BASIC CONCEPTS OF A COMPUTER

OBJECTIVES
In This Chapter, we will What is a Computer and What Does it Do? Advantages of computer Limitations of computer Types of computer Applications of computer Data representation in computer

1.1 WHAT IS A COMPUTER AND WHAT DOES IT DO? A Computer can be defined as a programmable, electronic device that accepts data, performs operations on that data, presents the results that can retrieved as and when needed. Being programmable, a computer will do whatever the instructionscalled the programtell it to do. The four operations described in this definition are more technically referred to as input, processing, output, and storage. These four primary operations of a computer can be defined as follows: Input - entering data into the computer. Processing - performing operations on the data. Output - presenting the results. Storage - saving data, programs, or output for future use. The above four basic operations can be explained with the help of examples given below. For Example, Lets assume that we have a computer that has been programmed to add two numbers. Input occurs when data, the numbers 3 and 8 are entered [1.1]

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into the computer; processing takes place when the computer program adds those two numbers; and output happens when the sum of 11 is displayed on the monitor. The storage operation occurs any time the data, program, or output is saved for future use. For an additional example, let us look how a supermarket barcode reader fits this definition of a computer. First, the grocery item being purchased is read by the barcode reader as input. Next, the description and price of the item are looked upprocessing. Finally, the item description and price are displayed on the cash register and printed on the receiptoutput and the inventory, ordering, and sales records are updated and saved is storage. This progression of input, processing, output, and storage is sometimes referred to as the information processing cycle. In addition to these four primary computer operations, todays computers also perform communications functions. Hardware : The physical parts of a computer (the parts you can touch, as shown in Fig. 1.1 ) are collectively referred to as hardware. The instructions or programs used in a computer is called software.
HARD DRIVE FLOPPY DISK DRIVE Located inside the system unit; Reads from and writes to stores floppy disks. programs and most data. DVD DRIVE Reads CD and DVD discs. FLASH MEMORY CARD READER Reads flash memory cards. USB PORTS Connects external devices that use the USB interface. SYSTEM UNIT Case that contains the CPU, memory, power supply, disk drives, modem, and all other internal hardware.

MONITOR Lets you see your work as you go; a primary output device. SPEAKERS Produces audio output.

MICROPHONE Captures spoken input. FLOPPY DISKS Small amounts of data for backup or to transport data to another PC. CD AND DVD DISCS Deliver programs and store large multimedia files. KEYBOARD Used to type instructions into the computer; the principal input device.

PRINTER Produces printed copies of computer output. MOUSE Used to make onscreen selections; a primary pointing device. FLASH MEMORY CARDS Used to store digital photos, music files, and other content.

Fig. 1.1 : Computer System : Hardware Hardware components can be internal (located inside the main box or system

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unit of the computer) or external (located outside of the system unit). External hardware components typically plug into connections called ports located on the exterior of the system unit. There are hardware devices associated with each of the five computer operations previously discussed (input, processing, output, storage and communications), as summarized in Fig. 1.1. Input Devices : An input device is any piece of equipment that is used to input data into the computer. The most common input devices today are the keyboard and mouse (shown in Table 1.1). Other possibilities include scanners, touch screens, digital cameras, electronic pens, touch pads, fingerprint readers, joysticks, and microphones. Table 1.1 : Common Hardware as per their Operation
INPUT
Keyboard Mouse Microphone Scanner Digital camera Electric pen Touch pad Joystick Fingerprint reader

OUTPUT
Monitor Printer Speakers Headphones Data projector

STORAGE
Hard drive Floppy disk Floppy disk drive CD/DVD disc Flash memory card Flash memory card reader

PROCESSING
CPU

COMMUNICATION Pen drive

Modem Network adapter

Processing Devices : The main processing device for a computer is the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is a chip located inside the system unit that performs the calculations and comparisons needed for processing; it also controls the computers operations. For these reasons, the CPU is often considered the brain of the computer. Also involved in processing are various types of memory additional chips located inside the system unit that the computer uses to temporarily store data and instructions while it is working with them. Output Devices : An output device accepts processed data from the computer and presents the results to the user, most of the time on the computer screen (monitor), on paper (via a printer), or though a speaker. Other possible output devices include headphones and data projectors (which project computer images onto a projection screen.)

