Introduction to

Computer Applications

Lecture # 3
Objective of Lecture
Information processing life cycle
input
Output
Processing
Storage
Components of System Unit
Interface (user communication with computer)
What is the Information Processing Cycle?
These are the steps that are taken to convert
raw facts, which is data, into information. It
starts with data collection.

The 4 basic operations of the information

processing cycle are input, processing, output,
storage and/or distribution.

A computer is the machine that performs that

cycle.
IP Cycle
IP Cycle
Component of system unit
The system unit is the main unit of a computer system. It
allows various parts of the computer system to work
together. A system unit consists of
The Central Processing Unit(CPU)
Semiconductor memory
Magnetic memory and Disk drives
Adapters and connectors
Contd..
The main body of the computer consisting of plastic or
metal enclosure, the motherboard, (typically) internal
disk drives, a power supply(buses), cooling fans and
whatever circuit board plugged into the motherboard
such as video card, Sound card, Modem card.
The system unit is occasionally referred to as the CPU,
though this really means central processing unit.
Inside a System unit
CD-ROM
Power drive
supply
Hard disk
drive
Mother
board Floppy
disk drive

Sound/network
cards
Wires and
ribbon cables
8
The Motherboard
The most important part of a PC is the
motherboard. It holds:
the processor chip

memory chips

chips that handle input/output (I/O)

the expansion slots for connecting peripherals

Some chips are soldered onto the

motherboard(permanent), and some are removable
(so they can be upgraded).
A Chip
A chip (microchip) is an integrated circuit - a thin
slice of silicon crystal packed with microscopic
circuit elements
e.g. wires, transistors,
capacitors, resistors
Motherboard Picture

Read-only
Random Access
Memory
Memory (RAM)
(ROM)
chips.
chips

Expansion slots
Processor chip
(the CPU)
000-209 Intro to CS. 5/Mother 11
Buses
A bus is a collection of wires and connectors through
which the data is transmitted.
A communication pathway connecting two or more
devices
Three types of buses
Data bus
Address bus
Control bus
Buses
Data bus
Data bus transfers actual data.
This is the bus which is used to transfer the actual
data to and from the locations.
Data bus connects the CPU, memory and other
hardware devices on the motherboard.
The number of wires in the bus affect the speed at
which data can travel between components.
Each wire can transfer one bit at a time therefore an
8-wire bus can move 8bits of data at a time.
Bus width is the number of bits that it can carry at a
time.
Address bus
Address bus Identify the source or destination of data.
Address bus carries the memory addresses.
Address bus connects the CPU with the memory.
The number of lines tells the maximum number of
memory addresses.
CPU with 8-bit address bus could address 28 = 256
different values
Control Bus
The control bus carries commands from the CPU and
returns status signals from the devices.

The control bus provides a two way transfer of data,

instructions and results between the main memory.

For example if the data is being read or written to the

device the appropriate line (read or write) will be active
Ports
Each I/O device has a cable with a plug having several
Pins for plugging into a socket called port.
A port also called an interface is generally provided at
the back of a computer.
A port provides a direct link with the computers common
electrical bus.
Two types of ports are
Serial port
Parallel port
Serial ports
A serial port provides a connection for plugging a
peripheral device with one data line that carry one bit
at a time and additional lines to carry control signals.
This method of communication comparatively slow
than parallel Port.
Example
COM1, COM2 etc.
Parallel ports
Parallel ports allow 8-bits data at a
time over a cable with eight
separate data lines.
The cable that connects two
parallel ports contains 25 wires, 8
wires carry data and the remaining
wires carry control signals.
Parallel port transmit fast flow of
large amount of data.
Example
LPT1, LPT2 etc.
Memory
Computer are equipped with storage units called as
memory units. The computer memory can hold
programs and the data for current and future use.
These storage devices can be classified as
Main memory(RAM, ROM)

Secondary storage(backing storage)

Processor
A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to
and processes the basic instructions that drive a
computer.
The term processor has generally replaced the
term central processing unit (CPU). The
processor in a personal computer or embedded
in small devices is often called a microprocessor.
Dual core processor
Quad core processor
Processor
Dual core : Dual-core refers to a CPU that
includes two complete execution cores per
physical processor. It has combined two
processors onto a single integrated circuit.

Quad core : A quad-core processor is a chip with

four independent units called cores that read and
execute central processing unit (CPU) instructions
such as add, move data, and branch.
Adapter cards
Adapter cards allow users to install more powerful
components than those embedded on the
motherboard and the addition of features not originally
available with their systems.
Types of adapter cards
Video cards
Sound cards
Modem card
Video cards
Interface between computer and a display device

Unless a computer has graphics capability built into

the motherboard, the video card is required.

The CPU, working in conjunction with software

applications, sends information about the image to the
video card. The video card decides how to use the
pixels on the screen to create the image. It then sends
that information to the monitor through output
interface.
Sound cards
A sound card (also known as an audio card) is
an internal computer expansion card that
facilitates economical input and output of audio
signals to and from a computer under control of
computer programs.
Interface
Help the user use the computer system productively
User communicate with computer
Types of interface
CLI (command line interface)
GUI (graphical user interface)
CLI
A command-line interface (CLI), also known
as command-line user interface, console user interface,
and character user interface (CUI), is a means of
interacting with a computer program where the user (or
client) issues commands to the program in the form of
successive lines of text (command lines).
Advantages
More flexible and powerful
Faster for experienced users
Can combine commands
GUI
Also known as Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
Mouse-driven and icon-based
Windows
Are allocated to the use of a particular program or
process
Contain a title bar, menu bar, and widgets

.
GUI Interface Windows XP

14-29
GUI vs. CLI
GUI CLI
Advantages Advantages
Easy to learn and use More flexible and powerful
Little training Faster for experienced users
Amenable to multi-tasking Can combine commands
Disadvantages Disadvantages
Harder to implement More difficult to learn and use
More HW/SW requirements
Requires lots of memory
SW is complex and difficult to
write
Questions??