Computer Fundamentals & Operating System

Unit-1

Que.1 What is a Computer, Characteristics of a Computer, Advantages and Disadvantages of a Computer,

Ans: Computer is electronic machine which can accept data process data and give output is called computer.
Characteristics:
1. Speed
Computer works faster and more accurately than human. Computers have the ability to process so many millions
(1,000,000) of instructions per second. Computer operations are performed in micro and nano seconds. A computer is a
time saving device. The speed of a computer is measure in terms of GigaHertz and MegaHertz.
2. Diligence
A human cannot work for several hours without resting, yet a computer never tires. A computer can conduct millions of
calculations per second with complete precision without stopping. A computer can consistently and accurately do
millions of jobs or calculations.
3. Reliability
A computer is reliable. The output results never differ unless the input varies. the output is totally depend on the input.
when an input is the same the output will also be the same.
4. Automation
The world is quickly moving toward AI (Artificial Intelligence) -based technology. A computer may conduct tasks
automatically after instructions are programmed..
5. Versatility
Computer perform different types of tasks with the same accuracy and efficiency. A computer can perform multiple
tasks at the same time this is known as versatility. For example, while listening to music, we may develop our project
using PowerPoint.
6. Memory
A computer can store millions of records. these records may be accessed with complete precision. Computer memory
storage capacity is measured in Bytes, Kilobytes(KB), Megabytes(MB), Gigabytes(GB), and Terabytes(TB). A
computer has built-in memory known as primary memory.
7. Accuracy
When a computer performs a computation or operation, the chances of errors occurring are low. Errors in a computer
are caused by human’s submitting incorrect data. A computer can do a variety of operations and calculations fast and
accurately.
Advantages of Computer
 Multitasking: Multitasking is one of the main advantages of computers. A person can do multiple tasks,
and multiple operations at the same time,
 Speed: One of the most advantages of computers is their incredible speed, which helps humans to finish
their task in a few seconds.
 Cost/ Stores huge: Amount of knowledge it’s a coffee cost solution. A person can save huge data within a
coffee budget.
 Accuracy: One of the essential advantages of computers is they will perform not only calculations but also
with accuracy.
 Data Security: Protecting digital data is understood as data security.
 Task completer: Completes tasks that might be impossible for humans to complete.
 Communication: The computer helps the user better understand and communicate with other devices.
 Productivity: The level of productivity gets automatically doubled as the computer can do the work very
fast.
 Reduces workload: Information is often accessed by more than one person with the necessity for work to
be duplicated.
 Storage: The pc has an in-built memory where it can store an outsized amount of knowledge. You can also
store data in auxiliary storage devices.
Disadvantages of computer:
 Virus and hacking attacks: A virus may be a worm and hacking is just unauthorized access over a
computer for a few illicit purposes. Viruses can go to another system from email attachments, viewing an
infected website advertisement, through removable devices like USBs, etc.
 Online Cyber Crimes: Online cyber-crime means computers and networks may have been utilized in
order to commit a crime.
  Reduction in employed opportunity: Mainly past generation hasn’t used the pc or they need the
knowledge of computers they faced an enormous problem when computers came into the field.
 High Cost: Computers are expensive. Even the foremost affordable computers are still very expensive for
the typical person in South Africa. Since computers empower people.
 Increases waste and impacts the environment: With the speed at that computer and other electronics get
replaced, all of the old devices that get thrown away have a big impact on the environment.
 Health Problems: Prolonged use of computers can lead to various health Hazards. Too much sitting near
the screen results in eye strain and drying up of the eyes. Also, prolonged sitting leads to neck and back
problems.

