Today’s world is an information-rich world and it has become a

necessity for everyone to know about computers.

 History of Computer
•The term computer is derived from the Latin term ‘computare’,
this means to calculate or programmable machine.

•Charles Babbage is called the “Grand Father” of the computer.

•The first counting device was used by the primitive people. They used sticks,
stones
and bones as counting tools.
•As human mind and technology improved with time more computing devices were
developed.
•Some of the popular computing devices starting with the first to recent ones are
described below;
Abacus
The history of computer begins with the birth of abacus which is believed to be the first
computer.
It is said that Chinese invented Abacus around 4,000 years ago.
It was a wooden rack which has metal rods with beads mounted on them.
The beads were moved by the abacus operator according to some rules to perform
arithmetic calculations.
Abacus is still used in some countries like China, Russia and Japan. An image of this
tool
is shown below;
Napier's Bones

•It was a manually-operated calculating device which was invented by John

Napier (1550-1617) of Merchiston.
•In this calculating tool, he used 9 different ivory strips or bones marked with
numbers to multiply and divide.
•So, the tool became known as "Napier's Bones.
•It was also the first machine to use the decimal point.
A computer is an electronic data processing device, which
accepts and stores data input, processes the data input, and
generates the output in a required format.
 Functionalities of a Computer
Step 1 − Takes data as input.
Step 2 − Stores the data/instructions in its memory and uses them as required.
Step 3 − Processes the data and converts it into useful information.
Step 4 − Generates the output.
Step 5 − Controls all the above four steps.

Input

Control Store

Output Process
Advantages of Computers
Storage Capability
•Memory is a very important characteristic of computers.
•A computer has much more storage capacity than human beings.
•It can store large amount of data.
•It can store any type of data such as images, videos, text, audio, etc.

1. Speed: –
• Computer is a very fast device.
•It is capable of performing calculation of very large amount of data.
•The computer has units of speed in microsecond, nanosecond, and even the picosecond.
• It can perform millions of calculations in a few seconds as compared to man who
will spend many months to perform the same task.

2. Accuracy: –
•In addition to being very fast, computers are very accurate.
•The calculations are 100% error free.
•Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy provided that the input is correct.

3. Diligence
• Unlike human beings, a computer is free from monotony, tiredness, and lack
of concentration.
•It can work continuously without any error and boredom.
•It can perform repeated tasks with the same speed and accuracy.
4. Versatility
•A computer is a very versatile machine.
•A computer is very flexible in performing the jobs to be done.
•This machine can be used to solve the problems related to various fields.
•At one instance, it may be solving a complex scientific problem and the very next
moment it may be playing a card game.

5. Power of Remembering:
Computer has the power of storing any amount of information or data. Any
information can be stored and recalled as long as you require it, for any
numbers of years. It depends entirely upon you how much data you want to
store in a computer and when to lose or retrieve these data.

6. No I.Q.
•A computer is a machine that has no intelligence to perform any task.
•Each instruction has to be given to the computer.
•A computer cannot take any decision on its own.

No Feeling
•Computers have no feelings or emotions.
•It cannot make judgment based on feeling, taste, experience, and knowledge
unlike
humans.
 Generations of Computers

•A generation of computers refers to the specific improvements in computer

technology with time.

• In 1946, electronic pathways called circuits were developed to

perform the counting.

• It replaced the gears and other mechanical parts used for counting in

previous computing machines.

• In each new generation, the circuits became smaller and more advanced

than the previous generation circuits.

•The miniaturization helped increase the speed, memory and power of

computers.

