Chapter-1

Introduction to
Computer
PREPARED BY: SUSHANT BHATTARAI
Computer 2

 Computer can be defined as an electronic device that accepts raw data from the
user, processes it according the instruction given to it and gives out output to the
user is known as computer.
 can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations
automatically.
Characteristics of computer 3

 Speed
 Storage
 Diligence
 Versatility
 Accuracy
 Reliability
 Automation
Characteristics of computer 4

 Speed
 A computer works with much higher speed and accuracy compared to humans while
performing mathematical calculations. Computers can process millions (1,000,000) of
instructions per second. The time taken by computers for their operations is
microseconds and nanoseconds.
 Accuracy
 Computers perform calculations with 100% accuracy. Errors may occur due to data
inconsistency or inaccuracy.
 Diligence
 A computer can perform millions of tasks or calculations with the same consistency
and accuracy. It doesn’t feel any fatigue or lack of concentration. Its memory also
makes it superior to that of human beings.
Characteristics of computer 5

 Versatility
 Versatility refers to the capability of a computer to perform different kinds of works with same
accuracy and efficiency.
 Reliability
 A computer is reliable as it gives consistent result for similar set of data i.e., if we give same set
of input any number of times, we will get the same result.
 Automation
 Computer performs all the tasks automatically i.e. it performs tasks without manual intervention.
 Memory
 A computer has built-in memory called primary memory where it stores data. Secondary storage
are removable devices such as CDs, pen drives, etc., which are also used to store data.
Advantages of Computer 6

 Increase your productivity

 Connects you to the Internet
 Can store vast amounts of information and reduce waste
 Helps sort, organize, and search through information
 Get a better understanding of data
 Help you learn and keep you informed
 Can make you money.
Disadvantages of Computer 7

• Too much sitting

• Carpal tunnel and eye strain
• Short attention span and too much multitasking
• Potential of loss of privacy
• Can limit learning and create a dependency
• Time sink and lots of distractions
• Can reduce jobs
• Increases waste and impacts the environment
Application area of Computer 8

 Home
 Medical field
 Education
 Entertainment
 Industry
 Government
 Banking
 Aviation
 CAD,etc
History of computer 9

 Originally calculations were computed by humans, whose job title was computers.
 These human computers were typically engaged in the calculation of a mathematical
expression.
 The calculations of this period were specialized and expensive, requiring years of training
in mathematics.
 The first use of the word "computer“ was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who
carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense
until the middle of the 20th century
 History of Computer 10
 Abacus
 ABACUS was the first mechanical calculating device for counting of large
numbers.
 The word ABACUS means calculating board.
 An abacus is a mechanical device used to aid an individual in performing mathematical
calculations.
 The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 500
B.C.
 It used to perform basic arithmetic operations.
 It consists of bars in horizontal positions on which sets o f beads are inserted. The
horizontal bars have 10 beads each, representing units, tens, hundreds, etc.
History of Computer 11

 Napier’s Bones
 It was a mechanical device built for the purpose of multiplication in 1617 AD. by
an Scottish mathematician John Napier.
 These rods were carved from bone and are often called Napier’s Bone.
 It was capable of performing addition, subtraction,

multiplication.
 History of Computer 12
 Slide Rule
 In1620, just six years after the invention of logarithms, William Oughtred
invented the Slide rule.
 It is a calculating device that uses the principles of logarithms.
 A simple slide rule consists of two graduated scales , one of which slides upon the
other.
 The scales are devised in such a way that suitable alignment of one scales, one of
which slips against the other makes it possible to obtain products , quotient or
function by inspection.
Pascaline 13

 Originally called a "numerical wheel calculator" or the "Pascaline", Pascal's invention

utilized a train of 8 moveable dials or cogs to add sums of up to 8 figures long. As one dial
turned 10 notches - or a complete revolution - it mechanically turned the next dial.
 Pascal's mechanical Adding Machine automated the process of calculation. Although slow
by modern standards, this machine did provide a fair degree of accuracy and speed.
 Only performed addition, not multiplication or division
Differential Engine 14

 Born in 1791, Charles Babbage was an English mathematician and professor.

