CONTENTS

• Overview
• Introduction to Computers
– Characteristics of Computers
– History/Evolution
– Generation Of Computers.
– Uses of Computers
– Features of Computers
– Types of Computers
 Introduction To Computers
• Accepts input, processes data, stores data, and produces output
• Input refers to whatever is sent to a Computer system
• Data refers to the symbols that represent facts, objects, and ideas
• Processing is the way that a computer manipulates data
• A computer processes data in a device called the central
processing unit (CPU)
 Introduction To Computers
• Memory is an area of a computer that holds data that is waiting to
be processed, stored, or output
• Storage is the area where data can be left on a permanent basis
• Computer output is the result produced by the computer
• An output device displays, prints or transmits the results of
processing
Introduction To Computers
 Introduction To Computers
Computer
Performs computations and makes logical decisions
Millions / billions times faster than human beings
Computer programs
Sets of instructions for which computer processes data
Hardware
Physical devices of computer system
Software
Programs that run on computers
• Definition:

• Introduction To Computer Software

• Operating system
• Problem solving Techniques
• Computer Prog ramming languages
• Computer Threats
 Introduction To Computers
• Capabilities of Computers
• Huge Data Storage
• Input and Output
• Processing
 Introduction To Computers
• Characteristics/Feature of Computers
• High Processing Speed
• Accuracy
• Reliability
• Memory
• Diligence
• Ability to program
 Introduction To Computers
• Uses of Computers
• Education
• Science
• Publication
• Health and Medicine
• Communication
• Entertainment
Introduction To Computers

History Of Computers
• Before the 1500s, in Europe, calculations were made
with an abacus
Invented around 500BC, available in many
cultures (China, Mesopotamia, Japan, Greece,
Rome, etc.)

• In 1642, Blaise Pascal (French mathematician,

physicist, philosopher) invented a mechanical
calculator called the Pascaline

• In 1671, Gottfried von Leibniz (German

mathematician, philosopher) extended the
Pascaline to do multiplications, divisions,
square roots: the Stepped Reckoner

None of these machines had memory, and they

required human intervention at each step
• In 1822 Charles Babbage (English
mathematician, philosopher), sometimes called
the “father of computing” built the Difference
Engine

• Machine designed to automate the computation

(tabulation) of polynomial functions (which
are known to be good approximations of many
useful functions)
– Based on the “method of finite difference”
– Implements some storage

• In 1833 Babbage designed the Analytical

Engine, but he died before he could build it
– It was built after his death, powered by
steam
Introduction To Computers

Generations of Computers
 Introduction To Computers
• Generation of Computers
• First Generation (1946-59)
• Second Generation(1959-64)
• Third Generation(1965-70)
• Fourth Generation(1970-90)
• Fifth Generation(1990 till date)
Introduction To Computers
First Second Third Fourth Gen.
Generation Gen. Gen.
Technology Vacuum Transistors Integrated Microchips
Tubes Circuits (millions of
(multiple transistors)
transistors)
Size Filled Whole Filled half a Smaller Tiny - Palm
Buildings room Pilot is as
powerful as
old building
sized
computer
Introduction To Computers
Some Pictures…..
Generation 1 : ENIAC
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was unveiled in 1946:
the first all-electronic, general-purpose digital computer
The use of binary
In the 30s Claude Shannon (the father of “information theory”) had
proposed that the use of binary arithmetic and boolean logic should
be used with electronic circuits

The Von-Neumann architecture

CPU Memory

I/O
System
Generation 2: IBM7094
Generation 3: Integrated Circuits

Seymour Cray created the Cray Research

Corporation
Cray-1: $8.8 million, 160 million
instructions per seconds and 8 Mbytes of
memory
Generation 4: VLSI Improvements to IC technology made it
possible to integrate more and more transistors
in a single chip
SSI (Small Scale Integration): 10-100
MSI (Medium Scale Integration): 100-
1,000
LSI (Large Scale Integration): 1,000-
10,000
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration):
Microprocessors >10,000
Generation 5?

The term “Generation 5” is used sometimes to refer to all

more or less “sci fi” future developments
Voice recognition
Artificial intelligence
Quantum computing
Bio computing
Nano technology
Learning
Natural languages
Types of Computer Systems (1)
• Personal computers (PCs)
– Small, inexpensive, often called microcomputers
• Network computers
– Used for accessing networks, especially the Internet
• Workstations
– Fit between high-end microcomputers and low-end
midrange
Types of Computer Systems (2)
• Midrange (or ‘mini’) computers
– Size of a three drawer file cabinet and
accommodates several users at one time
• Mainframe computers
– Large and powerful, shared by hundreds
concurrently
• Supercomputers
– Most powerful with fastest processing speeds
Packaging the Computer
• The many physical forms of the Fast Expensive Complex Large
general purpose computer:
– All follow general Super Computers

