Living in the IT Era Advance Computer

EXERCISE

1
COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM

Name of Student Name of Professor

MALLILLIN, WINNIE N. ROWBIE P. LOPEZ
Date Performed Date Submitted

I. Objectives:

At the end of the experiment students must be able to:

a) Understand computer hardware.

b) Understand basic computer components.
c) Learn the function of storage.
d) Learn about the history of computers.
II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Computer hardware is the physical parts or components of a computer, such as a monitor,

keyboard, computer data storage, hard disk drive (HDD), graphic cards, sound cards,
memory (RAM), motherboard, and so on, all of which are tangible physical objects.

III.EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE:

Task 1: Computer Components

As previously mentioned, the computers that are used nowadays are based upon the stored-
program computer concept proposed by John Von Neumann. Also, in Module 1, we pointed out
that a computer is a device capable of storing, retrieving, and processinginformation or data.
These suggest that a computer must consist of four basic components. These components are
 Central processing unit (CPU)
 Memory unit
 Input unit
 Output unit

Figure 1: Computer Advertisement

Activity 1.1: Complete the following table by listing the actual components from the ad in
Figure 1 to match the categories listed.
Basic Component Component from Figure 1
control unit (CU), arithmetic logic unit (ALU),registerscache,.buses.,clock.
Central Processing Unit
Primary storage, or memory, means the space on your hard drive that is briefly used
Memory Unit for working space. This usually occurs in a chip. Memory consists of four types of
memory chips RAM, ROM, CMOS and flash
Input Unit Keyboard.
Mouse.
Joystick.
Light Pen.
Track Ball.
 Scanner.
Digitizer.
Microphone.

monitor.
printer.
plotter.
Output Unit speaker.
video card.
projector.

Processor
Activity 1.2: A central processing unit or processor consists of an Arithmetic Logic unit (ALU)
and a Control unit (CU) unit. What is the function of ALU?
The ALU performs simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and logic operations, such as OR and AND. The
memory stores the program's instructions and data. The control unit fetches data and instructions from memory

Activity 1.3: What is the function of the control unit?

Control unit performs the task of controlling functions of the computer. It monitors and gives proper instructions
to all parts of the computer.

Activity 1.4: What does “Core 2 Duo Processor” in the description of the processor in Figure 1
mean?
“Core 2 Duo Processor” e6320(1.86GHz,1066FSB)with 4mb cache

Processor Speed
What does “1.86 GHz” in the description of the processor in Figure 1 mean?
GHz stands for giga-Hertz, which means billionsof cycles/ticks per second. This is a unit used
to measure CPU/processor or clock speed. Clock speed is the speed at which the processor
executes instructions. The CPU requires a fixed number of clock cycles/ticks to execute each
instruction. The faster the clock, the more instructions the CPU can execute per second.
So, 1.86 GHz refers to the processor that can process instructions at the speed of 1.86 billion
cycles per second.
The clock speed can be used as a rough comparison of the speed of two processors as long as
they are the same type and the same brand/maker. Comparing different processors is much more
difficult. The clock still makes each processor do something each cycle, but what that something
is can be very different. For example, on old computers, it would take several cycles for the
processor to complete one operation. On a Pentium4, however, it usually completes two
operations per cycle.
 Figure 2: Description of Two Intel Precessors
Activity 1.5: In the above Figure 2, what does “2.4 GHz” in the description of processor Intel
core 2 Duo Processor E6600 mean?
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor  E6600 (4MB L2 Cache,2.4GH z,1066FSB)

Activity 1.6: In the above Figure 2, which processor is faster, E6320 or E6600? Why?
XPS 410,Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6320 (1.86GHz,1066FSB)with 4MB Cache because 1.86 GHz refers to
the processor that can process instructions at the speed of 1.86 billion cycles per second

Task 2: Memory
What is computer memory or memory? From:
1. The American Heritage® Dictionary: Memory is
a. A unit of a computer that preserves data for retrieval.
b. Capacity for storing information: two gigabytes of memory.
2. The Encyclopedia Britannica: Computer Memoryis a device that is used to store data or
programs (sequences of instructions) on a temporary or permanent basis for use in an
electronic digital computer.
From the Webopedia Computer Dictionary, “Every computer comes with a certain amount of
physical memory, usually referred to as main memory or RAM. You can think of main memory
as an array of boxes, each of which can hold a single byte of information. A computer that has 1
megabyte of memory, therefore, can hold about 1 million bytes (or characters) of information.”
Activity 2.1: What does RAM stand for?
Random-access memory

Activity 2.2: There are two basic types of RAM: Dynamic RAM (DRAM) and Static RAM
(SRAM). What is a Dynamic RAM?
Dynamic random-access memory is a type of random-access semiconductor memory that stores
each bit of data in a memory cell, usually consisting of a tiny capacitor and a transistor, both
typically based on metal-oxide-semiconductor technology

Activity 2.3: What is a Static RAM?

