Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

FACULTY OF PHYSICAL & COMPUTING SCIENCES

CMP 101: Introduction to Computer Science

PART 2: Concept of the Computer System

© 2024, Department of Computer Science, UDUS 1

CONTENTS

 What is a Computer?
 Characteristics of a Computer
 Components of a Computer
 Classifications of Computer

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WHAT IS A COMPUTER ?

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What is a Computer?
 A computer can be defined as a programmable device that can
automatically perform logical and arithmetic operations based on
the input given by the user and returns the desired result after
processing.

A computer can also be defined as an electronic device that accepts

data, processes, and stores the data as per user instruction and gives
the results quickly and accurately.

A computer system is a combination of hardware and software that takes

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What is a Computer?
 NB: The main functions of a Computer System are: Input, Processing,
Output and Storage.
 All these functions are performed via some components of the computer
system such as:

 Input functions are performed using the inputs devices

 Processing functions are performed by the Central Processing Unit
(CPU)
 Output functions are performed using the output devices and
 Storage functions are performed using the storage devices (Primary
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Characteristics of a Computer
 Speed: Computers can process millions (1,000,000)
of instructions per second. The time taken by
computers for their operations is microseconds
and nanoseconds.

 Accuracy: Computers perform calculations and any

other operation with 100% accuracy. Errors may
occur due to data inconsistency or inaccuracy.

 Diligence: A computer can perform millions of

tasks or calculations with the same consistency and
accuracy. It doesn’t feel any fatigue or lack of
concentration. Its memory also makes it superior to
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that of human beings.
Characteristics of a Computer
 Versatility: Versatility refers to the capability of a computer to
perform different kinds of work with the same accuracy and efficiency.
 Reliability: A computer is reliable as it gives consistent results for
similar set of data i.e., if we give the same set of input any number of
times, we will get the same result.
 Automation: The computer performs all the tasks automatically i.e. it
performs tasks without or with limited human/manual intervention.
Memory: A computer has built-in memory called primary memory
where it stores data. Secondary storage is removable devices such
as CDs, pen drives, etc., which are also used to store data. 7
COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER
SYSTEM

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Components of a Computer

 There are three major components of a computer system, namely:

Computer System

Software

Peoplewar
Hardware e

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HARDWARE COMPONENTS

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Hardware Components
 These include the physical components that make up a computer
system.
 The hardware components include all components that a user can see
and touch while using the computer.
 A computer system consists of four basic units; namely the
 Input unit,
 Storage unit,
 Central processing unit, and
 output unit.
 The central processing unit is further divided into Arithmetic logic unit
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Hardware Components (Cont…)
 These four units enable the computer to perform the following five
basic functions:
 Accepts data or instructions as input
 Stores data and instructions
 Processes data based on per-user instructions
 Controls all operations inside a computer
 Gives results in the form of output to the user.

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Basic Units of a Computer System
 Mouse, keyboard,
scanner, touchscreen Monitor,
monitor,
Basic Units of a Computer System printer, and
camera/camcorder, speaker etc.
joystick, and
microphone.

Central Storage Output

Input units
Processing Unit Unit
Unit (CPU)

1. Arithmetic & Logic 1. Primary Storage

Unit 2. Secondary storage
2. Control unit 3. External storage

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Central Processing Unit (CPU)
 This is the processing center of the computer. It is the center where all
arithmetic and logical operations of the computer is performed. The CPU is
divided into:
 The Arithmetic Logic (ALU) Unit performs all calculations and comparisons
based on the data and instructions provided.
 It performs arithmetic functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division and logical operations such as greater than, less than, greater than
or equal to, equal to, etc.
 The Control Unit (CU) controls all operations of the computer. It takes care of
step by step processing of all operations inside the computer.
 Operations such as input, processing, and output are performed by the
control unit. 14
Storage Unit
 Storage devices are used by the computer system to save data and
information for future use.
 Some of the hardware components that make up the storage devices
include:
 Primary memory/storage: Random Access Memory (RAM),
Read-Only Memory (ROM), cache and flash memory.
 Secondary (internal) storage: Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Solid
State Drive (SSD)
 External storage: CD/DVD, diskette, flash drive, external hard
disk, blue ray disk, and a pen drive. 15
SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

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Software Components
Software components of a computer system have no physical presence
but are a set of instructions and data stored in digital form
within the computer memory.

They are basically divided into two: system software and

application software.

