Page 1

HEED International School

Session: 2020-2021
Chapter-1 STD: VIII Subject: ICT

Fundamental of Computer

The memory of the computer is measured in units of bits and bytes. The full form of bit is
binary digit.

Binary system is a numeric system that uses only two digits – 0 and 1. Files in computers are
stored as binary files.

We need 1 byte of memory to store one letter and 2 bytes to store a number.

Measure of memory:

4 Bits = 1 Nibble
8 Bits = 1 Byte
1024 Bytes = 1 Kilobytes (Kb)
1024 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte (Mb)
1024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte (Gb)
1024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabytes (Tb)
1024 Terabytes = 1 Petabytes (Pb)
1024 Petabytes = 1 Zetabytes (Zb)
Memory: The place where we store data and instruction is known as Memory. Memory is
measured in units of bits and bytes. They are two types of memory. They are
i) Primary or Internal memory
ii) Secondary or external memory

i) Primary or Internal memory: The Primary memory is a part of the CPU. It is also
called the main memory or the internal memory. It is fixed on the motherboard inside the
CPU box. Example: ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM

ii) Secondary or external memory: The computer uses the secondary memory to store
large amount of data. Example: Hard disk (HDD), CD, DVD, Pen Drive, external hard
disk, Blue-ray disks, magnetic tape.

Hard Disk: The hard disk is a metallic disk coated with a magnetic material. It is permanently
fixed inside the CPU box. Whatever we save on a computer gets written to the hard disk. A hard
disk can save from 500 Gb to 2 Tb. We can partition the hard disk as C: D: E: and so
on.

The first hard disk was IBM Model 350 disk storage.

CD, DVD, Blue-ray disks are examples of optical disks which are flat, circular disks, using laser-
beam technology to read and write data on them.
Compact Disk (CD): CDs are external storage devices that can hold up to 700 Mb of data. It is
ideal for storing videos, music, image and programs. There are three types of CDs
 Page 2

i) CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)

ii) CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable)
iii) CD-RW (Compact Disk-Rewritable)

DVD (Digital Video Disk): A DVD looks like a CD but can hold much more information than a
CD. A DVD can hold 4.7 Gb to 16 Gb of data. There are different types of DVD-
i) DVD-Video
ii) DVD-ROM
iii) DVD+R
iv) DVD+RW
v)HD-DVD

Pen Drive: It is a convenient way of transferring data. It is a small, compact and light weight
device having a very large storage capacity. Most pen drive can hold 8 Gb to 64 Gb of data.

Backup: Making a copy of data is called backup. We can take a backup of the data stored on
our hard disk on a pen drive, DVD of external hard drive.

Operations (or functions) of the computer system:

1. Accepting input
2. Storing of data
3. Processing data as required
4. Giving output
5. Controlling all operations inside a computer

Central Processing Unit:

In PC and small workstations, the Central Processing Unit is housed in a single chip called
microprocessor. A chip is a single wafer of a material known as silicon on which the circle is
built. A chip is also known as integrated circuit or IC.

Operations (or functions) of the CPU:

1. The CPU reads and executes program instructions.
2. It performs calculations.
3. It makes decisions.
4. It also coordinates the activities of the entire computer system.

Note:
1. MIPS stands for “million instructions per second” and is a rough measure of the
performance of a CPU.
2. The microprocessor and primary memory chips along with other components in a
computer are fixed to a base called motherboard. The motherboard is a large circuit board
inside the CPU tower.
3. There are three functional units in CPU. They are
i) Control Unit (CU)
ii) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
iii)Main Memory Unit (MMU)

Control Unit (CU)

Functions of Control Unit
1. It controls the sequence in which computer programs and instructions are executed.
 Page 3
2. It controls the processing of programs stored in the main memory.
3. It also acts as a switchboard operator when several users access the computer
simultaneously.
4. It coordinates with the input and output units.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

After enter data, it store in primary storage unit. The actual processing of the data and
instructions are performed by ALU. The major operations performed by the ALU are
addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, logic and comparison.

