Basics of Computer
Computer
Computer is an electronic machine that helps to process data. It is an information
processing and information accessing tool which processes to produce new information
History of Computer
Calculating device
In the beginning, animal bones and clay chalks were used to calculate
The first instrument made for calculation was “Abacus”
Abacus was developed by Chinese about 5000 years ago
History of Computer
Calculator
The first mechanical calculator was developed by “Blaise
Pascal” in 1642 called Pascalene
Blaise Pascal known as father of calculator
History of Computer
Analytic Engine
Charles Babbage created the first Analytic Engine in 1833,
which was the basic model of the modern computer
Charles Babbage known as father of computer
“A passage from life of a philosopher”
First computer program was developed by Ada Augusta,
student of Charles Babbage
History of Computer
Punch Card
In 1884, Herman Hollerith, a German scientist developed Punched Card, which was
the first storage device.
Father of data processing structure - Herman Hollerith
History of Computer
Mark I
Mark I was the first mechanical computer invented by Howard Aiken and IBM in
1942.
First programs to run on the Mark I was initiated by John Von Neuman on 29
March 1944
Father of computer architecture - John Von Neuman
History of Computer
ENIAC
First electronic computer was invented by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert in
1945
E – Electronic
N – Numerical
I – Integrator
A – And
C – Computer
History of Computer
First generation of computer (1940 – 52)
Technology – Vacuum Tubes (Valves)
Vacuum Tubes invented by – John A Fleming
OS – Batch processing
Memory type – Magnetic tape
Language – Machine language
Number system used – Binary number system
Input – Punch Cards; Output – Printout
Main computers of this generation – ENIAC, EDSAC, UNIVAC, MANIAC
History of Computer
Second generation of computer (1952 – 64)
Technology – Transistor
“Miracle child of electronics”
Transistor was invented by William Shockley, John Bardeen and
Walter Brattian
Memory type – Magnetic tape
Language – Assembly language
OS, Input and Output are same as first generation computers
History of Computer
Third generation of computer (1965 – 75)
Technology – Integrated Circuits
Circuits were built primarily on a single chip
made of Silicon, so they were called “Silicon
Chips”
Integrated Circuits Invented by Jack Kilby
Language – High level language
Input – Keyboard
Output – Monitor
Network system started for the first time in this generation
History of Computer
Fourth generation of computer (1975 till now)
Present generation
Technology – Microprocessor
Microprocessor it self known as “Mini computer”
Microprocessor was invented by Marcian Hoff, Stanely
Mazor & Masathoshi Shima in 1971
First microprocessor – Intel 4004
VLSI technology
World’s largest manufacture of IC/MP – Intel
History of Computer
Fourth generation of computer (1975 till now)
Internet started for the first time in this generation
Computer mouse implemented (invented by Douglas
Engelbart)
Computer mouse was invented on 1972 and marketed
by Apple company on 1976
GUI implemented
Eg: Apple 1, Apple 2, Cray 1
History of Computer
Fifth generation of computer
Technology – Artificial Intelligence
Father of AI – John McCarthy
Only technology that use software
Voice Identification and Image Recognition are main
technologies of this generation
Microprocessor – ULSI
Computer language used for AI – PROLOG (Old – LISP)
Language – Natural language
Eg: Robot
Father of industrial robots – Joseph Frederic
Engelberger
Types of Computer
Digital Analog Hybrid
Types of Computer
Micro Computer
Also known as PC or personal computer
Largely used for domestic and official purpose
Mini Computer
Comparatively larger than micro computer
5 to 50 times more powerful than micro computer
Types of Computer
Mainframe computer
More than 100 people can work at a time on different terminals by time
sharing and multi tasking techniques
Super computer
Very powerful, most expensive & fastest computer
Able to process most complex jobs with a very high speed
Types of Computer
Quantum computer
Development of these kind of computer is in final stage
In this type of computers, Q-bits will be used instead of binary bits
Important Facts
Computer Literacy day – December 2
India announced New Computer Policy in 1984
First computer made in India – Siddharth (manufactured by Electronics
Corporation of India)
First computer was installed in Main Post office of Bangalore in 1986
First Super Computer of the world – CRAY K-1-S developed by Cray K