There are five generations of computers which are described below;

First Generation Computers
 The first generation (1946-1959) computers were slow, huge and expensive.
 In these computers, vacuum tubes were used as the basic components of CPU
and memory.
 These computers were mainly depended on batch operating system and punch
cards.
Magnetic tape and paper tape were used as output and input devices in
this generation;

Some of the popular first generation computers are;

ENIAC ( Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
EDVAC ( Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)
UNIVACI( Universal Automatic Computer)
IBM-701
IBM-650
Second Generation Computers

 The second generation (1959-1965) was the era of the transistor

computers.
 These computers used transistors which were cheap, compact and
consuming
less power; it made transistor computers faster than the first generation
computers.
 In this generation, magnetic cores were used as the primary memory
and magnetic
disc and tapes were used as the secondary storage.
Assembly language and programming languages like COBOL and

FORTRAN, and Batch processing and multiprogramming operating

systems were used in these computers.
Some of the popular second generation computers are;
•IBM 1620
•IBM 7094
•CDC 1604
Third Generation Computers
 The third generation computers used integrated circuits (ICs) instead of transistors.
 A single IC can pack huge number of transistors which increased the power of a computer

and reduced the cost.

 The computers also became more reliable, efficient and smaller in size.
 These generation computers used remote processing, time-sharing, multi programming as

operating system.
Also, the high-level programming languages like FORTRON-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL

PL/1, ALGOL-68 were used in this generation.

Fourth Generation Computers
 The fourth generation (1971-1980) computers used very large scale

integrated (VLSI) circuits; a chip containing millions of transistors and other

circuit elements.
 These chips made this generation computers more compact, powerful,
fast
and affordable.
 These generation computers used real time, time sharing and distributed

operating system.
 The programming languages like C, C++, DBASE were also used in this

generation.
Fifth Generation Computers
 In fifth generation (1980-till date) computers, the VLSI technology was replaced with ULSI (Ultra

Large Scale Integration).

 It made possible the production of microprocessor chips with ten million electronic components.

This generation computers used parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence)

software.

 The programming languages used in this generation were C, C++, Java, .Net, etc.
The basic parts without which a computer cannot work are

as follows:
• Processor: It executes instructions from software and hardware.

• Memory: It is the primary memory for data transfer between the CPU and

storage.

• Motherboard: It is the part that connects all other parts or components of a

computer.
• Storage Device: It permanently stores the data, e.g., hard drive.

• Input Device: It allows you to communicate with the computer or to input

data, e.g., a keyboard.

• Output Device: It enables you to see the output, e.g., monitor.

 Types of Computer
We can categorize computer in two ways:
on the basis of data handling capabilities and size.
• Analogue Computer
 Analogue computers are designed to process analogue data. Analogue
data is continuous data that changes continuously and cannot have discrete
values.
• Digital Computer
 Digital computer is designed to perform calculations and logical operations
at high speed. It accepts the raw data as input in the form of digits or binary
numbers (0 and 1) and processes it with programs stored in its memory to
produce the output.
• Hybrid Computer

 Hybrid computer has features of both analogue and digital computer. It is fast
like an analogue computer and has memory and accuracy like digital computers.
It can process both continuous and discrete data. It accepts analogue signals and
convert them into digital form before processing.
 Types of Computer

Based on the size, a computer can be divided into five types:

1. Micro Computer

2. Mini Computer

3. Mainframe Computer

4. Super Computer

5. Workstations
1. Micro Computer:

It is a single-user computer which has less speed and storage capacity than the
other types
 2. Mini Computer:

Mini-computers are also known as "Midrange Computers."

They are not designed for a single.

They are multi-user computers designed to support multiple users simultaneously

Mainframe Computer:
It is also a multi-user computer capable of supporting thousands of users
simultaneously
Super Computer:
Super-computers are the fastest and most expensive computers
among all types

of computers. They have huge storage capacities and computing speeds

and thus

can perform millions of instructions per second.

 Work stations:
It is a single-user computer.

Although it is like a personal computer, it has

a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-

quality monitor than a microcomputer.

Computer Components
There are 5 main computer components that are given below:
•Input Devices
•CPU
•Output Devices
•Primary Memory
•Secondary Memory
 Input Devices
Input device enables the user to send data, information, or control signals to a computer.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer receives the input and processes it to
produce the output.