 In 1822, he persuaded the British government to finance his design to build a machine that
would calculate tables for logarithms. Called the “Difference Engine.”
 Device was to calculate numbers to 20th place and print them at 4 digits per minute.
 With Charles Babbage's creation of the "Analytical Engine", (1833) computers took
Differential Engine 15
Analytical Engine 16

 1833
 Used to perform a variety of calculations by following a set of instructions or
programs stored on punch cards
 Machine only designed but never built
Punched Card 17

 Punch Card System was developed by Jacquard to control the power loom in 1801.
 He invented the punched card reader that could recognize the presence o f hole in the
punched card as binary one and the absence of the hole as binary zero.
 The 0s and 1s are the basis of the modern digital computer.
Mark-I 18

 Designed by Howard H. Aiken.

 First fully automatic calculating machine.
 Constructed in IBM,leading manufacturer of office equipment at that time.
 Relay based computer based on the concept of Charles Babbage’s Analytical
Engine principle.
 Used binary numbers for operation
 Used I/O devices including punch-card and card reader.
 ENIAC 19
 Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer
 A machine that computed at speeds 1,000 times faster than the Mark I was capable of only
2 years earlier.
 Using 18,00-19,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldered joints this
massive instrument required the output of a small power station to operate it.
ENIAC 20

 It could do nuclear physics calculations (in two hours) which it would have taken
100 engineers a year to do by hand.
 The system's program could be changed by rewiring a panel.
 Weighed 30 tons and was 1500 square feet (average area of a 3 bedroom house
Classification of Computer 21

 The digital computers that are available nowadays vary in their sizes and types. The
computers are broadly classified into various categories. They are:
 On the basis of size
 On the basis of working principle
 On the basis of brand
 On the basis of purpose(use)
 On the basis of model
On the basis of Size 22

 On the basis of size the computer can be classified as:

 Supercomputer
 Mainframe
 Minicomputer
 Microcomputer
 Supercomputer 23
 Supercomputers are the fastest and the most expensive machines.
 They have high processing speed compared to other computers.
 The speed o f a supercomputer is generally measured in FLOPS (Floating point Operations
Per Second).
 Some of the faster supercomputers can perform trillions of calculations per second.
 Supercomputers are built by interconnecting thousands of processors that can work in
parallel.
 Belle, Deep Blue, and Hydra
Mainframe 24

 It is large and one of the powerful computer system.

 Processing speed is slower than supercomputer but faster than mini and micro
computer
 Designed for large scale data processing and huge amount of data storage.
 General computer with large memory and excellent processing capabilities.
 Occupies approximately 1000sq.ft
 Suitable for big organization like banks , airlines,etc.
 IBM 1401,ICL 2950/10 are some of the examples of mainframe
Minicomputer 25

 Released in 1960
 Smaller than mainframe computer hence known as minicomputer.
 It can handle much more input and output than microcomputer.
 It requires an area of about 100 sq ft.
 Useful for medium size business organizations ,industries , universities , etc.
 Prime 9755,VAX7500,HCL,etc are some examples of minicomputer
Microcomputer 26

 It is computer based on microprocessor.

 It is small , low cost digital computer.
 It requires small space, can be placed on a table or even kept inside a briefcase
 It has CPU on a single chip.
 Mainly used in office, house, school, store,etc.
 A microcomputer can be categorized into two types:
 Portable
 Non-portable
Microcomputer(Non-Portable) 27

 PC
 It is small computer that easily fits in a normal sized office table.
 It is designed to be used by a single person
 It is the common computer and can be found almost everywhere
 Workstation
 It is a specialized computer with more power and features than a standard desktop PC.
 Its processing power is 5-10 times more than that of desktop PC.
 It has larger main and backup memory
 Suitable fort advance architectural or engineering design
 Example: Sun micro system, IBM RS/6000s
Microcomputer(Portable) 28

 Laptop
 Portable computer that is easy to carry
 Light weight but incorporate all the basic features of a computer
 Notebook
 It is smaller in size compared to laptop
 Light weight PC.
 It usually doesn’t contain an optical drive.
 Tablet PC
On the basis of brand 29

 On the basis of brand the computer can be classified as:

 IBM computer
 IBM PC
 IBM Compatible PC
 Apple/Macintosh Computer
IBM Computer 30

 IBM PC
 It is developed by IBM corporation itself
 It is known as “branded” or “Original IBM PC”
 It is expensive, reliable and durable than IBM compatible PC
 IBM Compatible PC
 It is developed by the companies other than IBM Company but uses the principle of IBM.
 It can use hardware and software designed for the IBM PC.
 It is generally called as “assembled or duplicate of IBM PC”
 Cheaper than IBM PC.
 Example: EPSON,Acer,HP
Apple Macintosh Computer 31

 It is also known as Mac Computer

 Architecture of this computer is totally different than that of IBM.
 It has its own software and the software are very user friendly.
 It uses MAC OS.
On the basis of Model 32

 On the basis of model the computer can be classified as:

 XT computer
 AT computer
 PS/2 Computer
XT computer 33

 XT stands for extra or extended technology.