Static random-access memory is a type of random-access memory that uses latching circuitry to
store each bit. SRAM is volatile memory; data is lost when power is removed. The term static
differentiates SRAM from DRAM, which must be periodically refreshed
Activity 2.4: Which is more expensive Dynamic RAM or Static RAM?
Static RAM is fast and expensive, and dynamic RAM is less expensive and slower. Therefore, static RAM is used to
create the CPU's speed-sensitive cache, while dynamic RAM forms the larger system RAM space. Additionally,
there exists a state between the two, called pseudo-static RAM

Activity 2.5: When someone says a computer has “one gigabyte of RAM”, do they mean the
computer has one gigabyte of Dynamic RAM or Static RAM?
Dynamic RAM

Figure 3: Description of Memory

Activity 2.6: Is the memory listed in My Components in Figure 3 of type Dynamic RAM or
Static RAM?
DYNAMIC RAM

Activity 2.7: What is “SDRAM” in the description of Memory in Figure 3?

“SDRAM”at667MHz-2DIMMs

Activity 2.8: What does “DDR2” in the description of Memory in Figure 3 stand for?
2GB Dual Channel DDR2

Activity 2.9: What is “cache” in the description of the Processor in Figure 3?

XPS 410,Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6320 (1.86GHz,1066FSB)with 4MB cache

Activity 2.10: Is cache memory of type Dynamic RAM or Static RAM?

STATIC RAM

Activity 2.11: How many types are of cache? What are they?
There is three types of cache
direct-mapped cache 
fully associative cache
N-way-set-associative cache

Task 3: Input and Output and Secondary Storage

Input and Output
Input and output are the basic computer components that communicate with the CPU. An input
device sends data/information to the CPU. An output device takes the processed data/information
from the CPU and makes it available to the user.
Activity 3.1: List all input devices that you know.
Keyboard, MouseJoy ,Stick Light pen, Track Ball ,Scanner ,Graphic , Microphone ,Magnetic Ink Card
Reader(MICR) ,Optical CharacterReader(OCR) ,Bar Code Reader ,Optical Mark Reader(OMR)

Activity 3.2: List all output devices that you know.

Monitor ,Printer, plotter ,speaker, video card.,projector.

Activity 3.4: What is a USB Stick/flash drive?

A USB flash drive (also called a thumb drive) is a data storage device that includes flash
memory with an integrated USB interface.

Activity 3.5: Is a USB Stick/flash drive an input or output device?

A USB flash drive is not an input or output device, it is a storage device that holds all the files or data that you need it to.
They generally hold anywhere between 8GB and 2TB of data which is held in flash memory on a chip inside the USB stick

Activity 3.6: What does USB stand for?

UNIVERSAL SERIAL-BUS

Activity 3.7: What is secondary storage?

Secondary storage, sometimes called auxiliary storage, is non-volatile and is used to store data and programs for later
retrieval.

Activity 3.8: Is a USB Stick/flash drive secondary storage?

Yes because Secondary storage might include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives
(SSDs), optical disks, USB flash drives, floppy disks or other devices.

Activity 3.9 List all secondary storages that you know.

Hard disc drives (HDDs),Solid-state drives(SSDs),Optical disks,USB flash drives,CD and DVD

Activity 3.10 What do CDs and DVDs stand for?

Compact discs (CD) Digital versatile discs (DVD)

Activity 3.11 Are CD and DVD secondary storage?

Yes because secondary storage refers to devices such as hard disk drives, solid state drives, removable “USB”
drives, CDs, and DVDs.

Activity 3.12 What is a capacity of a CD?

The acquire size of CD is 700 MB.

Activity 3.15 What is a capacity of a DVD?

The acquire size of DVD is 4.7 GB to 17 GB.

Activity 3.16 What is a CD-R?

A blank compact disc which can be recorded on once only.

Activity 3.17 What is a CD-RW?

A blank compact disc that can be erased,recorded many times

Task 4: History of Computers

The first computing device is Abacus which can be traced back to
5,000 years ago in Asia and still is being used today. Abacus is
considered to be a mechanical computing device. Hence, we can
categorize computing devices/computers into two types:
mechanical and electronic computing devices/computers.
Use the Internet to perform these activities.

Activity 4.1 The real beginnings of computers as we know them today lay with an English
mathematics professor, Charles Babbage. In 1822, what the machine did he invent to be able to
compute tables of numbers, such as logarithm tables? What did it use to make the machine run?
This machine used the decimal number system and was powered by cranking a
handle.

Activity 4.2 An important step in the history of computers was the design of a mechanical
general-purpose computer by Charles Babbage in 1837. What the machine did he invent?
The Analytical Engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer.