Que.2 What is computer? History of Computer, Generation of Computer, Classification of Computers, and Basic
Application of Computer
Ans: A computer is an electronic machine that collects information, stores it, processes it according to user
instructions, and then returns the result.
When we study the many aspects of computing and computers, it is important to know about the history of
computers. Charles Babbage designed an Analytical Engine which was a general computer It helps us understand the
growth and progress of technology through the times. It is also an important topic for competitive and banking
exams.
19th Century
1801 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, a weaver and businessman from France, devised a loom that employed punched
wooden cards to automatically weave cloth designs.
1822 – Charles Babbage, a mathematician, invented the steam-powered calculating machine capable of calculating
number tables. The “Difference Engine” idea failed owing to a lack of technology at the time.
1848 – The world’s first computer program was written by Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician. Lovelace also
includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to compute Bernoulli numbers using Babbage’s machine.
1890 – Herman Hollerith, an inventor, creates the punch card technique used to calculate the 1880 U.S. census. He
would go on to start the corporation that would become IBM.
Early 20th Century.
1930 – Differential Analyzer was the first large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical analogue
computer invented and built by Vannevar Bush.
1936 – Alan Turing had an idea for a universal machine, which he called the Turing machine, that could compute
anything that could be computed.
1939 – Hewlett-Packard was discovered in a garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and David Packard.
1941 – Konrad Zuse, a German inventor and engineer, completed his Z3 machine, the world’s first digital computer.
However, the machine was destroyed during a World War II bombing strike on Berlin.
1941 – J.V. Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry devise a computer capable of solving 29 equations at the
same time. The first time a computer can store data in its primary memory.
1945 – University of Pennsylvania academics John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert create an Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). It was Turing-complete and capable of solving “a vast class of numerical problems”
by reprogramming, earning it the title of “Grandfather of computers.”
1946 – The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer) was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer
designed in the United States for corporate applications.
1949 – The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), developed by a team at the University of
Cambridge, is the “first practical stored-program computer.”
1950 – The Standards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) was built in Washington, DC, and it was the first stored-
program computer completed in the United States.
Late 20th Century
1953 – Grace Hopper, a computer scientist, creates the first computer language, which becomes known as COBOL,
which stands for COmmon, Business-Oriented Language. It allowed a computer user to offer the computer instructions
in English-like words rather than numbers.
1954 – John Backus and a team of IBM programmers created the FORTRAN programming language, an acronym
for FORmula TRANslation. In addition, IBM developed the 650.
1958 – The integrated circuit, sometimes known as the computer chip, was created by Jack Kirby and Robert Noyce.
1962 – Atlas, the computer, makes its appearance. It was the fastest computer in the world at the time, and it
pioneered the concept of “virtual memory.”
1964 – Douglas Engelbart proposes a modern computer prototype that combines a mouse and a graphical user
interface (GUI).
1969 – Bell Labs developers, led by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie, revealed UNIX, an operating system developed
in the C programming language that addressed program compatibility difficulties.
1970 – The Intel 1103, the first Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip, is unveiled by Intel.
1971 – The floppy disc was invented by Alan Shugart and a team of IBM engineers. In the same year, Xerox developed
the first laser printer, which not only produced billions of dollars but also heralded the beginning of a new age in
computer printing.
1973 – Robert Metcalfe, a member of Xerox’s research department, created Ethernet, which is used to connect many
computers and other gear.
1974 – Personal computers were introduced into the market. The first were the Altair Scelbi & Mark-8, IBM 5100, and
Radio Shack’s TRS-80.
1975 – Popular Electronics magazine touted the Altair 8800 as the world’s first minicomputer kit in January. Paul Allen
and Bill Gates offer to build software in the BASIC language for the Altair.
1976 – Apple Computers is founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who expose the world to the Apple I, the first
computer with a single-circuit board.
1977 – At the first West Coast Computer Faire, Jobs and Wozniak announce the Apple II. It has colour graphics and a
cassette drive for storing music.
1978 – The first computerized spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, is introduced.
1979 – WordStar, a word processing tool from MicroPro International, is released.
1981 – IBM unveils the Acorn, their first personal computer, which has an Intel CPU, two floppy drives, and a colour
display. The MS-DOS operating system from Microsoft is used by Acorn.
1983 – The CD-ROM, which could carry 550 megabytes of pre-recorded data, hit the market. This year also saw the
release of the Gavilan SC, the first portable computer with a flip-form design and the first to be offered as a “laptop.”
1984 – Apple launched Macintosh during the Superbowl XVIII commercial. It was priced at $2,500
1985 – Microsoft introduces Windows, which enables multitasking via a graphical user interface. In addition, the
programming language C++ has been released.
1990 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English programmer and scientist, creates HyperText Markup Language, widely known as
HTML. He also coined the term “WorldWideWeb.” It includes the first browser, a server, HTML, and URLs.
1993 – The Pentium CPU improves the usage of graphics and music on personal computers.
1995 – Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system was released. A $300 million promotional campaign was launched to
get the news out. Sun Microsystems introduces Java 1.0, followed by Netscape Communications’ JavaScript.
1996 – At Stanford University, Sergey Brin and Larry Page created the Google search engine.
1998 – Apple introduces the iMac, an all-in-one Macintosh desktop computer. These PCs cost $1,300 and came with a
4GB hard drive, 32MB RAM, a CD-ROM, and a 15-inch monitor.
1999 – Wi-Fi, an abbreviation for “wireless fidelity,” is created, originally covering a range of up to 300 feet.
21st Century
2000 – The USB flash drive is first introduced in 2000. They were speedier and had more storage space than other
storage media options when used for data storage.
2001 – Apple releases Mac OS X, later renamed OS X and eventually simply macOS, as the successor to its conventional
Mac Operating System.
2003 – Customers could purchase AMD’s Athlon 64, the first 64-bit CPU for consumer computers.
2004 – Facebook began as a social networking website.
2005 – Google acquires Android, a mobile phone OS based on Linux.
2006 – Apple’s MacBook Pro was available. The Pro was the company’s first dual-core, Intel-based mobile computer.

Amazon Web Services, including Amazon Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) and Amazon Simple Storage Service, were also launched
(S3)

2007 – The first iPhone was produced by Apple, bringing many computer operations into the palm of our hands.
Amazon also released the Kindle, one of the first electronic reading systems, in 2007.
2009 – Microsoft released Windows 7.
2011 – Google introduces the Chromebook, which runs Google Chrome OS.
2014 – The University of Michigan Micro Mote (M3), the world’s smallest computer, was constructed.
2015 – Apple introduces the Apple Watch. Windows 10 was also released by Microsoft.
2016 – The world’s first reprogrammable quantum computer is built.
Generation:
Generations of Computers

In the history of computers, we often refer to the advancements of modern computers as the generation of computers.
We are currently on the fifth generation of computers. So let us look at the important features of these five
generations of computers.