Output Devices
The output device displays the result of the processing of raw data that is entered in the
computer through an input device. There are a number of output devices that display
output in different ways such as text, images, hard copies, and audio or video.
 Hardware
computer hardware is the physical components that a computer system requires to
function

Software
 Software is a set of programs that enables the hardware to perform a specific task.
 All the programs that run the computer are software.
 The software can be of three types:
 system software, application software, and programming software.

1) System Software
 The system software is the main software that runs the computer.
 When you turn on the computer, it activates the hardware and controls and coordinates

their functioning.
 The application programs are also controlled by system software.
 An operating system is an example of system software.
 2) Application Software:

 Application software is a set of programs designed to perform a specific task.

 It does not control the working of a computer as it is designed for end-users.
A computer can run without application software. Application software can

be easily installed or uninstalled as required.

 It can be a single program or a collection of small programs.
 Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and any other software like payroll

software or income tax software are application software.

 As we know, they are designed to perform specific tasks.
 Accordingly, they can be of different types such as:
 Memory
Memory Units
Memory units are used to measure and represent data. Some of the
commonly used memory units are:
1)Bit: The computer memory units start from bit. A bit is the smallest
memory unit to measure data stored in main memory and storage
devices. A bit can have only one binary value out of 0 and 1.
2)Byte: It is the fundamental unit to measure data. It contains 8 bits
or is equal to 8 bits. Thus a byte can represent 2*8 or 256 values.
3) Kilobyte: A kilobyte contains 1024 bytes.

4) Megabyte: A megabyte contains 1024 kilobytes.

5) Gigabyte: A gigabyte contains 1024 megabyte.
6) Terabyte: A terabyte contains 1024 gigabytes.
Computer Memory

 The computer memory holds the data and instructions needed to process raw data

and produce output.

 The computer memory is divided into large number of small parts known as cells.

Each cell has a unique address which varies from 0 to memory size minus one.
 Computer memory is of two types: Volatile (RAM) and Non-volatile (ROM).
 The secondary memory (hard disk) is referred as storage not memory.

But, if we categorize memory on behalf of space or location, it is of four types:

1. Register memory
2. Cache memory
3. Primary memory
4. Secondary memory
Primary Memory
Primary Memory is of two types: RAM and ROM.
RAM (Volatile Memory)
It is a volatile memory. It means it does not store data or instructions permanently.
When you switch on the computer the data and instructions from the hard disk are
stored in RAM.
CPU utilizes this data to perform the required tasks. As soon as you shut down the
computer the RAM loses all the data.
ROM (Non-volatile Memory)
It is a non-volatile memory. It means it does not lose its data or programs that are
written on it at the time of manufacture. So it is a permanent memory that contains all
important data and instructions needed to perform important tasks like the boot
process.
Secondary Memory

 The secondary storage devices which are built into the computer or connected to

the computer are known as a secondary memory of the computer.

 It is also known as external memory or auxiliary storage.
 The secondary memory is accessed indirectly via input/output operations.
 It is non-volatile, so permanently stores the data even when the computer is

turned off or until this data is overwritten or deleted.

 The CPU can't directly access the secondary memory.
 First, the secondary memory data is transferred to primary memory then the
CPU
can access it.

Some of the secondary memory or storage devices are described below:

1) Hard Disk:
It is a rigid magnetic disc that is used to store data. It permanently stores data and is
located within a drive unit.

2) Pen drive:

Pen drive is a compact secondary storage device. It is also known as a USB flash drive
 4) SD Card:

SD Card stands for Secure Digital

Card

5) Compact Disk (CD):

Compact Disk is a portable secondary storage device in the shape

of a round medium disk. It is made of polycarbonate plastic.
6) DVD:

DVD is short for digital versatile disc or digital

video disc.