and
multimedia-throughout the Internet. It is created using HTML.
Website A group of web pages that follow the same theme and are connected together
with hyperlinks is called a website.
Web Browser It is a software application that is used to locate, retrieve and also display
content on the world wide web, including web pages.
e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.
Web Server A web server is a computer program that serves requested HTML pages or files.
e.g., Apache HTTP server, Internet Information Services (IIS) etc.
Web Address or URL A web address identifies the location of a specific web page on
the Internet, such as http://www.learnyoga.com. On the web, web addresses are called
URLs. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator.
Domain Name Domain is a group of network resources assigned to a group of users. A
domain name is a way to identify and locate computers connected to the Internet.
Blogs A blog is a website or web page in which an individual records opinions, links to
other sites, on regular basis.
Search Engine
It is designed to search for information on the world wide web. Here are some of the most
popular search engines :
■ Google It is a web search engine owned by Google Incorporation. Google search is
most used search engine on the WWW.
■ Yahoo Yahoo! search originally referred to as Yahoo! provided search interface
and send queries to a searchable index of pages supplemented with its directory of
sites.
■ Lycos It maintains important index of all websites’ home pages.
■ Altavista It helps you find exactly what you are looking for. It provides
information in all languages.
■ Hot Bot It is mainly used to search media files, geographical websites and
multimedia files.
■ Bing It is a web search engine developed by Microsoft Incorporation.

Services of Internet
Some of the important services provided by the Internet are briefed in the following sections.
Chatting It is the online textual or multimedia conversation.
E-mail (Electronic mail) It is an electronic version of sending and receiving letter.
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Video Conferencing It is a communication technology that integrates video and audio
to connect users anywhere in the world as if they were in the same room.
Social Networking A social networking service is an online service, platform or site
that focuses on facilitating the building of social networks or social relations among
people.
The most popular social networking sites are
■ Facebook It is a social networking service launched in February 2004, owned
and operated by facebook incorporation. Facebook established by the Mark
Zuckerberg with his friends.
■ LinkedIn It is a social networking website for people in professional occupations.
■ MySpace It is a social networking service founder by Chris DeWolfe, Tom
Anderson and Jon Hart.
■ Twitter It is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that
enables its user to send and read text based message of upto 280 characters known
as tweets.
■ Tumblr It was established by the David Karp in 2007. It provides the facility of
blogging of social networking sites.
Internet Television (Online TV)
It is a television service distributed via the Internet using IPTV. Internet television allows
the users to choose the program or the TV show, they want to watch from an archive of
programs or from a channel directory.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)
It is a system through which Internet television services are delivered, using the
architecture and networking methods of the Internet protocol suite over a packet
switched network infrastructure.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Television

It is a television set that employs depth perception techniques of 3D presentation
such as stereoscopic capture, multi-view display or 2D plus depth and a 3D display
which is a special viewing device to project a television program into a realistic
three-dimensional field.

Information Technology (IT)

Information technology is application of computers and telecommunication equipment
to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. IT is generally not used in reference to
personal or home computing and networking. IT refers to anything related to computing
technology, such as networking, hardware, software, Internet or the people that work
with these technology.
Importance of Information Technology in various Fields
Each field has been changed using information technology below :
i. In Business
Using IT, businesses have the ability to veiw changes in the global markets far faster than
they usually do. They purchase software package and hardware that help them to get
their job done. Information technology has allowed businesses to keep up with the supply
and demand as consumes grow more anxious to have their items instantly.
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ii. In Education
With so much focus placed on education, it can sometimes be difficult to hold a job and
still get the training needed to get a better job. IT plays a key role in students being able to
keep their jobs and go to school. Information technology is helping to prevent more high
school and college dropouts as well.
iii. In Finance
IT might just working its hardest with Internet transactions. As more transactions are
done, the Internet requires more networks, more computers and more security programs
to keep its consumers safe. Information technology has also made it faster and easier than
ever to send or receive money. This allows lenders, insurance companies and businesses
to run a quick credit check on you making it far easier to open credit.
iv. In Healthcare
Improvements in information technology have allowed for great reform in healthcare.
You can read about the privacy of your online medical records from HHS. Learn about
changes in the healthcare industry with an online class.
v. In Security
With so many transactions done online and so much information available online, it is
important to keep all of that safe. IT makes it possible for your online data to stay secure
until accessed by the proper channels. Information technology hides your personal
digital data away and the only way it can be accessed is by companies who have
permission from you.

