Information and Communication

Technology
Javeria Jabeen
 Required Reading
Computer: Information Technology in
Perspective, long, larry, latest Edition.
 Fundamentals of Computer
• Introduction to computer, Software and
hardware
• Components of a computer (input devices,
Output devices, System Unit, Storage Devices,
communication devices)
• Characteristics of a Computer
 What is computer
• A computer is a machine that can be
programmed to accept data, process data into
useful information and store it for later use.
• Computer word is derived from “compute”
that means to calculate.
• Computer is used to perform arithmetic and
logical operations.
 Introduction to Computer Software and
Hardware
• A computer consist of software and hardware,
that is a machine is known as hardware and
programs are called as software.
 What is software
Software is a set of instruction that tells a
computer what to do, a computer works
according to the given instruction in the
software.
• Software cannot be executed without
hardware.
• Software is debugged in case of problem and
is reinstall if the problem is not solved.
 Types of Software
Two main types of the software
• System software
• Application Software
 System Software
• System software is a type of computer
program that is designed to run a computer's
hardware and application programs.
Examples
• Operating System(DOS and Windows)
• Device Drivers
• Utilities(File manager and Disk formatters)
 Application Software
• Applications software is different to systems software.
They do not control how the system works, instead they
allow you to do your every day tasks on the computer such
as writing a letter, sending an email.
• Application software is used to perform various
applications on the computer.it helps a computer user to
perform specific task.
• Application software cannot run on itself but is dependent
on system software to execute.
• Example of application software is MS Word, Adobe
Photoshop ,MS Excel.
Relationship between software and
Hardware
 What is Hardware
• Hardware is physical parts of computer that
cause processing of data.
• Hardware cannot perform any task without
software.
• Hardware is repaired in case of problem and is
replaced if the problem is not solved.
 Components of Computer
Input devices: The data or instruction given to
the computer is called input and hardware
devices used to enter data and instruction into
computer is called input devices.
• Input means to feed information into a
computer e.g. words, symbols, number,
picture
 Components of Computer
Following are the most commonly used input devices
 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Microphone
 Scanner
 Digital camera
Keyboard: It is used to enter text, which contains
alphabetic, numeric and other keys for entering
different types of data.
 Components of computer
Mouse: It is a pointing device, that controls pointer
on the screen, user gives instruction to the
computer through mouse.
Microphone: It is used to enter voice into
computer.
Scanner: It reads printed text and graphics and
translate the result in digital form.
Digital Camera: It is used to take and store picture
in digital form.
 Components of Computer
Output Devices: The data processed in useful
information is called output and the hardware
component used to display information to the user
is called output devices.
Following are the most commonly used output
devices:
• Monitor
• Printer
• speaker
 Output Devices
Monitor: Monitor is used to display text,
graphics and video output.
Printer: It is used to display printed output on
paper or transparency.
Speaker: Speaker is used to hear sound, music
and voice output.
 Components of Computer
System Unit:
• System unit is a box that contains different
electronic component of computer system, it
is also called system cabinet.
• It protect the internal component from
damage.
• The electronic components in the system unit
are connected to mother board.
 Components of Computer
• Mother board is also known as system board
or main board.
• Important components of system units are as
follows:
• Central processing unit(CPU): It is also called
as process that is the brain of the computer. It
interprets and executes instructions in the
computer.
 Components of computer
Memory: The hardware component that store
data and instructions temporarily is called
memory that is also called primary memory or
main memory.
• Main memory consist of electronic chips
connected to mother board, it is used to store
data before processing.
• It also stores processed data after processing
until the data is sent to output devices.
 Components of computer
Main memory also called volatile because its
contents are lost when the computer is turned off.
Storage devices:
The hardware components used to store data,
instruction and information permanently are
called storage devices.
It is called non volatile because its contents remain
safe when the computer is turned off.
 Components of computer
• Some important storage device are floppy disk
drive, zip drive, hard disk drive, CD-ROM drive,
DVD-ROM drive etc,
 Components of Computer
Communication Devices:
The hardware components used to communicate
and exchange data, instruction and information
with other computers are called communication
devices.
An important Communication device is called
Modem, which enables the computer to
communicate with other computer via telephone
line or cable.
 Characteristics of Computer
Following are important characteristics of computer
Speed: Computers work at a very high speed and
are much faster than humans
• A computer can perform billions of calculation in a
second.
• The time used by a computer to perform an
operation is called as the processing speed, that is
measured in Mega Hertz(MHz) or Giga Hertz(GHz)
 Characteristics of Computer
Storage:
• A computer can store large amounts of data
permanently which can be used at any time.
• Any type of data such as text, graphics,
picture, audio and video can be stored easily.
Processing: Commuter can perform different
types of processing like addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division.
 Characteristics of Computer
Accuracy: Accuracy means to provide results
without any error, computer can process large
amounts of data and generate error- free results.
• A modern computer can perform millions of
operations in one second without any error.
Recalling: A computer can recall the stored data
and information as and when required in a few
seconds.
 Characteristics of Computer
Control Sequence
A computer works strictly according to the given
instruction, it follows the same sequence of
execution that is given in a program.
Consistency
Computer works in a consistent way, it does not
lose concentration due to heavy work, therefore
it performs all jobs with equal attention.
 Application of Computer
Computer has made a very vital impact on the
society. It has changed the way of life. The use of
computer technology has affected every field of
life. The use of computer makes different task
easier. It also save a lot of time and effort.
Moreover the computer is being used in every
field of life such as medicine, business, industry,
airline and weather forecasting etc.