Introduction to Computers and Information Technology

Module 1

Information Age
Evolving more rapidly than Industrial Age Will continue into the current century

Cornerstones of our Economy

Forging a Computer-Based Society:
Land Labor Capital Information

Jobs
Forging a Computer-Based Society:
From physical to mental From muscle-power to brain-power

A Computer in Your Future

Where used?
Bank withdrawal Supermarket Drive the car

Do I need a Personal Computer?

Half of people have one at home Many more use at work

Will I use a computer in my future career?

Almost every job will involve use of a computer

Computer Literacy
Awareness
Importance Versatility Pervasiveness in our society

Knowledge
What are computers How do computers work Terminology

Interaction
Use some simple computer applications

Information Technology
Entails all aspects of managing and processing information Includes any and all hardware, software, and data used to create, store, process and communicate information electronically as well as services that are utilized to maintain operations of resources

Purpose of Information Technology

To improve operations It is used in helping organizations to achieve profitable results It is used for optimization of the effectiveness of processes It is used to solve problems

The Benefits of Information Technology

Speed Consistency Storage capability Reliability Communications Improved Productivity Decision making Cost reduction

What is a computer?
A machine that can be programmed to accept data (input), process it into useful information (output), and store it away (in secondary storage device) for safekeeping or later reuse Process is directed by software but performed by the hardware

Where Computers Are Used Graphics

Graphs and charts

Animated graphics
Visual walk-through

Where Computers Are Used Education

Teaching and testing aid Learning by doing Computer-based instruction

Where Computers Are Used Retailing

Bar codes for pricing and inventory Shipping

Where Computers Are Used Energy

Locate oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium Monitor the power network Meter reading

Where Computers Are Used Law Enforcement

National fingerprint files

National files on criminal Computer modeling of DNA

Where Computers Are Used Transportation

Cars Run rapid transit systems Load containerships Track trailer cars/trucks Monitor air traffic

Where Computers Are Used Money

Record keeping

Banking by phone
Credit cards

Where Computers Are Used Agriculture

Billing Crop information Feed combinations Livestock breeding and performance

Where Computers Are Used Government

Forecast weather Manage parks Process immigrants Social Security benefits Taxes

Where Computers Are Used The Home

Educational tool Record keeping Letter writing Budgeting Drawing and editing pictures Newsletters Connecting with others

Where Computers Are Used Health and Medicine

Monitor patients

Electronic imaging
Diagnose illnesses

Where Computers Are Used Robotics

Perform jobs that are dangerous for humans Factory work

Where Computers Are Used The Human Connection

Assist the disabled

Assist athletes by monitoring their movements

Where Computers Are Used

The Sciences
Research Simulation

Connectivity
Communication Telecommuting

Where Computers Are Used

Training
Airline pilots Railroad engineers

Paperwork
Junk mail Term paper Record keeping

Computers are all around!

Grocery store School Library Bank Mail

We interact with computers everyday!

Computer Hardware and Information Technology Infrastructure

Components of IT infrastructure consist of software, data, and networks require computer hardware for their storage or operation.

Hardware Basic Components of a Computer

The Computer System

Computer system consists of (see Figure 0.1):
central processing unit (CPU) primary storage secondary storage input devices output devices

Communications devices.

Computer System
People
Software Hardware

People
Computer programmer person who writes programs
Users or End-users make use of the computers capabilities

Software
Programs

Set of instructions that directs the hardware to do a required task and produce the desired results

Function of Computer System

Data handling
I P O S Input Process Output Storage

Figure 0.1: Hardware Component of Computer Systems

Communication Devices Secondary Storage - Magnetic disk Buses Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Primary Storage

Input Devices - Keyboard

Output Devices - Printers

The System Unit

What are common components inside the system unit?

Processor power supply Memory Adapter cards

Sound card Video card

drive bays

processor

Ports Drive bays Power supply

ports

memory

video card

sound card

The System Unit

What is the motherboard?

