UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING

CPE 201: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER ENGINEERING [2 UNITS]

Definition of Computer

Computer can be defined as a machine that automate a job (without human intervention)

Computer is an electronic device for performing arithmetic and logical operation.

Computer is a device or a flexible machine to process data and converts it into information.

It can also be defined as a machine which can respond to human command or user instruction for a particular
task in a peculiar way.
A computer is a machine designed through different knowledge and technologies in order to improve the ways
of doing things (jobs) or to alleviate some associate challenges in human task.

Generally, computer can be defined as an electro-magnetic device which has capability to receive specific
input, process the received input and give out desired output under control stored-program
Let’s look at:
(1) Electro-mechanical or electronic gadget or machine: This do referred to as computer because of the
hardware component of the system.
(2) Specific input: Computer can only accept three form of input which is called data. A data is a raw-fact or
record of event or record of transaction. A data could be in sound form, images or graphics or text
form. The text form is alphabets.
(3) Process: It can manipulate received thoughts through series of operations.
(4) Output: Is the outcome
 (5) A stored program: A computer system differs from other machines with a stored program. A system
which is being controlled by a stored-program or software could be referred to as computer system. A
microwave is a very good example of this.

Machines classified as computers

Ultrasound
Microwave oven
Food processor
Stove washing machine
Calculator
CT scanners
Heart-lung machine
MRI machines
LASIK surgical machine
X-ray machine

Chemical Engineering Applications of Computer

Process synthesis, analysis and design
Optimization chemical reactors
Distillation columns
Extractors
Process operation (e.g. Integrated manufacturing systems, reliability, safety, scheduling
Unit control
Classification of Computers

Computer can be classified according to

o Type
o Purpose
o Capacity and size
o Generation

o Classification by Type
Here, computers are grouped in the way or manner data and information from computers are being presented
to users. There are three types of information under this heading:
(a) Analogue
(b) Digital
(c) Hybrid

(a) Analogue Computer: It is analogue if its information are represented in a continuous manner using
physical variables.
These systems process data constantly varying physical condition such as pressure, voltage and
temperature. They are mostly used in research centers and laboratories. They are found in large
equipment and most generating plants. Examples are barometer, thermometer, table-clock that uses
‘hand’ to represent time of the day and slide-rule.
(b) Digital Computer: This is a system which represented its information in a discrete form. It operates
with symbols expressible usually in binary system. The ability of digital computers to handle alphabetic
and numeric data with precision and speed makes them suited for processing large numbers of data.
They are applied in commercial centre, mathematical calculation and scientific organization. Example is
digital wrist-watch and wall-clock.
(c) Hybrid Computer can presents information in a discrete and continuous manners. It combines both
analogue and digital systems. Example is a lift system (elevator)

o Classification by Purpose
They are two
(a) General
(b) Special

(a) Special purpose computers: are computers designed for peculiar tasks or jobs. Example is ultrasound
scan machine used in progress control applications in oil refining, steel-processing and power
generation industries.
(b) General purpose computers: They are designed to solve wide variety of problems. They are mostly
found in commercial and business environment.

o Classification by Size and Capacity

They are
(a) Mainframe
(b) Minicomputer
(c) Micro computer
(d) Super computers

(a) Mainframe: Is a multi-purpose computer and could handle high-volume computing.

