CAREN KATE V.

QUITORIANO
Faculty
College of Communication & Information Technology
carenkatequitoriano@gmail.com

1
 AIMS & OBJECTIVES

 After reading this Lesson you will be able to
understand:
1. The characteristics of computers that makes
them an essential part of every technology.
2. Computer system, which includes components
such as central processing unit & I/O devices.

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 Contents

 Digital and analog computers
 Characteristics of computer—Speed, accuracy,
diligence, storage capability, versatility
 History of computer—Calculating machines,
Napier’s bones, slide rule, Pascal's adding
 and subtraction machine, Leibniz's multiplication
and dividing machine, punch card
 system, Babbage's analytical engine, Hollerith's
punched card tabulating machine
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 Contents

 Generations of computer
o First generation (1940 to 1956): Using vacuum tubes
o Second generation (1956 to 1963): Using transistors
o Third generation (1964 to 1971): Using integrated circuits
o Fourth generation (1971 to present): Using microprocessors
o Fifth generation (present and next): Using artificial
intelligence
 Classification of computer—Microcomputers (desktop
computer or Personal Computer (PC), notebook
computers or laptop, netbook, tablet computer, handheld
computer or

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 Contents
Chapter 1

 Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), smart phones),
minicomputers, mainframe computers,
supercomputers )
The computer system—Hardware, software, data, users
The Input-process-output concept
Components of computer hardware—Input/output unit,
central processing unit, storage unit
Application of computers—Education, entertainment,
sports, advertising, medicine, science and engineering,
government, home

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 Why this chapter?

 Computers are an integral part of our lives.
Wherever we are—sitting in our homes, working in
the office, driving on roads, sitting in a movie hall,
staying in a hotel, etc.—our lives are directly or
indirectly affected by the computers.
 In this era of information, we are dependent on the
storage, flow and processing of data and
information, which can only be possible with the
help of computers. The purpose of this chapter is to
introduce you to the “computer”.
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 Why this chapter?

 A computer is one of the most influential forces available in modern
times
 Due to its memory, high speed and perfection, its application can be
extended to almost infinite levels.
 Millions of complex calculations can be done in mere fraction of time.
 Difficult decisions can be made with accuracy for comparatively little
cost.
 Computers are widely seen as instruments for future progress and as
tools to achieve substantiality by way of improved access to
information by means of video conferencing and e-mail.
 Indeed computers have left such on impression on modern civilization
that we call this era as the information age.
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Information Technology
 INTRODUCTION

 Computers plays a significant part of our lives.
 They are used for the reservation of tickets for:
 airplanes and railways,
 payment of telephone and electricity bills,
 deposit and withdrawal of money from banks,
 processing of business data,
 forecasting of weather conditions,
 diagnosis of diseases, searching for information on
the Internet, etc.

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 INTRODUCTION

 Computer is an advanced electronic device that
takes raw data as input from the user and processes
these data under the control of set of instructions
(called program) and gives the result (output) and
saves output for the future use.
 It can process both numerical and non-numerical
(arithmetic and logical) calculations.

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 INTRODUCTION

 Computers are also used extensively in:
 schools,
universities,
organizations,
music industry,
movie industry,
scientific research,
law firms,
fashion industry, etc.

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 INTRODUCTION

 The term computer is derived from the word
compute.
 The word compute means to calculate.
 A computer is an electronic machine that accepts
data from the user, processes the data by performing
calculations and operations on it, and generates the
desired output results.
 Computer performs both simple and complex
operations, with speed and accuracy.

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A computer has four functions:

a. accepts data Input
b. processes data Processing
c. produces output
d. stores results Storage

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 Input-Process-Output

 Input (Data): Input is the raw information entered into a
computer from the input devices. It is the collection of letters,
numbers, images etc.
 Process: Process is the operation of data as per given
instruction. It is totally internal process of the computer system.
 Output: Output is the processed data given by computer after
data processing. Output is also called as Result. We can save
these results in the storage devices for the future use.
Computer System All of the components of a computer system
can be summarized with the simple equations.

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 1.2 DIGITAL AND ANALOG
COMPUTERS

 A digital computer uses distinct values to represent
the data internally. All information are represented
using the digits Os and 1s. The computers that we
use at our homes and offices are digital computers.

