Introduction to
Computers and IT
BCA 107
Nidhi Sharma
Computer Science
Parts of a Computer System
• Computer systems have four parts
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• User (people)
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Parts of a Computer System
• Computer hardware:
• A computer's hardware consists of electronic devices; the parts you can see and
touch.
• Inotherwords these are tangible parts of a computer.
• The term "device" refers to any piece of hardware used by the computer, such as
a keyboard, monitor, modem, mouse, etc.
• These are mechanical devices that make up the computer.
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Computer Hardware Components
▣ Display Device (Monitor or LCD
screen)
▣ System Unit
▣ Floppy disk drive
▣ CD ROM drive
▣ Hard disk drive
▣ Keyboard
▣ Mouse
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Other hardware components
• DVD drive (Digital Versatile Disk)
• CD writer (Compact disk)
• Sound card and speakers
• Modem (Modulate and Demodulate)
• Printers.
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Peripherals
• A peripheral device designates equipment that might be added to a
computer system to enhance its functionality.
• Examples:
• Printer
• Digital camera
• Scanner
• Joystick
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Parts of a Computer System
• Computer Software
• Is the set of instructions that makes the computer perform tasks.
• The software is a part of the computer you cannot touch but is very important.
• The software is all the programming that makes the computer run; controlling
everything that the computer does.
• For any computer to function, it needs to have software installed on it.
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Parts of a Computer System
• Data:
• Data consists of raw facts, which the computer can manipulate and process into
information that is useful to people.
• Computerized data is digital, meaning that it has been reduced to digits, or numbers.
The computer stores and reads all data as numbers.
• Users:
• People operating the computer.
• Tell the computer what to do.
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Essential Computer Hardware
• A computer’s hardware devices falls into one of the four categories;
1. Processor
2. Memory
3. Input and Output
4. Storage
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Essential Computer Hardware
• Processing Devices
• The procedure that transforms raw data into useful information is called processing.
• The processor is like the brain of the computer.
• Organizes and carries out instructions from either the user or software.
• Manipulate the data.
• Most computers have several processors.
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) refers to a computer’s processor.
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Essential Computer Hardware
▣ Memory devices
◼ Memory is made up of one or more sets of chips that Store data or program
instructions either temporarily or permanently. Memory is divided into two types:
a) Random Access Memory (RAM)
🢭 RAM holds data and program instructions temporarily while the CPU works with them.
🢭 RAM is volatile, meaning it holds data only when the power is on. When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost.
🢭 The “random” in RAM implies that any portion of RAM can be accessed at anytime. This helps
make RAM very fast.
🢭 More RAM results in a faster system.
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Essential Computer Hardware
b) Read Only Memory (ROM)
🢭 Permanent storage of programs.
🢭 ROM is called non-volatile memory because it never loses its contents.
🢭 Holds instructions that the computer needs to operate.
▣ Memory is measured in terms of:
◼ Kilobyte (KB) - 1,000 bytes
◼ Megabyte (MB) - 1,000,000 bytes
◼ Gigabyte (GB) - 1,000,000,000 bytes
◼ Terabyte (TB) - 1,000,000,000,000 bytes.
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Position of RAM and ROM on the MotherBoard
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Essential Computer Hardware
• Input and Output Devices
• Input devices accept data and instructions from the user or from another computer
system.
• Output devices return processed data to the user or to another computer system.
• Input devices include: keyboard, mouse, scanner, digital camera, microphone etc.
• Output devices include: monitor, printer, stereo speakers, headphones etc.
• Communications devices (such as modems and network interface cards)
perform both input and output, allowing computers to share information.
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Essential Computer Hardware
▣ Storage Devices
◼ The purpose of storage is to hold data permanently, even when the computer
is turned off.
◼ Storage devices hold data not currently being used by the CPU.
◼ Data is commonly stored on a magnetic or optical disk.
◼ A disk drive is a device that reads data from and writes data to a disk. Most
new computers feature a floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive, and an optical
disk drive.
◼ The most common optical storage devices are CDROM and DVD-ROM drives.
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