COMPUTER LITERACY
LEVEL 100
HND
ELECTRICALS, CIVIL,MECHANICAL AND FASHION
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
Introduction to Computers
Computers are now very prevalent in our daily life. It
looks practically impossible to accomplish our daily
activities without using computers, either knowingly
or unknowingly
Common computer devices around us
Smart phone
ATM
Electricity vendor machine
Laptops
selfdriving cars
digital watches
microwave
Introduction
Computers are affecting every sphere of our life—be
it government, business, education, legal practice,
entertainment, defense or home—computers have
become an indispensable and multipurpose tool
Introduction
Whereas supercomputers can forecast weather,
embedded computers make smart devices like
washing machines that beep when washing is
complete or automobiles that give you warning
before breaking down.
NEED FOR COMPUTER LITERACY
The rapid increase in the use of computers,
create the need for us to acquire some basic
knowledge in computer skills to pursue ones
career goals and function effective and
efficiently.
Introduction
Computer literacy can no more be restricted to
key boarding and basic calculations.
A complete understanding of the basic concepts
of what constitute a computer and how it runs
are essential
Introduction
Asking a motor mechanic to service your
motor without understanding the processes
of service leaves you at the mercy of the
mechanic
DEFINITION OF A COMPUTER
machine used to perform calculations and
computation
electronic device used to perform arithmetic and
logical operations
its device for converting data into information
Keys words from definition
Logical operations-decision making
Data –these are raw facts and do not have any
valuable meaning
Information - processed data is information. The
product of processed/ converted data is also
information
Pervasive nature of the computer
Computers are not only used for the purpose of
calculations. An accountant or a grocery shop ow
bank or an ATM uses it like a computational devic
author uses it as a writing tool, a musician as a d
for controlling music, kids as a machine for playi
games and so on.
What is so special about this machine that makes it so
pervasive
The answer is that the computer is programmabl
meaning that it all depends upon what program i
using for performing a particular function
what is a program?
In very simple language, we can say that a Progra
is a set of instructions that tells the computer
what to do.
The computer hardware (actual machine) is
designed in such a way that it does whatever the
software (computer programs) tells it to do.
There are four basic operations which a
computer performs.
Input
Process
Output
Storage
Input:This involves inserting or feeding data into
the computer by means of an input device, like a
keyboard.
Processing: Some kind of processing is done in th
computer to take out or transform data in some
way.
Output: The computer produces an output on a device
as a printer or a monitor, that shows the result of the
processing operations.
Storage: The computer stores the result of processing
operations for future use in some storage device, such
hard disk or a floppy disk
These operations are often referred to as the IPO
cycle. The four steps of the IPOS
cycle — input, processing, output and storage —
not necessarily appear in the same sequence as t
are defined.
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
Electronic data processing doesn’t go back more
just half a century. It has been in existence barel
early there 1940’s. The very first modern electro
computer became operational only in early the 1
The ideas started many centuries ago
Counting fingers
Counting stones
Markings on carves
The inconvenience of counting fingers to counting ma
the walls lead to the development of early adding too
Thus we can say that the idea of computing is as old as
civilization itself
It is very important to learn how people attemp
to create early computers as they played a very
important role in reaching this stage.
Year Name Profession Name of device Country
1450 A. C. Abacus abacus China
1600 John Napier Mathematician Bones Scotland
1642 Blaise Pascal Mathematician Adding machine French
1692 Gottfried Leibnitz Mathematician Multiplying machine Germany
1804 Joseph Marie Jacquard Weaver Programmable loom Frenchman
1822 Charles Babbage Mathematician Different engine Englishman
1862 Charles Xavier Thomas Mathematician Arithrometer Frenchman
1863 Charles Babbage Mathematician Analytical engine Englishman
1892 Hermann Hollerith Mathematician Punch card machine American
EARLY ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS
1930 Turing Machine
Alan Turing, an English mathematician, wrote a p
describing the capabilities and limitations of a
hypothetical general - purpose computing machin
called the “Turing Machine
1939 John Atanasoff's ABC
John Atanasoff is remembered because of his
contribution of some concepts which led to the
development of electronic computers. He, along w
graduate student Clifford Berry, built an electroni
calculating machine that could solve the problems
equations. ABC was the first special-purpose, elec
computer
1940 A.D. Mark-I (University of Pennsylvania – USA)
A group of scientists from pennsylvenia state
University developed the Mark-I, which was the f
electromechanical calculator in the world. It util
the punch card concepts of Hollerith and functio
by a series of electromagnetic relays and mechan
arithmetic counters
1943 A.D. ENIAC (Harvard University – USA)
The scientists of Harvard University brought out th
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (EN
which was the first electronic computer. It weighe
nearly 5 tons and occupied space equivalent to 2 b
rooms and could perform all the calculations that
small pocket calculator of today can perform. It u
vacuum tubes and was able to do 300 multiplicatio
per second
1944 Mark-II (Dr Howard Aiken)
Dr Howard Aiken, was hired by IBM and allocated
1million dollars to develop mark. Aiken, with his
members, came out with Mark-II. Mark-II was par
electronic and partly mechanical. It was bulky, 8
high and 55 feet long. It took 3 to 5 seconds to p
a single multiplication operation.