Artificial Intelligence
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is an area of computer science that emphasises the creation of
intelligent machines that work and react like humans. Some of the activities computers
with AI are designed for include : speech recognition, learning, planning, problem solving
etc.

Robotics
Robotics is the branch of engineering and science that deals with the design,
construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots
and computer systems for their control, sensory feedback and information
processing.

Robot
It is a system that contains sensors, control systems, manipulators, power supplies and
software all working together to perform a task.

Important Robots and their Functions

■ Advanced Step in Innovation Mobility (ASIMO) It is humanoid robot created by
Honda. It was created as a helper to people.
■ FemiSapien It is a female humanoid robot. It can respond to right, sound and touch
and can be programmed with a sequence of movements.
■ HRP-2M Choromet It runs on ART-Linux, which is a hard real-time developed at
the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan.
■ Ibn Sina Robot It is the world’s first android robot with Arabic language
conversational abilities.
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■ Swarm Robotics It is the coordination of multi-robot systems which consists of
large numbers of mostly simple physical robots.

Computer Security
Computer security is also known as cyber security or IT security. Computer security is a
branch of information technology known as information security, which is intended to protect
computers. It is the protection of computing systems and the data that they store or access.

Cyber Crime
It is defined as a crime in which a computer is the object of the crime (hacking, phishing,
spamming) or is used as a tool to commit on offence (child pornography, hate crimes).
Cyber criminals may use computer technology to access personal information,
business trade secrets or use the internet for malicious purposes.

Malware : Threats to Computer Security

Malware is an unwanted software that any unauthorized person wants to run on your
computer. These are known as security threats. It includes computer viruses, worms,
trojan horses, rootkits, spyware, adware etc.
Virus
Virus stands for Vital Information Resources Under Siege. Computer viruses or perverse
softwares are small programs that can negatively affect the computer. Viruses copy itself
and attach itself to other programs which further spread the infection.
Some common types of viruses are
(i) Resident Virus (ii) Direct Action Virus
(iii) Overwrite Virus (iv) Boot Sector Virus (v) Macro Virus
Worms
A computer worm is a standalone malware computer program that replicates itself in
order to spread to other computers. e.g., Bagle, I love you, Morris, Nimda, etc.
Trojan
A Trojan, or Trojan Horse, is a non-self-replicating type of malware which appears to
perform a desirable function but instead facilitates unauthorized access to the user’s
computer system.
e.g., Beast, Sub7.Zeus, ZeroAccess Rootkit etc.
Spyware
It is a program which is installed on a computer system to spy on the system owner’s
activity and collects all the information which is misused afterwards. e.g., Cool Web
Search, FinFisher, Zango, Zlob Trojan, Keyloggers etc.
Hacking
It is the act of intruding into someone else’s computer or network. It prevents authorised
uses from accessing the resources of the computer. A hacker is someone, who does
hacking process.
Cracking
It is the act of breaking into computers. Cracking tools are widely distributed on the
Internet. They include password crackers, trojans, viruses, wordialers etc.
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Solutions to Computer Security Threats
Some safeguards (or solutions) to protect a computer system from accidental access, are
described below.
Antivirus Software
It is an application software that is designed to prevent, search for, detect and remove
viruses and other malicious softwares like worms, trojans, adware and more.
Some Popular Antivirus
a Avast a AVG a K7 aKaspersky
a Trend Micro a Quick Heal a Symantec a Norton
a McAfee
Firewall
A firewall can either be software based or hardware based and is used to help in
keeping a network secure. The primary objective of firewall is to control the incoming
and outgoing network traffic by analysing the data packets and determining whether it
should be allowed through or not based on a pre-determined rule set.

Digital Signature
It is an electronic form of a signature that can be used to authenticate the identity of the
sender of a message on the signer of a document and also ensure that the original content
of the message or document that has been sent is unchanged.
Password
It is a secret word or a string of characters used for user authentication to prove identity
or access approval to gain access to a resource when a password is entered, the computer
system is careful not to display the characters on the display screen, in case others might
see it.