company of USA
First digital computer - ENIAC
First practical digital computer – UNIVAC
First programming language – FORTRAN
Important Facts
India’s first Super computer – PARAM 8000
Developed by Vijay P Bhaktar in 1991 in C-DAC
C-DAC was established in Pune in 1988
PARAM - PARAllelMachine
Most popular OS in the world:-
In PC – Windows
In smart phones – Android
In Tablets – iOS
In super computers – Linux
Organization of Computer
Computer has mainly two parts:
1. Hardware
2. Software
Organization of Computer
Processors/CPU
Brain of the computer
All major computations and
comparisons are made inside the CPU
Responsible for activating and
controlling the operations of other units
of the computer
Eg: Intel core i3, core i5, core i7, AMD
Quadcore
Functions of CPU are performed by
three components – ALU, CU and
Registers
CPU
Main attributes of CPU:
(a) Data Width/Word size: it refers to the number of bits of data that can be
manipulated within the CPU at one given time
Computers have data width ranging from 8 to 64 bits.
Higher data width means the CPU is capable of processing data faster.
(b) Address Range: it refers to the amount of memory that can be directly read or
written by the CPU
(c) Clock Speed: every computer contains an internal clock that regulates the rate
at which instructions are executed. CPU requires a fixed number of clock ticks
(clock cycles) to execute the each instructions. Clock speed is the speed of CPU
CPU
a. ALU
Arithmetic Logic Unit
The actual operations specified in the instructions are carried in ALU
Performs calculations and logical operations such as comparisons and decision
making
CPU
b. CU
Control Unit
It invokes the other units to take charge of the operation they are associated
with
It is the central nervous system that manages and coordinates all other units of
the computer
c. Registers
Temporary storage elements that facilitate the functions of CPU
CPU
Important registers inside CPU:
Accumulator: used to store data to perform arithmetic and logical operation.
The result of an operation stored in accumulator
Memory Address Register (MAR): stores address of a memory location to
which data is either to be read or written by the processor
Memory Buffer Register (MBR): It holds the data, either to be written to or
read from the memory by processor
Instruction Register (IR): instructions to be executed by processor are stored
here
Program Counter: holds the address of the next instruction to be executed by
the processor
Units of Data Measurements
0 or 1 = 1 Bits
4 Bits = 1 Nibble
8 Bits = 1 Byte
1024 Bytes = 1 Kilo Byte (KB)
1024 KB = 1 Mega Byte (MB)
1024 MB = 1 Giga Byte (GB)
1024 GB = 1 Tera Byte (TB)
1024 TB = 1 Peta Byte (PB)
1024 PB = 1 Exa Byte (EB)
1024 EB = 1 Zeta Byte (ZB)
1024 ZB = 1 Yota Byte (YB)
1024 YB = 1 Bronto Byte (BB)
1024 BB = 1 Geop Byte
Storage Unit/Memory Unit
Functions of storage unit are to hold or store:
a. Data and instructions required for processing
b. Intermediate results for ongoing processing
c. Final result of processing, before releasing to the output unit
Divided as Primary Memory & Secondary Memory
Memory
Primary Memory:
o It is often referred to as the working memory or the main memory of a
computer system.
o Access directly by the CPU
o It is capable of sending and receiving data at a very high speed.
o Mainly three types: RAM, ROM and Cache Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Mein memory that microprocessor can read from and write to
Contents will lost when the power is switched off
Known as volatile memory
Speed of RAM refers to how fast the data in memory is accessed, it is measured
in Mega Hertz (MHz)
When a computer is in use, its RAM contains the following:
1. The OS software
2. Application software currently being used
3. Any data that is being processed
Read Only Memory (ROM)
It is a permanent memory that can perform only read operations and its
contents cannot be easily altered
Non volatile; contents are retained even after power is switched off
Used to hold boot up program known as BIOS
Slower than RAM
Modified types of ROM:
1. PROM – Programmable Read Only Memory, which can be programmed
only once
2. EPROM – Erasable Programmable ROM, can be erased using ultra violet
radiation and can be programmed using special electronic circuit
3. EEPROM – Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM, can be erased and
rewritten electrically
Cache Memory
Small and fastest memory between the processor and Main memory
Frequently accessed data, instructions, intermediate results etc. are stored in
cache memory for quick access.