It has the capacity to store and process data more than mini-computer and far more than a micro-
computer. It is also ahead of the two in terms of speed. It is the second largest group of computers.
It is typically used by large business and for scientific purposes. Example include IBMs, E5000,
VAX 8000 and CDC 66000
(b) Mini-computer: is a small digital computer. It stores less data than a mainframe but more than a
microcomputer, while doing so less rapid than a micro-computer.
It can serve as a server. It is used as desktop devices that are often connected to a mainframe in
order to perform auxiliary operation. They are multi-user systems (time sharing)
They are used in industries, research organizations, colleges and universities. Also applied in real-
time controls and engineering design work. Eg. PDP 11, IBM 8000 series, and VAX 7500
(c) Microcomputer: is a small digital computer consisting of microprocessor, a storage unit, input-channel
and output channel. All these may be on one single chip inserted into one or several PC boards.
Its parts include:
• adding of power supply and connecting cables
• peripherals (keyboard, monitor, printer, disk-drive etc)
• operating system (OS) and so on.
This computer is the smallest of the computer family. It is a personal computer, E.g. IBM–PC, Pentium
100, Pentium 200 and Apple Macintosh. Micro computers include desktop, laptop and hand-held models
such as PDA – Personal Digital Assistant
<Desktop>
They are meant for use by an individual i.e. it is a PC. Example APPLE, IBM, DELL and Hewlett Packard (hp)
<Laptop>
It is a portable computer. They are also called ‘notebooks’. The biggest advantage of this computer is that one
can use it anywhere and at any time, especially when one is travelling.
<Hand-held computer>
It is called Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). It can be kept in a pocket and used while user is holding it.
PDA uses pen or electronic styles instead of keyboard. They are also palmtop. Instead of disk-drive it
uses small cards to store programs and data. It can be connected to a printer or disk-drive to generate output.
It has limited memory and is less powerful compare to desktops. Examples; Apple Newton, Casio
Cassiopea and Frankline Bookman.
(d) Super computers: are among special purpose machine, which are specifically designed to maximize the
numbers of FLOPS – floating point operation per second. A system with below one giga flops is not
considered as a super computer. It has the highest processing speed. It contains numbers of CPUs that
operate in parallel to make it faster. Its processing speed lies in the range of 400 – 1000 MELOPS
(Millions of floating point operation per seconds).
It is use for solving scientific and engineering problems. These systems are typically used to solve
multi-variance mathematical problems of existence, physical process such as error, dynamics,
meteorology and plasma physics. Is also required by military strategies to simulate defence scenarios.
Cinematic specialist uses super computers to produce sophisticated movie animations. Scientists
build complex modules and simulate them in super computer.

o Classification by Generation
In computer terminology, the word generation is described as a stage of technological development or
innovation.
(a) First generation computers
(b) Second generation computers
(c) Third generation computers
(d) Fourth generation computers
(e) Fifth generation computers

(a) First generation computers were vacuum tubes or thermionic valves-based machines. They uses
vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drum for memory. A magnetic drum is a metal cylinder coated
with magnetic iron-oxide material in which data and programs can be stored.
Input was based on punched cards and paper tape and its output was displaced on printouts.
These set of computers relied on binary coded language (language of 0s and 1s) to perform operations
and were able to solve only one problem at a time. Examples: ENIAC (the first electronic computer faster
than Mark I), EDVAC and UNIVAC.
 Characteristics of the 1st Generation Computers

i) They were vacuum tube based technology

ii) They were very large and required a lot of spaces for installation.
iii) Air condition is important because they generate a lot of heat.
iv) They lack versatility and speed
v) It’s very expensive and use large amount of electricity
vi) They are unreliable and prone to frequent hardware failure.
vii) They are difficult to program and use because of machine language.

(b) Second generation computers: 1956–1963

The invention of the transistor in 1948 ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor
invented at the Bell Telephone Laboratories gradually replaced vacuum tubes and thermionic valves in
the design of switching circuits.
A transistor is made of semiconductor like germanium and silicon. It has three leads and
performs electrical functions such as voltage, current and power amplification with low power
requirement.
Sizes of computers reduced because transistor is a small device. Magnetic cores were used as
primary memory and magnetic disk as secondary memory.
One of the major developments of this generation includes the progress from machine language
to assembly language. Assembly language used mnemonics (abbreviations) for instruction rather than
numbers. For example, ADD for addition, and MULT for multiplication. As a result, programming
became less cumbersome. The following machine-independent-languages were on course: ALGOL,
COBOL and FORTRAN for simplification of programming.
Examples: PDP-8, IBM 1401, IBM 7090, IBM 7030, NCR 315, Honeywell 800, UNIVAC 1107.

Characteristics of the 2nd Generation Computers

i) Machines based on transistor technology

ii) Smaller compared to the first generation
iii) The computation time is reduced to microsecond from millisecond.
iv) More reliable and less prone to hardware failure
v) They are portable and generate less amount of heat
vi) They require air conditioning
vii) Manual assembling of individual components reduced
viii) Assembly language was used to program computers

(c) Third generation computers: 1964–early 1970

These have an integrated circuit. An integrated circuit consists of single chip (usually silicon) with many
components such as transistors and resistors. So, computer became smaller than before.
Semiconductor memories began to augment and ultimately replaced the ferrite cores in the main
memory designs. It can run more than one program at a time (multiprogramming – running).
The invention of Integrated circuit IC was pioneered by International Business Machine IBM ltd
and this led to the manufacture of IBM 360 mainframe computer. It was the first general purpose
computer introduced. IBM employed a unique technology called SOLID LOGIC TECHNOLOGY in the
design of computer system. The major drawback in IBM 360 was that it lacks facility that support
multiprogramming. This led to its termination and subsequent design of IBM 370.

