FOUNDATIONS OF

COMPUTER SCIENCE

HARISH MORWANI
harishmorwani@gmail.com
1.1 THE COMPUTER AS A BLACK BOX

DATA PROCESSOR
You can think of a computer as a data processor. Using
this definition, a computer acts as a black box that accepts
input data, processes the data, and creates output data.

Although this model can define the functionality of a

computer today, it is too general.
It is not clear how many types or sets of operations a
machine based on this model can perform.
PROGRAMMABLE DATA PROCESSOR

This model adds one extra element to the computer: the

program. A program is a set of instructions written in a
computer language that tells the computer what to do with
data.
In the new model, the output data depend on the
combination of two factors: the input data and the program.
A PROGRAM
Same program, different input data
Same input
data,
different
programs
1.2 VON NEUMANN MODEL
Every computer today is based on the von Neumann model.
It is based on three ideas.
FOUR SUBSYSTEMS
The model defines a computer as four subsystems: memory,
arithmetic logic unit, control unit, and input/output.
• Memory
Memory is the storage area. It is where programs and data
are stored during processing.
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
The ALU is where calculation and logical operations take
place.
• Control Unit
The control unit controls the operations of the memory,
ALU, and the input/output subsystem. It controls all the
hardware operations.
• Input/Output
The input subsystem accepts input data and the program
from outside the computer; the output subsystem sends
the result of processing to the outside.
 PRIMARY MEMORY

1. VOLATILE IN NATURE

• It is useful for
execution of a
program.
Whenever a
program needs
to be executed,
it should be
loaded in
Primary Memory
2. LIMITED STORAGE
SECONDARY MEMORY
1. NON-VOLATILE IN
NATURE

2. LARGE STORAGE
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU)
Key Features
• Brain of the Computer
• Contains ALU and CU
• Responsible for the overall
functioning of the computer
STORED PROGRAM CONCEPT
The von Neumann model states that the
program must be stored in memory. This is
totally different from the architecture of early
computers in which only the data were stored in
memory.
Both the data and programs should have the
same format because they are stored in
memory. They are, in fact, stored as binary
patterns (a sequence of 0s and 1s ) in memory.
SEQUENTIAL EXECUTION OF
INSTRUCTIONS
A program in the von Neumann model is made
of a finite number of instructions. In this model,
the control unit fetches one instruction from
memory, interprets it, and then executes it.
1.5 COMPUTER SOFTWARE
PROGRAMS MUST BE STORED AS
A SEQUENCE OF INSTRUCTIONS
Another requirement of the model is that the program must
be a sequence of instructions. Each instruction operates on
one or more data items.
ALGORITHMS
The step-by-step solution is called an algorithm.

LANGUAGES
A computer language has a limited number of symbols and
also a limited set of words .
 1.6 HISTORY
MECHANICAL MACHINES (BEFORE 1930)
BIRTH OF ELECTRONIC COMPUTERS (1930-1950)
• Early Electronic Computers
The early computers of this period did not store the
program in memory; all were programmed
externally.
The first general-purpose, totally electronic
computer was made by John Mauchly and
J.Presper Eckert and was called ENIAC (Electronic
Numerical Integrator and Calculator). It was
completed in 1946.
• Computers Based on the von Neumann Model
The first computer based on von Neumann’s idea
was made in 1950 at the University of Pennsylvania
and was called EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable
COMPUTER GENERATIONS (1950-PRESENT)
Computer built after 1950 are following, more or less, the
von Neumann model. The computers has become faster,
smaller, and cheaper, but the principle is almost the same.
Each generation witnesses some major change in
hardware or software (but not the model).
• First Generation (roughly 1950-1959)
The first generation is characterized by the emergence of
commercial computers. Computers were bulky and used
vacuum tubes as electric switches.
• Second Generation (roughly 1959-1965)
Second-generation computers used
transistors instead of vacuum tubes. This
reduced the size of computers as well as their
cost. Two high-level programming languages,
FORTRAN and COBOL , were invented and
made programming easier.

• Third Generation (roughly 1965 -1975 )

The invention of integrated circuit (transistors, wiring, and
other components on a single chip) reduced the cost and
size of computers even further. Minicomputers appeared
on the market. Software industry was born.
• Fourth Generation (approximately 1975-1985)
The fourth generation saw the appearance of
microcomputers. Advances in the electronics
industry allowed whole computer subsystems to
fit on a single circuit board. This generation also
saw the emergence of computer networks.
• Fifth Generation (approximately 1985-NOW)
The fifth generation witnessed the appearance of laptop
and palmtop computers, improvements in secondary
storage media (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), the use of
multimedia, and the phenomenon of virtual reality.
 SUMMARY
 Computer science, in this text, means issues
related to a computer.
 A computer is a programmable data processor
that accepts input data and programs and outputs
data.
 A program is a set of instructions executed
sequentially that tells the computer what to do with
data.
 Every computer today is based on the von
Neumann model.
 SUMMARY (continued)
 The von Neumann model specifies a memory
subsystem, an arithmetic logic unit subsystem, a
control unit subsystem, and an input/output
subsystem.
 Data and programs are stored in computer
memory.
 A step-by-step solution to a problem is called an
algorithm.
 A program is written in a computer language.
Thanks ！