CHAPTER TWO

Introduction to Computer system component

Department of Computer Science

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 Course Outline
Introduction to Computer System Components
 Computer hardware
 Input Device
 Output Device
 System Unit
 Secondary Storage Device
 A communication network called Bus/Cables
 Computer Software
 System software
 Application software

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 Introduction
 A System is any collection of component elements (also called Subsystems) that work
together to achieve some objective (s).
 The components collectively make the whole (the System). Each component has a
specific task to accomplish.
 A Computer is not a single machine.
 A Computer System is made up of both hardware and software.

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 Computer hardware
 Made up of a number of electronic devices connected together.
 Elements of the computer hardware:
 Input Devices
 Output Devices
 System Unit
 Secondary Storage Devices
 A communication network called Bus/Cables

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 Input Device
 Users to enter data or programs into a computer.
 This device converts data or instructions from a form suitable to human beings to
one understandable by the computer.
 Keyboard
 pointing device (example: Mouse)
 reading tools like Scanner
 Digital Camera

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 Input Device…
A. Keyboard
 It is an Input Device that contains keys users press to enter data into a computer.
 Desktop computer keyboards normally consist from 101 to 105 keys.
 These keys can be divided into five sections.
Typing keys:- English Alphabets A–Z, digits 0-9, Enter Key, Space, Backspace Key, Caps
Lock Key etc.
Computer keys/ Control keys
:- Keys like ‘Ctrl’, ‘Alt’, ‘Shift Keys’ , ‘FN’ , ‘Tab’ etc.
 They are used usually in conjunction with other keys.
Function keys:- F1, F2, F3… F12 are Functional Keys.
 These Keys perform different tasks based on the type of software/program being used.

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 Input Device…
Cont…
Numeric keys:-Enter numerical data more easily when you are working on number
intensive tasks.
 It contains mainly the numeric digits keys (0 – 9), the four mathematical operators
(+,-,*, /) etc.
 To use this section, the keyboard makes sure that the NumLock key in your Keyboard
is on.
 

 Navigation keys / Cursor movement keys:- Used to navigate through your document.
 They are used to move pointers and/ or cursors around the monitor screen.
Page up, Page down, Home, End

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 Input Device…
Cont…
The following keys are very important:

 Shift keys are used to type capital characters when you are working with small letters and
special characters labeled on the keys such as ?, !, @, &, #, $, *, etc.
 Print Screen key is used to print a paper copy of whatever is on the screen when the key
is pressed (if a printer is attached).
 Pause key temporarily suspends an activity, pressing the pause key once stops the
activity, pressing any typing key (except shift, caps lock) resumes the activity.

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 Input Device…
B. Pointing devices
 A user to control a pointer on the screen.  
1. Mouse:- It is a pointing device that fits comfortably under the palm of your hand.
 Used to move the cursor on your computer screen, to give instructions to your
computer and to run programs and applications.
 Used to select menu commands, move icons, size windows, start programs, close
windows etc.
Mouse actions
Click: - used to select an item. Click means press and release the Left Mouse Button.
Right Click: - used to display a set of commands.
Double Click: - used to open a document or a program.
Drag and Drop: - press and hold down the Left Mouse Button.

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 Input Device…
Cont…
2. Touch screen: - user to operate a computer by simply touching the display screen.
 Example of a Touch Screen includes, ATM at a bank.
3. Light pen:- It uses a light sensor device to select objects on a display screen.
 To select objects on the screen, a user presses the Light Pen against the surface of the
screen or points the Light Pen at the screen and then presses a button on the Pen.
4. Track ball:- A Track Ball is a pointing device with a ball on its top.
 It looks like an upside-down mouse.
 To move the pointer you simply rotate the ball with your thumb, fingers, or the palm
of your hand.
 Tracker Balls have an advantage over the mouse that a flat surface is not required for
its operation and does not require much space because the device is stationary.

