Chapter I : Introduction to Computer

Introduction to Computer

A computer is an electronic device, operating

under the control of instructions stored in its
own memory that can accept data (input),
process the data according to specified rules,
produce information (output), and store the
information for future use.
Functionalities Of A Computer

• Any digital computer carries out five

functions in gross terms.

– Takes Data as Input

– Stores the data/Instructions in its memory and
use them when required.
– Processes the data and coverts it into useful
Information.
– Generates the Output.
– Control all the above four steps.
Computer Components

Any kind of computers consists of

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.

Hardware

Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that

constitutes a computer system. Computer hardware refers to the
physical parts or components of a computer such as the monitor,
mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk (HDD),
system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and
chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can be touched.
Software

Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer

data and instructions, often broken into two major categories:

1. system software that provides the basic non- task-specific functions

of the computer, and

2. application software which is used by users to accomplish specific

tasks.
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The computer has evolved from a large-sized simple
calculating machine to a smaller but much more powerful
machine.

The evolution of computer to the current state is defined

in terms of the generations of computer.

Each generation of computer is designed based on a new

technological development, resulting in better, cheaper
and smaller computers that are more powerful, faster and
efficient than their predecessors.

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 Generations of Computer
Currently, there are five generations of computer. In
the following subsections, we will discuss the
generations of computer in terms of the technology
used by them (hardware and software), computing
characteristics (speed, i.e., number of instructions
executed per second), physical appearance, and
their applications.

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First Generation Computers (1940-1956)
 The first computers used vacuum tubes(a sealed glass tube
containing a near-vacuum which allows the free passage of electric
current.) for
circuitry and magnetic drums for memory.
 They were often enormous and taking up entire room.
 First generation computers relied on machine language.
 They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great
deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause
of malfunctions(defect or breakdown).
 The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation
computing devices.

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First Generation Computers
Advantages :
It was only electronic device
First device to hold memory

Disadvantages :
Too bulky i.e large in size
Vacuum tubes burn frequently
They were producing heat
Maintenance problems

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 Second Generation Computers
(1956-1963)
• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and used in the
second generation of computers.
• Second-generation computers moved from
cryptic binary machine language to symbolic.
• High-level programming languages were also being
developed at this time, such as early versions
of COBOL and FORTRAN.
• These were also the first computers that stored their
instructions in their memory.

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Second Generation Computers
Advantages :
Size reduced considerably
The very fast
Very much reliable

Disadvantages :
They over heated quickly
Maintenance problems

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Third Generation Computers (1964-1971)

• The development of the integrated circuit was

the hallmark of the third generation of
computers.
• Transistors were miniaturized and placed
on siliconchips, called semiconductors.
• Instead of punched cards and printouts, users
interacted with third generation computers
through keyboards and monitors and interfaced
with an operating system.
• Allowed the device to run many
different applications at one time.
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Third generation computers
Advantages :
ICs are very small in size
Improved performance
Production cost cheap

Disadvantages :
ICs are sophisticated

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 Fourth Generation Computers (1971-
present)

• The microprocessor brought the fourth

generation of computers, as thousands of
integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon
chip.
• The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located
all the components of the computer.
• From the central processing unit and memory to
input/output controls—on a single chip.
• . Fourth generation computers also saw the
development of GUIs, the mouse and
handheld devices.
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Fourth Generation Computers

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 Fifth Generation Computers (present and
beyond)

