BSAA 12013 -
Information
Technology in
By:
Ms. Isuri Samarawickrama
Business B.Sc. (Sp)(WYB), (M.Phil.-Reading)(WYB)
SAB Campus
CA Sri Lanka
Lesson 03:
Computer Hardware
Intended Learning
Outcomes
At the end of the session students should
be able to;
• Introduce the types of hardware found in
a computer system
• Describe the central processing unit
• Understand how memory is measured
• List input and output devices
• Describe types of storage devices
• Computer is a device that transforms
data into meaningful information.
• A computer can:
• Accept data
• Store data
Introduction • Process data as desired
• Retrieve the stored data as and
when required
• Print the result in desired format
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• Computer hardware is a physical device of
computers that we can see and touch.
• Computer hardware
• External hardware
• Input devices, output devices and
peripherals
Computer
E.g.: CPU, hard disk drive, ROM,
Hardware
RAM
• Internal hardware
E.g.: CPU, hard disk drive, ROM, RAM
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Computer Organization
• A computer is made up of a collection of different components
that are interconnected together to work as a single entity.
• Computer consists of:
System unit
Input devices
Output devices
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Storage devices 6
Motherboard
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System Unit
• This is the casing (unit) that houses electronic components
such as the Central processing Unit (CPU) and storage devices.
• The components in the System unit include:
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Motherboard
• Power supply unit
• Memory storage devices
• Disk drives, which are used to store, record and read data
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Central Processing
Unit
• Most important part of a computer
system.
• The brain of the computer.
• Carries out all the processing within
the computer.
• It interprets the instructions in the
program and executes them one
by one.
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Cont’d.
• Arithmetic and Logic
unit (ALU):
Arithmetic and
Logical Unit (ALU) • Performs mathematical
calculations and takes logical
Consists of 3 major
Control Unit (CU) decisions
components:
• Arithmetic operations like (+, -,
Memory Registers *, ^, /), logical operations like
(AND, OR, NOT) and relational
operations like (<, >, <=, >=).
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Cont’d.
• Control unit:
• Coordinates and controls the data flow in and out of the CPU
• Controls all the operations of ALU, memory registers and input/output units.
• Responsible for carrying out all the instructions stored in the program.
• Memory Registers:
• A register is a temporary unit of memory in the CPU.
• Used to store the data, which is directly used by the processor.
• Can be of different sizes(16-bit, 32-bit, 64-bit and so on)
• Each register inside the CPU has a specific function, like storing data, storing an instruction,
storing address of a location in memory etc.
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Block diagram of Computer Organization
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Cont’d.
• CPU speed is measured by the “number of completed
instruction cycles per second ”
• Each clock tick or cycle causes each part of the CPU to begin its next
operation and to stay synchronized with the other parts.
• Typical desktop speeds are 1 to 4 Gigahertz (GHz) or billion cycles per
second
• Simple operations take 1 to 2 cycles while others may take dozens.
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Input Devices
The Input Unit provides The most common Data can be input in many
an interface between the examples are the more forms – audio,
users and the machine, keyboard and mouse. visual, graphical,
for inputting data and biometrics etc.
instructions etc.
Takes input and convert it into
binary language that the computer
understands.
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• Keyboard: Cont’d.
• A peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter
keyboard.
• Mouse and tracker ball:
• A handheld device that is pushed to make movements
• Scanner:
• Used to input images, photographs and document
• Joystick:
• An adaptive or assistive input device
• Barcode scanning:
• Small bars of varying thickness and spacing are printed
on packages, books, badges, tags, etc., which are read
by optical readers and converted to electrical pulses.
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Output Devices
• Are used to display or print the processed information.
• Output can be of two forms Hardcopy and Softcopy.
• Most common output devices are Monitor and printer.
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• Monitor/ Video Display Unit (VDU): They are of different types and have
different display capabilities.
• Display capabilities are determined by the Adapter card.
• The smaller dot that can be displayed is called a pixel.
• The number of pixels that can be displayed vertically and
horizontally gives the maximum resolution of the monitor.
• The resolution of the monitor determines the quality of the display.
