INTRODUCTION TO

COMPUTERS
Prepared and Presented by
Doren Nedrick

What is a computer?
A

computer is an electronic device,

operating under the instructions stored
in its memory. It can:
Accept data (input)
Manipulate Data according to specified
rules (processing) - CPU
Produce results (output) from the
processing
Store the data and results for future
use (storage)

Components of a
computer
The

basic components of a computer

are:
Hardware and
Software.

Hardware
All

the tangible parts of the computer

(parts you can see and touch) and
includes:
The Mouse,
Keyboard
Monitor
Printer
System unit

Software
Programs

used within a computer

system (A set of instructions the
computer carries out.)
Software is intangible. Hardware is
useless without Software and vice
versa.

What is the Central Processing

Unit CPU?
The

brain of the computer and controls

how the rest of the computer works. It
is assisted by the Control Unit (CU) and
the arithmetic logic unit (ALU). The CU
carries out the instructions in the
software and directs the flow of data
through the computer, the ALU
performs the calculations and logic
operation.

What are peripheral devices?

Peripherals

are all the hardware

devices attached to the CPU - all the
input, output, storage and
communication devices attached to
the CPU. Note the CPU is not a
peripheral.

What are input Devices?

Gets

data into a computer. A mouse, a

keyboard and a scanner are all input
devices.

Output Devices
Gets

processed information out of a

computer, for example to a printer,
computer screen or even to speakers.

Memory and Storage

Memory

refers to data stored in the

form of electronic chips while storage
refers to memory on tapes and disks.
Memory consists of one or more chips
on the motherboard or some circuit
board on the computer.

 Memory

stores three basic categories of

items:
The operating system and other system
software that control or maintain the
computer and its devices.
Application programs that carry out a
specific task such as word processing etc.
The data being processed by the
application programs and resulting
information.

Types of Memory
Random Access
Memory (Primary
storage)
Type of memory that
can be read from and
written to by the
processor and other
devices

Read Only Memory

Type of memory that is

used to store
permanent data and
instructions. Data on
chips that cannot be
modified hence read
only

Loses its content

Does not lose its
when the computer is content when the

Secondary Storage
Known

as backing or auxiliary storage

This is needed because RAM is limited
in size and is temporary
Secondary storage is of a non volatile
nature and has larger storage capacity.
These devices are able to store large
volumes of information over a long
period of time
Example floppy disk, CD ROM, hard
disks, DVD and tape drives.

Secondary Storage
Secondary

Storage Devices fall under

two main categories
a. Direct Access Storage Device
(DASD)- data can be accessed or
stored without going through any
other,
b. Serial Access Storage Device(SASD) - Data has to be read and
written in a particular order

 When

data is entered it is stored in bytes. A Bit

is a binary digit (0,1). Eight bits make one byte
and a byte represents a character such as (&,
A, 1, etc). Storage capacity is measured in:
Kilobytes (KB) - Approximately 1 thousand
bytes Megabytes (MB) - Approximately 1 million
bytes Gigabytes (GB) - Approximately 1 billion
bytes Terabytes (TB) - Approximately 1 trillion
bytes
If a computer has RAM capacity of 256MB the
computer handles 256 x 1,000,000 =
256,000,000 bytes or characters. In bits that
would be 256,000,000 x 8.

Examples of Secondary
Storage Devices
It

is necessary to format a disk in

order to get it ready for use
(storage/retrieval).
Formatting or initializing the disk is
the creation of the tracks and sectors.
Usually disks are bought formatted. If
not most operating systems contain
formatting programs.

Importance of formatting
Without

formatting there would be no

way to know what data went with
what. It would be like a library where
the pages were not in books, but were
scattered anywhere in the building.

Types of Software
Software

is categorized according to
purpose. There is:
a. System Software and
b. Application Software

System Software
Manages

the resources of the computer

system. Two sub-categories are:
a. Operating System- communicates between
the hardware and the application programmes.
(Win 98, Win ME, Win XP, MSDOS etc)
b. Utility Programme - maintain the computer's
health, i. Virus protection
ii. Data Compression
iii. Duplication of files/backing up/data
recovery etc.

Application Software
a.

General Purpose - Used by anyone

to do a number various tasks- Word
Processing,
Spreadsheet, Graphic Presentation,
Communication and database
b. Custom Written- built to suit the need
of the customer - Like going to a tailor
c. Specialized - created to complete
specific tasks, (e.g. Payroll, AutoCAD,
Electronics workbench)

Protective Devices
Voltage

Regulator
Surge Protector
UPS

Booting
The

process of starting a computer is known as

booting. The first thing a computer does when it
is booted is to check that it is working properly.
It does this by following certain instructions
held on a ROM chip known as the BIOS.
You can often see this happening as various
lines of text briefly appear on the computer
monitor.
It will then look for an operating system (OS) to
tell it what to do next. The operating system is
loaded from the disk to the computers random
access memory (RAM).

File Management

Copy Files

Back up Data
Making

copies of your file

Software Application

Operating System

Operating Windows Explorer

Word processing Software

Spreadsheet

Database Management

AutoCAD

Graphic Packages

Uses of the computer in

industry
Accounting/

Financial Applications
Human Resource Applications
Material Inventory Management
Process Control
Robotics
Decision Support System
Research and Development
CAD/CAM
CNC

Computer Networks