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System Software
 Are used to manage and control the hardware components of
the computer.
 It allows for user interaction between the hardware and application
software.
 There are four (4) major categories of system software:
 The operating system
 Device drivers
 Utility software
 Language translators

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Operating System (OS)
 An Operating System (OS) can be defined as system software that
manages computer hardware and software resources.
 It is a vital component of the computer system and it provides
common services for computer programs.
 Application software is usually dependent on the operating system to
function
Examples of the operating system include Unix, Linux, Mac Os,
OS/2, Xenix, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, HP-
UX, Android (for mobile devices), etc.

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Functions of Operating System (OS)
 It helps in booting the computer system
 It monitors the system performance and activities
 It helps in managing various peripheral devices such as mouse,
keyboard, printer, etc.
It helps in resource allocation such as computer’s memory and sharing
of the central processing unit time by various applications or peripheral
devices
 It provides a system of file management which includes the way the
operating system manipulates, stores, retrieves and saves data.

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Drivers & Utility Software
Drivers: Device drivers are operating system specific. A driver that
works in Windows 7 may not necessarily work in windows 8. Examples
of device drivers: printer drivers, video adapter drivers,
network drivers, sound card drivers, etc.

Utility software: Utility software is routine software that is packaged

with the operating system which helps in system maintenance.
Examples of utility software include Norton Antivirus, McAfee
antivirus, Scandisk, disk defragmenter, backup and recovery
manager, etc. 21
22 Language Translators

 Compiler
 The programs written in any high-level programming language(C or Pascal)
are converted into machine language using a compiler.
 Interpreter
 An interpreter analyses and executes the source code in line-byline Manner,
without looking at the entire program.
 Assembler
 Compared to all the types of programming languages, assembly Language is
closest to the machine code. An assembler converts the assembly codes into
machine codes, making the assembly program ready for execution.
Application Software
 Are used to accomplish specific tasks other than just running the computer
system.
 There are different kinds of application software such as word processing
software, spreadsheet application software, graphics, multimedia software,
database software, etc.
 Application software may consist of a single program e.g. AVS Video editor,
 Or small collection of programs that work closely together to accomplish
a task e.g. Microsoft Office Word,
 Or a larger collection of related but independent programs and packages
that have a common user interface or shared data format, such as Microsoft
Office suite which consist of MS word, excel, PowerPoint etc. 23
Examples Application Software
 Word Processing: MS Word, WordPad, WordPerfect, word star,
textmaker, Lotus word pro, Microsoft works, etc
 Spreadsheet applications: MS Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, Quattro Pro,
PlanMaker, OpenOffice.org Calc, AppleWorks, Accel, etc.
 Graphics Design applications: 3D Studio Max, CorelDraw,
Macromedia Dreamweaver & fireworks, paint, photoshop, illustrator, etc.
Multimedia software: Windows media player, Real player, Total video
player, Gamut, Winamp, etc.
 Database applications: MS Access, Oracle, MySQL, MS SQL Server,
DB2, etc.
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Peopleware
 The computer is designed to be used by people.
 The people who use the computer are referred to as peopleware component
of the computer system.
 Peopleware refers to the role of people in the development and use of
computer software and hardware.
 Anyone who designs, develops or uses computer systems plays an
important role in the computing process.
 They include computer professionals and users such as computer
engineers, programmers, individual computer users, software engineers, IT
specialists, network engineers, graphic designers, computer technicians,
database administrators, desktop publishers, etc. 25
CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMPUTER
SYSTEM

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Classification of Computers
In this section, we are going to look at classifications of computer
system by:
 Classification by types
 Classification by size
 Classification by purpose

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Classification by Types
There are three major classification of computers by type, namely:

 Analog Computers
 Digital Computers
 Hybrid computers

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Analog Computers
 An analog computer is a kind of computer that represents data as a
variable across a continuous range of values.
 The earliest computers were analog computers.
 Analog computers are used for measuring parameters that vary
continuously in real-time, such as temperature, pressure, and
voltage.
 Other examples of analog computers are: Thermometers, weight
scales, wall clock etc.

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Digital Computers
 A digital computer uses distinct values to represent the data internally.
 All information is represented using the digits 0s and 1s.
 The computers that we use in our homes and offices are digital
computers.
Digital computers can be built to take the solution of equations to
almost unlimited precision, but quite slowly compared to analog
computers.
Generally, complex equations are approximated using iterative
numerical methods which take huge numbers of iterations.
 Examples are: PC’s, smart phones, tablets, calculators etc.
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Hybrid Computers
 Hybrid computers are computers that exhibit features of analog
computers and digital computers.
 The digital component normally serves as the controller and provides
logical operations, while the analog component normally serves as a
solver of differential equations.
 With a three or four-digit, highly accurate numerical seed, the total
digital computation time necessary to reach the desired precision is
dramatically reduced, since many fewer iterations are required.
 E.g. Fuel vending machine, ultra-sound machine etc.