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 DIGITAL AND ANALOG
COMPUTERS

 Analog computer is another kind of a computer that
represents data as variable across a continuous range
of values.
 The earliest computers were analog computers.
Analog computers are used for measuring of
parameters that vary continuously in real time, such
as temperature, pressure and voltage. Analog
computers may be more flexible but generally less
precise than digital computers. Slide rule is an
example of an analog computer.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF
COMPUTERS

a) Speed
b) Storage
c) Accuracy
d) Versatility
e) Automation
f) Diligence
g) Reliability
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 Speed

 Computers are capable of carrying out the task with
enormous speed. Today’s computers, according to
their class, can perform from 4 MIPS (Millions of
instructions per second) to 100 MIPS.
 What may take days for manual calculations may
take only a few hours for computers to perform.
Inside the computer the information signal travels at
incredible electronic speed.

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 Storage

 Large volumes of data and information can be stored
in the computer and also retrieved whenever
required.
 A limited amount of data can be stored, temporarily,
in the primary memory.
 Secondary storage devices like floppy disk and
compact disk can store a large amount of data
permanently.

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 Storage

 Computers can store enormous quantity of information.
 Which is expressed in terms of Kilobytes (or) Mega Bytes
(MB) or Gega Bytes (GB).
 It is achieved through its ‘Main memory’ or ‘Primary
storage’ and through ‘auxiliary storage’ or ‘Secondary
storage’.
 The Hard disks Floppy disk, Compact Disc(CD) and
Magnetic Tape storage are examples of secondary
storages.
 These large volumes of storage occupy much lesser space
compared to paper documents and this aspect of
computers makes them more powerful.

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 Accuracy

 The accuracy of a Computer is consistently high. In
fact, this quality of the computers make them
indispensable in various fields such as Scientific
Research, Space Research, Weather Predictions and
many other areas where precision of a high order is
required.
 The accuracy of the computer is best achieved by
programming them in the most efficient manner.
 When it comes to very complex mathematical or
scientific problem the computer’s accuracy has no
substitute.
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 Versatility

 Computers are versatile in that they can perform
almost any task, provided they are given the
appropriate logical steps.
 For example, they are capable of performing wide
ranging tasks such as construction of a payroll,
inventory management in a factory, hotel billing,
hospital management, banking applications and any
imaginable task in every walk of life.

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 Automation

 The biggest advantage of computers is that it is
automatic in its operation.
 Once a programming logic is initiated the computer
performs repeated operations without human
interventions until program completion.

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 Diligence

 Computers are machines and that do not get tired or ‘lose
concentration’ like human beings.
 If a large number of calculations say million calculations
are to be performed the resultant output will remain
exactly the same even if operations are repeated any
number of times.
 But when a human being is asked to do the same job this
consistency cannot be achieved.
 Thus for those who want consistent and continuous
standard output, computer’s ‘diligence’ is of great help.

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 Reliability

 The computers give very accurate results with
predetermined values.
 They correct and modify the parameters
automatically, giving suitable signals.
 They give formatted results with high degree of
precisions.

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 Introduction

 Computers have several limitations too.
 Computer can only perform tasks that it has been
programmed to do.
 Computer cannot do any work without instructions
from the user.
 It executes instructions as specified by the user and
does not take its own decisions.

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 HISTORY OF COMPUTER

 In the early days of mankind, man used to count the
head of cattle by putting lines on trees.
 Slowly these lines changed to numbers.
 To do calculation on numbers he started inventing
machines.

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 Abacus

 Abacus was probably the earliest of
counting devices.
 It consists of rectangular wooden
frame with two compartments and
beads sliding along the steel wires for
counting.
 Multiplication and divisions are done
using repeated additions and
subtractions.
 Even today in which cross strings are
fixed. Beads are inserted on to the
strings.
 There are a number of rows of beads.

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 Napier’s logs and bones:
 John Napier, a Scottish mathematician

invented logarithms.
 The use of logarithms enabled him to
transform multiplications and division
problems of addition and subtractions.
 In the beginning he called logarithms as
artificial numbers. But later he named
them logarithms.
 Napier also invented a computing device
consisting of sticks with numbers carved
on them.
 These sticks are called bones as they
were made of bones. These bones helped
a lot in multiplication involving large
numbers.
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Liebnitz Slide rule


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 Calculating machines and
Pascal’s calculator
 A French mathematician, Blaise Pascal

invented a machine based on gear
wheels.
 He was the son of tax collector who had
to do lot of calculations as part of his
job. Blaise Pascal wanted
 to make his job easier by inventing a
calculator. You might be familiar with
gear wheels in use in
 your bicycle which meshes with a
driving chain. He used similar gear
wheels with ten teeth for

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 Leibniz’s Multiplication and
Dividing Machine
 was a mechanical device that could

both multiply and divide.
 The German philosopher and
mathematician Gottfried Leibniz
built it around 1673.