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 Input Device…
C. Reading Tools
 Some input devices save users time by eliminating manual data entry.
 users do not type or speak into the computer.
 These reasons they are always called source data input devices.
Bar code reader:- it is a pattern of vertical lines/ vertical zebra-striped marks in which the
spacing and thickness can be used to represent data.
 can read and interpret bar codes and input the data into the computer.
Scanner: - It is reads or scans printed text, image, and pictures or graphics and then produce
a digital version of the image so that it can be fed in to the computer.
 It is similar to a photocopier, except that instead of producing a paper copy of the
document you place on it, you get an electronic copy which appears on your computer
screen.

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 Input Device…
Video Input Devices
 Change video data into digital data and eventually manipulated by the computer.
 There are always video cards involved. Example: - Digital Camera.
Digital Camera: - Instead of film, a digital camera uses a light sensitive screen at the back
of the camera.
 Converts the pattern on the screen into a standard graphics file which can then be
transferred to a computer.
 Audio Input Devices
 Users to enter sound data in to the computer systems. Example Microphone.
Microphone: - A microphone translates speech into an electronic signal.
 Modern speech recognition software is able to translate this into either commands or
data.
 This enables the user to use a microphone as an alternative to the keyboard.
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 Summary input device
 This device converts data or instructions from a form suitable to human
beings to one understandable by the computer.

• Keyboard(five different keys: Typing keys, Computer keys/ Control keys,

Function keys, Numeric keys, Navigation keys / Cursor movement keys and
The following keys are very important: Shift, Print Screen, Pause )

• pointing device (example: Mouse Light pen, Touch screen, Track ball)

• reading tools like Scanner(Bar code reader, Scanner)

• video Input Devices(Digital Camera) and Audio Input Devices(Microphone)

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 Outputs devices
 Used to get data either in the form of softcopy or hardcopy.
 It is used to convert information from machine-understandable to a human
understandable form.
Softcopy:- displayed on monitor, projector or similar devices.
Hardcopy:- printed on paper.
Monitor: - It displays visual information to the user, and is therefore an output peripheral
device.
 Display devices used to view the display output of a computer.
 It consists of a display surface called Screen.
 There are three types of monitories:-
o CRT Monitors
o LCD Monitors
o Plasma

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 Outputs devices…
CRT Monitors: - Has more lines of dots per inch, higher the lines more amount of the
resolution.
 It creates the picture by number of rows or lines of the small tiny dots.
 Consider this Resolution 1024 x 768 resolution will be sharper than 800 x 600
resolutions.
 It describes the technology inside an analog computer monitor. e.g.:-Desktop Computer
LCD Monitors: - It is an LCD Technology.
 Consists of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them.
 When an electric current passed through the liquid crystal solution, crystals align so that
light cannot pass through them.
 It is like a shutter either allows light to pass through or blocking the light. e.g.:-Laptop,
Calculator, clocks etc.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Comparison between CRT and LCD Monitors
 CRT Monitors are heavy and occupies more space at the desk and the major weight of
CRT Monitors is due to heavy weight of Cathode Ray Tube.
 LCD Monitors have thin flat screen and even can be fixed on walls, occupies less space
as compared to CRT Monitors and are indeed lighter than the CRT Monitors.
 CRT monitors are much cheaper than LCD however they consume more power as
compared to counterpart LCD Monitor.
 The radiation emissions in CRT monitors are higher as compared to LCD Monitors.
 Working on CRT Monitors for continuous long hours may affect eyesight or cause
head ache.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Advantages of CRT Monitors
 CRT monitors hold over LCD is their color rendering, contrast ratios.
 Depths of colors displayed are much greater and stronger with CRT monitors rather
than LCD monitors.
 CRT Monitors cost less as compared to LCD Monitors of equivalent size.
Advantages of LCD Monitor
 The biggest advantage of LCD monitors is their size and weight.
 LCD monitors do not have high radiation emission.
 LCD screen also tend to produce less eye fatigue to the user.