E.g.: Cathode-Ray tube (CRT), Liquid-Crystal Display(LCD)
(Most used in the world), Light Emitting Diode (LED) display
(Can be flat or curved & gives high Definition (HD)
resolution), Plasma display (Heavier and not widely used)
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• Printers: Used to print information on paper. Printers
are essential for getting output of any computer-based
application
Daisy Wheel Dot Matrix • 2 Types of printers:
• Impact Printers: Print the characters by
striking against the ribbon and onto the paper.
• Non-Impact Printers: Print the characters
without striking against the ribbon and onto the
Laser paper.
• Plotters: Used to print high quality graphics and
drawings.
• Generally used for charts, drawing, maps, etc. of
engineering and scientific applications.
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Inkjet Thermal 20
Plotter
Projector
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Braille Reader GPS 21
Computer Memory and Storage
• A computer system must have memory to store and retrieve the
instructions and data.
• A computer system can have different variety of memories to store
the information which are required for operation.
• Capacity of Memory
• A computer stores and retrieves data as ‘bits’, the smallest unit
• Each character of the data are stored as a bit.
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• Computer memory is of 2 types: Permanent and
• Computer memory
temporary.
• There in they are called: Primary memory
• Volatile memory: Stores regular computer programmes
and data that the CPU requires, and it is wiped once the
machine is turned off, power supply fails/ Secondary
memory
interrupted/stopped.
E.g.: RAM and Cache memory
• Non-volatile memory: Stores data and instructions Cache memory
permanent and continues in the machine even after the
computer is turned off
E.g.: ROM, and secondary storages (Hard disks, SSD and
other peripheral storage) When you save a file, it is sent to
secondary memory for storage
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• Primary memory:
• Known as the main memory of the computer system.
• Used to store data and programs or instructions during computer operations.
• Primary memory is of two types:
• Random Access Memory (RAM): A volatile memory. RAM is used for booting up or start the
computer. It temporarily stores programs/data which has to be executed by the processor.
E.g.: Static RAM (SRAM) and Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
• Read Only Memory (ROM): A non-volatile memory.. Can only read the programs and data that
is stored on it. The information stored in the ROM in binary format. It is also known as permanent
memory.
E.g.: Masked ROM (MROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable Programmable ROM
(EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM)
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• Secondary memory:
• Known as auxiliary memory and backup memory.
• It is a non-volatile memory and used to store a large amount of data or
information.
• Slower than primary memory.
• A CPU cannot access secondary memory directly.
• The data/information is first transferred to the main memory, and then the CPU
can access it.
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• 4 Types:
• Magnetic storage:
• Magnetic Tapes: Bits are recorded on tape as magnetic
patches called RECORDS that run along many tracks.
• Magnetic disks: A circular metal or a plastic plate
coated with magnetic material. Used on both sides. E.g.:
Hard disks, Floppy Disk
• Optical storage: A laser-based storage medium that can be
written to and read. Is reasonably priced and has a long
lifespan. Can be taken out of the computer by occasional
users. E.g.: CD-ROM, DVD, WORM (Write Once Read
Many), Blu-Ray Disc
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• Flash storage:
• It is a cheaper and more portable storage device.
• The most used device to store data because is more
reliable and efficient as compared to other storage devices.
E.g.: Pen drives, SSD (Solid State Drive), SD Card, Memory
Card, Multimedia Card
• Cloud and Virtual storage:
• Can store files and other stuff in the cloud and the data
is stored for as long as a payment is made for the cloud
storage.
• There are many companies that provide cloud services
largely Google, Amazon, Microsoft.
E.g.: Google Drive, Microsoft One Cloud, Amazon Web
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• Cache memory:
• A volatile memory.
• A type of high-speed semiconductor
memory that can help the CPU run faster.
• Between the CPU and the main memory,
it serves as a buffer.
• Used to store the data and programs that
the CPU uses the most frequently.
• Faster and more expensive than primary
memory
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Conclusion
• Computer hardware are the physical both internal and external devices in
a computer system.
• The CPU is the brain of the computer and coordinate and execute all the
processes within the computer.
• Input devices allow a user to interact with the computer to input data and
give instructions while output devices allow the processed information to
be displayed.
• Computer memory can be volatile or non-volatile and the choice of
memory depends on the time to access, cost, and capacity of the memory.
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Thank you!
