INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

ENGINEERING
Lecture 2

Beyza Görkemli Bayram

 Units of
Measurement
 Data storage
• Today, computers store all kinds of digital data
as a collection of numbers.
Computer’s data

01001111
Your data 10100001
11110101
merhaba 01000011
10110011
00001111
12.56 01010110
00110001
01001010
 Data storage

The smallest unit of the data is binary digit (bit)

01001111 A binary digit (bit)

10100001 A byte (=8 bits)

11110100
01000011
 Units of Data
• Bit-b: it’s value is either 0 or 1.
• Byte-B: 8 bits
– Kilobyte-KB: 1000 or 1024 B
– Megabyte-MB: 1000 or 1024 KB
1000 or 1024?
– Gigabyte-GB: 1000 or 1024 MB
decimal or binary?
– Terabyte-TB: 1000 or 1024 GB
– Petabyte-PB
– Exabyte-EB
– Zettabyte-ZB
– Yottabyte-YB
 Binary & Decimal Measurements

Binary Decimal
Unit Facto Value (B) Unit Facto Value (B)
r r
kibibyte 210 1,024 kilobyte (KB) 103 1,000
(KiB)
mebibyte 220 1,048,576 megabyte 106 1,000,000
(MiB) (MB)
gibibyte 230 1,073,741,284 gigabyte (GB) 109 1,000,000,000
(GiB)
tebibyte 240 1,099,511,627,7 terabyte (TB) 1012 1,000,000,000,0
(TiB) 76 00
… …
 Units of Speed
Hertz-Hz: the number of cycles per second.
-Kilohertz-kHz:1000 Hz
-Megahertz-MHz: 1000 kHz
-Gigahertz-GHz:1000 MHz
-…
It is a frequency unit
and is generally used
for CPU’s speed.
e.g. My cpu’s clock speed is 2.4 GHz

bps: bits per second.

It shows data transfer speed.
-Bps: Bytes per second

Rmp is generally used to determine

rpm: revolutions per minute.
the access time of harddisk drives.
e.g.: My harddisk drive is 7200 RPM. Burcu’s,
harddisk drive is 5400 RPM. So, mine is capable
of accessing data much faster than Burcu’s.
 Units of measurement
1 inch=2.54 cm Generally you use the inch for screen size.
e.g. 15 inch or 15’’ screen.

Pixel: the smallest dot on the screen

dpi: dots per inch

Resolution: dpi in printers (e.g. 600 dpi); or total pixel number on

horizontal and vertical axis on the screen (e.g. 640x480).
Computers
 What’s a computer?
• In practical life a computer
– is an electronic device that stores lots of
information in a small field,
– it provides us an easy calculation of various things
with high speeds,
– it makes our life easier through its application
programs.
 More technically.. what’s a computer?

• A computer basically;
– Takes data (input)
– Stores the data until it is ready to process it
(memory)
– Processes the data (processing)
– Produces and gives the processed data (output)
 What’s a computer?

Memory
Memory
(storage)
devices:Ram

-data- -information-
input Processor output

Input Central Output devices:

devices:Mouse, Processing Printer, screen,
touchpad,keyboard, Unit (CPU) speaker
microphone,
joystick
 So..What’s a computer?
• An object that can take data (input), process
it and produce information (output)
– Of course our brain is one of the most beautiful
example of a computer.

• Manmade computers are the devices which

also process data.
– Generally electronic devices which use
electricity and some integrated circuits or
components. They process digital data.
– What about Analogue computers?
– What about DNA computers, quantum
computers, etc. ?
Electronic-Digital
Computers
 Electronic-Digital Computers
• Simply we can say any thing is a computer that contains
a processor (generally microprocessor ).
• Nowadays we can say many things are computers
themselves or have a computer inside of them like;
– Calculator
– Mobile phone
– Car
– Refrigerator
– Watch
– ...
– Can a vase be a computer or efficiently can use a computer
inside of it?
• Today we can classify the computers in various
groups;
– Servers
– Desktops
– Laptops
– Tablets
– Smart Phones
– Wearables
– TVs
– Game Consoles
– ...
 Define them...
• Server:
-A computer that manages the resources in a network.
-How can a computer do this?
>>It has a server program running on and this server
program provides some services to other computers.

• Desktop:?
• Laptop:?
• Tablet:?
• Smart phone:?
• Wearables:?
• TV:?
• Game Console:?
History of
Computers
 History of Computers
• The basic framework for today’s computers is
based on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine
(1837)
– Charles Babbage is a mathematics professor
 First computers
• ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer) is the first electronic digital computer (1937-1942).
• ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) is the first general-purpose
digital computer and was built in 1943-1946.

ENIAC was nearly 50 tons, and had nearly 18000 vacuum tubes
 Generations of Computers
– First generation (1946-1959):
• This generation of computers are based on vacuum tubes.
• Very large computers in the meaning of size
• Machine language is used for programming
• Difficult to program and use, also unreliable

– Second generation (1959-1965):

• This generation of computers based on transistors.
• More reliable than vacuum tubes
• Smaller than first generation
• They supported machine language and assembly language
• During this generation of computers many computer programming languages were developed
• Computers had memory and operating systems.

– Third generation (1965-1971)

• This generation of computers based on integrated circuits.
• More reliable than before generations.
• Smaller than second generation
• They supported high level programming languages.

– Fourth generation (1971-1980)

• This generation of computers based on VLSI (very large scale integration) microprocessors
• Cheap
• Portable (PC use) and more reliable
• Smaller
• Developments about Network and internet

– Fifth generation (1980-now)

• This generation of computers based on ULSI (ultra large scale integration) microprocessors
• Usage of artificial intelligence
• Availability of very powerful computers with low prices

Resource: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_fundamentals/computer_generations.htm
 History of Computers
• How is a data bit (1 bit) represented
through years?
– in 1950s, using Vacuum Tubes
• a thumb is nearly on the same size with 1 bit
– in 1950s and 1960s, using Transistors
• A fingernail is nearly on the same size with 1 bit.
– in 1960s and 1970s, using Integrated Circuits
• A hand is nearly on the same size with thousands
of bits
– in 1970s and now, using Silicon chips with LSIs
• A fingernail is nearly on the same size with
millions of bits.

Resource:
http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading03.htm
 History of Computers
• “The progression of the ease of use of
computers:
– Almost impossible to use except by very patient
geniuses (1950s);
– Programmable by highly trained people only
(1960s and 1970s);
– Usable by just anyone (1980s and on).”

Resource:
http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/faculty/wolfe/book/Readings/Reading03.htm
Homework
 Research
• Analogue computers
• DNA computers
• Quantum computers
 Reading
• Study this article and using the given
information in this article, prepare a time line:
• http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000
984.htm

26