MIS

CHAPTER 2
COMPUTERS: THE
MACHINES BEHIND
COMPUTING
Hossein BIDGOLI

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©2011 Course Technology, a part of Cengage Learning
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Defining a Computer
• Computer
– Machine that accepts data as input
– Processes data without human intervention using stored
instructions
– Outputs information
• “Program”
– Step-by-step directions for performing a specific task
– Written in a language the computer can understand
• GIGO
– Garbage in, garbage out

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Components of a Computer System

• Hardware components
– Physical devices, such as keyboards, monitors, and
processing units
• Software
– Programs written in computer languages
• Central processing unit (CPU)
– Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
– Control unit
– Single or multiprocessor

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Exhibit 2.1 The Building Blocks of a Computer

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Components of a Computer System (cont'd.)

• Bus
– Link between devices connected to the computer
• Computer performance factors
– Processor
– Bus
– Operating system
• Disk drive
• CPU case
• Motherboard
– Main circuit board
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Exhibit 2.2 Components of a Computer System

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Table 2.1 Hardware Generators

The History of Computer Hardware and Software

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Table 2.2 Computer Language Trends

The History of Computer Hardware and Software (cont’d.)

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

The Power of Computers

• Factors that exceed human capacities:
– Speed
– Accuracy
– Storage and retrieval

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Speed
• Computer speed measured as the number of
instructions performed per fractions of a second:
– Millisecond: 1/1000 of a second
– Microsecond: 1/1,000,000 of a second
– Nanosecond: 1/1,000,000,000 of a second
– Picosecond: 1/1,000,000,000,000 of a second

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Accuracy
• Computers don’t make mistakes
• Degree of accuracy is critical in many computer
applications
• Example
– Space mission calculations

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Storage and Retrieval

• Storage: saving data in computer memory
• Retrieval: accessing data from memory
• Data is stored in bits
– Eight bits is one byte
– Binary system
• American Standard Code for Information
Interchange (ASCII)
– Data code to represent and transfer data between
computers and network systems
– Up to 128 characters can be defined
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Computer Operations
• Three basic tasks:
– Arithmetic operations
• Add, subtract, multiply, divide, raise to power
– Logical operations
• Comparison
– Storage and retrieval operations

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Input Devices
• Input devices
– Send data and information to computer
• Types
– Keyboard – Optical character reader
– Magnetic ink character recognition
– Mouse
system
– Touch screen – Optical mark recognition system
– Light pen
– Data tablet
– Barcode reader

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

– Optical character reader

– Magnetic ink character recognition system

– Optical mark recognition system

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Output Devices
• Output devices
– For mainframes and personal computers
• Soft copy
– Monitor
• Cathode ray tube (CPT), plasma, liquid crystal
display (LCD)
• Hard copy
– Printer
• Inkjet, laser
– Voice
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Memory Devices
• Main memory
– Stores data and information
– Volatile
• Secondary memory
– Nonvolatile
– Holds data when the computer is off or during course
of a program's operation
– Serves as archival storage

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Main Memory Devices

• Semiconductor chips made of silicon
• Random access memory (RAM)
– Volatile
– Cache RAM
• Read only memory (ROM)
– Nonvolatile
– BIOS and system clock
– PROM
– EPROM

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Secondary Memory Devices

• Magnetic disks
– Made of mylar or metal
– Used for random-access processing
• Magnetic tape
– Made of a plastic material
– Stores data sequentially
• Optical discs
– Use laser beams to access and store data
– CD-ROM, WORM, DVD

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Exhibit 2.3 Magnetic Memory Devices

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Secondary Memory Devices (cont'd.)

• Other secondary memory
– Hard disk
– USB flash drive
– Memory card
• Redundant array of independent disks
(RAID) system
– Collection of disk drives used for fault tolerance and
improved performance
– If one disk in the array fails, data isn’t lost

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Exhibit 2.4 Examples of Memory Devices

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Table 2.4 Capacity of Secondary Memory Devices

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Storage Area Networks and Network-Attached

Storage
• Storage area network (SAN)
– Dedicated high-speed network consisting of both
hardware and software
– Connect and manage shared storage devices
– Makes storage devices available to all servers on a
network
• Network-attached storage (NAS)
– Network-connected computer dedicated to providing
file-based data storage services to other network
devices
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Classes of Computers
• Classify based on:
– Cost, amount of memory, speed, sophistication
• Types
– Subnotebooks, notebooks, personal, minicomputers,
mainframes, supercomputers

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Popular iPad Business Applications

• Healthcare workers
• Sales agents and service workers
• Insurance agents
• Real estate agents
• Legal professionals
• Teachers and students
• Financial professionals
• Corporate campus workers
• Remote and mobile workers
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Ubiquitous Computing
• Also called:
– Pervasive computing
– Third wave computing
• Wearable computers
– Cell phones
– Medical devices

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Server Platforms: An Overview

• Server
– Computer and all the software for managing network
resources and offering services to a network
• Types of servers
– Application – Print
– Database – Remote access (RAS)
– Web
– Disk
– Fax
– File
– Mail
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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

What is Software?
• All the programs that run a computer system
• Classified broadly as:
– System software
– Application software

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Operating System Software

• Operating system (OS)
– Set of programs for controlling and managing
computer hardware and software
– Provides an interface between a computer and the
user
– Increases computer efficiency by helping users share
computer resources and performing repetitive tasks
for users

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Operating System Software (cont'd.)

• Operating system control programs
– Job management
– Resource allocation
– Data management
– Communication
• Kernel
– Supervisor program
– Responsible for controlling all other programs in the
OS

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Google Docs: Applications and Challenges

• Free Web-based application for creating:
– Word processor documents, spreadsheets,
presentations, and forms
• Create and edit document
• Collaboration in real time
• Save in various formats
• Cloud computing
– Security risks

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Application Software
• Application software
– Commercial software or software developed in-house
• Software types
– Word processing
– Spreadsheet
– Database
– Presentation
– Graphics
– Desktop publishing

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Application Software (cont'd.)

– Financial planning and accounting
– Project management
– Computer-aided design (CAD)

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Computer Languages
• Machine language
– 0s and 1s
– Code written for one type of computer does not work
on another
• Assembly language
– Higher level than machine but still machine
dependent

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Computer Languages (cont'd.)

• High-level languages
– C++, Java, VB.Net, pyton
– Used for Web development and the Internet
• Fourth-generation languages
– Easiest to use
– SQL

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 Chapter 2 Computers: The Machines Behind Computing

Computer Languages (cont'd.)

• Fifth-generation languages (5GLs)
– Knowledge-based systems
– Natural language processing (NLP)
– Visual programming
– Graphical approach to using programming

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