Characteristics of 3rd Generation Computers

i) The computers were based on solid state technology.

ii) The computation time is reduced to nanoseconds from microseconds
iii) Portable and more reliable than the second generation
iv) They consumed less power and generate less heat
v) Their sizes are smaller compared to previous generation
vi) Hardware rarely failed; it pave way to low cost of maintenance
vii) Extensive use of high level computer programming language
viii) Manual assembly of individual components was not required
ix) Commercial production become easier and cheaper.

(d) Fourth generation computers: Early 1970 – till date

 It is an extension of the 3rd generation technology which is also based on integrated circuit. This has
been readily available to us because of development of microprocessor (circuit containing millions of
transistors).
The Intel 4004 chips which was developed in 1971, took the integrated circuit one step further by
locating all the components of computer (central processing unit, memory, input and output controls)
on a minuscule chip.
A microprocessor is about 0.5cm along one side and not more than 0.05cm thick. This period is
referred to as era of solid state electronics. Also prominent during this period was the bubble memory.
The classification of integrated of integrated chip of solid state electronics was based on the
numbers of transistors built on a single semiconductor material

• Large Scale Integration (LSI) technology allows thousands of transistors to be constructed on one small
slice silicon material
• Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) squeezed hundreds of thousands of components into a single chip
• Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) increased that number into millions.

This way computers become smaller and cheaper than ever before. In addition, magnetic cores memories
found in 2nd generation were substituted by semiconductor memories which resulted into faster random
access main memories. Secondary memories such as hard disk become economical, smaller and bigger in
capacity.
Other significant development includes computer networking, introduction of better Graphic user-interface
(GUI), pointing devices like mouse, and hand-held devices.
Examples: Apple II, Altair 8800 and CRAY I

Characteristics of 4th Generation Computers

i) They are based on microprocessor technology

ii) They are very small
iii) Cheapest of all the generation of computers
iv) Portable and quite reliable
v) They generate negligible amount of heat, hence do not require conditioning
vi) Hardware failure is negligible
vii) Production cost is low
 viii) GUI and pointing devices enable users to learn how to use these computers
ix) Interconnection of computers (networking) is enhanced.

(e) Fifth generation computers

The dream of creating a human-like computer that would be capable of reasoning and reaching a
decision through a series of “what-if-then” analysis had been conceived.
The starting point for the fifth generation has been set in the early 1990s. The process of
developing 5G computers is still in the development stage.
Four characteristics can be identified with the fifth generation computers:
• Mega-chip memory
• Parallel processing
• Natural language processing
• Artificial intelligence

A mega chip requires high memory storage and enables the computer to approximate the memory
capacity of the human mind. This set of system will use super large scale integrated (SLSI) chip which
will result in the production of microprocessor having millions of electronic components on a single
chip.
Serial processing is a process in which computers access and execute only one instruction at a time.
However, a computer using parallel processing accesses several instructions at once and works on
them at the same time through use of multiple central processing units.
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is the ability of a computer to understand and respond to
commands that are given in a natural language, such as English
Artificial intelligence: Technologies trying to simulate and reproduce human behavior, including
thinking, speaking and reasoning.
AI comprises of a group of related technologies: expert systems (ES), natural language processing
(NLP), speech recognition, vision recognition and robotics.

Programming Languages
A program is a set of sequential instruction that tells a computer to perform specific tasks
• First generation or machine language
 • Second generation or assembly language
• Third generation or high-level language
• Fourth generation or fourth-generation language (4GL)
• Fifth generation or natural language

(1) Machine language: Because computers are based on a binary number system (0, 1) the computer only
understand 0’s and 1’s. This is called machine language or low level language. This programming is time
consuming and difficult to correct. For example, to write “ HIT HERE” in machine language we have:
1001000 (H)
1001001 (I)
1010100 (T)
1001000 (H)
1000101 (E)
1010010 (R)
1000101 (E)
(2) Assembly language: Another type of low-level language is assembly language which uses alphabetical
abbreviations to represent computing function. For example ‘MULTIPLY’ can be represented as MUL
(3) High Level Language: The first HLL was developed in 1950s. The idea was to bring the computer’s
language level up to a human level. It uses a translator called a compiler to interpret instruction into
machine language.
A popular high level language was FORmula TRANslation (FORTRAN) which was developed to
solve scientific problems. Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL) was designed to solve data
processing problems in business. Beginner’s All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) was
developed at Dartmouth College and was a simplified version of FORTRAN.
(4) Fourth Generation Language (4GL) is more user-friendly and produces better and faster results. They
are used in strategic planning, budgeting, modeling, simulations and the like.
(5) Natural Language Processing (NLP): It started as a project of the US Department of Defense to translate
the Soviet Union’s technical document into English.