Main Memory Unit (MMU)

The Main Memory is also known as the Primary Memory of the computer. It is further
divided into RAM and ROM.

Difference between RAM and ROM:

RAM ROM
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.

Virtual Memory: Instructions are loaded into the processor from RAM. When the space in RAM
runs out, storage is used as an overflow, and this is known as virtual memory.

Function of the computer clock: The speed of all the operations inside the CPU are controlled
by an electronic clock. This determines the processing speed of a computer, which is measured
in gigahertz (GHz). An i5 processor would have a speed of around 2.6 GHz.

Software: Software is the set of programs which control operations like input, processing and
output of the computer system. Some features of software are given below-
i. Software cannot be touched.
ii. Software makes the computer a powerful multifunctional
machine.
iii. There are different types of software available for different jobs.
iv. Software lets us interact with the hardware and gives us control
over them.
v. Software does not wear out like hardware but new software has
to be created for the growing needs of people and organizations.

There are two types of software –

1. System software
2. Application software

1. System software: System software is programs which operate the computer hardware and let
us run the application software. The Operating System is a type of system software. Windows,
DOS, Android, Unix, Macintosh are popular operating system. Main functions of system
software are
i) Controlling input and output devices
ii) Managing files and folders
iii)Running application software
 Page 4

2. Application software: Application software are programs developed to carry out specific
tasks for users. Apps are application software designed for tablets and smartphone. MSW Logo,
Microsoft Office, Tux Paint are the examples of application software.

1. Input unit: There are so many input devices. Some of them are-
i) Keyboard
ii) Mouse
iii) Joystick
iv) Scanner
v) Light pen
vi) Microphone
vii) Webcam
viii)Touchpad
ix) Barcode Reader (any type of reader is input)
x) MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Reader)
xi) Tracker Ball etc

Scanner: The scanner creates an electronic form of any printed image. It does this by shining a
light on the image. Once the image has been scanned and transferred to the computer memory,
it can be modified as desired.

Light pen: A light pen is a pointing device that looks like a pen and is sensitive to light. The light
pen gives input by moving directly on the computer screen. When the device is brought in front
of the screen, it sends signals to the CPU. The CPU processes these signals and carries out the
instructions.

Webcam: A webcam is used to capture still images and videos. These images can be stored in
the computer, printed or uploaded on the www. The webcam is used for videoconferencing
where people placed anywhere on the globe can hold a conversation over the internet, seeing
and talking to each other.

Barcode Reader: We will find a pattern of printed bars on various products in the market. Even
the library books will have same pattern on the back cover. This pattern is known as a barcode.
To read this code, we need a barcode reader which decodes and transfers it to the computer
system where it is processed.

Pointing devices is used on a screen to select displayed object. Pointing devices are Mouse,
Tracker ball, Track pad, Joystick, Graphics tablet.
 Page 5
2. Output unit: There are 6 output devices
i) Monitor
ii) Printer
iii) Plotter
iv) Projector
v) Speaker/Sound Box
vi) Head Phone

Monitor: The monitor is known as the Visual Display Unit (VDU). It has a small screen which
displays the output. The output displayed by the monitor is known as soft copy. There are
different types of monitor in the market. They are

i) CRT-Cathode Ray Tube: These are heavy and bulky.

ii) LCD-Liquid Crystal Display: These are flat, occupy less space and have much
superior quality images. They are expensive.
iii) LED-Light-Emitting Diode: Now a days maximum monitors are LED.
iv) Plasma monitors are mainly used for very large screens.

Printer: The printer is used to give output in the printed form. The printed output is called hard copy.
It can print black and white or color. There are two types of printer. They are i) Impact printer
ii)Non-impact printer
i) Impact printer: It is also known as Character Printers. In this printer, the
head strikes the printer ribbon to create a mark on the pater just kike a
typewriter. eg- Dot Matrix printer and Daisy Wheel printer.

ii)Non-impact printer: It is also known as Line printer. In these printers,

there is no contact between the printer head and the paper. The printer
heads have tiny nozzles which spray ink at great speed on sheets of
paper. eg- Inkjet printer and Laser printer.