 It is an old technology with very slow processing speed.
 It is text based system with no GUI.
 Input/Output device wasn’t flexible and is slower than present devices.
 8080,8086,8088 used this technology
AT computer 34

 It stands for advanced technology.

 It is faster in processing and can run both GUI and CUI.
 I/O devices are interactive,flexible and faster.
 Its processing speed was mediocre
 Example: Processor like 80286,80386,Pentium I
PS/2 Computer 35

 Stands for personal system-2

 Modification of AT computer
 Faster than AT
 Mostly used in laptops with rechargeable battery operated system with faster and
flexible IO devices.
On the basis of working principle 36

 On the basis of working principle the computer can be classified as:

 Analog computer
 Digital computer
 Hybrid Computer
Analog Computer 37

 The computer that can process analog quantities is called analog computer
 It operates by measuring rather than counting
 Special purpose computer
 It has poor storage capability than digital computer.
 Presley is an example of analog computer
Digital Computer 38

 Works on discrete data(binary number system)

 Basic principle is either present or absence of electric pulse in the signal.
 Multipurpose and programmable
 Expensive, fast processing , more accurate and has large memory capacity.
 Example: IBM PC, Mac PC,etc.
Hybrid Computer 39

 the computer that combines the best features of both analog and digital computers
 Usually the speed is hybrid is equal to analog
 Its accuracy is as efficient as digital computer.
 Can convert data from analog to digital and vice versa.
 Example: Medical equipment's used in hospital
On the basis of purpose 40

 On the basis of purpose the computer can be classified as:

 General Purpose computer
 Special Purpose Computer
General Purpose Computer 41

 Can be used for multiple generalized task

 Designed to solve variety of problem
 Can store large amount of data
 Most business today use them
Special purpose computer 42

 Used for particular work only

 Incorporate many features of general purpose computer
 Support highly specialized data processing
 Example: super computer
Generation of computer 43

 Computer generation’s classification is mainly based upon the basic device used.
 Also factors like the performance, architecture, mode of operation,etc.
 The computer generation can be categorized into 5 different categories:
 First generation computer
 Second generation computer
 Third generation computer
 Fourth generation computer
 Fifth generation computer
First Generation Computer 44

 Technology used:Vacuum tube

 Operating speed was measured in millisecond
 Machine language was used to instruct the computer
 Primary Memory used: Magnetic core memory
 Secondary Memory used: Electrostatic tubes(internal), paper tape, punched
card,etc.
 Very large in size and expensive
 ENIAC,EDSAC are some of the example
Second Generation Computer 45

 Technology used: Transistor

 Operating speed was measured in microsecond
 Assembly and machine independent (high level) language like
COBOL,FORTRAN was used to instruct the computer
 Primary Memory used: Magnetic core memory
 Secondary Memory used: Magentic drum, Magnetic tape
 Smaller in size than first generation but expensive
 IBM 1620,Honeywell 400 series are some of the example
Third Generation Computer 46

 Technology used: IC(Integrated Circuit)

 Operating speed was measured in nanosecond
 High level language like BASIC and FORTRAN are used to develop program
 Primary Memory used: Semiconductor memory like RAM,ROM
 Secondary Memory used: Magentic disk like floppy disk,magnetic tape
 Mouse and keyboard introduced
 Smaller in size and cost
 DBMS was introduced
 IBM 360series,ICL 900 series are some of the example
Fourth Generation Computer 47

 Technology used: Microprocessor or VLSI

 Operating speed was measured in picosecond
 Problem oriented fourth generation language (4GL) are used to develop program
 Primary Memory used: Semiconductor memory like RAM,ROM and cache memory
 Secondary Memory used: Magentic disk like hard disk, and optical memory like
CD,DVD,etc.
 User friendly environment
 Smaller in size and cost
 Microcomputers are developed
 IBM PC, HP laptops are some of the example
Fifth Generation Language 48

 Technology to be used: Biochips or ULSI

 Operating speed was measured in picosecond
 Computers will have AI(Artificial Intelligence)
 Natural Language will be used to develop program.
 Parallel processing in full fledge
 Operating speed in terms of LIPS(Logical Inference per Second)
 Quantum Computation,Molecular and nanotechnology will be used
 Use of Superconductor
Generation of computer 49