BASICS OF COMPUTER

By: Ms. Kriti Dhingra

 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTER

• Speed
• Accuracy
• Memory
• Diligence
• Versatility
• Reliability
• Low Cost ad Reduced size
• Automatic
• No Feelings, No IQ (GIGO)
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF A COMPUTER
• Input Unit
• Output Unit
• CPU (Computer Processing Unit)
• Storage Unit
• ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
• Control Unit
 INPUT UNITS

• An input device is a piece of hardware used to provide data to a

computer used for interaction and control. It allows input of raw data to
the computer for processing.
• Input unit is a unit that accepts any input device. The input device is
used to input data into the computer system.
• The Input Unit perform transferring the data from outside the world into
the system and later this data is processed, and system produces
instruction through output unit such as Printer, monitors etc.
• The Input devices enters the data from outside the world into the
primary storage devices. The input devices are a means of
communication with outside world and our computer system.
• Input Devices accepts or receives the data or instruction from outside the
world such as input devices like keyboard and mouse
• It converts the data or instruction or information into machine readable
form for further processing.
• Later it supplies the decipherable information to PC for additionally
handling
• They act like a connection between outside the world and our own
computer system
• Keyboard and mouse are the prime examples of input devices.
• When the procedure is finished we get or receive desire result using output
devices such as printer's and monitor's.
 OUTPUT UNITS

• Output devices of computer produce or generate results with the

help of devices or gadgets such as printer, monitor etc.
• Primarily these instruction or data provided to computer system is in
binary code so to produce or generate the desired output the system
must convert this data into human-readable form, to do so it has to
first present the data or instruction to computer system for further
processing or handling.
• With the help and assistance of output devices, the system is linked
or connected with outside world.
• The output devices receive all the data or instruction in binary code.
• The output devices convert the binary codes into human readable or
intelligible form for better understanding and better functionality.
• They produce the changed or converted result to the user. which is
effectively comprehensible by humans for proper and accurate
understanding.
• They act as a connection or link between outside world and computer
system or our own PC framework.
• Printers, monitors and projector's are the prime examples of output
devices.
 CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)

• The Central Processing unit is also called as brain or heart of a

computer. The CPU is nothing but an electronic hardware device
which carries or performs out all the operation such as arithmetic and
logic operation.
• The CPU in another term is also called as "PROCESSOR".
• The CPU is also responsible for controlling all the operations of the
other units of the computer system.
 INTERNAL PARTS OF CPU --- CU AND ALU

• The control Unit or CU Controls or coordinates all activities

performed in a computer system. It receives information or
instruction or directions from the main memory of computer.
• An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit used to perform
arithmetic and logic operations. It represents the fundamental
building block of the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer.
 INTERNAL PARTS OF CPU – REGISTERS AND BUS

• It is a special temporary storage location within the CPU. Registers quickly,

accept, store and transfer data and instructions that are being used immediately
(main memory hold data that will be used shortly, secondary storage holds data
that will be used later).
• To execute an instruction, the control unit of the CPU retrieves it from main
memory and places it onto a register.
• The typical operations that take place in the processing of instruction are part of
the instruction cycle or execution cycle.
• The instruction cycle refers to the retrieval of the instruction from main memory
and its subsequence at decoding.
• The process of alerting the circuits in CPU to perform the specified operation.
• The time it takes to go through the instruction cycle is referred to as I-time.
 REGISTERS PERFORM:-

Fetch: The Fetch Operation is used for taking the

instructions those are given by the user and the
Instructions those are stored into the Main Memory
will be fetch by using Registers Execute
Decode: The Decode Operation is used for Decode
interpreting the Instructions means the Instructions
are decoded means the CPU will find out which Fetch
Operation is to be performed on the Instructions.
Execute: The Execute Operation is performed by the
CPU. And Results those are produced by the CPU are
then Stored into the Memory and after that they are
displayed on the user Screen.
 INTERNAL PARTS OF CPU – BUS CONTD….

• The term Bus refers to an electrical pathway through which bits are
transmitted between the various computer components.
• Depending on the design of the system, several types of buses may be
present.
• The most important one is the data bus, which carries the data through
out the central processing unit.
• The wider the data bus, the more data it can carry at one time and thus
the greater the processing speed of the computer.
FUNCTIONS OF BUSES IN COMPUTERS

Data sharing - All types of buses found in a computer transfer data

between the computer peripherals connected to it.

