🕹FUNCTION OF A COMPUTER🕹

-Input

-Storage

-Processing

-Output

Uses of a computer

-Typing of documents

-Send emails

--Play game

-Browse the Web

-Edit,/create spreadsheet

-Create video

🕹Strength of computers 🕹

-Computers cab work faster than human

-Never get tired

-Can find information correctly

-Never loose or misplaced information

🕹Types of computers 🕹

SUPERCOMPUTERS

-Very fast

-Very expensive

-Specialised computers

-Used in research work

-Process trillion calculations per second

-Carryout a few programmes

-The fastest computers in the world

MAIN FRAME COMPUTER

-Very large computers

-Very expensive

-Used for critical application

-For bulk data processing

-For industry and consumer statistics

-Can support hundreds to thousands of users

-Used by government departments

-Used by big organisation

MINI COMPUTERS

-Mid sized computers , second power and size to main frame

-Used by four to 200 users simultaneously

-Used in small to medium business offices

DESKTOP

-Heavy, large , not portable but movable

-Needs powerplug in

-Needs support engineer when moving

LAPTOP

-Portable, cheap, battery powered computer

SERVER

-A computer that saves information to another computers on a network

TABLET

-Hand held, highly portable , uses finger touch to input

WEARABLE

-Is a computer that can be worn

-Fitness trackers

-Smart watches

-Small phones

🕹 COMPUTER PROCESSING UNIT🕹

-part of a computer that receives input, processes and output into information.

-In most computers the CPU is the computer processing device , the brain of the computer

Function of the processor

-To control the use of the memory to Stoer data and instructions

-To control sequences of operation

-To give instructions to fill posts of the computer to carry out processing

-The CPU can be divided into two major subunits ie the Control Unit (CU), the Arithmetic logic unit

-Arithmetic unit performs operations like addition, subtraction. Logic unit performs logical operations
stored data eg AND, OR, >

Control Unit CU

-Contro signals to all hardware operations ie those of peripherals , main memory

-It interprets instruction

-Determine the order in which instructions are executed

-The CU is driven by a clock which is an electronic timer in the CPU and is responsible for timing system
determining whether the correct operation carried out at the correct time. Registers is a high speed
storage area in the CPU Used to temporarily hold small units of programmes and data immediately.

🕹OUTPUT DEVICES 🕹
-any device used to send data to another computer. It can be softcopyr, hardcopy or audi

Monitors /screen

- A television shaped devise. The screen can be called Visual Display Unit VDU.Display unformation
without printing.Monitors have immediate output, high speed display ,no noise but needs separate
device to produce hard copy , causes eye problems. There are three main types

1.Cathode ray monitors CRT_these are older and Bulky r version to display content.They are cheap to
buy and maintain but they are bulky and heavy to mount on walls.

2.Liquid Crystal Dispaly LCD. They are thin and do not use beam of electrons. They easily fit on walls , are
light weight, reflect less light but can display limited range of colours.

PRINTERS

-Produce hard copies , they are cheap to buy and repair

-Can use continuous paper but produce a lot of noise during printing, very slow and poor quality

1.Dot Matrix printer

Produces output in form of small dots . They are robust , less likely to be affected by dust but have low
resolution and noisy during printing.

2. Inkjet printer- use the print head to propel droplets of ink on sheet of paper. Output is good quality,
cheap to buy, used at home but have a slow printing speed , running costs

3. Laser printers- use light, print at high speed , produce high quality but very expensive and are large
taking up space

SPEAKERS- produce sound, used with multimedia

GRAPH PLOTTERS- produce high quality drawing in various paper sizes , print sharper and more precise
drawings of maps , buildings

DATA PROJECTOR- uses lenses to project intense light on walls . Surface should be white. Used in
presentations however they are more expensive .

🕹STORAGE DEVICES🕹

-Keep data and programs for future use . They are two types : primary and secondary storage

-Primary storage (main internal memory

- Smaller size
-Fastest access to data

-Holds data temporarily

-Found inside the computer eg Cache memory, RAM

-Main internal memory is of two types Random Accesa MEmory(RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM)

ROM(Read only memory)

-Permanent cannot be changed by user

-Contents not lost when power is switched off

-Used for boot routines

RAM(Random ACCESS Memory)

-Temporary- contents continuously changing

-Contents lost when power is lost

-Used to hold the operating systeused to hold software in use

-Used to hold the filed currently in use

🕹Secondary storage 🕹-

storage other than RAM AND ROM. Also called backing storage

-Have large capacity

-Store data permanently

-Can both be internal or external. There are 3 types of storage media

1.Optical

-Use light technology

-CD- Used to hold large file

-Used to hold music

-used to hold animation files

 -fast and direct access to data, high quality sound however, can be damaged, less durable

CD ROMS -used for distribution of music and software. Once recorded cannot be modified, erased.

2🕹.Solid state storage media🕹

-Have no movable parts, based on electronic circuit. Use flash memory.

1. Flash memory- non volatile (it holds its contents when the power is lost)

2. Memory cards - portable hard disks fits into personal computer

- offer direct access to data

-portable, however can get lost easily and affected by viruses

3. Smart Cards- cards with flash memory. more reliable and has larger storage capacity eg satellite TV
cards

4. USB Memory sticks( Universal serial bus )

Used to store data, to transport data, to transfer data.

Range from 16mB to 32GB, cheap and portable however cab carry virus and get lost

3.🕹Magnetic storage 🕹-

uses a plastic coated with magnetic layer on which data is stored

- Used as back up of data stored on disks, used for bulk processing eg pay roll

- stores large amounts of information up to 1 terabyte, data collection can go on without interruption,
magnetic tops can be reused repeatedly

a.Floppy disk- is capable of storing electronic data like a computer file

-they are portable, can be used as a boot device, can be used many times

- however many computer don't have floppy disk drives, have small capacity, can transport viruses

b.Hard disk drive

- a non volatile storage device containing magnetic plates rotating at high speeds

-used to store data in PC and laptop

-have large storage capacity, direct access to data, easier to update

-however difficult to repair , expensive to buy

c. Magnetic tape

-cassette tape in shape, stores data in serial or sequential order

-used to back up user data , They are re-usable and writable

- last for a long time, very cheap to buy, portable

-however difficult to update, too long to find a record, slow to write