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Classification by Size
 Computers are broadly classified into four based on their size, namely:

 Microcomputers,
 Mini-computers,
 Mainframe computers, and
 Supercomputers.

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Micro-Computers
 Microcomputers are relatively small and low-cost.
 They consist of a CPU, an input unit, an output unit, a storage unit,
and the software.
Although microcomputers are stand-alone machines, they can be
connected together to create a network of computers that can serve
more than one user.
Microcomputers include desktop computers, notebook computers
or laptops, tablet computers, handheld computers,
smartphones, and netbooks,

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Examples Micro-Computers
 The Desktop Computer
 Notebook Computers or Laptops look like a notebook. They
are portable and have all the features of a desktop computer
 Netbooks are smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and
low cost and are designed for accessing web-based applications
 Tablet Computer has features of the notebook computer but it
can accept input from a stylus or a pen instead of the keyboard
or mouse.
 Handheld Computer or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is
a small computer that can be held on the top of the palm. It is
small in size. Instead of the keyboard, PDA uses a pen or a
stylus for input.
 Smartphones are cellular phones that function both as a
phone and as a small PC. They may use a stylus or a pen or may
have a small keyboard
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Mini-Computers
 Minicomputers are digital computers, generally used in multi-user

systems.
 They have high processing speed and high storage capacity than the
microcomputers.
 Minicomputers can support up to 4 – 200 users simultaneously.
The users can access the minicomputer through their PCs or terminal.
They are used for real-time applications in industries, research
centers, etc.
PDP 8, IBM (8000 series) are some of the widely used minicomputers

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Mainframe Computers
Mainframe computers are multi-user, multi-programming, and high-
performance computers.
They operate at a very high speed, have a very large storage capacity,
and can handle the workload of many users.
 Mainframe computers are large and powerful systems generally used
in centralized databases.
Mainframe computers are used in organizations like banks or
companies, where many people require frequent access to the same
data.
 Some examples of mainframes are CDC 6600 and IBM ES000 series.
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Super Computers
 Supercomputers are the fastest and most expensive machines.
 They have high processing speed compared to other computers.
 The speed of a supercomputer is generally measured in FLOPS (Floating
Point Operations Per Second).
 Some of the faster supercomputers can perform trillions of calculations
per second.
 Supercomputers are built by interconnecting thousands of processors
that can work in parallel
 Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks, such as
weather forecasting, climate research (global warming), molecular
research, biological research, nuclear research, and aircraft design 37
Super Computers (Cont…)
 They are also used in major universities, military agencies, and
scientific research laboratories.
Some examples of supercomputers are IBM Roadrunner, IBM Blue
Gene, and Intel ASCI red. PARAM is a series of supercomputers
assembled in India by C-DAC (Center for Development of Advanced
Computing), in Pune.
PARAM Padma is the latest machine in this series.
 The peak computing power of PARAM Padma is 1 TeraFLOP (TFLOP)

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Classification by Purpose
 Based on degree of usage or versatility, computers fall into two
groups:

 General-purpose computers, and

 Special-purpose computers

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General – Purpose Computers
 General-purpose computers are designed to solve a large variety of problems.
 That is they can be given different programs to solve different types of
problems.
 General-purpose computers can process business data as readily as they
process complex mathematical formulas.
 General-purpose computers can store a large amount of data and the
programs necessary to process them.
 Because general-purpose computers are so versatile, most businesses today
use them.
 Most digital computers are general computers and it is mainly such
computers that are used in business and commercial data processing.
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Special– Purpose Computers
 Special purpose computers are designed to solve specific problems; the
computer program for solving the problem is built right into the computer.
 They have many features of general-purpose computers but are designed to
handle specific problems and are not applied to other computerized activities
 They are designed to do specific kinds of jobs.
 A TV, a washing machine, an iPod etc, are forms of special-purpose computers,
but they have only a small range of things that they can do, and are designed
specifically to do them.
 Special purpose computers are often used as training simulators.
 A simulator is a computer-controlled device for training people under
simulated, or artificially created, conditions
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Class Activity
 What is a Computer?
 What are the four main functions of a Computer System?
 List and explain any five characteristics of a Computer
 State the three (3) components of a computer
 Differentiate between a general and special purpose computer

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 THANK
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YOU!