Technical foundation

of system.
Computer Technology
Computer Basics
 Definition of a Computer

 A computer is a universal Information manipulator.

 A computer as an electronic machine capable of
solving problems by processing or manipulating
information according to instructions that have
been given to it.
 An electronic device that takes input from its
user, stores, processes data & generates the
required output as per the processing instructions
given
to it user.
 What Is a Computer?
 A computer is defined in the following ways
 By the work it does
 By the kind of information it handles

 By its size and price

 An electronic machine, operating under the control

of instructions stored in its own memory, that can
accept data (input), manipulate data according to
specified rules (process), produce results (output),
and store the results for future use.
 Basic Functions
 A computer is a device that performs four
functions: it inputs data (getting information
into the machine); it stores data (holding the
information before and after processing); it
processes data (performing prescribed
mathematical and logical operations on the
information at high speed); and it outputs
data (sending the results out to the user via
some display method).
Data Processing cycle
 What Is a Computer?
 Input Processing Output.
Data Processing cycle
Input - Input Devices feed the computer the raw
matter – facts or data.
Processing – the storage of data, numerical
comparisons, arithmetic operations are
performed on data to produce desired
results.
Output – the processed data or information is sent
to the out put device connected to
computer.
The Information Processing Cycle

MAIN
MEMORY

INPUT PROCESSING OUTPUT

AUXILIARY
STORAGE
 Parts of a Computer
 There are two basic parts that make up a computer...

Hardware Software
 What Is A
Computer System?
 Software: the intangible
 Hardware: the set of instructions that tells
tangible, physical the computer what to do;
equipment that can know as programs or
software programs.
be seen and touched  Two types: application and
such as: system software programs
 Computer Case  Data: information entered
into the computer to be
 Monitor processed, which consists
 Keyboard and of the following:
 Text, numbers, sounds, and
Mouse images
 Disk Drive  People: the users of the
 Speakers computers who enter the
data and use the output.
 Computer System Hardware
Components
 Computer system hardware components include
devices that perform the functions of input,
processing, communication, data storage and output
of an information system.
 Computer Hardware
 Case  Keyboard/mouse
 Power switch  Network card
 Reset switch  Modem
 Hard drive  Sound card
 Floppy  Video card
 CD/DVD  RAM
 Serial ports  Motherboard
 Parallel port  Fan
 USB port  Cables
 System unit
 Case that holds the power supply, storage devices, and the
circuit boards (including the motherboard).
CPU (Central Processing Unit)

 Where the processing in a computer takes place, often

called the brain of the computer.
 Computer Processing

Once information has been sent to a

computer by one of the input devices it’s
processed. The computer uses it’s brain
to process the information. The
computer’s brain is called the CPU, or
Central Processing Unit.
The CPU is also called
the microprocessor.
The word “micro”
means small. Since
the CPU is located on
a small computer chip
about 1 inch square,
that makes sense!
Random Access Memory

When a computer processes

information, it uses software
programs. Each program
requires a certain amount of
electronic memory, or RAM
(Random Access Memory)
to run correctly.
RAM is temporary memory. The computer
holds information in this memory and gets it
when it needs it.
If a computer has more RAM, it can solve
problems and process information faster! If
you’re updating your computer, more RAM is
a great thing to add!
 Read-Only Memory

A second kind of computer memory is

ROM, which stands for Read-Only
Memory. This memory is permanent. The
information there was put there when the
computer was made. The computer needs
the information in it’s ROM memory in
order to function.
 Input Devices
 Units that gather information and transform
that information it into a series of electronic
signals for the computer.
 Keyboard

 An arrangement of letters, numbers, and special function

keys that act as the primary input device to the computer.
 Mouse
 An input device that allows the user to manipulate objects
on the screen by moving the device along the surface of a
desk.
 Sound Card

 A circuit board that gives the computer the ability to accept

audio input, play sound files, and produce audio output
through speakers or headphones.
 Modem

 A device that sends and receives data to and from

computers over telephone lines.
 Output Devices
 Devices that display, print, or transmit the
results of processing from the computer’s
memory.
 Monitor

 Display device that forms an image by converting electrical signals from the computer
into points of colored light on the screen.
 Resolution
 The density of the grid used to display or print text and graphics; the greater the
horizontal and vertical density, the higher the resolution.
 Pixels
 The smallest unit in a graphic image; computer display devices use a matrix of
pixels to display text and graphics.
 Printer
 Output device that produces text or graphical images on
paper.
 Speakers

 Output devices that receive signals from the computer’s

sound card to play music, narration, or sound effects.
What are all those parts inside my
computer and what do they do???
 Computer Hardware
 Hard Drive
 Motherboard
 Sound Card and Video Card
 Memory Card
 Power Supply
 NIC Card
 BIOS
 Hard Disk Drive

The Hard Disk Drive is a magnetic storage device.