Assessment
1. What is the Internet? [MPPCS (Pre) 1996] 4. A set of rules that governs data
(a) A net for catching fish in the ocean communication is called
(b) Name of international Basketball [UP Lower Sub (Mains) 2015]
Championship. (a) Protocols (b) Standards
(c) A system for tracking movement of (c) RFCS (d) None of these
railway wagons on Railway lines.
(d) An international computer-based 5. The set of protocols, which define all
information network. transmission exchanges across the
internet is called
2. Slowest internet connection service is
[Uttarkhand PCS (Pre) 2016]
[MPPCS (Pre) 2014] (a) CSMA/CD (b) TCP/IP
(a) Digital Subscriber Line (c) FDDI (d) None of these
(b) Dial-up Service
(c) Leased Line 6. Which of the following is the
(d) Cable Modem communication protocol that sets the
standard used by every computer that
3. WiMAX is related to which one of the accesses web-based information?
following? [IAS (Pre) 2009] (a) TCP (b) FTP (c) HTTP (d) PPP
(a) Biotechnology
(b) Space technology 7. Telnet is a [SSC CHSL 2012]
(c) Missile technology (a) search engine (b) browser
(d) Communication technology (c) protocol (d) gateway
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8. In computing, IP address means 17. Who is the founder of ‘facebook’ which is
(a) International Pin currently the no. 1 social networking
(b) Internet Protocol website in India? [SSC CGL 2013]
(c) Invalid Pin (a) Orkut Buycukkokten
(d) Insert Pin (b) Mark Zuckerberg
9. WWW on the Internet stands for (c) Bill Gates
[Uttarkhand PCS (Pre) 2005] (d) Martin Cooper
(a) Words, Words, Words 18. A chat is
(b) Wide World Words (a) an Internet standard that allows users
(c) World Wide Web to upload and download files
(d) When Where Why (b) a type of conversation that takes place
10. …… offers services such as search on a computer
capabilities, e-mail, news, stock price, (c) an online area in which users conduct
weather information, sports and written discussions about a particular
entertainment. [MPPCS (Pre) 2018] subject
(a) Hostel (b) Portal (d) the transmission of messages and files
(c) Article (d) Newspaper via a computer network
11. The collection of linked information 19. The last three letters of the URL describes
residing on computers which is available the type of [SSC FCI 2012]
through internet is called (a) domain name (b) connectivity
(c) server (d) protocol
[MPPCS (Pre) 2018]
(a) Web Server (b) Web Store 20. A program that has the capability to
(c) World Wide Web (d) Web Information infect other program and make copies of
12. The first page that you normally view at itself and spread into other programs is
any website is known as called: [Uttarakhand PCS (Pre.) 2012]
(a) Worm (b) Virus
[MPPCS (Pre) 2015]
(c) Trojan (d) None of these
(a) Home page (b) Master page
(c) First page (d) Banner page 21. Computer virus is a [UPPCS (Pre) 2010]
(a) Fungus
13. Which web browser was developed by (b) Bacterium
Google? [MPPCS (Pre 2016] (c) IC 7344
(a) Internet Explorer (b) Firefox (d) Software program
(c) Safari (d) Chrome
22. The term……… refers to an individual
14. If a domain name ends with.edu.us, then who breaks into computer systems
it is [MPPCS (Pre) 2008]
without authorization, deliberately
(a) An international organization
(b) A non-profit organization
defaces websites for a fraudulent purpose.
(c) An educational institution in Australia [MPPCS (Pre) 2018]
(d) An educational institute in USA (a) white hat (b) backer
(c) cracker (d) stacker
15. Which of the following is a search engine?
23. What is you understand by hacking?
[MPPCS (Pre) 2016] (a) Searching [MPPCS (Pre) 2010]
(a) Baidu (b) Packets (b) Security
(c) Cookies (d) None of these (c) Both (a) and (b)
16. The service of the Internet that provides (d) None of the above
‘audio’ and ‘video conversation, is called 24. ‘Password’ in computers protects
[MPPCS (Pre) 2017] [Uttarakhand PCS (Mains) 2002]
(a) chat (a) Hardware wearouts
(b) e-mail (b) Software errors
(c) video conferencing (c) Unauthorized access of the system
(d) video chat (d) None of the above

1. (d) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (b) 6. (c) 7. (c) 8. (b) 9. (c) 10. (b)
11. (c) 12. (a) 13. (d) 14. (d) 15. (a) 16. (c) 17. (b) 18. (c) 19. (a) 20. (b)
21. (d) 22. (b) 23. (c) 24. (d)