Basic Function

of Computers
Group IV
The Basic Function of Computers
• The computer accepts INPUT. Computer input is whatever is
entered or fed into a computer system. Input can be
supplied by a person (such as by using a keyboard) or another
computer or device (such as diskette or CD-ROM)

• The computer perform useful operations, manipulating the

data in many ways. This manipulating is called PROCESSING.

Process: A systematic series of actions a computer uses

manipulate data.
Basic Function of Computers
• The computer STORES data. A computer must store data
so it is available for processing. Most computers have more
than one location for storing data (the hard drive or C:\ and
floppy drive or A:\) The place where the computer stores
the data depend on how the data is being used. The
storage of data in the computer is called ‘online storage’
while the storage of data on computer tapes, diskettes or
CD-ROMS is called ‘offline storage’

• The computer produces OUTPUT. Computer output is

information that has been produced by a computer.
Components
of A Computer
Add description

Name
Components of A Computer

All of the components of a Computer system can be

summarized with simple equations :
COMPUTER SYSTEM = HARDWARE + SOFTWARE = PEOPLEWARE

Computer System is made up of Three Major Components

1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Peopleware
1. Hardware a physical devices that make up a computer
consists of mechanical, electrical and electroic part of the
system.

Computers Hardware can be broadly classified into Two :

• Central Processing Unit
• Peripherals
 Central Processing Unit
“THE BRAIN” of a computer.
It has ALU Arithmetic Logic
Unit to perform arithmetical
and logical operations. It has
CU Control Unit to co-
ordinate the activities of the
CPU and Main memory for
primary storage
Peripherals
input/output and storage
devices surround the central
processing unit. They are
usually the electromechanical
devices connected to the CPU
that exchange data and
programs with the CPU. The
peripherals connected directly
to the CPU are called online
devices and devices not
directly connected are called
offline devices
 PERIHERALS divided into

INPUT DEVICES
a piece of equipment used to provide data and allow
user to input and instructions to the computer. There are
a variety of input devices. Directly entry of data generally
requires a keyboard. It may also use other devices for
direct data entry like a touch sensitive screen, voice
recognition system, and scanners.
Keyboard
most popular input devices
for directly entry of data and
instructions into computer.
The standard QWERTY
keyboard is used for
computer. The enhanced
keyboard has 101 keys.

1875, Christopher Latham

Sholes “The Father of the
typewriter” invented the
FIRST Practical typewriter and
the QWERTY keyboard still in
use today.
 Mouse
is a small hand-held ‘point and
click’ device that is connected
to the CPU through a cable.
Douglas Engelbart invented
mouse in 1963 at Stanford
Research Institute
Three Types of Mouse:
Mechanical
Optomechanical
Optical.
Mechanical Mouse
has a trackball at its bottom
Mechanical sensor within
the mouse detect the
direction the ball is rolling
and move the screen pointer
accordingly.
Optomechanical
Mouse
more or less the same as
the mechanical mouse,
uses optical sensors to
detect motion of the ball.
Optical Mouse
uses a laser to detect the
mouse movement.
Light Pen
consists of a stylus
connected by a cable to
the computer terminal.
By moving the stylus on
the screen, lines and
curves can be drawn on
the screen that can be
stored and used as
input.
Trackball
was originally built into
the keyboard. Running a
hand over the trackball
made the cursor on the
screen to move. The
cursor is used to make
selection from a menu
displayed on the
computer screen
Joystick
small vertical stick
attached to a
trackball for easier
mechanical
movements. It is used
mainly in game
programs
Scanners
are direct-entry input devices.
As the data entry is automatic,
the scanners ensure
more accurate data
entry. These scanners include
optical scanners and
magnetic ink character
readers. The optical
scanner use light for
sensing input and they
include OCR, OMR and
Barcode reader.
Barcode Reader
uses an optical scanner
to read product code
and converts it into
electrical pulses.
Voice Recognition
Systems
a special microphone is
used to capture
voice input. It
converts the voice
into electrical pulses
and then into digital
signals for onward
transmission to a
computer for
processing.
Digital Cameras
use to capture images
and they can record the
images on reusable
floppy disks.
PERIHERALS divided into

OUTPUT DEVICES
display result of the computer processing for user.
These are the devices that allow information to be
represented that is given out to the user, such as a
display screen or printer
Visual Display
Unit or Monitor
(VDUs)
are television-like
screens that provide
the user-interface in
the form of display
of text, numbers
and images. The
VDUs may be
monochrome or
color
Speaker and
Audio Response
Systems
computer can
produce verbal
output where the
output or response
can be
standardized as
replies to special
request for
information
Printer
purely output
devices. They produce
hard copy output.
Computer printers
vary widely in their
technologies and
capabilities
Classified into three broad groups:
• Character printers - print one character at a time
• Line printers drum - printer and chain printer
• Page printers - printer and magnetic printer