Computer System Components

A computer system comprises of
• Input devices
 • Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Output devices
• Memory

• Input Devices

Information fed into the system converts it into an electrical signal and sent to the central processing unit.
Examples of input devices are keyboard, mouse, light pen, graphics tablet, bar code, sensor, scanner,
disk tape, and modem

• Central Processing Unit (CPU)

It executes the instruction fed into the computer. Two kinds of processing are used today:
(a) Batch processing: Batch processing means that the computer does not start processing the new
program until it has finished the previous program.
(b) Real time processing process program or instructions immediately after they have been entered into
the system.
The CPU comprises of three parts:
i) Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
ii) Control unit
iii) Primary memory

i) The ALU consists of the arithmetic unit and the logic unit
The function of the arithmetic unit is to execute basic operations such as addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division. The unit can also provide logarithmic, trigonometric and other
mathematical functions by combining the basic arithmetic operations.
The logic unit makes comparison and takes action based on the results. In this unit numbers
and conditions are compared; Greater than, less than equal to, not equal to, and, or etc
ii) Control unit coordinate and supervise the function of the entire computer system
When data enters the computer through an input device, the control unit directs it to the
primary storage; The control unit then fetches the data from the primary memory and, according to
the receiving order, decodes or interpret it and sends it to the ALU for execution. Finally, the control
 unit directs the results to the output device or auxiliary memory. The control unit functions more or
less like a traffic controller that supervises the movement and execution of data.
The control unit synchronizes the CPU tasks by using a system clock which releases timely
electrical pulses. The time required to get data from the primary memory and interpret it is called
Instruction time (I-time) and time required to execute data is called execution time (E-time). The
clock speed is measured in megahertz (MHz)
iii) Primary memory: Data and instruction are stored temporarily in the primary memory or primary
storage unit. This part of the memory is called random access memory (RAM). The primary memory
also includes another kind of memory which is permanent and contains instructions that tell the
computer what to do once it is turned on. This is called the read only memory (ROM).
The instructions in the ROM are written in the factory and cannot be altered by the user.

In the CPU, data is transferred through an electronic pathway to different points in the CPU’s circuits. This
pathway is called a bus. They are three:
Control bus
An address bus
A data bus
A control bus is the pathway for all timing and controlling functions-sent by the control unit to the other
units in the system
The address bus is the pathway that locates the storage position in the memory for the data to be found or
executed.
The data bus is the pathway that carries data from the input devices to the CPU and from the CPU to the input
devices.
Another part of the CPU is the register which contains instructions or data that are to be acted upon
immediately, and holds only one piece of data at a time. The size and number of registers determine the speed
of the computer.
The number of bits that can be stored and manipulated as a unit is called a word. Today, word length
varies from 8 to 128 bits. When a computer has a word length of 16 bits, the processor is a 16-bit processor.

• Output Devices
The result after a data is being processed is called the output. There are four major kinds of output:
Text consisting of words, numbers and symbols
 Image, a form of graphics or pictures
Sound, either music or voice
Machine-readable data, which are codes that other computers can read.
Example of output devices are printers, display monitors etc

Some variety of printers includes:

(a) Dot-matrix printers
(b) Letter-quality printers
(c) Laser printers
(d) Plotter and ink-jet printers are used in reproducing graphics and can produce colour output
(e) Thermal printers: they produce colour printouts but are expensive.

Some varieties of display monitor include:

(a) Output display is created by a cathode ray tube (CRT). The CRT scans the output in the form of
electronic dots and lines, then displays the results on the screen. Each dots is called a picture element or
in computer terminology, pixel. CRTs come either in monochrome or color. The high resolution monitor
(CRT with more pixels) is ideal for graphic output
(b) Liquid crystal display (LCD). The LCDs are ideal for portable computers because they have a flat-panel
display device with very little power consumption.

• Memory

The process of entering data into either primary or secondary memory is called writing and the process of
retrieving data from the memory is called reading.