Main circuit board in system unit Contains adapter cards, processor chips, and memory chips Also called system board

Input devices
A computer hardware that allows a user to enter data and instructions
convert data and instructions into electronic form for input into the computer. Getting data into the computer
Typing on a keyboard Pointing with a mouse Scanning with a scanner or bar-code reader

 What are the two types of input?

What Is Input?

Data
Unprocessed text, numbers, images, audio, and video Programs Commands User responses

Instructions

The Keyboard
How is the keyboard divided?

Typing area Numeric keypad

Function keys, special keys that issue commands

Pointing Devices
What is a mouse?

Pointing device that fits under palm of hand

Pointing device controls movement of pointer, also called mouse pointer
mouse buttons

wheel button

Mechanical mouse has rubber or metal ball on underside

ball

mouse pad

Other Pointing Devices

What is a trackball?

Stationary pointing device with a ball on its top or side To move pointer, rotate ball with thumb, fingers, or palm of hand

Other Pointing Devices

What are a touchpad and a pointing stick?

Touchpad is small, flat, rectangular pointing device sensitive to pressure and motion Pointing stick is pointing device shaped like pencil eraser positioned between keys on keyboard

Other Pointing Devices

What are a joystick and a wheel?

Joystick is vertical lever mounted on a base Wheel is steering-wheel-type input device

Pedal simulates car brakes and accelerator

Other Pointing Devices

What is a light pen?

Handheld input device that can detect light

Press light pen against screen surface and then press button on pen

Other Pointing Devices

What is a touch screen?

Often used with kiosks

Touch areas of screen with finger

Keyboard and Pointing Devices

What is a stylus and a digital pen?

Looks like a ballpoint pen, but uses pressure to write text and draw lines Used with graphics tablets, flat electronic boards

Voice Input
How does voice recognition work?
Step 1. A user dictates text into a microphone. Step 2. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) translates

sound waves into digital measurements computer can process. Measurements include pitch, volume, silences, and phonemes. Phonemes are sound units such as aw and guh.

10010111010110101100001101

Step 4. To narrow a list down, software presents user with

a list of choices or uses a natural language component to predict most likely match. User may correct any selection made by software.
Natural Language Engine

Step 3. Software compares

spoken measurements with those in its database to find a match or list of possible matches.

Matches

Voice Input
What is a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface)?

External device, such as electronic piano keyboard, to input music and sound effects

 How does a digital camera work?

Step 1. Point to the image to Step 2. Image is focused on a

Digital Cameras
Step 3. CCD generates an analog

signal that represents the image.

Step 4. Analog signal is converted

photograph and take picture. Light passes into the lens of the camera.

chip called a charge-coupled device (CCD).

to digital signal by analog-todigital converter (ADC).

Step 5. Digital signal processor

(DSP) adjusts quality of image and usually stores digital image on miniature mobile storage media in the camera.
Step 7. Using software Step 6. Images are transferred to a

supplied with the camera, images are viewed on screen, incorporated into documents, edited, and printed.

computers hard disk by plugging one end of the cable into a camera and the other end into a computer; or images are copied to hard disk from storage media used in the camera.

Digital Cameras
What is resolution?

Sharpness and clarity of image The higher the resolution, the better the image quality, but the more expensive the camera Pixel (picture element) is single point in electronic image
Greater the number of pixels, the better the image quality

Video Input
What is video input?

Process of entering full-motion images into computer

Video capture card is adapter card that converts analog video signal into digital signal that computer can use Digital video (DV) camera records video as digital signals

Video Input
What are a PC video camera and a Web cam?

PC video camera DV camera used to capture video and still images, and to make video telephone calls on Internet
c c

Also called PC camera

c c

Web cam video camera whose output displays on a Web page

Scanners and Reading Devices

Flatbed

What is a scanner?

Light-sensing device that reads printed text and graphics

Used for image processing, converting paper documents into electronic images

Pen or Handheld

Sheet-fed

Drum

Scanners and Reading Devices

How does a flatbed scanner work?
Step 1. Document to be scanned is

placed face down on the glass window.

Step 2. Bright light moves underneath

scanned document.
Step 3. Image of the document is

reflected into a series of mirrors.