1947 A.D. EDSAC (Cambridge University–England)
Electronic Delayed Storage and Calculation was t
name given to the first electronic computer in th
world. It was the first one to implement the ‘sto
program concept’. It proposed the use of binary
numbers and the internal storage of instructions
digital form.
1951 A.D. Univac-I (USA)
By now a number of commercial companies were wo
on the development of computing systems. Sperry R
Corporation of USA introduced the first commercial
computer to the world and named it UNIVAC-I. Its
introduction was followed by the entrance of the IB
the computer field with IBM-701 Computer
COMPUTER GENERATION
The computer industry has grown at a phenomenal pace.
In the last decade the speed of computer has increased 20
The reliability has also grown sharply.
The cost per unit of calculation has gone down by 500 time
The storage capacity is increasing so fast that now it seem
nothing is impossible to store
The term “generations” was initially introduced
to distinguish between different hardware
technologies.
Gradually it shifted to both hardware and
software as the total system consists of both of
them.
Computers can be divided in five past
generations
The First Generation
Vacuum tube technology,
Punched cards for data input,
Punched cards and paper tape for output,
Machine Language for writing programs,
Magnetic tapes and drums for external
storage.
The Second Generation
Vacuum tube technology was replaced by
transistorized technology,
Size of the computers started reducing,
Assembly language started being used in
place of machine language,
Concept of stored program emerged,
High level languages were invented
The Third Generation
Useof Integrated circuits,
Phenomenal increase in computation speed,
Substantial reduction in size and power consumption of the
machines,
Use of magnetic tapes and drums for external storage,
Design-of Operating systems and new higher level languages,
Commercial production of computers.
The Fourth Generation
Use of Very Large Scale Integration,
Invention of microcomputers,
Introduction of Personal Computers,
Networking,
Fourth Generation Languages
The Fifth Generation
Easy to use computers with high intelligence and na
human input and output mechanism
Reliable and efficient software development by new
languages, new computer architectures and systems
software which overcome previous problems, and
The Fifth Generation
Improved overall functions and performance
aimed at making computers smaller, lighter,
faster, of greater capacity, more flexible and
more reliable.
These objectives set the main themes for the
future of computing, whatever techniques are
used to achieve them
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS
Initiallycomputers were classified on the
basis of their size, speed and cost, but
now there are many more attributes
attached to them
Four categories
Supercomputer
Mainframe computer
Minicomputer
Microcomputer
Supercomputers
These are the most powerful computers designed till now.
They are made to process huge amounts of data.
Many users can access them at the same time.
They are primarily used for mathematically intensive scientific
researches such as in aerospace, satellite, chemical, electronics,
petroleum and nuclear power industries.
Some supercomputers have over 64,000 processor and cost
between 5-20 million dollars. Consume electricity enough to pow
100 homes
Mainframes
Mainframe computers are used where many people in a large
organization need frequent access to the same information-larg
databases.
A mainframe computer system is made up of several terminals, i
addition to the mainframe or host processor. A terminal is a
keyboard and a screen wired to the mainframe.
The host processor is responsible for controlling rest of the
processors, operations and the peripheral devices attached to it
Mainframes
The mainframe computer has a processor that handles
input, controls the database and output needs of the
terminals attached to it.
Many modern mainframes have multiprocessing
capabilities. However, they are generally limited to 8
or less processors.
They are slower than supercomputers and their speed
is measured in megaflops and not in gigaflops.
The cost between 35,000 -1,000000 dollars
Minicomputers
The easiest way to describe minicomputers is by
saying that they lie somewhere in between
mainframes and microcomputers.
They can handle a great amount of data like
mainframes.
They can also support a number of terminals just as
mainframes do.
Minicomputers
Although they are designed for hundreds of
terminals, they differ in speed.
minicomputers are slower than mainframes and they
cannot support as many terminals as mainframes
can.
They have less storage capacity and their printers
too are slow.
Cost is between 18000-50,000 dollars
Microcomputers
They are designed to meet the needs of an
individual and thus are also called as Personal
Computers.
PC and microcomputers are interchangeable
Microcomputers are the fastest growing segment
the computer industry.
Microcomputers
The sources its popularity is the rate at which
improvements are being made in the technology.
As the technology is growing, microprocessor, memory,
chips and storage devices keep getting faster and
better and bigger.
Today, a typical PC has 8 times as much RAM, 150 times
more storage capacity and a microprocessor that is at
least 100 times faster than a PC 10 years earlier.