If a processor wants to read from or write to RAM, if first check whether a copy
of that data is in the cache. If so, the processor immediately reads the cache,
which is much faster than reading from RAM
Secondary Memory
Permanent and non volatile
Larger in size but slower than RAM
Used for transferring data from one computer to another
Also act as a backup
Major types of secondary storage devices are: Magnetic, optical, semiconductor
memory
Magnetic Storage Devices
It use plastic tape or metal/plastic disks coated with magnetic materials.
Data is recorded magnetically in these devices
Read/Write heads are used to access data from these devices
Eg: Magnetic tapes, Floppy disks, Hard disks etc.
Optical Storage Devices
Data storage medium which uses low powered laser beam to read from and
write data into it
Consists of an aluminium foil sandwiched between two circular plastic disks
Eg: CD, DVD and Blu-ray
Semi Conductor Storage/Flash Memory
It uses EEPROM chips for data storage
Faster and durable compared to other storage devices
Eg: USB, Memory cards
Input/Output Devices
Input Devices
Input devices feed data and instructions into the computer and output devices
present information from a computer system
Keyboard
Allows user to enter alphabets, numbers and other characters
Keyboard detects the key pressed and generates the corresponding ASCII code
which can be recognised by the computer
The standard US keyboard introduced in 1986 has 101 keys. Its keyboard
layout called QWERTY design
Mouse
Electro mechanical hand held device
Used as pointer to indicate the position of the cursor
Different types of mouse are Ball, Optical and Laser mouse
Light Pen
Input device that utilizes a light sensitive detector to select objects on a display
screen
Mainly used by engineers, artists or fashion designers for CAD and drawing
functions
Touch Screen
Input device that allows the user to operate by simply touching on the display
screen
It accepts the input through monitor
Touchpad
Pointing device found on portable computers and some external keyboards
Allows us to move the mouse pointer without the need of an external mouse
Joystick
Input device used for playing video games, controlling training simulators and
robots
Microphone
Accepts sounds in which analogue in nature as input and converts it to digital
format
Digitised sound can be stored in the computer for processing or playback
Scanner
Scanners capture information like pictures or text, and convert it into a digital
format that can be edited using computer
The resolution of the image scanned is expressed in Dots Per Inch (DPI)
Higher the DPI, better the resolution
Different variants of scanners are flat bed,
sheet fed and hand held scanner
Optical Character Recognition(OCR)
software is used to recognise the printed text
in an image scanned and convert it into
proper text format
Optical Marker Reader
Scans a printed form and reads predefined positions, and records the marks on
the form
Normally uses to evaluate multiple choice questions in competitive exam
Barcode/Quick Response (QR) code reader
These devices are used to input data from set of barcodes
Barcode is a set of lines of different thickness and spacing
that represent a number
QR code is similar barcode. Barcodes are single dimensional
where as QR codes are two dimensional
Biometric Sensor
Device which identifies unique human physical features with high accuracy
Uses physical features like, fingerprints, retina, iris pattern etc,.
Webcam
Digital camera attached to computers which can be used for video conferencing,
online chatting etc.
Output Devices
Output devices return processed data that is information, back to the user.
VDU
Output device that visually conveys text, graphics and video information.