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Storage Devices : Storage devices are hardware used to store data on or access data from storage hardware featured in Figure 1.1. It includes a hard drive, a floppy disk drive, a DVD drive, a flash memory card reader, floppy disks, CD discs, DVD discs, and flash memory cards. Storage devices used to save data, programs, or output for future use and can either be installed inside the computer, attached to the computer as an external device, or accessed remotely through a network or wireless connection. Realize Capability of a Computer ! For instance, managing a store like Westside is a difficult task without a computer. Imagine if computers are not installed in such a store where lakhs of transactions happen in a day, and billing has to be done to thousands of customers, the number of sales person to be appointed to make bills and maintain cash and stock. It is not possible to remember each item price because of the volume of products in the shelves. Sales person task is to check the price of each item, write it in a bill book and finally total it up. This process maker customers standing in a long queue for billing and leads to customer dissatisfaction. Generally, it counts on the companies business and image. In contrast, computers can replace many of sales persons to a extent and prepare bills quickly without mistakes. Since computer can work at a faster rate, therefore many customers can be served at a short duration and increase the effectiveness of the billing system. Moreover, computers can store large amount of transactions at a minimum storage space. For example, Westsides all six months transactions can be stored in a CD-ROM. Various Definitions of Computer : Computer can be defined as an electronic device which can receive input (data) as raw material and process it according to the program instruction to produce the desired output. A computer is a machine or device made up of a combination of electronic and electromechanical (electronic + mechanical) components to perform calculations. A computer may be defined as a device that operates upon data. A computer can store, process and retrieve data. Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia defines a computer as a machine that performs tasks such as calculations or electronic communication, under the control of a set of instructions called a program. 1.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPUTER The computer system are available in various type, size and purpose such as business purpose to special purpose. Though computers differ in these features

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but every computer shall have several common characteristics that make it so powerful. These are : 1. Speed : A computer is a fastest device that can assemble, manipulate and provide results in fraction of seconds. The speed of a computer is closely related to the amount of data it process. Now a days computer speed in calculated is terms of Giga Hertz. 2. Accuracy : Computer is not only fast but also very accurate in computation. The degree of accuracy depends on the correctness of the data provided to the computer. However, if any errors caused by computer, is only due to incorrect input but otherwise computer perform calculations with the same accuracy. This concept is known as GarbageIn-Garbage-Out (GIGO). 3. Diligence : A computer is a machine free from boredom, monotony, tiredness etc. and can work for hours together. Because of this characteristic, a computer can perform far better than a human being. It has the capacity to process one thousand instructions with the same speed and accuracy as much as ten million instructions. 4. Versatility : A computer is famous for its different types of application. A computer can perform business transaction processing as well as scientific research analysis. Moreover, it can process not only text and numbers as well as image, voice and video. 5. Large Storage Capacity : A computer is identified by its capacity to store large amount of data. A computer has a separate storage device called secondary memory that can store Giga bytes of data. Because of this feature, a computer can not only store but recall any amount of information and retain them for longer period. A typical high end computing system such as mainframe computer system will have many trillions of characters and perhaps millions of images, stored and available for instant access. 6. No Intelligence : A computer is basically a dumb machine that cannot think on its own and has no common sense. It performs calculations and logical decisions only on the basis of instruction provided by the user in the program. The user decides the task of the computer. 7. Cost Effective : Cost of a computer in a business has proven to be cheaper than a human being in terms of speed, accuracy and versatility. If the amount of data to be processed is large, cost per data is cheaper as it takes lesser time and resources for processing. As the volume of data increases, cost decreases.

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LIMITATIONS OF THE COMPUTER

Computer possesses various advantages but it also possesses certain limitations which cannot be ignored, these are : 1. Garbage-In Garbage-Out (GIGO) : Computer lacks common sense and IQ, thus incorrect-input would lead to incorrect output result. 2. Software Limitation : To do specialized tasks, special purpose software requires computer with more speed and storage space, which becomes very costly. 3. Hardware Limitation : Some of the applications require greater speed and storage space, which lead to more investment. 4. Data Tampering : Data handling through computers is prone to the loss of information and being tampered. Thus, it requires special protection routines. 1.4 TYPES OF COMPUTERS : BASED ON TECHNOLOGY Information can be stored and processed in number of ways. A computer may be digital or analog or Hybrid. They do have some principles in common, but they employ different types of data representation and are in general, suited to different kind of work. The way computers process the information can be broadly classified (see Fig.1.2) Types of Computers Analog Digital Fig. 1.2 : Classification of Computers 1.4-1 Analog Computer Analog computer is a computer which deals with a model of the problem, in which the variables are represented by continuous physical quantities, such as, angular position, temperature and voltage. Thus, we can say thermometer and slide rule are also analog devices. Analog computer tends to be special-purpose machine designed for some scientific or technical application. As analog information is mechanical, it possesses limited accuracy. There are electronic analog computers generally in chemical plants monitoring temperatures, pressures, voltage, etc. Hybrid