Difference between Impact printer and Non-impact printer

Impact printer
1. It is slow and noisy.
2. It is inexpensive.
3. It is character printer.
4. Inferior quality printer.
5. Example: Dot Matrix printer and Daisy
Wheel printer
Non-impact printer
1. It is fast and noiseless
2. It is expensive.
3. It is line printer.
4. High quality printer.
5. Example: Inkjet printer and Laser printer

Plotter: It is used in places where images like graphs, charts, maps, calendar etc. are required to be
printed. Plotters have a pen fitted in a movable arm. They are mainly used by engineers, architects
and seismologists.

** Input and Output device is Touch Screen.

Touch Screen: A touch screen is a device for pointing on a display screen. It is an alternative to
the mouse. By using the finger we can point in the touch screen. It is mainly used in smart
phone.

Internet
 Page 6

Computer Network: A computer network is formed when two or more computers are joined
together with cables or other devices to share information. There are three types of
1. Local Area Network (LAN)
2. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)
3. Wide Area Network (WAN)

1. Local Area Network (LAN): A LAN consists of a collection of computers that can share
peripherals, share information and communicate with each other over a network. These are
likely to be in the same room, building, department, school or workplace. Each computer that
forms part of the network can function both as an independent personal computer running its
own software and as a workstation. This is again divided into two types- (a) Cabled LAN (b)
Wireless LAN

Page 6

2. Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A metropolitan area network is a computer network that
interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic region of the size of a
metropolitan area. A metropolitan area network features a WAN that's built around a city or a
section of a city. It connects all of the networks in the city into a single larger network.
This network connects employees across the various agencies with shared resources.

3. Wide Area Network (WAN): Wide area network provides long distance transmission of
data. The size of the WAN is larger than LAN and MAN. A WAN can cover country, continent or
even a whole world. Internet connection is an example of WAN. Other examples of WAN are
mobile broadband connections such as 3G, 4G etc.
 Page 7

Advantages of network:
 Sharing devices such as printers saves money.
 Site (software) licences are likely to be cheaper than buying several standalone licences.
 Files can easily be shared between users.
 Network users can communicate by email and instant messenger.
 Security is good - users cannot see other users' files unlike on stand-alone machines.
 Data is easy to backup as all the data is stored on the file server.

Disadvantages of network:

 Purchasing the network cabling and file servers can be expensive.

 Managing a large network is complicated, requires training and a network manager usually
needs to be employed.
 If the file server breaks down the files on the file server become inaccessible. Email might still
work if it is on a separate server.
 Viruses can spread to other computers throughout a computer network.
 There is a danger of hacking, particularly with wide area networks. Security procedures are
needed to prevent such abuse, eg a firewall.

Internet: The Internet is a global network of computers. It has been formed by joining many
smaller networks to form one large network. This network spans the entire world.
Advantages of Internet:
• Search for information on any topic.
• Shop online.
• Pay bills
• Send emails or chat with our family and friends.
• Watch movies, listen to songs, watch videos, play online games (entertainment)
Disadvantages of Internet:
• Children and students waste their valuable time on the internet by playing games, chatting etc.

• The internet gives rise to bullying, trolling and cybercrime.

• It increase depression, loneliness, and social isolation
• Online fraud, identity theft, scamming hacking, stealing data etc done in internet.
• Money Frauds, Online Threatening Or Harassment are another disadvantage of it.
 Page 8

Connecting to the Internet: To access the Internet we need to subscribe to an

Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is a company that is directly connected to the
Internet and gives us access to it, usually for a fee.

The most common ways for connect to the Internet are -

Dial UP is when your computer dials a phone number to connect you to your ISP using
a telephone line. This connection is very slow.