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 Babbage’s Analytical Engine
 An English man Charles Babbage built

a mechanical machine to do complex
mathematical calculations, in the year
1823.
 The machine was called as difference
engine.
 Later, Charles Babbage and Lady Ada
Lovelace developed a general-purpose
calculating machine, the analytical
engine.
 Charles Babbage is also called the
father of computer.
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 Hollerith’s Punched Card
Tabulating
 Machine was invented by Herman

Hollerith.
 The machine could read the
information from a punched card and
process it electronically.

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 Lady Ada Lovelace
 Lovelace is the daughter of the

famous English poet Lord Byron.
 She was a mathematician. She studied
the works of Babbage and wrote about
them.
 From her account only, we can see the
close resemblance of the modern day
computers and Babbage’s work.
 Lady Ada Lovelace’s contributions are
very important. Since she predicted
that computers can be programmed, a
language, Ada used widely in
America’s Department of Defence
Computers was named after her.
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 ABC Computer

 In 1937, Dr. John Atanstoff


with the help of his
assistant Berry designed
the Atanstoff Berry
Computer (ABC).
 The machine laid the
foundation for the
development of electronic
digital computer.

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 ENIAC- Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Calculator
 In 1947 john Mauchly and

Eckart completed the first large
scale Electronic Digital
Computer, ENIAC.
 In this computer, each time a
program was changed, the
wiring had to be completely
rearranged.
 It weighed 30 tons, contained
18,000 vacuum tubes and
occupied a space of 30 50 feet.

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 EDSAC-Electronic Delay
Storage Automatic Calculator:
 Maurice V.Wilkes of

Cambridge University
completed EDSAC in
1949. EDSAC was the first
computer to operate on
the stored program
concept.

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 UNIVAC-I – Universal
Automatic Computers:
 In 1947, after ENIAC became

operational Mauchly and
Eckart formed their own
Company- The Eckart-
Mauchly Computer
Corporation”.
 Immediately after this they
started the design of
UNIVAC-I. This was
purchased by US bureau of
Census.
 UNIVAC was the first
computer dedicated to
business applications
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 GENERATIONS OF
COMPUTER

 The computer has evolved from a large—sized
simple calculating machine to a smaller but much
 more powerful machine.
 The evolution of computer to the current state is
defined in terms of the generations of computer.
 Each generation of computer is designed based on a
new technological development, resulting in better,
cheaper and smaller computers that are more
powerful, faster and efficient than their predecessors.

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 First Generation (1940 to 1956):
Using Vacuum Tubes

 Hardware Technology
 The first generation of
computers used vacuum
tubes for circuitry and
magnetic drums for
memory.
 The input to the computer
was through punched
cards and paper tapes.
 The output was displayed
as printouts.

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 First Generation (1940 to 1956):
Using Vacuum Tubes

 Software Technology
 The instructions were written
in machine language.
 Machine language uses 0s
and 1s for coding of the
instructions.
 The first generation
computers could solve one
problem at a time.
 Computing Characteristics
 The computation time was in
milliseconds.

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 First Generation (1940 to 1956):
Using Vacuum Tubes

 Physical Appearance
 These computers were enormous
in size and required a large room
for installation.
 Application
 They were used for scientific
applications as they were the
fastest computing device of their
time.
 Examples
 UNIVersal Automatic Computer
(UNIVAC), Electronic Numerical
Integrator And Calculator
(ENIAC), and Electronic Discrete
Variable Automatic Computer
(EDVAC).

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 First Generation (1940 to 1956):
Using Vacuum Tubes

 The first generation computers used a large number of
vacuum tubes and thus generated a lot of heat.
 They consumed a great deal of electricity and were
expensive to operate.
 The machines were prone to frequent malfunctioning
and required constant maintenance.
 Since first generation computers used machine language,
they were difficult to program.

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 Second Generation (1956 to 1963):
Using Transistors

 Hardware Technology
 Transistors replaced the
vacuum tubes of the first
generation of computers.
 Transistors allowed
computers to become
smaller, faster,
 cheaper, energy efficient
and reliable.
 The second generation
computers used magnetic
core technology for
primary memory.