Information shown on a display device is called softcopy because the
information exists electronically and is displayed for a temporary period of
time
CRT Monitor
Cathode Ray Tube Monitor
Two types are monochrome and color
Another variant of monochrome monitor is grey scale monitor
Flat Panel Monitor
They are thinner, lighter in weight, consume less power and emit less heat
compared to CRT monitors
Types of flat panel monitors are
LCD Monitors: Consists of liquid crystals sandwiched
between two plastic plates
LED Monitors: Use LED directly behind the liquid
crystal display
Plasma Monitors: A flat panel display consists of
sandwiching neon/xenon gas between two sealed glass
plates with parallel electrodes deposited on the surface
OLED Monitors: The panel of OLED is made up of millions of tiny LEDs. O stands
for organic which means there is carbon in the light emitting layer of the panel
LCD Projector
Type of video projector for displaying video, images or computer data, on a
large screen or other flat surface
Printer
Used to produce hardcopy output
Prints information and data from the computer on to a paper
Based on the technology used, it can be classified as impact or non-impact
printers
Impact printer: Use typewriting or printing mechanism where a hammer strikes
the paper through a ribbon in order to produce output. Eg: Dot-matrix printer
Non Impact printers: It do not touch the paper while printing. Use different
technologies to print character on paper. Eg: Inkjet, Laser and Thermal printers
Two factors that determine the quality of printers are
1. Resolution – Measured in terms of DPI
2. Speed – Measured as CPS, LPM, PPM
Dot-matrix Printer
In dot matrix printer the print head physically "hits" the paper through the
ribbon and produces text (or images) by combinations of dots; hence the name
dot matrix printer. Its speed is measured in characters per second (CPS).
Inkjet Printer
It is a printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create
an image. It sprays ink onto paper to form characters and prints high quality
text and graphics.
Laser Printer
Laser printer produces good quality output. The image to be printed is
transferred to a drum using a laser beam. The toner powder from the cartridge
is then sprayed on the drum.
Laser printers are faster and their speed is measured in pages per minutes
(PPM)
Inkjet Printer
Produce printed images by selectively heating heat-sensitive thermal paper
when it passes over the thermal print head.
They print quite and faster than dot-matrix printers
Plotter
Output device used to produce hardcopies of graphs and designs on the paper
Typically used to print large format of graphs or maps
Flatbed/Table plotter
Drum plotter/Roller plotter
3D Printer
Used to print 3D objects
Software
Set of programs that help us to use computer system and other electronic
devices efficiently and effectively
Two types of software are
I. System software
II. Application software
System Software
Set of one or more programs designed to control the operations of a computer
System software supports the running of other software, its communication
with other peripheral devices
It helps to manage resources of the computer
Components of system software are:
a) Operating System
b) Language processors
c) Utility software
Operating System
Set of programs that acts as an interface between the user and computer
hardware
Controls and co-ordinates the operations of a computer
Acts as resource manager of the computer system
It is the first program to be loaded from hard disk in the computer and it resides
in the memory till the system is shutdown
Functions Of Operating System :-
i. Process Management
ii. Memory Management
iii. Input/Output Management
iv. File and Disk Management
v. User Interface
Operating System
Set of programs that acts as an interface between the user and computer
hardware
Controls and co-ordinates the operations of a computer
Acts as resource manager of the computer system
It is the first program to be loaded from hard disk in the computer and it resides
in the memory till the system is shutdown
Functions Of Operating System :-
i. Process Management
ii. Memory Management
iii. Input/Output Management
iv. File and Disk Management
v. User Interface
Language processors
Computer languages are the languages used by user to communicate with the
computer
Computer languages maybe broadly classified into low level languages and
high level languages
Low level languages are machine oriented languages which are written using
the memory and registers available on the computer
Machine languages and Assembly languages are different low level languages
Language processors
Language processors are the system software that translate programs written
in high level language or assembly language equivalent machine language
Types of language processors:
• Assembler: Translator for assembly languages. They are highly machine
dependent
• Interpreter: Converts high level languages to machine languages line by
line. BASIC is a interpreted language
• Compilers: Translate high level languages to machine languages by
scanning the entire program in single run. Compiler using languages are
C,C++,Pascal etc.