organization: Mainframe Computers

• Primary memory
Minicomputers
• Input units
• Output units Microcomputer
• Central Processing Palmtop Computer
Unit
– Grouped according Calculator

to speed, cost, size, Slow Cheap Simple Small

and complexity.
 Computer Hardware
Components:
CPU, Memory, and I/O

What is the typical configuration of

a computer sold today?
 Basic Concepts of
Computer Hardware
Primary Memory

Input CPU Output

Units (Central Processing Unit) Units

• This model of the typical digital computer is often called the von
Neumann computer.
– Programs and data are stored in the same memory:
primary memory.
– The computer can only perform one instruction at a time.
Basic Concepts of Computer
Hardware
• Input/Output (I/O): Refers to the process of
getting information into and out of the
computer.
– Input: Those parts of the computer receiving
information to programs.
– Output: Those parts of the computer that
provide results of computation to the person
using the computer.
 Sources of Data
for the Computer
• Two types of data stored within a
computer:
– Original data or information: Data
being introduced to a computing system
for the first time.
• Computers can deal directly with printed text,
pictures, sound, and other common types of
information.
– Previously stored data or information:
Data that has already been processed by
a computer and is being stored for later
 Input Devices

PC input devices Automatic Teller Machine

(ATM)
Voice recognition devices
Pen input devices
Digital computer cameras
Light pens
Terminals
Touch sensitive screens
Scanning devices
Bar code scanners
Optical data readers
Magnetic Ink Character
Recognition (MICR)
Point Of Sale (POS) devices
 Input Devices
• Two categories of input hardware:
– Those that deal with original data.
– Those that handle previously stored data.
 Input Devices
• Input hardware: Those that deal with
original data.
– Keyboard
– Mouse
– Voice recognition hardware
– Scanner
– Digital camera
• Digitizing: The process of taking a visual
image, or audio recording and converting it
to a binary form for the computer.
 Input Devices
• Connecting Hardware to the computer:
– Hardware needs access through some
general input/output connection.
• Port: The pathway for data to go into and out of
the computer from external devices such as
keyboards.
– There are many standard ports as well as custom
electronic ports designed for special purposes.
– Ports follow standards that define their use.
» SCSI, USB: Multiple peripheral devices (chain).
» RS-232, IDE: Individual peripheral devices.
• Peripheral device: A piece of hardware like a
printer or disk drive, that is outside the main
computer.
 Primary Memory
• Primary storage or memory: Is where the data and program that
are currently in operation or being accessed are stored during use.
– Consists of electronic circuits: Extremely fast
and expensive.
– Two types:
• RAM (non-permanent)
– Programs and data can be stored here for the
computer’s use.
– Volatile: All information will be lost once the computer
shuts down.
• ROM (permanent)
– Contents do not change.
 Output Devices
Display monitors
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs)
Printers and plotters
Computer Output Microfilm (COM)
 Output Devices
• Output units store and display information
(calculated results and other messages)
for us to see and use.
– Floppy disk drives and Hard disk drives.
– Display monitors: Hi-resolution monitors come
in two types:
• Cathode ray tube (CRT) - Streams of electrons
make phosphors glow on a large vacuum tube.
• Liquid crystal display (LCD) - A flat panel display
that uses crystals to let varying amounts of
different colored light to pass through it.
– Developed primarily for portable computers.
 I/O…
• Connecting Hardware to the computer:
(continued)
– Hardware needs software on the computer
that can run the device.
• Device driver: Software addition to the operating
system that will allow the computer to
communicate with a particular device.
 I/O…
• Common Basic Technologies for Storing
Binary Information:
– Electronic
– Magnetic
– Optical
 I/O…
• Electronic Circuits
– Most expensive of the three forms for storing
binary information.
– A flip-flop circuit has either one electronic
status or the other. It is said to flip-flop from
one to the other.
– Electronic circuits come in two forms:
• Permanent
• Non-permanent
 I/O…
• Magnetic Technology
– Two parts to most of the magnetic forms of
information storage:
• The medium that stores the magnetic information.
– Example: Floppy disk. Tiny spots on the disk are
magnetized to represent 0s and 1s.
• The device that can “read” that information from
the medium.
– The drive spins the disk.
– It has a magnetic sensing arm that moves over the disk.
– Performs nondestructive reading.
 I/O…
• Optical
– Uses lasers to “read” the binary information
from the medium, usually a disc.
• Millions of tiny holes are “burned” into the surface
of the disc.
• The holes are interpreted as 1s. The absence of
holes are interpreted as 0s.
 I/O…
• Secondary Memory Devices
– These input devices are used by a computer
to store information and then to retrieve that
information as needed.
• External to the computer.
• Commonly consists of floppy disks, hard disk
drives, or CD-ROMs.
– Secondary memory uses binary.
• The usual measurement is the byte.
– A byte consists of 8 binary digits (bits). The byte is a
standard unit.
 I/O…
• The four most important characteristics of
storage devices:
– Speed and access time
– Cost / Removable versus non-removable
– Capacity
– Type of access
 I/O…
• Speed (Access time) - How fast
information can be taken from or stored
onto the computer memory device’s
medium.
– Electronic circuits: Fastest to access.
• 40 billionths in a second.
– Floppy disks: Very slow in comparison.
• Takes up to 1/2 second to reach full speed before
access is even possible.
 I/O…
• Cost
– Megabyte: A Million bytes.
– Gigabyte: A billion bytes.
– Two parts to a removable secondary storage
device:
• The cost of the medium. (Cheaper if bought in quantity)
• The cost of the drive.
 I/O…
• Capacity - The amount of information that
can be stored on the medium.
Unit Description Approximate Size
1 bit 1 binary digit
1 nibble 4 bits
1 byte 8 bits 1 character
1 kilobyte 1,024 bytes 1/2 page, double spaced
1 megabyte 1,048,576 bytes 500,000 pages
1 million bytes
1 gigabyte 1,073,741,824 bytes 5 million pages
1 billion bytes
1 terabyte 1 trillion bytes 5 billion pages
 I/O…
• Type of Access