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1.4-2 Digital Computer Digital computer refers to a computer, which represents the data, whether numbers, letters, or symbols, in binary form and they work with numbers in the form of separate discrete digits. In commercial and administrative applications and for mathematical computation, digital computers are used exclusively. A digital computer is machine that accepts data and produces information in a discrete form, thus, computers are extremely reliable. Most errors are caused by humans, not by computers. They work on the principle Garbage-in-Garbage-out (GIGO). The incorrect data and program produce incorrect result which is a human error. Basically, the resulting information (output) is produced by carrying out arithmetic and logical operations on accepted data (input). The correctness and completeness of the output answers entirely depends on : (a) Correct and sufficient input that has been provided, and (b) Logical procedures called algorithms used to compute them. GIGO (Garbage-In Garbage-out)-A computing axiom meaning that if the data put into a process is incorrect, the data output by the process will also be incorrect. The main characteristics of digital computer are that it is automatic, general purpose and electronic. The use of computer is basically solving the problems effectively and faster. There are three major elements in computer system which help in solving the problems, they are hardware, software, and data. The relationship of these elements can be represented in equation: Hardware + Software + Data = Solution. 1.4-3 Hybrid Computer Hybrid computer refers to computer that contains both digital and analog circuit. There are some computers which employ both digital as well as an analog quantities. These are known as hybrid computers. For example, a digital thermometer employs a mechanism which converts the temperature into digital form observed in analog signals using analog-to-digital conversion. Hybrid computers are the computers that are generally used in process control environment where an analog input provided to a computer is being processed digitally and it presents the output in analog or digital form as required.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF ANALOG AND DIGITAL COMPUTERS Characteristics 1. Operatability Analog Computers Operate on physical quantities that have continuous signals e.g., temperature, pressure, speed, current, etc. Continuous processing and produce output continuously. Accuracy is not significant. Produce limited precision. Digital Computers Operate on numbers that have representation in binary form.

2. Processing

Discrete processing and therefore produce output in discrete fashion Produce high level of accuracy as accuracy is very significant. Thus, high precision. Lower speed as they perform serial processing. Very expensive Require significant programming effort as difficult to Program Used for specific as well as general purpose depending on instruction given to them.

3. Accuracy

4. Speed

Usually very high speed as they perform parallel processing Less expensive Require less programming efforts

5. Cost 6. Programming

7. Use

Used for specific purposes, generally used to measure the quantities

1.5 APPLICATION OF COMPUTERS Computer play a large part in out everyday lives and will continue to do so in future. Thus, we need to start the exploration of a wonderful existing world that offers many challenging and exciting careers. Learning computer is a young discipline that is evolving and progressing. Some of areas where computers are used are listed below: Education : Computers may be used for providing education and information. Educational software programs can be used for providing education. The computer based education software allows students to learn at their own pace,

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in small steps and give feedback about how much they have learned. Distance learning which involves the use of computers to extend the educational process beyond the walls of the school. Distance learning is particularly important for students in remote locations. Entertainment : Computers can also be used for entertainment purposes, e.g. computer games. They can be used to simulate games and to try out different game strategies. Movies : Computers can be used for creating special effects in movies. They may also be used for editing movies and to create movies with cartoon characters. Many visual tricks in movies cannot be accomplished without the aid of computers. Music : Computers can be used for multimedia presentation. They can also be used in composing, editing, recording and reproducing music and sound effects. Music can be stored in MP3 format in the computers. Sports : Computers can be used in sports to analyse the movements of sportspersons. This analysis may be used in finding faults in the movements and in optimising the movements to achieve the maximum efficiency. Theatre : Computer controlled lighting may be used in a theater to give special lighting effects. Advertising : Computers can be used in advertising. This can be achieved by use of multimedia in advertising and promoting products. Demo CDs can be used as free catalogs because they are very cheap. Another way of advertisement is through the utilisation of Internet. Arts : Computer graphics may be used for image creation. Existing images can be transformed into a desired end product through image processing. CorelDRAW, illustrator, Vision 200 and Free-lance Plus for Windows are few Software packages which help an artist in increasing users drawing capability. Medicine : Computers can be used for diagnosing illnesses and monitoring patients. They can also be used for recording patients history and treatment details. They can be used for automating the hospital management systems to ensure that the information about the patient such as patient history, treatment details, etc. is available to the doctor. The computerized systems automate the billing and other administrative processes. Moreover, several innovative medical applications use small, special purpose computers. For example, pacemakers are computers which operate within the human body to ensure that it functions better. Similarly, computers play a vital role in patient monitoring and automated drug administration. Video conferencing and other related technologies help in the collaboration of doctors from different parts of the world. Science : Computers can be used in every field of scientific research, to store,