Utility processors
Set of programs which help users in system maintenance tasks and in performing
tasks of routine nature
• Compression tool: Large files can be compressed so that they take less storage
area. Compression of files is known as Zipping and decompression is called
Unzipping. Eg: WinZip, WinRAR
• Disk defragmenter: Program that rearranges files on a computer hard disk.
This enables the computer to work faster and more efficiently
• Backup software: It facilitates the duplication and storage of disk information
so that in an event of disk failure, this backup may be used
• Antivirus software: Scans the computer system for viruses and removes them.
Eg: Norton, Kaspersky, etc.
Application Software
Application Software
Designed and developed for users to perform some specific tasks like writing a
letter, listening to music or watching video
Word processors: MS Word, Word pad, Word star, Corel Word Perfect, Google
docs.
Database software: MS access, file maker, dBase, Clipper, MySQL, FoxPro
Web browser: Google chrome, Mozilla fire fox, Internet explorer, opera
Multimedia software: Adobe photoshop, Picasa, VLC media, Windows media
player
Mailing software: MS outlook, Gmail
Presentation software: MS power point
Spreadsheet software: MS Excel, Lotus 123
Free and open source software
Free and open source software gives the user the freedom to use, copy, distribute,
examine, change and improve the software. The Free Software Foundation (FSF)
defines the four freedoms for free and open source software
Freedom 0: the freedom to run program for any purpose
Freedom 1: freedom to study how the program works and adapt it to your
needs. Access to source code should be provided
Freedom 2: freedom to distribute copies of the software
Freedom 3: freedom to improve the program and release your improvements to
the public
Free and open source software
GNU/Linux – Computer operating system which was introduced by Richard
Stallman in 1983
GIMP – GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is an image editing software
Mozilla Firefox – Web browser created by Mozilla
OpenOffice.org – It is a complete office suite that contains word processor,
spreadsheets and presentations
MS Office
Collection of office related applications developed by Microsoft
MS Word
Word processor developed by Microsoft
Used for creating, editing, formatting, storing, retrieving and printing of a
text document
Native file formats are denoted by either a .doc or .docx extension
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
INSERT: Pages, Table, Illustrations, Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments,
Header and Footer, Texts, Symbols
DESIGN: Document Formatting, Page background
LAYOUT: Page setup, Paragraph, Arrange
Mailings: Create, Start mail merge, Write and insert fields, Preview results,
Finish
View: View, Page movement, Show, Zoom, Window, Macros
Page Orientation: Portrait and Landscape
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
INSERT: Pages, Table, Illustrations, Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments,
Header and Footer, Texts, Symbols
DESIGN: Document Formatting, Page background
LAYOUT: Page setup, Paragraph, Arrange
Mailings: Create, Start mail merge, Write and insert fields, Preview results,
Finish
View: View, Page movement, Show, Zoom, Window, Macros
Page Orientation: Portrait and Landscape
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
INSERT: Pages, Table, Illustrations, Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments,
Header and Footer, Texts, Symbols
DESIGN: Document Formatting, Page background
LAYOUT: Page setup, Paragraph, Arrange
Mailings: Create, Start mail merge, Write and insert fields, Preview results,
Finish
View: View, Page movement, Show, Zoom, Window, Macros
Page Orientation: Portrait and Landscape
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
INSERT: Pages, Table, Illustrations, Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments,
Header and Footer, Texts, Symbols
DESIGN: Document Formatting, Page background
LAYOUT: Page setup, Paragraph, Arrange
Mailings: Create, Start mail merge, Write and insert fields, Preview results,
Finish
View: View, Page movement, Show, Zoom, Window, Macros
Page Orientation: Portrait and Landscape
Tabs of MS Word
HOME: Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Styles and Editing
INSERT: Pages, Table, Illustrations, Add-ins, Media, Links, Comments,
Header and Footer, Texts, Symbols
DESIGN: Document Formatting, Page background
LAYOUT: Page setup, Paragraph, Arrange
Mailings: Create, Start mail merge, Write and insert fields, Preview results,
Finish
View: View, Page movement, Show, Zoom, Window, Macros
Page Orientation: Portrait and Landscape
Alignments: Left aligned, Right aligned, Centre aligned and Justify
Header & Footer: Display information such as title and page number of the
document
Title bar: Bar at the top of the window bearing the name of the window
Menu bar/Tab Row: Located below the title bar that provides categorized
option.
