COMP 212 LECTURES

HYBRID COMPUTERS
UNIT I They incorporate the measuring feature of an analog
FATHER OF THE COMPUTER computer and counting feature of a digital computer.
CHARLES BABBAGE is considered the For computational purposes, these computers use
“Father of the Computer” and is given credit for analog components and for storage, digital memories
devising the first ever mechanical computer called are used
Analytical Engine in 1837. His design served as the blue
print for other, more complex machines. SUPER COMPUTERS
The fastest and most powerful type of computer. They
The term computer is derived from the Latin term are very expensive and are employed for specialized
‘computare’, this means to calculate or programmable applications that require immense amounts of
machine. mathematical calculations.
For example, weather forecasting requires a super
An advanced electronic device that takes raw data as computer.
input from the user and processes these data under the Other uses of supercomputers include animated
control of set of instructions (called program), then graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy
gives the result (output) and saves output for the future research, and petroleum
use. It can process both numerical and non-numerical exploration
(arithmetic and logical) calculations.
MAINFRAME COMPUTERS
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS A very large and expensive computer capable of
supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of users
 According to purpose simultaneously. In a hierarchy, mainframes are just
GENERAL PURPOSE COMPUTERS below super computers, but in some ways, mainframes
They are designed to perform a range of tasks. They are more powerful than super computers because they
have the ability to store numerous programs, but lack in support more simultaneous programs. But
speed and efficiency. supercomputers can execute a single program faster
Examples: Personal computers, including desktops, than a mainframe.
notebooks, smartphones, and tablets
MINI COMPUTERS
SPECIFIC PURPOSE COMPUTERS A midsized computer. In size and power, mini
They are designed to handle a specific problem or to computers lie between workstations and mainframes.
perform a specific task. A set of instructions is built into But in general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing
the machine. system capable of supporting from 4 to about 200 users
Examples: Automatic teller machines, washing simultaneously
machines, trafficlight control systems, and weather-
forecasting WORKSTATIONS
A terminal or desktop computer in a network.
 According to data handling In this context, workstation is just a generic term for a
user's machine (client machine) in contrast to a "server"
ANALOG COMPUTERS or "mainframe."
They work on the principle of measuring, in which the
measurements obtained are translated into data. It  SDesktop Computers
uses continuous physical phenomena such as electrical, A personal or micro-mini computer sufficient to fit on a
mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the desk.
problem being solved.  Laptop Computers
A portable computer complete with an integrated
DIGITAL COMPUTERS screen and keyboard. It is generally smaller in size than
They operate with information, numerical or otherwise, a desktop computer and larger than a notebook
represented in a digital form. Such computers process computer.
data into a digital value (in 0s and 1s). They give the  Palmtop Computer / Digital Diary / Notebook /
results with more PDAs
accuracy and at a faster rate. A hand-sized computer. Palmtops have no keyboard but
the screen serves both as an input and output device.
 According to size
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 COMP 212 LECTURES
The internal hardware parts of a computer are often
USAGE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN CIVIL referred to as
ENGINEERING components.
Examples: Motherboards, hard drives, RAM, and ROM
STRUCTURE ENGINEERING
Computer technology can be used to design stronger  External Hardware
structure of buildings, blocks, and homes through The external hardware devices are usually called
proper planning of maps. The software which is used to peripherals.
design these buildings is known as “AutoCAD”, which Examples: Monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, and
makes your construction process very easy and scanners
gives you the best options to design a perfect map for a
building SOFTWARE