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 Outputs devices…
Printer
 produces text and graphics on a physical medium such as paper.
 Printed information is often called hard copy because the information exists physically
and is a more permanent form of output than that presented on a VDU (Monitor).
 can be grouped into impact and non-impact printers.
 An impact printer forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper by striking a
mechanism against an ink ribbon that physically contacts the paper.
 A non-impact printer forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper without actually
striking the paper.
 The printing speed of a printer is usually expressed in pages per minute (ppm).
Printer resolution is often expressed in dpi (dots per inch).
 The larger the number, the higher the resolution.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Advantages of printers include
 Information produced is permanent.
Disadvantages of printers include
 The time to get the printout is slow, when compared with display devices.
 Paper is wasted for obtaining the output.
 Printers are generally noisier than display devices.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Daisy Wheel printer:- it is an impact printer that uses a wheel as a print head.
 As the wheel rotates, a hammer strikes the backside of the spoke and presses it against the
paper to print a character.
Advantages
 Can print letter quality characters.
Disadvantages
 Printing speed is very slow.
 Cannot print graphics.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Dot-Matrix Printer: - it is an impact printer that produces printed images with a print head striking
mechanism.
 Most dot-matrix printers use continuous form paper.
 A higher number of pins on the print head means more dots are printed, which results in higher print
quality (i.e., a 24-pin printer has better print quality than a 9-pin printer).
 The speed of a dot-matrix printer is normally measured by the number of characters per second
(cps) it can print.
Advantages
 can print multipart forms.
 can withstand dusty environment, vibrations, and extreme temperature.
Disadvantages
 noisy because of the striking mechanism.
 Print quality of dot-matrix printers is not as good as those from ink-jet printers and laser printers.
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 Outputs devices…
Cont…

Line Printer: - A high-speed impact printer that prints an entire line at a time.
 The speed of a line printer is measured by the number of lines per minute (lpm) it can print.

 used with mainframes, minicomputers, or with a network in applications such as

manufacturing, distribution, or shipping.

Advantage
 They're very fast and also impact printers.

Disadvantages
 Can only use pin feed paper
 Cannot use other than standard widths {17"} typical
 No color other than black.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Ink-Jet printer:- it is a non-impact printer that forms characters and graphics by spraying
tiny drops of liquid ink onto a piece of paper.
 Can produce letter-quality text and graphics in both black-and-white and colors.
 Some ink-jet printers can print photo-quality images on any type of paper.
 Printer resolution is measured in dots per inch (dpi).
 The speed of an ink-jet printer is measured in lines per minute (lpm).
Advantages
 generally quiet/noiseless.
 produce high quality colour output.
Disadvantages
 Specialized papers are required to produce high quality colour output.
 The ink cartridges and specialized papers are expensive.
 The ink may smear/mark when printed on ordinary paper.

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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Laser Printer: - it works is similar to a photocopier.
 known as page printers because they process and store the entire page before they
actually print it.
 Most laser printers today can print text and graphics in very high quality resolutions,
ranging from 600 dpi to 1200 dpi.
 Can print text at speeds of four to over thirty pages per minute.
 Advantages
 quiet and fast.
 produce high quality output on ordinary papers.
 The cost per page of toner cartridges is lower than other printers.
Disadvantages
 The initial cost of laser printers can be high.
 more expensive than dot-matrix printers and ink-jet Printers.
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 Outputs devices…
Cont…
Plotter: - it is a large printer that generates high-quality documents by moving ink pens over the
surface of a page.
 useful to engineers and architects, as they produce high-quality blueprints, maps, and floor
plans.
 Two basic types of plotters are pen plotters and X-Y plotters.
 Pen plotters are the most affordable printing device for CAD use and offer resolution unlike a
ny other printer.
 X–Y plotter is a plotter that operates in two axes of motion ("X" and "Y") in order to draw
continuous vector graphics.
Advantages
 Can print on large printers.
 High quality printing
Disadvantages
 don’t have the necessary space to work
 don’t have the time to find a good location for your plotter
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 Summary on output device
 It is used to convert information from machine-understandable to a human
understandable form.
• Softcopy:- displayed on monitor, projector or similar devices.
• Hardcopy:- printed on paper.
• Monitor (CRT Monitors (heavy, occupies more space, cheaper, radiation emissions higher,
affect eyesight ), LCD Monitors(thin flat screen, occupies less space, lighter than the CRT
Monitors, less radiation emissions ))
• Printer( impact (forms characters and graphics on a piece of paper by striking a mechanism
against an ink ribbon that physically contacts the paper. ) and non-impact (forms characters and
graphics on a piece of paper without actually striking the paper.))