 1st Generation: This was from the period of 1940 to 1955.

 This was when machine language was developed for the use of computers. They used VACUUM TUBES
for the circuitry. These machines were complicated, large, and expensive. As output and input devices,
magnetic tape and paper tape were implemented. For example, ENIAC, UNIVAC-1, EDVAC, and so on.

 2nd Generation: The years 1957-1963 were referred to as the “second generation of computers” at the
time. In second-generation computers, COBOL and FORTRAN are employed as assembly languages and
programming languages. Here they advanced from vacuum tubes to transistors. This made the
computers smaller, faster and more energy efficient. For instance, IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC
3600, and so forth.

 3rd Generation: This period (1964-1971) was the development of the integrated circuit. A single
integrated circuit (IC) is made up of many transistors, which increases the power of a computer while
simultaneously lowering its cost.High-level programming languages such as FORTRON-II to IV, COBOL,
and PASCAL PL/1 were utilized. For example, the IBM-360 series, the Honeywell-6000 series, and the
IBM-370/168.

 4th Generation: The invention of the microprocessors brought along the fourth generation of computers.
The years 1971-1980 were dominated by fourth generation computers. C, C++ and Java were the
programming languages utilized in this generation of computers. For instance, the STAR 1000, PDP 11,
CRAY-1, CRAY-X-MP, and Apple II. This was when we started producing computers for home use.

 5th Generation: These computers have been utilized since 1980 and continue to be used now. This is the
present and the future of the computer world. The defining aspect of this generation is artificial
intelligence. The use of parallel processing and superconductors are making this a reality and provide a
lot of scope for the future. Fifth-generation computers use ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration)
technology. These are the most recent and sophisticated computers. C, C++, Java,.Net, and more
programming languages are used. For instance, IBM, Pentium, Desktop, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook,
and so on.

Que3. Explain the Components of computer ( Input unit, Arithmetic and logic unit, Control unit)

Unit2

Que.1 What is difference between Primary and secondary Memory?

Que.2 What is difference between Hardware and Software
Que.3 What is software ? Explain the System software and Application software
Unit-3

Que.1 What is Data? What is difference between data and information?

Que.2 How to convert Binary number to decimal and vice versa.
Que. 3 What is difference between Programming and Machine Language?

Unit 4
Que. 1 Define the following:
 1. Assembly language 2. High level language,3. Compiler & Interpreter
Que. 2 What is operating system ? explain the types of operating systems
Que. 3 What is Functions of Operating System.
Unit – 5
Que. 1 What is Window? Explain the features, windows
Que. 2 Define the following:
1. (desktop, icons, start button folder control panel winrar winzip )
Que. 3 How can change date and time of system and background of computer ?
Unit-6
Que.1 What is multimedia? How can run playing audio & video in computer system?
Que.2 What are external Storage device? Explain the following:
1. Pen Drive2. CD/DVD 3. USB ports
Que. 3 How can Copying files from system to pen drive. Vice-versa?
Que.4 What is virus? Name any five name of virus.
 Spreadsheet [MS-EXCEL]
Unit-1
Que.1 What is MS-Excel? Explain the feature of MS Excel.
Que.2 How many Row and Columns in MS Excel.
Que.3 How can delete and insert row, column, work sheet in Excel
Unit-2
Que.1 How can do (Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division) in MS Excel?
Que.2 How can Copying Formulas one place to another place?
Que.3 What is Cell Referencing (Absolute, Relative & Mixed)
Unit 3

Que. 1 What is difference between HLookup & VLookup?

Que.2 How can Formatting cells (Setting Fonts, Text Decoration, Setting Background Colors)?
Que.3 How many type Text Alignment in MS Excel?
Unit 4
Que. 1 How many types of Merges in MS Excel?
Que.2 What is Wraps in MS – Excel?
Que.3 How can apply, Border & Shading) in MS – Excel?
Unit- 5
,Que.1 What is Page Orientation ? How can set it
Que.2 What is Header & Footer? How can Insert Page break, Set Background in MS Excel?
Que.3 What is Freeze Panes and Conditional Formatting. How apply this .
Unit-6

Que. 1 What is difference between Sorting & Filtering. How can apply this.
Que.2 What is data validation? How can create Data List in MS Excel?
Que.3 What is Consolidation? Write step how can apply this.
Unit -7.

Que.1 What is charts? Write any 10 names of Charts?

Que.2 What is Pivot tables? How can apply this?
Que.3 How can Find & Replace, Spell Check, Thesaurus in MS Excel

Unit- 8
Que. 1 What is Macros and Track Changes, in Excel?
Que.2 What is difference between Workbook & Worksheet?
Que.3 How can apply password in MS Excel?