DEFINITION OF A COMPUTER

More precise definition can be put as follows:

A computer is an electronic device that can solve problems or manipulate data by receiving input, performing
prescribed operation (processing) on the input, and supply the required results.

ADVANTAGES OF A COMPUTER

1. Efficiency
A computer generally is a quick operating machine, which can perform upto thousands of calculations
per second. Many organizations nowadays rely on computers to improve on their efficiency.
2. Accuracy
A computer is 100% accurate by itself unless mistakes are input into it. It follows that when mistakes are
input you expect mistakes on the output.
3. Storage
Computers normally stores millions of data which otherwise could be stored in massive amounts of
cabinet files. Computers also can store data for a very long period of time securely.
4. Wide application
A computer has applications in many fields as compared to other information processing tools. They are
applied in; businesses, scientific laboratories, hospitals, space research, academic institutions e.t.c.
5. Sharing of resources
With computers, expensive resources such as files, hardware, can be shared among many users. This
gives better economic utilization of resources available.
6. Communication
Computers can communicate with other machines e.g. electronic mail, Internet services, fax machines
etc.

7. Complexity of problem solving

A computer can perform the most complex calculations. As long as the problem can be programmed, the
computer will always provide the answers required.
8. Diligence
Computers are free from human limitation. It is a faithful slave which can work as long as you want it to
serve you.

DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS
1. Expensive.
2. Maintenance required.
3. Needs trained personnel.
4. Creates Unemployment.
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AREAS OF COMPUTER APPLICATION
Computers are applicable in many fields, some of which include:
BUSINESS
Many business tasks involve repetitive procedures and handling of large volumes of data. For instance in
offices, computers are used for preparation of letters, reports, memos etc.
MEDICAL
Computers are used in diagnosis of diseases i.e. symptoms are collected from the patient and fed into the
computer hence it analyses and a prescription is thus arrived at. Computers also aid in Performing medical test
and medical researches.
EDUCATION.
Schools are introducing computers to help students learn better through giving lessons to students like in
computer Aided-learning (C.A.L.) system and e-learning techniques.
Learning has been enriched because of the scale and range of information provided by computers.
SCIENTIFIC
Many tasks like the weather forecasting were at one time considered impossible because of the time spent and
efforts involved in performing necessary calculations. Nowadays such jobs have become possible with
computers.
INDUSTRIAL SEGMENTS
Computers are used in factories for inventory control management. Computers also assist in manufacturing
process and exploiting computer graphics. Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) involves the use of
computers during the actual making of the product. Computers make it possible for drilling or milling machine
to „sense‟ when a cut block has dulled or a joint has overheated.
ENGINEERING
Engineers have developed programs that help them design circuits and analyze the same and report on progress
and defects.
BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION
Architectural Engineers also rely on computers because it shows possible designs and decorations, patterns and
simulate landscapes to help them and their clients achieve the otherwise unimagined visuals. Architectural
Engineers use computer Aided design (CAD) to develop plans for everything they do including robots. Robots
are playing a large role in industry. They are programmed to do different tasks and are very reliable because
they do not get tired. They work twenty-four hours shifts and perform tasks too dangerous for hundred men
such as inspecting steam boiler tubes or working dangerous chemicals. Robots are becoming more „sensitive‟
and responsive to different situations i.e. „see‟, „feel‟, materials they are working on.
ADMINISTRATION
They keep Records, letters, Memos, Reports and financial Management all aspects of Administration
SECURITY
Controlling data access in Banking Financial Management Departments and Defense
RESEARCH
Baseline surveys, Demographic details.
ENTERTAINMENT
Video Games, Watch movies listen to musical CD and internet entertainments.
TYPES OF COMPUTERS
Computers come in a variety of sizes and shapes and with a variety of processing capabilities to serve the
varying needs of organizations. To provide a basis for comparing their capabilities, computers are generally
grouped into different categories:
1. Supercomputers - These are the largest, most powerful and most expensive computers. A supercomputer is
made up of several computers that are joined so that they work together. They are used in complex scientific

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 evaluations and by defense agencies to process very large amounts of data at very high speed. A
supercomputer system with its attachments fills a large room and cost millions or billions of shillings.
2. Mainframe computers - These are large computers usually housed in a controlled environment. Mainframe
computers support huge processing activities. They are used in large organizations to handle business
transactions. Very large organizations may use several mainframe computer systems to handle their
activities. Mainframes cost millions of shillings.
3. Minicomputers - They are similar to mainframes but are less powerful in terms of processing and terminal
support. They are used by small organizations or a department in a large organization. Minicomputers are
widely used at educational institutions for similar purposes like in the case of mainframes.
4. Microcomputers - These are relatively small, general purpose computer systems (also called personal
computers-PC). A microcomputer can usually be used only by one person at a time to handle business
activities. Micros are these days the main computing systems because they have gained a lot of computing
power over the years.
PCs are also used as terminals for connecting to minicomputers and mainframe computers.
Microcomputers can further be categorized into:
a) Desktop computers – small enough to fit on top of a desk but cannot be carried around.
b) Laptop or Notebook computers – are portable and fit into a briefcase. Are mostly used by business
executives who travel a lot. These computers today turn out to be in demand than the other types of
micros.
c) Handheld computers or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) – They combine pen input, writing
recognition, personal organizational tools and communications capabilities. Used in business
environments.
COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER
A computer is made up of two components, the hardware and software. The hardware is the physical
components which does the actual processing or manipulation of data and provides interfaces to the external
environment. Software is the logical parts which instructs or controls the hardware during processing.
The following diagram depicts the hardware components of a typical microcomputer system.