Addressing - A bus has address lines, which match those of the

processor.
This allows data to be sent to or from specific memory locations.

Power - A bus supplies power to various peripherals connected to

it.

Timing - The bus provides a system clock signal to synchronize the

peripherals attached to it with the rest of the system.
 STORAGE UNIT OF COMPUTER

• It stores information or instruction

• It stores results
• It stores consequence of prepared data
• There are mainly two types of storage Unit
• Primary Storage
• Secondary Storage
 PRIMARY STORAGE

• They are also called as Main memory or in other words as RAM

(Random Access Memory).
• The Data or set of instruction is stored in primary storage before
processing and later the data is transferred to ALU where further
processing is done.
• The primary Storage cannot store huge amount of data, and the
data store in this memory is temporary (The data is lost when
there is power failure), it is also called as temporary memory.
• Primary storage has limited storage capacity because it is very
expensive and generally made up of semiconductor devices.
• The example of primary Storage is L1 Cache of Processor
RAM ROM
Definition of RAM is Random Access Memory Definition of ROM is Read-only Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM) is expensive when ROM is cheaper when compared to RAM.
compared to ROM

The speed of Random Access Memory (RAM) is higher The speed of Read-only Memory (ROM) is slower when
when compared to ROM compared to RAM.

Random Access Memory (RAM) has a higher capacity ROM has a lower capacity compared to RAM
when compared to ROM

Data in RAM can be modified, erased, or read. Data in ROM can only be read, it cannot be modified or
erased.

The data stored in RAM is used by the Central Processing The data stored in ROM is used to bootstrap the computer.
Unit (CPU) to process current instructions

Data stored on RAM can be accessed by the Central If the Central Processing Unit (CPU) needs to access the
Processing Unit. data on ROM, first the data must be transferred to RAM,
and then the Central Processing Unit (CPU) will be able to
access the data.

Data of RAM is very volatile, it will exist as long as there Data present in Read-Only Memory (ROM) is not volatile,
is no interruption in power. it is permanent. Data will remain unchanged even when
there is a disruption in the power supply.
 SECONDARY STORAGE

• Secondary storage are also called as permanent storage unit as when

the data store in this memory are stored permanently user can recall
the data whenever they need.
• The data remains in this memory even when there is a power failure
or shutdown, they are much cheaper then primary memory.
• The Example of Secondary Storage are Hard disk and Zip drives
 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

According to According to According to

purpose Data Handling
Functionality
• General • Analog • Servers
• Digital • Workstation
Purpose • Hybrid • Informatio
• Specific n
Purpose Appliances
• Embedded

Computer
 CLASSIFICATION
CONTD….
According to
According to Size
Microprocesso
r
• Super Computer • Sequential
• Mainframe • Parallel
• Mini Computer
• Micro computer
 ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS
• Quick Entry
• Easy to edit and restructure
• Many tools to produce various
kinds of output
• Storage is inexpensive and
doesn’t take up much space
• Easy to search/navigate
through documents.
For writing
• Once a document is in • Entertainment by playing
electronic form it is easy to games, watching videos and
store, and many documents listening to music etc.
can be stored on one computer • Chatting with your relatives
in much less space. and friends.
• Files are easy to reach
• Data storage, analysing and
decision making.
For
For Home
Organizatio
n
ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS

• Access to the Internet has become • Collecting information

invaluable as a research tool.
• Easily gather huge amounts of from Internet.
information and store it. • Making programs to solve
• Easily search for new information or
search the information already problems.
acquired.
• Interact with other researchers to
create/gather more research.
• Easily interpret results of own
search

For For
researc Education
h
 LIMITATIONS OF COMPUTER

A computer cannot think itself. It has no self-intelligence.

A computer cannot learn by experience like a human being.

A computer cannot take independent decisions.