Primary memory
Two types of memory identified in primary memory are the random access memory (RAM) and read only
memory (ROM).
Think of a primary memory unit as post office mail boxes with each box having a capacity of storing one
character, a byte. Each byte consists of 8 bits or 0’s and 1’s (0 represents the off position and 1 represents the
on position). This memory is referred to as random access memory (RAM). Memory capacity is measured in K,
actually K – stands for 210 = 1024 bytes. A computer with 128K memory has 131,072 boxes for storing
characters.
 RAM is called volatile because it losses its contents when its power source is shut off. So it is
temporary.
ROM is permanent and non-volatile. Programmable read only memory (PROM) allows the user to
program it. In another type of PROM, programs can be erased. This is called erasable programmable read-only
memory (EPROM).

Secondary memory
To ensure that the data is nonvolatile and permanent, it must be stored on a medium, secondary storage or
auxiliary memory, which enables the user to retrieve the data at a later time. The most popular storage
medium today is a magnetic medium. Another kind is an optical medium which has tremendous amount of
storage capacity.
Floppy disc, hard disks, tapes and cartridges are often used.
Data is stored in the form of files. Two types of files access are common today, sequential and random.
A sequential method access files from beginning to end in straight line. Example is Payroll files for
employees.
Random access can be obtained directly regardless of the location of the file in the storage medium.
Student result is an example
A disk store both random and sequential files while a tape stores or retrieve only sequential files.

Operating Systems
An operating system is a collection of programs, often supplied by the computer manufacturer which
coordinates computer system activities.
Operating system manage hardware components, direct the flow of data through input/output devices,
and facilitate communication between users and the CPU.

Disk Operating Systems (DOS)

A DOS is a set of programs that helps you use the files on the disk.
DOS is usually specified by the software developer. For example, PC DOS (Personal Computer Disk
Operating System), developed by IBM, or MS DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System), developed by the Micro
Soft Company. DOS perform the following tasks:
(a) Starts new programs
 (b) Provides disk status information
(c) Opens and closes files
(d) Copies files
(e) Saves files
(f) Deletes files
(g) Formats files
(h) Identifies and catalogs disks

The Evolution of the Computer

The word ‘calculate’ comes from the Latin word for ‘stone’, calculus. Before, quantities greater than 10 are
counted using fingers or pebbles. The stones are colored:
Red -------- Hundred
White --------- Tens
Black ----------- Units
In order to have the sand and pebbles handy all the time, Phoenicians built a box and kept the counting
devices there. The box was called an Aback. Later the Romans called it an Abacus. The Chinese Abacus
consisted of beads instead of stones.
Abacus is a wooden frame with wires. Instead of stones, beads are used. These beads made the abacus
easier to use and to carry around.

Simple Abacus
Chinese Abacus
 wire
Upper deck
Beam

Lower deck

Chinese Aba cus

H T U
It could perform addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. It can also be used to obtain square roots
and cubic roots. Abacus is known to be the first mechanical calculating device.

In the 18th century, Hindu-Arabic numerals were introduced in India and Arabic countries. The basic numbers
were 0 – 9 used in base ten.

John Napier of Scotland invented a calculating device in the year 1617 called the Napier Bones. In the device,
Napier used the bone rods for the counting purpose where some number is printed in these rods. These rods
can do addition, subtraction, multiplication and division easily.
In 1642, Blaise Pascal, a 19 year old French man, combine the Arabic numeral concept with the wheels and
gears technology to build a calculating machine called the Pascaline. Pascaline finds application in odometer,
speedometer, fuel pumping machine. Pascaline is an analogue device. One of its demerits is its lack of
accuracy and precision. Addition, multiplication and division could be carried out.
1 shift = 1 revolution = 10 complete revolution

Gottfried Leibniz, a mathematician, invented a calculating machine which was able to do multiplication. The
defect of this machine is that it has to be always fit together by hand and often made mistakes. The basis for
binary codes was discovered by Gottfried Leibniz.

Gottfried Wilhem invented the Stepped reckoner which can be used in finding square and square root of a
number.
In 1801 Joseph Marie Jacquard, JMJ - a French man invented a device which can be commanded or instructed
by human. It is called Jacquard’s loom. It operates on “weaving” – the means of passing information is through
punch-card.
In 1822, Charles Babbage invented a machine called the Difference Engine. The machine is powered using
steam. It can perform calculation involving differentiation. In 1831 he had the concept of a machine that
resembles a computer. He went ahead to invent what is known as Analytical machine in 1833. It is controlled
by punched cards. Parts of the Analytical Engine are:
(1) A mill for calculating – ALU
(2) A store for holding instruction – memory
(3) An operator – control unit
(4) A device for reading and writing on punch card – input and output device like keyboard
The Analytical Engine was never finished.
For this great invention of the computer, Sir Charles Babbage is also known as the father of the
computer.
The tabulation of the 1880 census took about seven years to complete. It was estimated that with population
growth, tabulation of the 1890 census would take about 20 years to complete. To solve this problem, an
American named Herman Hollerith who worked for the Census Bureau, invented a new electrical machine
(1889) that could add, subtract and sort census information. He called it the Data Tabulation. It made use of
punch card system to enter data. Because of Hollerith’s machine, the tabulation of the 1890 census took only
3 years instead of 20, saving the government 5 million dollars. He establishes a company called International
Business Machine (IBM) Corporation.