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 System Unit
 A System unit also known as a Base unit is the main body of a desktop computer.
system unit
 Memory
 CPU
 Motherboard
 Power supply
 Cooling Fans system unit

system unit
 Internal disk Drivers
 Expansion cards and Slots. system unit

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 System Unit…
A. Power supply:- converts 120/240 volts AC into 5/12 volts DC used by the PC.
 built-in power on/off switches and power connects for the motherboard and the disk
drives.
B. Motherboard
 It is the Main circuit board in system unit
 It Contains adapter cards, processor chips, and memory chips
 Another name of motherboard is called system board
C. Ports:- Connect external devices to system unit.
 It is available in one of two genders which are male and female.
 It is classified as Serial port and parallel port.
Serial port: - Transmits one bit of data at a time.
• It connects slow-speed devices, such as mouse, keyboard, and modem.
Parallel port: - is connects devices that can transfer more than one bit at a time, such as a
printer and Disk Drivers.
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 System Unit…
D. Expansion slot and Card
Adapter card: - used to enhance system unit or provides connections to external devices called
peripherals.
expansion slot: - opening, or socket on the motherboard that can hold an adapter card with
Plug and Play.
E. Central Processing Unit /CPU:
 To process, the computer needs two components, the CPU & memory.
 The processor (CPU) is the one that actually process & memory is needed to store the data &
instructions currently used by the CPU.
 The CPU is a microprocessor chip found on the motherboard.
functions: -
 It controls the transmission of data from input devices to memory
 It processes the data held in main memory
 It controls the transmission of information from main memory to output devices etc.
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 System Unit…
Cont…
 Three main components: The Control Unit, Register & Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU).
1. Control unit (CU)
It controls the flow of data & instructions between the CPU & Memory, between the CPU &
Input/ Output devices, etc.
 It is responsible for loading, interpreting the individual instructions that comprise the
computer program.
 To summarize tasks carried out by a CU are listed below:
 decoding the instructions within a computer
 sequencing the reading &writing of data within the CPU and externally on the data
bus
 controlling the sequence in which instructions are executed
 controlling the operations performed by the ALU

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 System Unit…
Cont…
2. ALU
 The ALU is responsible for carrying out arithmetical and logical operations like addition,
subtraction, Multiplication, division, comparison etc.
3. Register
 The CPU also contains a small high speed memory which is used to store temporary
results and control information.
Stores location
 Functions from where instruction
was fetched
Stores data
Stores
while ALU
instruction while it is
computes it
being decoded
Stores results
of calculation

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 System Unit…

Processor
Control
Control Arithmetic
Arithmetic
Unit
Unit Logic Unit
Logic Unit (ALU)
(ALU)

Informatio
n
Data
Informatio
n
Input Output
Devices
Data Memory Information
Devices

Informatio
n
Data
Informatio
n
Storage
Devices
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 System Unit…
F. Memory:- There are two categories of memory: Primary and Secondary.
 Secondary Memory: - Consists of the various devices that are able to store data & programs
even when the power is off.
Example Hard drives, Floppy Drives, CD & DVD etc…
Primary Memory: - intimately associated with the actual working of the computers.
 This includes memory that holds the start up routines as well as the current program
& data it is working with.
 types of primary memory:-
 RAM
 ROM

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 System Unit…
Cont…
RAM :- used to store instruction and data currently used by the central processing unit.
 It is also Called working storage.
 Direct relationship with the ALU and CU, which are components of the central
processing unit.
 It is logically divided into many equal sized cells called memory locations.
 Memory locations will be accessed using their addresses.
 Properties of RAM:
 volatile, i.e. any data on RAM will be lost when power is turned off.
 read write memory
 We can ‘read’ (retrieve) data from RAM and again we can ‘write’ (store) data in to RAM.
 up gradable
 randomly accessed, You can access any byte without touching preceding bytes.

