CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTER THE FOUR BASIC FUNCTIONS OF A COMPUTER Input
❖ Input - any information or
data sent to a computer Processing ❖ Processing - describes the process of a software program Storage
❖ Storage- any hardware capable of
holding information Output ❖ Output - any information that is processed by and sent out from a computer or other electronic device The computer operates according to instructions stored in its own memory unit and can accept inputted data, process that data arithmetically; and through sequence based logic, it can produce information and store the results for future use. All the applications of a computer derive from one of these four functions.
DID YOU KNOW THAT? The
first mechanical computer was created by Charles Babbage in 1822. He was considered as “father of the modern computer”. CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTER It is a machine ❖ It is an inanimate object ❖ It needs outside intervention for it to run ❖ It can do things for which it is intended It is electronic ❖ It is made up of electronic circuits ❖ It is powered by electricity It is automatic • It has the ability to set up its internal operations on its own • The various operations are executed automatically by way of a stored computer program It can manipulate data • Following specific rules, it can perform arithmetic functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and other complex mathematical operations. It has memory ❖ It has the capacity to remember what it has done ❖ It can store instructions in its memory and follow these through unaided ❖ It has the ability to store large amount of data in a compact and easily retrievable form. It has logic functions ❖ It can perform certain decision instructions automatically ❖ It can determine whether a certain statement is true or false