The various types of character printers

• Dot matrix printer (DMP)
• Daisy wheel printer
• Thermal printer
• Inkjet printer
Dot Matrix Printer
(DMP)
DMP prints one character
at a time as a set of dots
produced by the pins on
the print head It uses a
nine or twenty-four pin
print head. The pins or
printing wires are aligned
into the shape of the
character to be printed
before the print head
strikes the ribbon
Inkjet Printers
a non-impact printer
and is quiet when
working It sprays ink
particles through its
nozzle. On leaving
the nozzle, the tiny
particles of ink get
electrically charged
Laser Printer
Laser printer is a high-end
printer. It is more
expensive than inkjet
printers and its operating
costs are also higher than
inkjet printers. It uses the
same technology as that
of Xerox copier machines
and it can produce both
character and graphic
output. It gives the best
quality output.
Drum Printer
It is a line printer. It has
a drum that rotates at
high speed. A set of
characters is embossed
on the drum. It prints
one line of characters at
a time. The hammer for
a particular character
position is activated
when that character on
the drum passes under
it to produce character
impression on paper
Magnetic Printer
a drum coated with
magnetic material
captures the image of the
page to be printed. These
magnetic spots attract
dry ink particles, which
are then pressurized and
transferred to paper to
produce output.
Graphic Plotters
used for plotting graphs and
designs on paper. Architects
and designers use plotters to
produce blueprints of their
designs on paper. It is a
specialized output device for
preparing computer drawn
charts and graphs. The most
popular type of plotter is the
flat bed device. It plots on
paper (or other material) that
is spread on a flat bed.
PERIHERALS divided into
STORAGE DEVICES