• Fifth generation computing devices, based

on artificial intelligence.
• Are still in development, though there are some
applications, such as voice recognition.
• The use of parallel processing and
superconductors is helping to make artificial
intelligence a reality.
• The goal of fifth-generation computing is to
develop devices that respond to natural
language input and are capable of learning and
self-organization.
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Hardware-Functional Units
Components of CPU
MotherBoard
The motherboard is the main circuit board that
connects all the components of a computer. It
provides the electrical connections through which
the other parts of the system communicate. The
motherboard houses the CPU, memory, and
provides slots for other components like the
graphics card, storage devices, and peripheral
connections. It also contains the BIOS/UEFI
firmware, which helps boot up the computer.
 RAM
Random Access Memory (RAM) is a type of
volatile memory that stores data temporarily while
a computer is running. It allows the CPU to access
data quickly, speeding up processing times. More
RAM enables a computer to handle more tasks at
once and run more complex applications without
slowing down. However, the data in RAM is lost
when the computer is turned off.
 Storage Devices
Storage devices are where data is permanently stored. The
two main types are Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) and Solid-
State Drives (SSDs). HDDs use spinning disks to read/write
data, offering large storage capacities at a lower cost.
SSDs, on the other hand, use flash memory, which is faster
and more reliable but often more expensive
 PSU
The Power Supply Unit (PSU) converts electrical power
from an outlet into a usable form for the computer.
 GPU/AGP Card
The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles the rendering
of images, video, and animations. While CPUs can manage
basic graphical tasks, GPUs are specialized for processing
complex visual data, making them essential for gaming,
video editing, and other graphics-intensive applications.
 Fan/Heat Sink
Cooling systems are crucial for maintaining optimal
temperatures inside the computer. CPUs and GPUs
generate significant heat, especially under heavy
workloads. Fans and heat sinks are the most common
cooling methods, where fans draw cool air into the case
and expel hot air, while heat sinks dissipate heat away from
the processor.
 NIC/LAN Port
The Network Interface Card (NIC) enables the computer to
connect to a network, whether it’s a local network (LAN) or
the internet.
 Processor
The logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic
instructions that drive a computer
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
A CPU is brain of a computer. It is responsible for all functions and
processes. Regarding computing power, the CPU is the most
important element of a computer system.
Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is comprised of three main parts :

1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Executes all arithmetic and logical operations.
Arithmetic calculations like as addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division. Logical operation like compare numbers, letters, or special
characters

2. Control Unit (CU): controls and co-ordinates computer components.

– Read the code for the next instruction to be executed.
– Increment the program counter so it points to the next instruction.
– Read whatever data the instruction requires from cells in memory.
– Provide the necessary data to an ALU or register.
– If the instruction requires an ALU or specialized hardware to complete, instruct the
hardware to perform the requested operation.

3. Registers :Stores the data that is to be executed next, "very fast storage
area".
Primary Memory

• RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is a memory scheme within

the computer system responsible for storing data on a temporary
basis, so that it can be promptly accessed by the processor as and
when needed. It is volatile in nature, which means that data will be
erased once supply to the storage device is turned off. RAM stores
data randomly and the processor accesses these data randomly
from the RAM storage. RAM is considered "random access"
because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the
row and column that intersect at that cell.

• ROM (Read Only Memory): ROM is a permanent form of storage.

ROM stays active regardless of whether power supply to it is turned
on or off. ROM devices do not allow data stored on them to be
modified.
 Secondary Memory

• Stores data and programs permanently: its retained after the power is turned off

• Hard drive (HD): A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard
drive," or "hard disk drive," that store and provides relatively quick access to
large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of
surfaces.

• Optical Disk: an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light as
part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some
drives can only read from discs, but recent drives are commonly both readers
and recorders, also called burners or writers. Compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-
ray discs are common types of optical media which can be read and recorded
by such drives. Optical drive is the generic name; drives are usually described
as "CD" "DVD", or "Bluray", followed by "drive", "writer", etc. There are three
main types of optical media: CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc. CDs can store up to
700 megabytes (MB) of data and DVDs can store up to 8.4 GB of data. Blu-ray
discs, which are the newest type of optical media, can store up to 50 GB of
data. This storage capacity is a clear advantage over the floppy disk storage
media (a magnetic media), which only has a capacity of 1.44 MB.
Secondary Memory
Flash Disk
A storage module made of flash memory chips. A Flash disks have no
mechanical platters or access arms, but the term "disk" is used because the
data are accessed as if they were on a hard drive. The disk storage
structure is emulated.
Comparison between RAM and HARD
DISK
Memory Hierarchy
Input Devices

Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment to

provide data and control signals to an information processing system such
as a computer or other information appliance.
Input device Translate data from form that humans understand to one that
the computer can work with. Most common are keyboard and mouse
Output Devices

An output device is any piece of computer hardware

equipment used to communicate the results of data
processing carried out by an information processing system
(such as a computer) which converts the electronically
generated information into human- readable form.
PRINTER
DOT MATRIX PRINTER
INKJET PRINTER
LASER PRINTER
THERMAL PRINTER
Speaker,HeadSet & Projector
Software Types

System Application
software software
System software
System software is responsible for controlling, integrating, and
managing the individual hardware components of a computer
system so that other software and the users of the system see it as
a functional unit without having to be concerned with the low-level
details such as transferring data from memory to disk, or rendering
text onto a display.

Generally, system software consists of an operating system and

some fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file managers,
display managers, text editors, user authentication (login) and
management tools, and networking and device control software.
Application software
Application software is used to accomplish specific tasks other
than just running the computer system.

Application software may consist of a single program, such as an

image viewer; a small collection of programs (often called a
software package) that work closely together to accomplish a task,
such as a spreadsheet or text processing system;
a larger collection (often called a software suite) of related but
independent programs and packages that have a common user
interface or shared data format, such as Microsoft Office, which
consists of closely integrated word processor, spreadsheet,
database, etc.;

or a software system, such as a database management system,

which is a collection of fundamental programs that may provide
some service to a variety of other independent applications.
Comparison Application Software and System
Software

System Software Application Software

Computer software, or just software is a

general term primarily used for digitally
Application software, also known as an
stored data such as computer programs and
application or an "app", is computer
other kinds of information read and written
software designed to help the user to
by computers. App comes under computer
perform specific tasks.
software though it has a wide scope now.

1) Opera (Web Browser)

1) Microsoft Windows 2) Microsoft Word (Word Processing)
2) Linux 3) Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheet software)
Example: 3) Unix 4) MySQL (Database Software)
4) Mac OSX 5) Microsoft PowerPoint (Presentation
5) DOS Software)
6) Adobe Photoshop (Graphics Software)

Interaction: Generally, users do not interact with system Users always interact with application software
software as it works in the background. while doing different activities.

Dependency: System software can run independently of Application software cannot run without the
the application software. presence of the system software.
Unit of Measurements

Storage measurements: The basic unit used in computer data storage

is called a bit (binary digit). Computers use these little bits, which are
composed of ones and zeros, to do things and talk to other computers.
All your files, for instance, are kept in the computer as binary files and
translated into words and pictures by the software (which is also ones
and zeros). This two number system, is called a “binary number system”
since it has only two numbers in it. The decimal number system in
contrast has ten unique digits, zero through nine.
 Packages
A software package is a group of computer programs that
can be licensed, downloaded or subscribed to as a bundle
of related products.
The products in the package may include executable
programs, program documentation and, in some cases,
example files that show how the various components work.
Although individual applications in a commercial software
package can often be licensed separately, bundled pricing
models may make it more economical to purchase them
together as a product suite.

Ex: GoogleSheet ,OfficeSuit

 Frameworks
A software framework is a collection of reusable
components and tools that help developers create
applications more efficiently.

It's like a template for a working program that developers

can customize by adding code.

Ex: Spring,Flutter,React
 IDE’s
An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a
software application that helps programmers develop
software code by combining many tools into one place:
Code editor: Where programmers write and edit source
code
Compiler or interpreter: Translates source code into a
language that the computer can execute
Debugger: Tests the software to find and fix any issues or
bugs
Ex: NetBeans,Eclipse