SOME TERMS

• Hardware is a comprehensive term for all the physical parts of a computer and related devices.
Computer hardware can be categorized as having either internal or external components.
• Internal components include items such as the motherboard, central processing unit (CPU),
Hardware
random access memory (RAM), hard drive, optical drive, heat sink, power supply, transistors, chips,
graphics processing unit (GPU), and network interface card (NIC). These components collectively
process or store the instructions delivered by the program or operating system (OS).
• External components, also called peripheral components, are those items that are often connected
to the computer in order to control either its input or output.
• Common input components include a mouse, keyboard, microphone, camera, touch pad , stylus,
joystick, scanner, USB flash drive or memory card.
• Monitors, printers, speakers, headphones and earphones/earbuds are all examples of output
computer hardware components (discussed in detail in Chapter 2 ppts).
• All of these hardware devices are designed to either provide instructions to the software or render
results from its execution.
SOME TERMS

• A computer system cannot do anything its own, it must be instructed to do a desired job. Hence, it
is necessary to specify a sequence of instructions that a computer must perform to solve a
problem. Such a sequence of instructions written in a language that can be understood by a
computer is called a computer program.
Softwar
• It is the program that controls the activity of processing by the computer; and the computer
performs precisely what the program wants it to do.
• The term software refers to the set of computer programs, procedures and associated documents.
Precisely, software means a collection of programs whose objective is to enhance the capabilities
of the hardware machine.
• Software consists of the programs and applications that run on computers. It provides instructions
for the hardware to accomplish tasks.
• Because software runs on computer hardware, software programs often have system
e

requirements that list the minimum hardware required for the software to run.
• There are two types of software – System and Application Software (discussed in detail in Chapter
4 ppt)
SOME TERMS

• In electronic and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote

the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that
internally control various electronic devices.
Firmwar

• Typical examples of devices containing firmware range from end-user

products such as remote controls or calculators, through computer parts
and devices like hard disks, keyboards, or memory cards, all the way to
scientific instrumentation and industrial robotics.
• Also more complex consumer devices, such as mobile phones, digital
cameras, synthesizers, etc., contain firmware to enable the device's basic
operation as well as implementing higher-level functions.
e
SOME TERMS

• Computer is automatic, but under the supervision of human. It need human to activate
(initialize) it before the combination of hardware/software can execute any job (work).
Humanware
• Humanware (also known as peopleware) doesn’t include those who can not operate
computer.
• Humanware includes programmer, operator, etc., i.e. anybody who can guide computer
to perform (execute) task.
• The computer work on data and these data will be fed via its’ input device into the
computer.
• Humanware is those responsible for inputting data. Without the humanware the
computer set is more like an artwork (decoration).
• Humanware can also be defined as hardware or software that is built around user
capabilities and user needs. This often involves creating a particular visual or physical
interface for a given set of users. The design and engineering of humanware starts with
the user's interests and needs first, and designs the infrastructure accordingly.
 MIDDLEWARE

• Software that connects two otherwise separate applications. For example, there are a number of
middleware products that link a database system to a Web server. This allows users to request
data from the database using forms displayed on a Web browser, and it enables the Web server
to return dynamic Web pages based on the user's requests and profile.
• The term middleware is used to describe separate products that serve as the glue between two
applications. It is, therefore, distinct from import and export features that may be built into one
of the applications. Middleware is sometimes called plumbing because it connects two sides of an
application and passes data between them. Common middleware categories include:
• ESBs
• TP monitors
• DCE environments
• RPC systems
• Object Request Brokers (ORBs)
• Database access systems
• Message Passing
 FREEWARE
• Freeware (from "free" and "software") is computer software that is available for use at no
cost or for an optional fee.
• Though the definition of "freeware" covers both proprietary and closed source software
that is available for use at no cost as well as free and open source software, in common
usage it tends to refer more often to proprietary and closed source software that
is
available for use at no cost.
• Software that is commercial but not available free of charge is occasionally referred to
as payware or commercial software
• Freeware (not to be confused with free software) is programming that is offered at no cost
and is a common class of small applications available for downloading and use in most
operating systems.
• Because it may be copyrighted, you may or may not be able to reuse it in programming you
are developing.
• The least restrictive "no-cost" programs are uncopyrighted programs that are in the public
domain.
• When reusing public domain software in your own programs, it's good to know the history
of the program so that you can be sure it really is in the public domain.
 THANK YOU