Activity 4.3 Who created a program for the mechanical general-purpose built by Charles
Babbage in 1837.
The Analytical Engine was a proposed mechanical general-purpose computer designed by English mathematician
and computer pioneer Charles Babbage.

Activity 4.4 What is the Turing Machine? Who developed it and in what year?
A Turing machine is the original idealized model of a computer, invented by Alan Turing in 1936. Turing machines
are equivalent to modern electronic computers at a certain theoretical level, but differ in many details

Activity 4.5 Who proposed the so called Stored-Program Computer concept or model in his
paper that we are still using till these days? In what year did he propose?
The idea was introduced in the late 1940s by John von Neumann, who proposed that a program be electronically
stored in binary-number format in a memory device so that instructions could be modified by the computer as
determined by intermediate computational results

Activity 4.6 What is the first electronic computer? Who created it and in what year?
The Colossus is created by Tommy Flowers and built in England in 1943-1945

Activity 4.7 What is the first general-purpose electronic computer? Who created it and in what
year?
ENIAC, in full Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the first programmable general-purpose electronic
digital computer, built during World War II by the United States. American physicist John Mauchly, American
engineer J.was created in year 1946

Activity 4.8 The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the
different generations of computing devices. Each generation of computers is characterized by a
major technological development that fundamentally changed the way computers operate,
resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful, and more efficient and reliable
devices. For example, the First Generation covers 1940-1956 and vacuum tubes were the
fundamental change. Complete the following table:
 From Year To Year Fundamental Change
Second Generation 1956 1963 Transistors
Third Generation 1964 1971 Integrated Circuits
Fourth Generation 1971 Present Microprocessors

V. QUESTION AND ANSWER:

1. What did John Von Neumann propose in 1945 that we are still using these days?
The computer John Von Neumann proposed was called EDVAC,which stood for Electronic
discrete variable automatic computer.

2. What are the basic components of a computer system?

Central processing unit(CPU),Memory unit,Input unit,Output unit

3. What are the two units of CPU?

The Arithmetic Logic Unit(ALU)and Control Unit(CU)

4. Which one is more expensive, cache memory or DRAM?

DRAM is usually about half as fast as L1,L2 or L3 cache memory,and much less expensive.

5. What cache resides in the CPU or processor?

L1 cache,or primary cache, is extremely fast but relatively small,and is usually embedded in
the processor chip as CPU cache.

6. Is USB\flash drive output device?

A USB flash drive is not an output device, it is device that holds all the files or data that you
need it to.

7. When we say the word memory, we refer to RAM or Hard drive?

When we say memory it refers to RAM

8. Which device has more storage capacity, CD or DVD?

DVD is storage medium with a greater audio-visual data storage capacity than that of the
CD of the same dimensions
9. List one input and one output device.
Input device-keyboard
Output device-Monitor

10. What is a register?

Register are used to quickly accept,store,and transfer data and instructions that are being
used immediately by the CPU,there are various type of of registers those are used for
various purpose.
11. What does the control unit of the CPU do?
The control unit controls all CPU operations,including ALU operations,the movement of
data within the CPU,and the exchange of data and control signals across external
interfaces(system bus)
12. Suppose the clock speed of Processor A is rated as 1.5 GHz and can process 2 instructions
per cycle. How many instructions can Processor A process in a second?
Essentially it means that a 1.5GHz processor can process 1.5 billion instructions per second.

13. If a computer bus is 16 bits wide, how many bits of information can be transferred at one
time through that bus?
It would be considered “32-bits wide.”. A 16-bit bus has 16 wires or connectors that can
transmit 16 bits of data in parallel.

14. Hard disks are what kind of storage medium?

Hard disks is an electro-mechanical data storage device.

15. Integrated circuit was developed in which technology generation?

Third Generation Computers.

16. What does SCSI mean?

Small Computer Sysytem Interface

17. What does ALU mean?

Arithmetic Logic Unit

18. What is the name given to an electronic circuit that carries data from one
computer component to another?
Known as an address bus,data bus,control bus,, or local brush.
VI. Assessment

Department Computer Science Department

Subject Code EPROG/EPROGLA
Description Computer fundamentals and programming for
engineering students
Term/Academic Year 1

Topic Introduction to computers

Lab Activity No 1
Lab Activity Components of a computer
system
CLO

Note: The following rubrics/metrics will be used to grade students’ output in lab exercise 1.

Criteria Descriptions Points

Completeness of answers Each of the items is completely 29
answered
Correctness of the answers Each of the items that are answered
correctly. One point for each correct 71
answer.

Task 1 – Activity 1.1 to 1.6 (9 points)

Task 2 – Activity 2.1 to 2.11 (11
points)
Task 3 – Activity 3.1 to 3.17 (17
points)
Task 4 – Activity 4.1 to 4.7 (7 points),
Activity 4.8 (9 points)
Question and answer (18 points)
Total 100%

V. REFERENCES