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak developed the first Apple computer in 1978.

Inventors and Their Inventions

1. In 1944, Mark I was invented by Harvard Aiken Pennsylvania. The Mark I comprises of 3 units:
Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU), for performing arithmetic operations, the Memory Unit for storing
numbers and the Control Unit for coordinating the functions of the other two units.
2. In 1946 John Eckert and John Mauchy both invented a machine called ENIAC (Electronic Numeric
Integrator and Calculator). This computer uses electronic vacuum tube. It consists of switch
interconnection of wires while the punch card serves as both input and output devices. It was designed
for calculating trajectories.
 3. EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Computer) was invented also by John Eckert and John Mauchy. It
was the first electronic computer to use the stored program concept introduced by John Von Neumanj.
This concept is based on simple architecture. They make use of machine language.

“Ada countess of lovelace completes the work on Analytical machine by Charles Babbage and was the
1st programmer”.

4. In 1949 Maurice Wilkes invented a machine called EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic
Calculator). It was also base on John V. Neumanj concept.
Summary of Classification of Computers According to Generation
Generation Existence Technology Memory Language Size Computation Reliability Example
time
1st 1940-1956 Vacuum tube Magnetic Machine Very large, millisecond Unreliable – ENLC,
or thermionic drum language it prone to ENIAC,
valve - for i.e. binary consumes frequent EDVAC,
circuitry coded space. Is hardware UNIVAC
language expensive failure. It lacks
(language versatility and
of 0s and speed.
1s) Generate
much heat.
2nd 1956-1963 Transistor Magnetic Assembly Smaller microsecond Less prone to ALGOL,
(1948) made of core – language (It compared hardware COBOL,
semiconductors primary uses to 1st failure. FORTRAN
like silicon & memory & mnemonics (portable) Generate less
germanium magnetic i.e. abbr.) heat
disk –
secondary
memory
3rd 1964-early Integrated Semi- High level More Nano- More reliable
1970 circuit (IC). conductor language smaller second than 1st & 2nd.
 (Solid State memory than 1st & Runs more
Technology) 2nd than one
(portable) program at a
time (multi-
programming).
Consumes less
power.
4th Early 1970- Microprocessor Much more Much more Negligible
till date (circuit smaller faster hardware
containing failure.
millions of Networking is
transistors) enhanced. GUI
and pointing
devices enable
users to learn
to use these
computer.