All the computer programs and files you create and
save are located there. This is permanent storage
(at least until you uninstall software or delete a file).
The hard drive is normally signified by the drive
letter “C”. Today’s hard drives can store a HUGE
amount of information.
Inside the Hard Disk Drive
case you’ll find circular disks
that are made of steel. On the
disks, there are many tracks,
or cylinders. An electronic
reading device called the head
passes back and forth over the
cylinders, reading information
from the disk or writing to it.
Hard Disk Drives use
Magnetic Recording
Techniques. The magnetic
medium can be easily erased
and rewritten and will
“remember” the magnetic
change patterns stored on it
for many years!
Hard Disk Drives can spin at 7200 or more rpm’s
(Revolutions Per Minute). That means in one
minute, the hard drive spins around more than
7200 times!
The Motherboard
Your computer couldn’t work without the
motherboard. It ties everything together! It allows
every part of your computer to receive power and
communicate with each other. Everything that runs the
computer or enhances it’s performance is either part of
the motherboard or plugs into one of it’s expansion
slots or ports.
Sound and Video Cards

Sound and Video Cards are Output

Devices. They contain special circuits
that allow your computer to play sounds
and display graphics on your monitor.
 Memory Card
Remember RAM (Random Access Memory)
and ROM (Read-Only Memory)?

RAM cards will remember what you tell them and

can even change to remember new information. But,
when the computer is turned off, it forgets everything
you did! That’s why you always save your work!
ROM is good at remembering, but cannot change it’s
mind. It holds the information that was built into it!
 Power Supply
If there is any one component that is absolutely vital
to the operation of a computer, it is the power
supply! Without it, a computer is just a box full of
plastic and metal. The power supply converts the
alternating current (AC) line to the direct current
(DC) needed by the computer.
You can see the power
supply from the back of
your computer because
of the power cord and
the cooling fan.
Computers put out a
LOT of heat and need
the fan to keep them
from overheating.
 Network Interface Card

A NIC card (Network

Interface Card) allows
your computer to talk to
other computers! A cable
called Cat5 is plugged into
the NIC card and your
computer can then be
attached to a network and
be on the internet!
 BIOS CHIP
A BIOS chip (Basic Input
Output System) is a very
important computer
component. In simple
terms, the BIOS chip wakes
up the computer when you
turn it on and reminds it
what parts it has and what
they do!
 Bytes, Kilobytes,
Megabytes and Gigabytes

 Byte 8 Bits=1 byte

 KB Kilobyte=1,000 bytes
 MB Megabyte=1,000,000
(1 million) bytes
 GB Gigabyte=1,000,000,000
(1 billion) bytes
 I’ve heard those words,
but what’s a Byte??

All the information that moves

through your computer is based
on 2 commands.
That’s all, just two. The two
commands are ON and OFF.
They are symbolized by 1’s and
0’s.
That’s right! The only information your
computer can understand is ON (1) and OFF
(0)!
The millions of combinations of those two
commands given in series are what makes
your computer work.
The memory chips in
your computer are
divided into thousands of
tiny compartments called
bits.
Each and every bit has an
electronic switch, or gate.
ON means the gate is
open and letting
electricity through.
Remember, the computer reads ON or
open bits or switches as the number 1.
Closed switches are OFF because
electricity can’t get through.
The computer reads OFF bits or switches
as 0.
It is by grouping these bits together to form 1/0
commands that data is formed. Remember
bytes? Eight bits are grouped together to form
one byte.
In that group of 8, there are 256 possible
combinations of 1/0.
The grouping of 1/0 within a byte is called
Binary Code.
Binary Code is the language of computers.
Here is an example of Binary Code: when you
type in the letter A on your keyboard, electrical
signals are sent from the keyboard to the CPU.
The CPU turns the signals into Binary Code.
Then the computer reads the code and sends it
on to the monitor to display the letter A. All of
that happens in an instant!
So what about Megabytes
and Gigabytes????
Megabytes and Gigabytes
One megabyte equals one million bytes.
So, a computer with 512 megabytes of
RAM (Random Access Memory) means
the computer can handle 512,000,000
(512 million) bytes of RAM.
Hard disk space is also measured in
bytes. So, a 200 GB Hard Disk Drive
has 200,000,000,000 (200 billion) bytes
for storing memory!
To get an idea of how
much on/off (1/0) data a
computer can store,
imagine pressing any key
1 billion times. How long
would it take?
You would have to press a key 5 times a
second non-stop for over 6 YEARS to
reach 1 billion keystrokes.
One billion keystrokes equals just
1 GB of memory!
Think about that the next time you think
a webpage is loading too slowly!
Types of Computers
 By Size & Capacity
 Based on Performance – speed of
processing instruction, size & storage.
Micro computer
Workstation
Mainframe computer
Super computer
 By Size & Capacity -
Microcomputer
1. A microcomputer is a computer that has a
Microprocessor chip as its CPU. They are often
called personal computers because they are
designed to be used by one person at a time.
 Personal computers are typically used at home, at
school, or at a business.
 Popular uses for microcomputers include word
processing, surfing the web, sending and receiving
e-mail, spreadsheet, calculations, database
management, editing photographs, creating
graphics, and playing music or games.
 By Size & Capacity
 Personal computers come in two major
varieties depending on size storage,
speed & portables ,
 Desktop computers