Broadband: The term broadband commonly refers to high-speed Internet access that is
always on and faster than the traditional dial-up access. Broadband includes several high-
speed transmission technologies such as: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), cable.
Internet Terms

World Wide Web: The World Wide Web (www) refers to the millions of documents on
the Internet which are linked to each other.

Web Page: A web page is a electronic document on the world wide web. A web page is
written in a computer language called HyperText Markup Language (HTML). A web
page can contain text, images, video, sound and links to other pages. They are
connected to each other by linked words called hyperlink. Web pages are designed
using HTML coding software like Javascript, Dreamweaver.

Hyperlink: A hyperlink is the highlighted text on a web page which, on clicking

connects us to other web. These links are highlighted by underlining and are displayed
in different colors.

Website: A collection of web pages related to each other by a certain topic is known as
a website. A website is created by an organization or a person to give information
about a particular topic, person, product or organiz ation. Web server is a powerful
computers which can process a lot of information very fast.

URL: Each web page has a unique address called Uniform Resource Locator (URL).
We can locate a web page by its URL. The URL is the address of the web

Home Page: Home page is the first page we see when we enter a website. It is linked
to the other pages on the site.

Net Surfing or Browsing: Moving from one website to another on the net is known as
net surfing or browsing.

Web Browser: A web browser is a software which lets us read the pages on the www.
The Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera are some commonly
used browsers. Internet Explorer is built in with Windows operating system.

Search Engine: A search engine is a program which helps us to search for information
on the internet. We search for information using keywords which have to be entered in
the search box.
 Page 9

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol): TCP/IP is a set of protocols used

to transfer data from one computer to another over the Internet. A protocol is a set of rules
defines how computers interact or communicate with each other. TCP/IP is a universal standard
that enabled hardware and OS software from different computers to communicate.

Internet Address: Each computer on the Internet has a unique address that identify. This
unique address is a number called IP address which is a 32-bit address consisting of four sets
of up to three digits each, separated by full stops, eg 196.161.232.4 The IP address could be
static (means it remains the same every time you connect to the Internet) or dynamic (means it
is a temporary address that changes each time you connect to the Internet).

Intranets: An intranet is a local or restricted computer network used by a group to

communicate with each other. A local network of computers that only people in a particular
office can access is an example of an intranet.

Extranet: A controlled, private network allowing third-party partners to gain information, typically
about a specific company or institution, and do so without granting access to an organization's
entire network. Intranets and extranets perform similar functions, but for different subsets of
people.
An intranet is a private network, operated by a large company or other organisation, which uses
internet technologies, but is insulated from the global internet. An extranet is an intranet that is
accessible to some people from outside the company, or possibly shared by more than one
organisation.

VPN: A VPN is private network that runs within public network. It is similar to an extranet but
network traffic will be encrypted. It can be thought of as a separate „pipe‟ inside the Internet.
Network traffic inside the pipe is inaccessible to those outside the pipe.

Threats from the Internet and security

Viruses: A virus is software to be secretly loaded onto a computer without the user‟s knowledge
for malicious intent. Antivirus can check a computer for viruses and remove them.

Spam: Spam is unsolicited email and is the email equivalent of junk mail. It is an inappropriate
attempt to use an email address, mailing list, newsgroup or other networked communications
facility as a means of broadcasting the same email to a large number of people who didn‟t ask
for it and probably don‟t want it. Spam is generally sent by commercial operations that use the
Internet to sell products and services. Spam can be removed using a spam filter that scans
incoming email and removes unwanted email messages.

Phishing: Phishing is an attempt to find out personal information, usually social security
numbers, credit card number or usernames and passwords for online banks. These are then
used for identity theft and fraud.

Pharming: Pharming is an attempt to collect personal information from users when they
connect to a legitimate website. Pharming is a form of online fraud involving malicious code
and fraudulent websites. Cybercriminals install malicious code on your computer or server. The
code automatically directs you to bogus websites without your knowledge or consent.