Some acronyms used in computer and their meaning

ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange

BASIC: Beginners All-purpose Symbol Instruction Code
CAD: Computer Aided Design
COBOL: Common Business Oriented Language
EDSAC: Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer
EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Calculator
ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator
UNIVAC: University Automatic Computer
 EBCDIC: Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange
FORTRAN: FORmular TRANslator
CPE 201 CA TEST 2013/2014 QUESTION
LIPS means
o Logical inference in periodic system
o Logical inference per second
o Language interfere purpose system
o Low inference per second
The part(s) of computer system that control the system activities is referred to as
o hardware
o stored program
o people ware
o all
Which of the following is correct about an abacus?
o It is a wooden frame
o It has a wire
o All
o None
A computer system that can be used for wide range of tasks is referred to as _________
o Special computer
o General purpose
o All
o None
Which of these is not correct about an abacus?
o Colour beads
o There is a beam
o None
o All
A computer can be regarded as super computer with this float
o 50M
 o 50K
o 550M
o 550K
Which of these generation has versatility in built?(ANSWER 2)
o Third
o First
o Fourth
o Seecond
The following are derived concepts from jacquard’s loom except
o information could be linked
o card cannot automate a jobs
o information can be coded on a card
o all
A system that tries to mimic profession personel in his field of endeavour could be(ANSWER 2)
o Scientific calculation
o Knowledge based concept
o Artificial intelligence
o Serial processing
The generation of computer which solid state technology affected is
o Fourth generation
o Third generation
o First generation
o Second generation
The following machine were instructed through punched card except
o Difference engine
o Stepped reckoner
o Mark I
o Tabulating machine
Computer system differs from other electromechanical system because computer has ……..(ANSWER 2)
o Microprocessor
o Mechanical component
o Electrical component
 o Stored program
Function of which electronic device brought about solid state technology
o Inductor
o Transistor
o Resistor
o Capacitor
Which of the following cannot be regarded as computer hardware?
o Storage device
o Output device
o Input device
o None
The speed of the first generation computer is
o Microsecond
o Nanosecond
o Milisecond
o Picosecond
Which of the following has the highest processing speed for solving scientific and engineering problems?
o main-frame computer
o super computer
o minicomputer
o all
Which of these home appliance is a computer
o Radio
o Microwave
o UPS
o Gas cooker
Graphical representation of a list of instructions is known as
o Modeling
o Flowchart
o Algorithm
o All
Logic operation are carried out in which of the following
 o Memory unit
o Input unit
o Control unit
o ALU
Which of this is digital device?
o Speedometer
o Odometer
o Abacus
o Fuel dispenser meter
The maximum number of beads on upper deck is
o All
o 10
o 2
o 5
The mass appealing features of third generation are(ANSWER 3)
o Mouse
o VDU
o Keyboard magnetic drum
o GUI
A computer that processes and displays its input and output device in a discrete form is
o Digital computer
o Hybrid computer
o Analogue computer
o Hybrid device
A system that accepts, processes and displays its input and output in both discontinuous and continuous form as
_____________
o digital system
o analogue system
o hybrid system
o none
Pascaline uses gear. This device could be described as
o Digital device
 o Analogue device
o None
o Digital computer
Pascaline is a ……………….
o digital device
o analogue device
o analogue system
o none
ENIAC means
o Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer
o Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator
o Electronic Numerical Integrator Automatic Calculator
o Electronic Numerical Integrator Automatic Computer
In data processing if a set of instructions is repeated, it is called
o selection
o iteration
o sequence
o titration
Which of this is among the system software?
o Spreadsheet
o Utility software
o Graphics software
o Database software
Super computers are mostly found in ____________
o Education
o Transportation
o Entertainment
o None
Which of these is a merit of an abacus over stones?
o Few beads are used to denote a large value
o All
o Calculation is faster than in counting stones
 o None
Which of these computers John Eckert and J. P. Mauchy did not contributed or participated in
(a) ENIAC (b) EDVAC (c) EDSAC (d) none
Mega-chip is a __________ (a) LSI (b) VLSI (c) SLSI (d) ULSI
An interactive computer program used in solving problems that require the assistance of a professional is called
_____________
(a) Expert system (b) mega-chip (c) natural language processing (d) all
Mark 1 was invented by
(a) John Mauchly and John Eckert (b) Maurice Wilkes (c) Herman Hollerith and Harvard Aiken
(d) John von Neumann
Very Large Scale Integration technology squeezed ____________ of computers
o thousands
o hundreds of thousands
o millions
o all
EDSAC means
o Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer
o Electronic Discrete Storage Automatic Calculator
o Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator
o Electronic Discrete Storage Automatic Computer
Which of the following is not a characteristic of algorithm?
o general
o finite
o all
o none
EDVAC means
o Electronic Discrete Variables Automatic Calculator
o Electronic Delay Variable Automatic Computer
o Electronic Delay Variables Automatic Calculator
o Electronic Discrete Variables Automatic Computer
Which of the following is an application of Pascaline except?
o barometer
 o potentiometer
o galvanometer
o all
The principle of operation in Pascaline is used in
o odometer
o fuel dispenser meter
o all
o none
Upper deck (beads) Lower deck (beads)

The 1st wire: NIL Two

The 2nd wire: One Three
The 3rd wire: One Two
The 4th wire: One One

What is the value for the above representation on a Chinese abacus?