 Portable computers:  

1.1 Desktop computers are larger and not

meant to be portable. They usually sit in
one place on a desk or table and are
plugged into a wall outlet for power.
 Desktop computers
 The case of the computer holds the mother
board, drives, power supply, and expansion
cards. This case may lay flat on the desk, or
it may be a tower that stands vertically (on
the desk or under it).
 The computer usually has a separate monitor
(either a CRT or LCD) although some
designs have a display built into the case.
 A separate keyboard and mouse allow the
user to input data and commands.
Desktop Computer
 Portables
 Various types of Portables:
 1.2 Laptop or notebook computers are small and
lightweight enough to be carried around with the
user.
 They run on battery power, but can also be
plugged into a wall outlet. They typically have a
built-in LCD display that folds down to protect the
display when the computer is carried around.
 They also feature a built-in keyboard and some
kind of built-in pointing device (such as a touch
pad).
Laptop / Notebook
 PDAs and Palmtop Computers
 A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a handheld
microcomputer that trades off power for small size
and greater portability.
 They typically use a touch-sensitive LCD screen for
both output and input (the user draws characters
and presses icons on the screen with a stylus).
 PDAs communicate with desktop computers and
with each other either by cable connection, infrared
(IR) beam, or radio waves.
 PDAs are normally used to keep track of
appointment calendars, to-do lists, address books,
and for taking notes.
Personal Digital Assistant
 Palmtop Computers
 A palmtop or handheld PC is a very small
microcomputer that also sacrifices power for small
size and portability.
 These devices typically look more like a tiny
laptop than a PDA, with a flip-up screen and small
keyboard. They may use Windows CE or similar
operating system for handheld devices.
 Some PDAs and palmtops contain wireless
networking or cell phone devices so that users can
check e-mail or surf the web on the move.
Palmtop Computers
 2.Workstation /Servers
A workstation is a powerful, high-end
microcomputer. They contain one or more
microprocessor CPUs. They may be used
by a single-user for applications requiring
more power than a typical PC (rendering
complex graphics, or performing intensive
scientific calculations).
 Alternately, workstation-class
microcomputers may be used as server
computers that supply files to client
computers over a network.
 Workstation /Servers

 This class of powerful microcomputers

can also be used to handle the processing
for many users simultaneously who are
connected via terminals; in this respect,
high-end workstations have essentially
supplanted the role of minicomputers
 3. Main Frame Computer:

 A mainframe computer is a large, powerful

computer that handles the processing for many
users simultaneously (up to several hundred
users).
 The name mainframe originated after
minicomputers appeared in the 1960’s to
distinguish the larger systems from the smaller
minicomputers.
 Users connect to the mainframe using terminals
and submit their tasks for processing by the
mainframe
 Main frame Computer:

 They are used in situations where a

company wants the processing power and
information storage in a centralized
location.
 Mainframes are also now being used as
high-capacity server connection for
networks with many client workstations.
 Examples: High process like -ATM
Mainframe computer (this IBM
z-series computer is about 6 feet
tall)
 4. Super computer:
A supercomputer is mainframe computer that
has been optimized for speed and
processing power.
 Handles mostly complex scientific &
statistical applications / program.
 High technology - used for special purpose.

 High memory capacity – > 8.4 millions

 Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-
intensive tasks such as problems involving
quantum mechanical physics, Weather Forecasting
climate research (including research into global
warming), molecular modeling (computing the
structures and properties of chemical compounds,
biological macromolecules, polymers, and
crystals)
 physical simulations (such as simulation of
airplanes in wind tunnels simulation of the
detonation of nuclear weapons, and research into
nuclear fusion).
 Super computer:
 Major universities, military agencies and
scientific research laboratories are heavy
users.
 The most famous series of supercomputers
were designed by the company founded and
named after Seymour Cray. The Cray-1
was built in the 1976 and installed at Los
Alamos National Laboratory.
Super computer The Cray - 1 was
the world's fastest computer from
1985 to 1989.
A Blue Gene/L cabinet. IBM's Blue
Gene/L is the fastest supercomputer
in the world.