Step 4. Light is

converted to analog electrical current that is converted to digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).
Step 5. Digital information is sent to

Step 6. Users can print image,

e-mail it, include it in a document, or place it on a Web page. memory in the computer to be used by illustration, desktop publishing, or other software; or it is stored on disk.

Scanners and Reading Devices

What is an optical reader?

Device that uses light source to read characters, marks, and codes and then converts them into digital data
Optical character recognition (OCR) reads characters in OCR font Optical mark recognition (OMR) reads hand-drawn pencil marks, such as small circles

Scanners and Reading Devices

What is a bar code reader?

Uses laser beams to read bar codes

Scanners and Reading Devices

What is a magnetic-ink character recognition (MICR) reader?

Can read text printed with magnetized ink Banking industry almost exclusively uses MICR for check processing

Biometric Input
What is biometrics?

Authenticates persons identity by verifying personal characteristic

Fingerprint scanner captures curves and indentations of fingerprint Hand geometry system measures shape and size of persons hand

Biometric Input
What are examples of biometric technology?

Voice verification system compares live speech with stored voice pattern Signature verification system recognizes shape of signature
Iris recognition system reads patterns in blood vessels in back of eye
Biometric data is sometimes stored on smart card, which stores personal data on microprocessor embedded in card

Output devices
Convert from electronic form to some other form
in a form that people can understand.

May display the processed results

Usable information Monitor or screen

Text Numbers Symbols Art Photographs Video

Printer
Black and white Color

What is Output?
What is output?

Data that has been processed into a useful form,

Output device is any hardware component that can convey information to user

p. 300 Fig. 6-1

Next

Display Devices
What is a display device?

Output device that visually conveys information

Information on display device sometimes called soft copy

Monitor houses display device as separate peripheral

p. 302

CRT Monitors
What is a CRT monitor?

Contains cathode-ray tube (CRT) Screen coated with tiny dots of phosphor material
Each dot consists of a red, blue, and green phosphor

Common sizes are 15, 17, 19, 21, and 22 inches

Viewable size is diagonal measurement of actual viewing area

CRT Monitors
How does video travel from the processor to a CRT monitor?

Video card (also called a graphics card) converts digital output from computer into analog video signal
Step 5. Electron guns Step 3. The
analog signal is sent through a cable to the CRT monitor.
fire the three color signals to the front of the CRT.

Step 1. The
processor sends digital video data to the video card.

Step 4. The
CRT monitor separates the analog signal into red, green, and blue signals.

Step 6. An image is Step 2. The video cards

digital-to-analog converter (DAC) converts the digital
displayed on the screen when the electrons hit phosphor dots on the back of the screen.

Printers
What is a printer?

portrait

Output device that produces text and graphics on paper Result is hard copy, or printout Two orientations: portrait and landscape
landscape

Speakers and Headsets

What is an audio output device?

Computer component that produces music, speech, or other sounds Speakers and headsets are common devices

Speakers and Headsets

What is voice output?

Computer talks to you through speakers on computer Internet telephony allows you to have conversation over Web

The Processor
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Converts data to useful information The system unit The brain of the computer

Interpret and execute instructions

Communicate with input, output and storage

Storage Devices
Components that stores and hold data, instructions and information for future use.

Two Types of Storage

Secondary storage long-term storage Primary storage or memory temporary storage

Memory / Primary Storage

Temporary storage
Holds input to be processed Holds results of processing Contains the programs to control the computer and manipulate input into output Volatile

Secondary Storage
Long-term storage Non-volatile

Secondary Storage Examples

Magnetic disks read and written by magnetic disk drive
Hard disk Diskette

Optical disks read and written by optical disk drives

CD-ROM DVD-ROM

Magnetic tape read and written by magnetic tape drives

Primarily used for back-up

Communication Devices
Hardware components that enables a computer to send and receive data, instructions and information to or from one or more computers Connect home PC to other computers Use modem to convert signals between electronic (computer) and analog (voice) formats

Modem routers