(a) 6872 (b) 6782 (c) 7682 (d) 7628
Which of these is an applied Pascaline?
o Wall clock
o Electricity meter
o All
o None
Which of the following is an application of Pasculine except?
o Barometer
o Potentiometer
o Galvanometer

Upper deck (beads) Lower deck (beads)

The 1st wire: One Four

The 2nd wire: One Three
Which of these is correct if 16 is to be added to the above representation?
(a) 89 (b) 16 (c) 105 (d) 75
When a gear with ten teeth made one rotation, the second gear will shift
(a) two teeth (b) one tooth (c) ten teeth (d) all
Two red stones, Four white stones and Eight black stones represent
(a) 248 (b) 428 (c) 842 (d) 824
The computer programming language that uses mnemonic for instructions is
(a) machine language (b) assembly language (c) high level language (d) all
The following are analogue devices except
(a) speedometer (b) abacus (c) fuel dispenser meter (d) odometer
Abacus has one of these as a merit over stones and pebbles
(a) awkward for counting (b) its calculation is faster (c) beads requires colour (d) none

Upper deck (beads) Lower deck (beads)

The 1st wire: One Four

The 2nd wire: One Three

(a) 12 (b) 22 (c) 32 (d) 52

Which of these machines has all features of the fourth generation?
(a) Difference engine (b) Jacquard loom (c) Analytical engine (d) none
‘IF-THEN=ELSE’ correspond to which of this term?
(a) FLOPS (b) LIPS (c) MELOPS (d) MLIPS
If the third gear of Pasculine shifted twice, how many times the first gear had rotated?
(a) 200 (b) 100 (c) 10 (d) 20

STEP1 P= 1, Count = 1
STEP2 If Count ≤ 5
STEP3 Yes: P = P + 2
Count = count + 1
STEP4 No: stop

What this algorithm is doing?

 (a) generating multiples of 2 (b) generating multiples of 3 (c) generating odd numbers
(c) generating even numbers

STEP1 P= 0, Count = 2
STEP2 If Count ≤ 5
STEP3 Yes: P = P + 3
Count = count + 1
STEP4 No: stop

The loop would terminate when Count = ? (a) 5 (b) 6 (c) 7 (d) 4

STEP1 P= 0, Count = 2
STEP2 If Count < 5
STEP3 Yes: P = P + 3
Count = count + 1
STEP4 No: stop

What would be the values of P and Count when loop terminates?

(a) 5 and 9 respectively (b) 9 and 5 respectively (c) 6 and 9 respectively
(d) 9 and 6 respectively

STEP1 P= 0, Count = 1
STEP2 If Count < 5
STEP3 Yes: P = P + 3
Count = count + 1
STEP4 No: stop

Which of these is a list of output for the algorithm?

(a) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 (b) 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 (c) 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 (d) 0, 3, 6, 9, 12
Which of the following is an extension of Pasculine?
(a) Fuel dispenser meter (b) Odometer (c) Stepped Reckoner (d) Speedometer
Which of these is not correct about Pasculine?
 (a) It has precision (b) Its operations include multiplication (c) It used wheel/gears
(d) It was built by Blaise Pascal
Which of the following is correct about number of revolutions the second wheel performs if the first wheel makes
three hundred revolutions?
(a) 3 (b) 30 (c) 3 (d) none
Which of these machines or devices was instructed by perforated cards?
(a) Pasculine (b) Stepped Reckoner (c) Jacquard’s loom (d) All
The generation that emphasis that human work is more of reasoning than calculation is
(a) third generation (b) fifth generation (c) fourth generation (d) all
Which of these support multi-user?
(a) mini-computer (b) micro-computer (c) none (d) all
Which of these forms of data, a computer can accept?
(a) text (b) smoke (c) stimulus (d) taste
General purpose computer came in ____________
(a) third generation (b) fourth generation (c) fifth generation (d) second generation
To subtract 9 from 28 on typical Chinese abacus which of the following is correct?
(a) Away from the beam: a bead from lower deck of the second wire with a return of a bead from the lower deck pf
the first wire
(b) Away from the beam: a bead from lower deck of the first wire with a return of a bead from upper deck of the
first wire
(c) Away from the beam: a bead from upper deck of second wire with a return of a bead from lower deck of the
second wire
(d) Towards the beam: a bead from lower deck of the second wire with a return of a bead from lower deck of the
first wire
(e) Towards the beam: a bead from lower deck of the first wire with a return of a bead from upper deck of the first
wire
The method of writing computer instructions in form of strings of 0s and 1s was adopted from one of the concepts of
these inventors
(a) Charles Babbage (b) Herman Holleriths (c) John Machuly (d) Joseph Jacquard
(e) Ada lovelace
Analytical machine was completed and put into operation by
(a) Joseph Marie Jacquard (b) Herman Holleriths (c) John Maurice
(d) Ada countess of lovelace (e) Charles Babbage

MAY ALMIGTHTY ALLAH HELPS US ALL (AMEEN)