monitor
System unit

Keyboard Mouse

The Hardware
The hardware process input data and provides the means to communicate with the external environment. The
hardware comprises the following functional components: input/output, memory, storage, bus and processor.
These functional components can be illustrated as shown below.

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The computer and the user communicate through I/O units. The I/O units provide the user with means to enter
data for processing and to observe the result of processing.
INPUT UNITS
Input devices accept data from external environment and encode them into a form understandable to the
computer for the processing. This involves conversion of characters to their number codes. It is the numbers
that are passed to the processor or stored in memory.
For example, when you press “A”, on the keyboard, it is encoded to 65, “B” 66 “C” 67,…………………
Examples of input devices are;
Keyboard, mouse, modem, joystick, scanner, touch screen, digital cameras, microphones etc.
OUTPUT UNITS
Output units receive the processed data from the computer and decode them into a form comprehensible to the
user. This involves changing the character codes 65, 66, 67…… back to a form that is understandable. After
the conversion, the result is displayed.
Examples of output unit are;
They include screen (monitor, VDU, CRT), printers, speakers, plotters, modem, other computers etc.
MEMORY
Computer memory is classified into two broad categories. The read only memory (ROM) that stores firmware
and the Random Access Memory (RAM) a general-purpose memory initialized and used by a computer to
process data. RAM is the destination of I/O data. The data codes (codes 65, 66, 67, … ) are first changed into
their equivalent binary number before posting to memory.
Each single symbol (character) like A, B, C, I @, etc occupies a byte. A byte is the unit of measurement for
memory and storage space.
Main memory (RAM)
The term memory is used to strictly refer to the main memory or primary memory (also called RAM). RAM is
acronym for Random Access Memory. A computer‟s memory is used to store data/information during
processing. It is also used to store instructions during program execution. Intermediate result of processing is
temporarily stored here.
Memory is like an officer‟s desk in which the main memory is likened to the space before the officer, where
data is instantaneously acted on, after which it is returned to other places on the desk.
Properties of main memory
 Its volatile
 It has a short response time.

ROM (Read Only Memory)

Special for keeping information needed by the computer permanently (Special information). There are three
types of ROM.
a) Programmable read only memory (PROM)
b) Erasable PROM (EPROM)
c) Electrically Erasable PROM (EEPROM)
N.B.: Cannot loose information even if the power is lost.
Secondary memory (storage)
The secondary memory supplements the main memory of a computer. Data is stored on secondary memory
permanently until they are explicitly removed or the storage media destroyed.
Properties of secondary memory
 It‟s non-volatile
 It has a long response time.
Examples of secondary memory
Disks, Tapes, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Flash disks, Zip Disks etc.

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DISKS
Disks are read and written on by disk drives. There are two types of disks
1. Hard Disks
2. Floppy Disks or Diskette.
Disks are logically organized into tracks and sectors as shown below.
Sectors

Tracks

A disk’s logical organization

The tracks and sectors divide the disk into similar equivalent blocks e.g. 40 tracks and 8 sectors on a 5 ¼ DS
DD diskette, 80 tracks and 9 sectors on a 3 ½ DS DD diskette.

HARD DISKS
Hard disks are rigid and are usually fixed on a computer. They are part of the hard disk drives that we read and
write on them. Hard disks are faster, bigger and less error prone than floppy disks.

FLOPPY DISKS
Diskettes are flexible. They are classified by three attributes: size of the disk‟s diameter, Writable sides and
density of tracks per inch.

The function of floppy disks is to:-

a) Means of transporting information and data from one PC to another.
b) Storing programs.

Advantages of floppy disks:-

They are easier to use than hard disks.
They are easier to carry.
Disadvantages of floppy disks:
a) They are time consuming while formatting, loading and saving data is much slower.
b) Floppy disks should not be kept near T.V., Speakers (Magnetic source), direct sunlight, and dusty areas.

5.2, 31/2 floppy disk

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Safety measures for disks
 Keep in a dry place
 Keep out of dust and oil
 Keep out of magnetic field
 Do not subject to extreme temperature (below 100C and above 500C)
 Do not touch the disks surface.

CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU) Arithmetic Logic Unit

The processor is the computer‟s brain.
The brain processor contains the control unit;
arithmetic and logic unit and processing registers. Control Unit

Processing Registers

The Processor
CONTROL UNIT (CU)
The control unit determines which program instructions to execute, interpret the instructions and causes the
instruction to be executed.
ARITHMETIC AND LOGIC UNIT (ALU)
The ALU is responsible for:
 Arithmetic computation
 Data transfer (input/output processing) and
 Logic comparison
PROCESSING REGISTERS
The registers hold instructions during execution and the data being processed.
BUSES
Buses are signal paths that carry signals from one location to another within the system unit. There are three
types of buses; address bus, control bus and data bus.
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Software is the logics that guide the hardware to perform a task. The term software is used to mean both data
and programs. Programs manipulate data to produce the desired results.
Classification of software
Generally software is classified into three broad categories.
I. Application software
II. System software.
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Any program designed to be carried out by a computer to satisfy a user‟s specific needs. This category is further
classified into specific problem like: word processors, spreadsheets, accounting, desktop publishing, database
management systems, computer Aided Design (CAD), communication, graphic presentations, integrated
programs etc
Within each category, there are several software that have gained industry-wide acceptance. These programs are
provided in the following descriptions for each application category.

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Software development tools
They are used to write computer programs. The most traditional software development tools are computer
programming languages e.g. BASIC, PASCAL, C++ etc.
SYSTEM SOFTWARE
These are program that run a computer and aid both application and software development tools accomplish
their tasks.
Examples of system software:
 Compilers,
 Assemblers,
 Debuggers,
 Utilities,
 Operating systems,
 Device drivers etc
MICROCOMPUTER SUBSYSTEMS
When a computer system is opened, you find out that it is made up of different subsystems as shown in the
diagram below.

System unit – The system unit is a box like case that protects the internal components of computer from
damage.

Power Supply Unit – The power supply accepts the electricity supply form the wall socket and converts it to
direct current to be distributed to various parts of the system.

a) Motherboard (system board) – The system board is a board on which the major electronic components
that make a microcomputer work are fitted. These may include: - Processor (CPU), Chipsets, RAM
slots, BIOS chip. All the peripherals are plugged into the motherboard including the monitor, keyboard,
mouse and printer.
b) Hard disk drive – Hard disks are non-removable secondary storage drives which are commonly used
today. It uses magnetic disk to store data. The effectiveness of the hard disk is determined by the rate of
data transfer and access time.
c) Floppy disk drive – they are referred to as removable disk drives because the storage disk can be
removed and carried to other computer system.

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 d) Compact disk drive (CD-ROM) - The CD-ROM drive is used to install software and to distribute large
amounts of information.
e) Expansion slots – These are connectors used to install additional circuit boards. They are used to
increase the functionality and the features of a computer. Examples include; fax modem, video cards,
scanner cards, network interfacing cards etc.
f) Cooling system – During the operation of a computer the integrated circuits generate a lot of heat which
need to be removed. The cooling system is used to cool down the machine form excess heat. Two
devices are used for this purpose; (i) Fan which is normally attached to the top of the processor. (ii)
Heat sink which is a metallic component that increases the surface area hence increases the rate of heat
loss through convention.
g) RAM slots – A computer require primary memory in which programs are executed. The amount of
memory can be increased with additional SIMMs or DIMMs. These are normally fixed on the RAM
slots.
h) System speaker – Each personal computer (PC) has a built-in speaker that is very useful in diagnosing
faults. During the booting of a computer, several self-tests are carried out. Faults reported on these tests
are usually indicated using a system of beeps from the speaker. The speaker is also used in instructional
software.
COMPUTER SECURITY
Safety precautions: Security is an integral part of information technology. There are several aspects of security
to be implemented.
1. Protect Physical Premises
 Install uninterruptible power supplies for all key hardware. Use dedicated power lines for
important hardware.
 Provide lockable containers for disks.
 Provide adequate air conditioning for computer systems.
 Use low static carpet, antistatic mats and antistatic sprays.
 Protect hardware from electrical interface, room elevators and other heavy machinery.
 Protect against fires with smoke alarms, sprinkling systems, fire alarms and fire extinguishers.
 Develop contingency plans for earthquakes, fire, floods, vandalism e.t.c.
2. Guard Against Virus
 Viruses are programs that alter computer‟s operations. Some are harmless but many are deadly
and corrupt or delete data. Virus – usually are hidden in other programs.
Precautions: - Purchase anti-virus software and configure it to check the PC network for viruses at regular
intervals. Establish strict policies about introducing new software to the system.
3. Always Require Passwords.
 A password is a code known only to a particular user or group of users to control access of data
in the computer.. It is obvious to mention but not to uncommon for system to have no password
at all.
 Several departments in a building might require access to common files, to simplify tasks; these
files are kept on the same server and on-password are required.
 But in most cases you will require a password to limit access to some important files.
 In using password the following precautions are important:-
a. Do not record passwords
b. Do not use obvious passwords
c. Do not use patterns
d. Change password occasionally
e. Require unique passwords
f. Limit login attempts.
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