1. Primary Memory (Main Memory) Memory is used to

store the information (programs and data) that
thecomputer is currently using. It is sometimes called
main or primary memory.
Random Access
Memory (RAM)
It is also known as
temporary holding area
for data, application
program instructions, and the
operating system.
“Waiting Room” for the
computer’s processor. It holds
raw data waiting to be
processed as well as the
program instructions for
processing that data
Two types of RAM
• Static RAM (SRAM) The word • Dynamic RAM (DRAM) unlike
static indicates that the memory SRAM, must be continually
retains its contents as long as refreshed in order to maintain the
power is being supplied. SRAM data. This is done by placing the
chips use a matrix of 6- memory on a refresh circuit that
rewrites the data several hundred
transistors and no capacitors.
timesper second. DRAM is used for
Transistors do not require power most system memory because it is
to prevent leakage, so SRAM cheap and small. All DRAMs are
need not have to be refreshed made up of memory cells which are
on a regular basis composed of one capacitor and
one transistor.
Read-Only-
Memory (ROM)
is used to store
programs that are
essential for the proper
operations of computer
system. ROM is non-
volatile.
Programs stored in
ROM chips are called
firmware; that is,
software built into the
hardware.
2. Secondary Memory (Storage Devices)
Secondary storage is thus, supplementary to primary storage. It
is, therefore, also called auxiliary storage. It has larger storage
capacity and is cheaper than primary storage. But access to
secondary storage is slower than that to primary storage. The
secondary storage devices may be serial access or direct access
devices.
Magnetic Disks
Magnetic disks are made of
rigid metals or synthetic
plastic material. The disk
platter is coated on both the
surfaces with magnetic
material and both the
surfaces can be used for
storage. The magnetic disk
provides direct access and is
popular for both small and
large computer systems. The
magnetic disk comes in two
forms: hard disks and floppy
disks
Hard drive:
The storage area within
the computer itself,
where megabytes of
space are available to
store bits of information.
Also known as a hard
disk.
Diskette
A small, removable,
flexible mylar plastic disk
covered with a thin layer
of a magnetic substance,
onto which digital data
can be recorded and
stored. Also known as a
floppy disk.
Magnetic Tape
is serial access storage medium. It
can store large volume of data at
low costs. The conventional
magnetic tape is in reels of up to
3600 feet made of mylar plastic
tape. A continuous plastic strip
covered with magnetic oxide; the
tape is divided into parallel tracks
onto which data may be recorded
by selectively magnetizing parts of
the surface, or spots, in each of the
tracks
Optical storage
Optical storage technology uses light as the medium for
representing data. It uses reflecting surfaces and laser
technology to read and write data on a disk. Also known
as a laser disk. Commonly used optical storage devices
include CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW and DVD
Compact Disc-
Read-Only
Memory (CD-
ROM)
Is a type of optical disk
capable of storing large
amounts of data -- up to
1GB, although the most
common size is 650MB
(megabytes). A single
CD-ROM has the
storage capacity of 700
floppy disks, enough
memory to store about
300,000 text pages.
Compact Disk –
Recordable (CD-R)
It can be used to
write data on it
once. The data on it
can be retrieved as
and when needed.
Compact Disk Re-
writable (CD-RW)
Compact Disk Re-
writable (CD-RW).Is
an optical disk that
can be rewritten
many times. The
data stored on it can
be read, erased and
re-written as
frequently as
needed.
Digital Versatile
Disk or Digital
Video Disk (DVD)
Is a large capacity secondary
storage device. It stores
seven times CD capacity on
asingle side. Double-sided or
dual layer DVDs are also
available with much larger
storage capacity. DVD uses a
5-inch disc for storage.
Single layer, single-sided
DVD has a storage capacity
of 4.7 GB. With double-layer,
double sided disc, it can
store 17 GB of data on a
single disk
 Solid State Storage
Solid State Storage (sometimes called flash memory) is a
technology that stores data in erasable, rewriteable
circuitry, rather than on spinning disks or streaming tape.
It contains a grid work of circuitry. Each cell in the grid
contains two transistors that act as gates.
Flash Drive (Pen
Drive)
secondary storage device
based on flash memory,
enabling easy transport of
data from one computer to
another, Compact device of
the size of a pen, comes in
various shapes and stylish
designs and may have
different added features;
Plug-and-play that simply
plugs into a USB (Universal
Serial Bus) port of a
computer, treated as
removable drive
Memory Card
(SD/MMC)
is a flat, solid state storage
medium commonly used to
transfer files from digital
cameras and media player to
computers. Similar to Flash
Drive but in card shape Plug-
and-play device that simply
plugs into a port of a
computer, treated as
removable drive Useful in
electronic devices like camera
and music player.
GPU (Graphics
Processing Unit)
a single-chip
processor primarily
used to manage and
boost the
performance of video
and graphics.
The first GPU was
developed by NVidia
in 1999 and called
the GeForce 256
Internal Component
Motherboard
The motherboard contains
the connectors for attaching
additional boards Typically,
the motherboard contains the
CPU, BIOS, memory, storage
interfaces, serial and parallel
ports, expansion slots, and all
thecontrollers required to
control standard peripheral
devices, such as the display
screen, keyboard, and disk
drive
CMOS (Complementary
Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor)
is an on-board, battery
powered semiconductor chip
inside the computer that
stores information. This
information ranges from the
system time and date to
system hardware settings for
your computer. The picture
shows an example of the
most common CMOS coin cell
battery used to power the
CMOS memory
Expansion Slots
An expansion slot is a
socket on the
motherboard that is used
to insert an expansion
card (or circuit board),
which provides additional
features to a computer
such as video, sound,
advanced graphics,
Ethernet or memory
AGP (Accelerated
Graphics Port)
is a parallel expansion
card standard, designed
for attaching a video card
to a computer system to
assist in the acceleration
of 3D computer graphics
It was originally designed
as a successor to PCI-type
connections for video
cards
Network Card
Network interface card
(NIC) is a computer
circuit board
or card that is installed
in a computer so that
it can be
connected to a
network.
 Graphic Card
The video card is an
expansion card that
allows the computer to
send graphical
information to a video
display device such as a
monitor, TV, or
projector.
 Memory Slots
A memory slot, memory
socket, or RAM slot is what
allows computer memory
(RAM) to be inserted into the
computer. Depending on the
motherboard, there may be 2
to 4 memory slots
(sometimes more on high-end
motherboards) and are what
determine the type of RAM
used with the computer
Cooling Fan
A computer fan is any fan
inside, or attached to, a
case used for active
cooling, and may refer to
fans that draw cooler air
into the case from the
outside, expel warm air
from inside, or move air
across a heat sink to cool
a particular component
Power Supply
Power supply unit or PSU,
is a component that
supplies power to a
computer The power
supply then pulls the
required amount of
electricity and converts
the AC current to DC
current
Ports
It is a physical docking
point using which an
external device can be
connected to the
computer. It can also be
programmatic docking
point through which
information flows from a
program to computer or
over the internet.
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