• Sequential - Obtained by proceeding through the

storage medium from the beginning until the
designated area is reached (as in magnetic tape).

• Random Access - Direct access (as in floppy and

hard disks).
 The Central Processing Unit
• The Central Processing Unit ( CPU)
– Often referred to as the “brain” of the
computer.
– Responsible for controlling all activities of the
computer system.
– The three major components of the CPU are:
1. Arithmetic Unit (Computations performed)
Accumulator (Results of computations kept here)
2. Control Unit (Has two locations where numbers are kept)
Instruction Register (Instruction placed here for analysis)
Program Counter (Which instruction will be performed next?)
3. Instruction Decoding Unit (Decodes the instruction)
– Motherboard: The place where most of the
electronics including the CPU are mounted.
 I/O…
• Audio Output Devices
– Windows machines need special audio card for
audio output.
– Macintosh has audio playback built in.
– Audio output is useful for:
• Music
– CD player is a computer.
– Most personal computers have CD players that can access
both music CDs and CD-ROMs.
• Voice synthesis (becoming more human sounding.)
• Multimedia
• Specialized tasks (i.e.: elevator’s floor
announcements)
 I/O…
• Optical Disks: CD-ROM and DVD
– CD-ROM (Compact Disk - Read Only
Memory)
• By its definition, CD-ROM is Read Only.
• Special CD drives “burn” information into blank
CDs.
– Burn: A laser is used to “burn” craters into the surface to
represent a binary 1.
– Two main types of CDs:
» CD-R (Compact Disk - Recordable)
» CD-WR (Compact Disk - ReWritable)
• It takes longer to write to a CD-R than a hard drive.
• Special software is needed to record.
 I/O…
• DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)
– Allows up to 17 gigabytes of storage (from 4.7
GB to 17 GB).
– Compatible with older CD-ROM technology.
– The four versions of the DVD:
 I/O…
• Storage Requirements: How much storage
capacity is needed for…
– One keystroke on a keyboard. 1 byte (8 bits)
– One page single-spaced document. 4.0 K
– Nineteen pages formatted text. 75 K
– One second of high-fidelity sound. 95-110 K
– Complete word processing program. 8.4 MG

• Storage Capacity: How much data can be

stored on…
– One inch of 1/2 in. wide magnetic tape. 4K
– One 3 1/2” floppy disk, high density. 1.4 MG
– One Compact Disk. 650 MG
– One DVD. up to 17 GB
 Moving Information
Within the Computer
• How do binary numerals move into, out of,
and within the computer?
– Information is moved about in bytes, or
multiple bytes called words.
• Words are the fundamental units of information.
• The number of bits per word may vary per
computer.
• A word length for most large IBM computers is 32
bits:
 Moving Information
Within the Computer
• Bits that compose a word
are passed in parallel from
place to place.
– Ribbon cables:
• Consist of several
wires, molded
together.
• One wire for each bit
of the word or byte.
• Additional wires
coordinate the activity
of moving
information.
• Each wire sends
information in the
form of a voltage
pulse.
 Moving Information
Within the Computer
• Example of sending the
word WOW over the
ribbon cable
– Voltage pulses
corresponding
to the ASCII
codes would
pass through
the cable.