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Lecture 1 Introduction to the Computer

CSC-140 Introduction to Computer

Muhammad Iqbal
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Introduction to Computer 1

What is a Computer ?
An electronic device that can accept input, process instructions, produce output from the processing, and store the results for future use.

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Computers Everywhere
Not just Desktops, Workstations, Tablet PCs, Handheld PCs (PDAs), Servers, Mainframe computers, Minicomputers But also
Cell phones Alarm Clocks Microwave Ovens Lighting control in a building Washing Machines

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Data or Information?
Data refers to raw facts and numbers (input for the computer) Information refers to data processed into a form that has meaning and is

useful

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How Does a Computer Know What to Do?


It must be given a detailed set of
instructions that tell it exactly what

to do.
These instructions are called a

computer program, or software.

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Why is the Computer such a Powerful Tool?


Speed Reliability Storage

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Four Basic Computer Operations


Input Operations

Processing Operations
Output Operations Storage Operations

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Basic Computer Components


System Unit ( Processing)

Input

CPU

Output

RAM Auxiliary Storage

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Input Devices
Allows you to enter data into main memory (RAM).

Two primary input devices keyboard mouse


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Input Devices

Keyboard Mouse or Trackball Joystick Pen input Touch Screen Light Pen Image Scanner Optical Recognition Digital Camera Voice Input
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Processor
CPU - Central Processing Unit
Control Unit ALU Unit

RAM - Random Access Memory ( Main Memory)


Volatile

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Central Processing Unit


interprets instructions performs arithmetic and logical operations controls input and output operations

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Transistors count (Moores Law)


The transistor count of a device is the number of transistors in the device. Transistor count is the most common measure of integrated circuit complexity. According to Moore's Law, the transistor count of the integrated circuits doubles every two years.

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Graph of Moores Law

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11/01/2008 EADS 15

Processor Chips
Megahertz allows the user to know the speed that the processor is working. Early Pentium chips - 66 MHz 300 MHz - capable of executing more than 250 million instructions per second Gigahertz (GHz) capable of executing close to a billion instructions per second.
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Binary System
Computers recognize only two states
(on and off)

These two states are represented by using two digits:


0 (absence of an electronic charge) 1 (presence of an electronic charge)

Each 0 or 1 make a value called a bit

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ASCII and EBCDIC


Two popular coding schemes ASCII uses 7 bits to make one byte. EBCDIC uses 8 bit to make one byte.

ASCII
1000001

SYMBOL EBCDIC
A 11000001

1000010

B
C

11000010
11000011

One byte makes up a Character 1000011

1000100
1000101

D
E

11000100
11000101

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Memory
RAM
A series of electronic elements that
temporarily holds data and instructions while they are being processed by the CPU. Random Access Memory

ROM
Read Only Memory Permanent www.ecolumns.blogspot.com , www.facebook.com/ecolumns
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Storage Measurements
Byte = one character Kilobyte = 1024 characters (approximately 1000 characters) Megabyte = approximately one million characters Gigabyte = approximately one billion characters

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Terabyte = approximately one trillion characters

Refrences
www.cise.ufl.edu/~mssz/CompOrg/ Su-L02-technol-logic1MSS.ppt www.cap.nsw.edu.au/teachers/tech_based_resources/ quambone_basics/Quambonecomputerbasics.ppt Chapter 1, Introduction to computers By Peter Norton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_count

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