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 System Unit…
Cont…
ROM:- used to store critical instructions that are used to boot (start) the computer.
 Data on ROM is fixed when it is fabricated and because of this ROM sometimes is
referred as firmware, which means between the hardware and software.
 Properties of ROM
 non-volatile Data stored on ROM will not be lost when the power is interrupted
 read only memory
 we can ‘read’ (retrieve) data from ROM but we cannot ‘write’ (store) data in to ROM.
 Data on the ROM cannot be deleted or modified, & & that is why it contains the boot
up instructions.
 randomly accessed

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 Storage devices (Secondary Storage Devices)
Factors that determine secondary storage devices:
Access Type: There are two types of accessing data from secondary storage devices:
sequential and random.
Sequential access: access a particular data; you need to go through the preceding data before
reaching to the required data.
Random access: any random access any data can be accessed randomly without considering
the preceding data.
 A storage device that has fast access type (direct access type) is preferred.
Storage capacity: It refers to the capacity of the devices to store data.
 It is measured in bytes {usually with prefixes Kilo byte, Mega Byte, Giga byte etc. }.
Removable: This one is about whether they are removable or not.

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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Note:

Secondary storage devices can be classified based on different criteria.

1. Based on their portability, we can classify them as External & Internal

2. Based on the Technology they used Magnetic & optical

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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Secondary Storage Technologies:
 two types of storage technologies:
 Magnetic storage
 Optical storage
Magnetic Storage Principles:
 Electromagnetism is about the relationship between magnets and electricity.
 As transistors become ON or OFF to represent 1 and 0 (bits) in memory, bits are
represented on magnetic storage devices by magnetizing very tiny iron particles found on
the media.
 The magnetic devices is coated with magnetically sensitive material like Iron oxide.
 small tiny iron particles will be magnetized by the current passing through the read-write
head and aligned in some fashion.
 They can wait magnetized and aligned whenever there is no electric power and that is why
they are permanent storage devices.
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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Cont…
1. Magnetic Storage Devices
Magnetic Tapes
 It is cheaper ones and are slower than the other magnetic storage devices.
 They are slow because their data is accessed sequentially: meaning each and every
preceding data before the needed one should be traced before getting to the particular data.
 But at the same time they are very cheap.
 With a low cost, you can have high storage capacity.
 magnetic tapes are not common to end-users.
advantages:
 used to store data which is not needed frequently.
 used as a backup storage devices.
 Magnetic Disks
Magnetic disks can be accessed randomly and are faster than magnetic tapes.
 
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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Cont…
 different types Magnetic disk:
1. Floppy Disks (diskettes):
 Removable storage devices having a small size and you need to have a floppy drive to use
them.
Some of the components:
 Shatter: is used to protect the data access area from the external environment.
 The Data Access Area: it is the magnetic film.
 Hub: when inserting the disk to the disk drive, the hub will be fit to the drive spindle
and the disk can be spin.
 Label: This on is used just to write labels for the disk to distinguish it from other
diskettes.
 Write-Protect Notch: is a hole used to make the floppy disk read-only. If it is open,
data cannot be recorded and the diskette is said to be write-protected.
 Magnetic Film: this is where data can be read or recorded.
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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Cont…
2. Hard Disks (Hard Drives):
 A set of magnetic disks which are mounted together and covered by a rigid '.
 Here the read-write head, the disks and the drive are sealed together.
 It is placed inside the system unit in microcomputers.
 It is not removable.
 Hard disks have also tracks and sectors.
 Hard disks are very important since they have high storage capacity and are faster.
 Imagine 1 GB: 1 byte = 1 character
 1 KB = 1024 bytes = 1024 characters
 1 MB = 1024 KB = 1048576 characters
 1 GB = 1024 MB = 107341824 characters.

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 Secondary Storage Devices…
2. Optical Disks
It is always removable.
a. CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory)
 They have high storage capacity (up to 700 MB).
 CD-ROM drives will read data, but will not write.
 Many application programs are coming stored using a CD-ROM.
b. CD-R (CD-Recordable-WORM) {Write Once Read Many}
 This is a blank CD and data is going to be recorded by a peripheral device called CD
burner or CD writer.
 Data could be recorded by CD-R only once which means data could not be erased and
replaced by another one.
 That is why they are called WORM (Write Once Read Many).