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 Second Generation (1956 to 1963):
Using Transistors

 They used magnetic
tapes and magnetic disks
for secondary storage.
 The input was still
through punched cards
and the output using
printouts.
 They used the concept of
a stored program, where
instructions were stored
in the memory of
computer.
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 Second Generation (1956 to 1963):
Using Transistors

 Software Technology
 The instructions were written using the assembly language.
 Assembly language uses mnemonics like ADD for
addition and SUB for subtraction for coding of the
instructions.
 It is easier to write instructions in assembly language, as
 compared to writing instructions in machine language.
 High-level programming languages, such as early
versions of COBOL and FORTRAN were also developed
during this period.
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 Second Generation (1956 to 1963):
Using Transistors

 Computing Characteristics

 The computation time was in microseconds.
 Physical Appearance
 Transistors are smaller in size compared to vacuum tubes, thus,
the size of the computer was also reduced.
 Application
 The cost of commercial production of these computers was very
high, though less than the first generation computers.
 The transistors had to be assembled manually in second
generation computers.
 Examples
 PDP-8, IBM 1401 and CDC 1604.
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 Third Generation (1964 to 1971): Using
Integrated Circuits

 Hardware Technology
 The third generation computers used the Integrated
Circuit (IC) chips.
 The third generation computers used the Integrated
Circuit (IC)chips.
 The use of IC chip increased the speed and the
efficiency of computer, manifold.
 The keyboard and monitor were used to interact
with the third generation computer, instead of the
punched card and printouts.
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 Third Generation (1964 to 1971): Using
Integrated Circuits

 Software Technology
 The keyboard and the monitor were interfaced
through the operating system.
 Operating system allowed different applications to
run at the same time.
 High-level languages were used extensively for
programming, instead of machine language and
assembly language.

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 Third Generation (1964 to 1971): Using
Integrated Circuits

 Computing Characteristics The computation time
was in nanoseconds.
 Physical Appearance The size of these computers
was quite small compared to the
 second generation computers.
 Application Computers became accessible to mass
audience. Computers were produced commercially,
and were smaller and cheaper than their
Predecessors.
 Examples IBM 370, PDP 11.
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 Fourth Generation (1971 to present):
Using Microprocessors

 Hardware Technology They use the Large Scale Integration
(LSI) and the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)
technology.
 Thousands of transistors are integrated on a small silicon
chip using LSI technology.
 VLSI allows hundreds of thousands of components to be
integrated in a small chip.
 This era is marked by the development of microprocessor.
 Microprocessor is a chip containing millions of transistors
and components,
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 Fourth Generation (1971 to present):
Using Microprocessors

 Software Technology
 Several new operating systems like the MS-DOS and
MSWindows developed during this time.
 This generation of computers supported Graphical User
Interface (GUI).
 GUI is a user-friendly interface that allows user to
interact with the computer via menus and icons.
 High-level programming languages are used for the
writing of programs.
 Computing Characteristics The computation time is
in picoseconds.
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 Fourth Generation (1971 to present):
Using Microprocessors

 Physical Appearance They are smaller than the
computers of the previous generation.
 Some can even fit into the palm of the hand.
 Application They became widely available for
commercial purposes. Personal computers
 became available to the home user.
 Examples The Intel 4004 chip was the first
microprocessor.
 The components of the computer like Central Processing
Unit (CPU) and memory were located on a single chip.
 In 1981, IBM introduced the first computer for home use.
In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh.
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 Fifth Generation (Present and Next):
Using Artificial Intelligence

 The goal of fifth generation computing is to develop
computers that are capable of learning and self-
organization.
 The fifth generation computers use Super Large Scale
Integrated (SLSI) chips that are able to store millions
of components on a single chip. These computers
have large memory requirements.

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 Fifth Generation (Present and Next):
Using Artificial Intelligence

 This generation of computers uses parallel processing that
allows several instructions to be executed in parallel,
instead of serial execution.
 Parallel processing results in faster processing speed.
 The Intel dualcore microprocessor uses parallel
processing.
 The fifth generation computers are based on Artificial
Intelligence (AI).
 They try to simulate the human way of thinking and
reasoning. Artificial Intelligence includes areas like Expert
System (ES), Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech
recognition, voice recognition, robotics, etc.

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