PRIMAVERA PROJECT PLANNER  It is commonly known as programs or apps which

One of the most important software for managing a consists all the instructions that tell the hardware
civil engineering project is “Primavera Project Planner”, how to perform a task.
which is operated with the help of computer. Major  These instructions came from a software developer
civil engineering related projects, programs and in the form that will be accepted by the platform
schedule tasks can be easily managed through this (operating system + CPU) that they are based on.
software.  Software is generally created (written) in a high-
level programming language, one that is (more or
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY less) readable by people. These high-level
Information technology (IT) is used mostly to control instructions are converted into "machine
the flow of information within and outside the language" instructions, represented in binary code,
organization. IT is not possible without the use of before the hardware can "run the code".
computer, everything is managed through
computers. MAJOR CLASSES OF SOFTWARE
For example, important office files, data, monitoring,
emails, faster calculations, and software. Without System Software
proper IT, it will be difficult to complete any civil  Helps run the computer hardware and computer
engineering project. system itself.
 System software includes operating systems,
CONCRETE AND MATERIAL STRENGTH device drivers, diagnostic tools and more.
Role of concrete technology is similar to a role of blood  System software is almost always pre-installed on
in a human’s body. Concrete gives strength by your computer.
combining thousands of bricks. Perfect composition of
sand, water and cement for the purpose of preparing Application Software
strong concrete can be achieved through the usage of  Allows users to accomplish one or more tasks.
different computer software. Some software is also  It includes word processing, web browsing and
available to check the strength of any material that is almost any other task for which you might install
used in the construction of buildings, like steel, and software.
Brick BASIC ORGANIZATION OF A COMPUTER
UNIT II SYSTEM
The following units (also called “the functional
units”)correspond to the five basic operations
COMPUTER ORGANIZATION COMPONENTS OF A performed by all computersystems.
COMPUTER
Input Unit
 Hardware  It accepts (or reads) the list of instructions and
 Software data from the outside world.
 It converts these instructions and data in computer
HARDWARE acceptable format.
It refers to the physical parts of a computer and related  It supplies the converted instructions and data to
devices. the computer system for further processing.
 Internal Hardware

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Output Unit
 It accepts the results produced by the computer
which are in coded form and hence cannot be
easily understood by us.
 It converts these coded results to human
acceptable (readable) form.
 It supplies the converted results to the outside
world.

Storage Unit
 It is used for storing data during, before, and after
processing.
 The capacity of storage is expressed in terms of
bytes.

Primary Storage
 It is commonly referred to as “primary memory”
which is volatile in nature.
 Primary storage refers to internal storage devices Central Processing Unit (CPU)
that provide fast and efficient access to data or  The main chip in a computer is the microprocessor
information. However, it stores data or chip, which is also known as the CPU (Central
applications for a short period of time while the Processing Unit).
computer is running.  The CPU is mounted on a printed circuit board
called the main board or mother board.
RANDOM-ACCESS MEMORY (RAM)  This chip is considered to be the controlling chip of
 RAM is a type of volatile memory. Data in RAM is a computer system since it controls the activities of
not permanently written. When you power off other chips as well as outside devices connected to
your computer the data stored in RAM is deleted. the computer. In addition, it can also perform
 A RAM chip is used in the normal operations of a logical and computational tasks. Microprocessors
computer once the operating system is loaded work on a parallel system.

READ-ONLY MEMORY (ROM) Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)

 ROM is a type of non- volatile memory. Data in  It is the place where the actual execution of the
ROM is permanently written and is not erased instructions take place during the processing
when you power off your computer. operations.
 A ROM chip is used primarily in the startup process  All calculations are performed and all comparisons
of a computer. (decisions) are made in the ALU. The data and
instructions, stored in the primary storage prior to
processing are transferred when needed to the
Secondary Storage  ALU where processing takes place.

 It is used to store data or information on the long Control Unit

term basis, more like permanently.  By selecting, interpreting, and seeing to the
 They are non-volatile memory or commonly execution of the program instructions, the control
referred to as external memory that are not unit is able to maintain order and directs the
directly accessed by the central processing unit operation of the entire system.
Because they are not directly accessed by the I/O  It manages and coordinates the entire computer
channels, they are relatively slower than primary system.
storage devices when it comes to data access.
Examples: Hard disk drives (HDD), CDs, DVDs, and USB
flash drives

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