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 Secondary Storage Devices…
Cont…
CD-RW (CD-Rewritable)
 erasable or recordable many times.
 There are also coming high speed optical disks called DVD-ROM (Digital Video Disk
ROM) with the same size like CD- ROM’s but have higher storage capacity.

measurements of storage devices

Storage Term Approximate no. of Bytes Exact Number Bytes
Kilobyte (KB) 1 thousand 1,024 or 210
Megabyte (MB) 1 million 1,048,576 or 220
Gigabyte (GB) 1 Billion 1,073,741,824or 230
Terabyte (TB) 1 Trillion 1,099,511,627,776 or 240
Pet byte (PB) 1 quadrillion 1,125,899,906,842,624 or 250
Exabyte (EB) 1 quintillion 1,152,921,504,606,846,976 or 260
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 Network Communication Called Bus/Cable
 The system bus is a cable which carries data communication between the major
components of the computer, including the microprocessor.
 Not all of the communication that uses the bus involves the CPU, although naturally the
examples used in this tutorial will center on such instances.
 The system bus consists of three different groups of wiring
 data bus
 control bus
 address bus

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 Network Communication Called Bus/Cable…
Cont…
1. Control Bus
 Carries the signals relating to the control and co-ordination of the various activities across
the computer, which can be sent from the control unit within the CPU.
 Different architectures result in differing number of lines of wire within the control bus,
as each line is used to perform a specific task.
 For instance, different, specific lines are used for each of read, write and reset requests.
2. Data Bus
 Exchange of data between the processor, memory and peripherals, and is bi-directional.
 The number of wires used in the data bus (sometimes known as the 'width') can differ.
 A greater width allows greater amounts of data to be transferred at the same time.
 

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 Network Communication Called Bus/Cable…
Cont…
Address Bus
 Contains the connections between the microprocessor and memory that carry the signals
relating to the addresses which the CPU is processing at that time, such as the locations
that the CPU is reading from or writing to.
 The width of the address bus corresponds to the maximum addressing capacity of the bus,
or the largest address within memory that the bus can work with.
 The addresses are transferred in binary format, with each line of the address bus carrying
a single binary digit.
 Therefore the maximum address capacity is equal to two to the power of the number of
lines present (2^lines).
 

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 Computer Software
 Software is a set of programs that instruct the computer to perform a certain action.
 Software is a sequence of electronic instructions that tells the computer how to do certain
tasks.
 A sequence of instructions used to carry out some task is often called a program.
 When a computer is using a particular program, it is said to be running or executing the
program.
 The one who writes those programs is known as a programmer.
 Computer software is divided in to two broad categories:-
 System software
 Application software

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 Computer Software…
System software
 Consists of instructions or programs that are used to manage the hardware resources of a
computer.
 it is used as an intermediate for the communication between the hardware and the
application software of a computer system.
 The system software can be of the following type:
 Operating system software and
 System development software (Language software)
 

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 Computer Software
Cont…
Operating system software
 It is set of programs that controls and supervises the overall operation of the computer.
 All computers require the OS.
 functions
 It manages the computer resources
 It interprets and processes commands
 It activates input/output devices
 It allows the system to understand application soft ware
 It schedules jobs

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 Computer Software…
Cont…
Language software
 The system development software (the language software), which are used by the
programmers to develop application programs.
 System development software (language software) includes the computer programming
language translators that are used to convert written programs in to machine language for
execution.
 major language software: Compilers, Assemblers and Interpreters
 Each programming language uses a set of symbols that have a special meaning.
 Each language has its own set of rules, called syntax.
 A program is a set of instructions that directs a computer to perform certain tasks and
produce certain results.

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 Computer Software…
Application software
 Placed between the user and the system software and allows the user to perform a certain activity-
such as creating a document or editing a graphic image.
 They are also called application packages.
 Some important kinds of application software are:
 Word processing programs (MS Word)
 Spreadsheet software (MS Excel)
 Database management Presentation programs (MS Access)
 Graphics programs
 Networking software
 Web designing tools and browsers
 Internet applications
 Communications programs Utilities
 Entertainment and education Multimedia authoring Application Software
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 Thank you
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