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Computer Fundamentals

analyze and manipulate information. They enable different people located in different parts of the world to work simultaneously on the same project. Engineering (CAD/CAM) : Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) enables the users to draw and easily modify the product designs on a computer. With this, the quality of the product is improved because various design options can be evaluated in greater detail more quickly with the use of computers. Similarly, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) refers to the use of computers in automating the fabrication, assembly and control aspects of manufacturing environment where production ranges from small scale to robotics. With CAD/CAM, a product such as machine part is designed. CAD programmed resulted finished design is translated into a program instruction so that it can be transmitted to machines dedicated to fabrication assembly and process control. Office Uses : All jobs done in an office can be performed by computers more economically and efficiently. Computers help in developing paperless offices which need less office space and relatively lesser number of employees to do the same job more economically and efficiently. Database Management : Computers can be used to handle files containing a variety of information. DBMS program can search all the required information stored in different files. Thus, computers play a vital role in Management Information Systems. Book-Publication : Computers play a very vital role in publication of books. With the use of computers, books can be published very fast and very economically. Accounting : Specialized software packages such as Tally 9.0 enables maintaining of the organizations accounts in an accurate manner. All changes caused by a transaction are recorded in the related account on real time basis. Investment Analysis : Computers may be used for analysing investments for maximum returns. Similarly, Portfolio management packages can be used to make an analysis of present status of securities owned by a person. E-mail : Computers enables its users to exchange messages with each other via internet, at a very cheap rate instantaneously. Banks : Computers can be used in banks to provide online service to its customers. Computers also enable transfer of funds from one account to another electronically. Home-banking is made possible with the use of computers only. Airlines and Railway Ticket Reservation : Computers can be used for airlines and railway ticket reservation. The computers can store all necessary information required for ticket processing. Military operations : Modern military requirements such a missile, tanks,

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etc. comply computerized control systems. Computerized control system provide information regarding range, height, etc. Moreover, computers can play a very vital role in military communication. Meteorological : Computers can be used in Meteorological departments to make weather predictions. Others : Besides the above, computers are also influencing our lives in many other ways: Many appliances such a washing machines, microwave ovens, airconditioners, etc. have built in microprocessors (embedded computers) to control the appliances. Microprocessors in cars control petrol combustion to maximise power and to minimize harmful emission. Mobile phones have one or more special purpose computer. SUMMARY Data Processing activities are data capturing, data manipulation and producing output. Computer is a multipurpose programmable electronic machine that accepts data, processes it and produces meaningful information. Computers are digital or analog. Analog computers operate on continuous physical quantities whereas \ Digital computers operate on discrete numbers. Computer lacks common sense and 10, thus incorrect input would lead to incorrect output. Computers are automatic, accurate, diligence, general purpose, fast, and contain memory. REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. State True/False. (a) Computers can operate only on numbers. (b) Digital computers can work only for few hours. (c) Digital computers are used for specific purpose. (d) Computer has its own intelligence but no emotions. (e) Computer can only process information. (f) Hybrid computer contain both digital and analog circuits.

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2. Briefly distinguish between the following: (a) Digital computer and an Analog computer. (b) Calculator and computer. 3. Define computer. Why a computer is called a data processor? 4. Identify the elements of a computer system. 5. Distinguish in what ways computer data processing system is different from manual data processing. 6. What are the main characteristics of computer? 7. Computer cannot perform any thing on its own, thus any error in the output is not technological error. Comment. 8. Although computer posses various advantages but it also posses certain limitations - Explain. 9. Describe the various components of a Computer System.