Editing: To change the value of data
Formatting: To change the look and appearance of the data
Water mark: Faded background image that displays behind the text in a
document
Mail merge: Produces multiple letters, labels, envelopes, name tags, and more
using information stored in a list, database or spreadsheet
Hyperlink: Word, phrase or image that we can click on to jump to a new
document or new section within the current document
Macros: A series of commands (shortcuts and recordings) that is recorded so
that it can be played back at a later time
Thesaurus: For finding the synonym for a word in the document
Shortcuts in MS Word
Ctrl+O – open an existing file
Ctrl+N – creating a new document
Ctrl+A – select all
Ctrl+X – cut
Ctrl+V – paste
Ctrl+F – find
Ctrl+I – make the text italic
Ctrl+B – make the text bold
Ctrl+U – make the text underline
Ctrl+S – save the document
Ctrl+P – opens the print window
Ctrl+Z – undo last action
Ctrl+Y – redo last action
MS Excel
Spreadsheet application developed by Microsoft
Features: Calculation, graphic tools, pivot tables and a macro programming
language called visual basic for application
Tabs: Files, Home, Insert, Page layout, Formula, Data, Review and View
Intersection of a row and column is called a cell
The cell in which we are currently working is called a active cell
Shortcut to insert a new worksheet – ALT + Shift + F1 or Shift + F11
MS Excel
Home: Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, Editing
Insert: Tables, Illustrations, Add-ins, Charts, Sparklines, Filters, Links, Symbols
Formulas: Insert function, function library, defined names: formula auditing,
calculation
View: Workbook views, Show, Zoom
MS Excel
Home: Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, Editing
Insert: Tables, Illustrations, Add-ins, Charts, Sparklines, Filters, Links, Symbols
Formulas: Insert function, function library, defined names: formula auditing,
calculation
View: Workbook views, Show, Zoom
MS Excel
Home: Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, Editing
Insert: Tables, Illustrations, Add-ins, Charts, Sparklines, Filters, Links, Symbols
Formulas: Insert function, function library, defined names: formula auditing,
calculation
View: Workbook views, Show, Zoom
MS Excel
Home: Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, Editing
Insert: Tables, Illustrations, Add-ins, Charts, Sparklines, Filters, Links, Symbols
Formulas: Insert function, function library, defined names: formula auditing,
calculation
View: Workbook views, Show, Zoom
Functions in MS Excel
IF: Tests a user defined condition and returns one result if the condition is true
and another result if the condition is false
ABS: Returns the absolute value of a supplied number
SUM: Returns the sum of a supplied list of numbers
PRODUCT: Returns the product of a supplied list of numbers
POWER: Returns the result of a given number raised to a supplied power
MOD: Returns the remainder from a division between two supplied numbers
SUMIF: Adds the cells in a supplied range, that satisfy a given criteria
COUNT: Returns the number of numerical values in a supplied set of cells or
values
Functions in MS Excel
COUNTIF: Returns the number of cells (of a supplied range), that satisfy a
given criteria
MAX: Returns the largest value from a list of supplied numbers
MIN: Returns the smallest value from a list of supplied numbers
AVERAGE: Returns the average value from a list of supplied numbers
MS POWERPOINT
Slide show presentation program
Tabs: File, Home, Insert, Design, Transition, Animation, Slide Show, Review,
View
Short Cuts for PowerPoint
Ctrl + N Create a new presentation
Ctrl + O Open an existing presentation
Ctrl + S Save a presentation
Ctrl + F4 Close a presentation
Ctrl + Q Save and close a presentation
Ctrl + Z Undo an action
Ctrl + Y Redo an action
Ctrl + F2 Print review view
F7 Check spelling
Ctrl + F Find and replace
Esc End the slide show
F5 Start the presentation from the beginning
