A World of Computers

Computers are everywhere: at work, at school, and at home (Figure 1-1). Mobile devices, such as many
cell phones, often are classified as computers. Computers are a primary means of local and global com
munication for billions of people. Employees correspond with clients, students with classmates and
teachers, and family with friends and other family members. Through computers, society has instant
access to information from around the globe. Local and national news, weather reports, sports scores,
airline schedules, telephone directories, maps and directions, job listings, credit reports, and countless
forms of educational material always are accessible. From the computer, you can make a telephone call,
meet new friends, share photos and videos, share opinions, shop, book flights, file taxes, take a course,
receive alerts, and automate your home. In the workplace, employees use computers to create
correspondence such as e-mail messages, memos, and letters; manage calendars; calculate payroll; track
inventory; and generate invoices. At school, teachers use computers to assist with classroom instruction.
Students use computers to complete assignments and re search. Instead of attending class on campus,
some students take entire classes directly from their computer. [1]

What Is a Computer?
A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its own
memory, that can accept data, process the data according to specified rules, produce results, and
store the results for future use. [2]

Data and Information

Computers process data into information. Data is a collection of unprocessed items, which can
include text, numbers, images, audio, and video. Information conveys meaning and is useful to
people. As shown in Figure 1-2, for example, computers process several data items to print
information in the form of a cash register receipt. [3]

System Unit
The system unit is a case that contains electronic components of the computer that are used to
process data (Figure 1-3 on the previous page). The circuitry of the system unit usually is part of
or is connected to a circuit board called the motherboard. Two main components on the
motherboard are the processor and memory. The processor, also called the CPU (central
processing unit), is the electronic component that interprets and carries out the basic instructions
that operate the computer. Memory consists of electronic components that store instructions
waiting to be executed and data needed by those instructions. Most memory keeps data and
instructions temporarily, which means its contents are erased when the computer is shut off. [4]
Storage Devices
Storage holds data, instructions, and information for future use. For example, computers can
store hundreds or millions of customer names and addresses. Storage holds these items
permanently. A computer keeps data, instructions, and information on storage media. Examples
of storage media are USB flash drives, hard disks, optical discs, and memory cards. A storage
device records (writes) and/or retrieves (reads) items to and from storage media. Storage devices
often function as a source of input because they transfer items from storage to memory. A USB
flash drive is a portable storage device that is small and lightweight enough to be transported on
a keychain or in a pocket (Figure 1-3). The average USB flash drive can hold about 4 billion
characters. A hard disk provides much greater storage capacity than a USB flash drive. The
average hard disk can hold more than 320 billion characters. Hard disks are enclosed in an
airtight, sealed case. Although some are portable, most are housed inside the system unit (Figure
1-4). Portable hard disks are either external or removable. An external hard disk is a separate,
freestanding unit, whereas you insert and remove a removable hard disk from the computer or a
device connected to the computer. An optical disc is a flat, round, portable metal disc with a
plastic coating. CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs are three types of optical discs. A CD can hold
from 650 million to 1 billion characters. Some DVDs can store two full-length movies or 17
billion characters (Figure 1-5). Blu-ray Discs can store about 46 hours of standard video, or 100
billion characters. Some mobile devices, such as digital cameras, use memory cards as the
storage media. You can use a card reader/writer (Figure 1-3) to transfer stored items, such as
digital photos, from the memory card to a computer or printer. [5]

Communications Devices
A communications device is a hardware component that enables a computer to send (transmit)
and receive data, instructions, and information to and from one or more com puters or mobile
devices. A widely used communications device is a modem (Figure 1-3). Introduction to
Communications occur over cables, telephone lines, cellular radio networks, satellites, and other
transmission media. Some transmission media, such as satellites and cellular radio networks, are
wireless, which means they have no physical lines or wires. [6]
References

[1] M. E. V. J. J. Q. S. L. S. S. M. F. Gary B. Shelly, Discovering Computer Fundamental, Printed in the

United States of America, 2012.

[2] c. Vermaat, Discovering Computer fundamentals, USA, UK, 2012.

[3] C. Vermaat, DIscovering Computer Fundamental, USA, Uk, 2012.

[4] J. D. Kramer and J. Chen, Discovering Computer Fundamentals, USA, UK, 2012.

[5] J. D. Kramer and J. Chen, Discovering computer fundamentals, USA, UK, 2012.

[6] C. Vermaat, Discovering computer fundamentals, 2012.

[7] H. BAUM, "Introduction to computer," Osher lifelong learning institute, [Online]. Available:
https://www.uc.edu/content/dam/refresh/cont-ed-62/olli/fall-23-class-handouts/refined
%20intro.pdf.

[8] H. BAUM, "University of cincinnati," Osher lifelong learning institute, [Online]. Available:
https://www.uc.edu/content/dam/refresh/cont-ed-62/olli/fall-23-class-handouts/refined
%20intro.pdf.

WHAT IS A COMPUTER ?
A computer is a programmable electronic machine used to store, retrieve, and process data.
They are used to type documents, send e-mail, play games, browse the Internet, create
presentations, event invitations, and listen to music or watch videos.

WHY IS A COMPUTER SO EFFICIENT ?

▪ It doesn’t get tired !! ▪ The ability to work on projects with amazing speed ▪ Reliability (low
failure rate) ▪ Very Accurate ▪ Able to store huge amounts of data and information ▪ Able to
communicate with other computers. [7]

HARDWARE VS. SOFTWARE

- Before we talk about different types of computers, let's talk about two things all computers have
in common: Hardware and Software. • HARDWARE is any part of your computer that has a
physical structure that you can touch, such as the computer itself, the keyboard, or the mouse,
which you can see in the image below. • It also includes all the computer's internal parts. [8]