What is a computer?

Computer -- Compute -- Calculate

A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It
has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data according to a set of
instructions.

Computer is also known as Data Processor and this activity of processing is

called Data processing.
Input -- Data processing -- Output

• Computer accepts data from an input device and processes the data
into useful information which is displays on its output device.

• Example – Supermarket billing process.

Input – Barcode
Processing – Price Display
Output – Receipt
Storage – Sales Record/ Inventory
Primary Operations
• Input
• Processing
• Output
• Storage
The progression of input, processing, output and storage is referred as
Information Processing Cycle.
Characterstics of Computer :-
• 1. Speed: – As you know computer can work very fast. It takes
only few seconds for calculations that we take hours to
complete. You will be surprised to know that computer can
perform millions of instructions and even more per second.

• 2. Accuracy: – The degree of accuracy of computer is very high

and every calculation is performed with the same accuracy. The
errors in computer are due to human and inaccurate data.
• 3. Diligence: – A computer is free from tiredness, lack of concentration,
fatigue, etc. It can work for hours without creating any error. If millions of
calculations are to be performed, a computer will perform every calculation
with the same accuracy. Due to this capability it overpowers human being
in routine type of work.

• 4. Versatility: – It means the capacity to perform completely different type

of work. You may use your computer to prepare payroll slips. Next moment
you may use it for inventory management or to prepare electric bills.
• 5. Power of Remembering: – Computer has the power of
storing any amount of information or data. Any information can
be stored and recalled as long as you require it, for any
numbers of years.

• 6. No IQ: – Computer is a dumb machine and it cannot do any

work without instruction from the user. It performs the
instructions at tremendous speed and with accuracy. It is you to
decide what you want to do and in what sequence. So a
computer cannot take its own decision as you can.
• 7. No Feeling: – It does not have feelings or emotion, taste,
knowledge and experience. Thus it does not get tired even after
long hours of work.

• 8. Storage: – The Computer has an in-built memory where it

can store a large amount of data. You can also store data in
secondary storage devices such as floppies, which can be kept
outside your computer and can be carried to other computers.
Input Device
• Input Devices
• An input device is a hardware device that takes instructions
from the user and passes it to a processing unit, such as a
CPU. Input devices can transmit data to other devices by taking
it from one device but cannot receive data—for example, the
keyboard or the mouse.
1. Keyboard: It is a hardware device with keys with alphabets and
numbers on it and is used to take alphanumeric input. It is the
most commonly used input device.
2. Mouse: It is a hardware device that takes input by clicking on
keys on the surface of the mouse. The mouse is a pointing
device that points to icons on the screen to select them.
3.Microphone: It takes sound as a form of
input and can convert it to a digital or
electrical form.

4.Joystick: It is usually used to play games.

It has a stick that is inclined to angle to
control movement in video games.
5.Light Pen/stylus: It is a device used to
give input by touching the device. A stylus is a
light-dependent tool.

6.Scanner: It is used to scan images, text, or

documents to convert them into digital form.
Output Devices

• Output devices are hardware devices that receive data from the
processing unit and other devices and return the result of the
data—for example, monitors and speakers.

1. Monitor: It is a device through which we see and operate our

software. All icons, text, and images are displayed here. We see
all the outputs on this screen.

2. Printer: It produces hard copies or prints of images, text, or

documents on the computer.
3.Speakers: They yield output in the form of audio and allow
users to listen to music, game sounds, etc. Speakers can be
wired and wireless.

4.Projector: It produces output by projecting images and videos

on a big screen. When connected to a computer, the image on
the monitor will only be displayed on the screen.

5.Headphones: These devices also produce audio outputs but

are only for personal use.
 Hardware Software

Hardware is further divided into four main categories: Software is further divided into two main categories:
•Input Devices •Application Software
•Output Devices •System Software
•Secondary Storage Devices
•Internal Components

Developed using electronic and other materials Developed writing using instructions using a programming language

When damaged, it can be replaced with a new component When damaged it can be installed once more using a backup copy

Hardware is physical in nature and hence one can touch and see hardware The software cannot be physically touched but still can be used and seen

Hardware cannot be infected by Viruses The software can be infected by Viruses

Hardware will physically wear out over time Software does not wear out but it can be affected by bugs and glitches

An example of Hardware is hard drives, monitors, CPU, scanners, printers etc. An example of software is Windows 10, Adobe Photoshop, Google Chrome etc.
Input/Output Devices

• An input/output device can perform the job of both input and

output devices. In other words, it can receive data from other
devices or users (input) and send it to other devices (output).
• Examples of input/output devices include:
• CD/DVD drives: They copy data received from the computer
and store it. They can also transfer data on the drive and pass it
to the computer’s storage
• USB/Flash drives: They receive and send data from the
computer to the drive and vice-versa
BASIC ORGANISATION OF COMPUTER
SYSTEM

Input Unit
Input Unit Input unit connects the external environment with internal
computer system. It provides data and instructions to the computer
system.
Input unit performs following tasks:
Accept the data and instructions from the outside environment.
Convert it into machine language.
Supply the converted data to computer system.
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• It is Central Processing Unit of the computer. The control unit and ALU
are together known as CPU. CPU is the brain of computer system.
• It performs following tasks:
• It performs all operations.
• It takes all decisions.
• It controls all the units of computer.
Arithmetic Logical Unit

• All the calculations are performed in ALU of the computer system. The
ALU can perform basic operations such as addition, subtraction,
division, multiplication etc. Whenever calculations are required, the
control unit transfers the data from storage unit to ALU. When the
operations are done, the result is transferred back to the storage unit.
Control Unit

• It controls all other units of the computer. It controls the flow of data
and instructions to and from the storage unit to ALU. Thus it is also
known as central nervous system of the computer.
Memory Units
• Computer store data in binary format, binary format contain only two characters 0
and 1. All the information stored/represented in the computer is a code which
contain a specific combination of 0’s and 1’s. The memory units are used to
measure the size of data in computer.
• The memory units are as follow.
• 1. Smallest Memory Unit – Bit ( Binary Digit)
• 2. Nibble – 4 bits
• 3. Byte or 1B- 8 Bites
• 4. Kilobyte or 1KB – 1024 bytes or 210 bytes
• 5. Megabyte or 1 MB – 1024 Kilobyte or 220 bytes
• 6. Gigabyte or 1 GB – 1024 MB or 230 bytes
• 7. Terabyte or 1 TB- 1024 GB or 240 bytes
• 8. Petabyte or 1 PB- 1024 TB or 250 bytes
• 9. Exabyte or 1 EB – 1024 PB or 260 bytes
• 10. Zetta or 1ZB – 1024 EB or 270 bytes
• 11. Yotta or 1 YB- 1024 ZB or 280 bytes
• Computer memories are broadly divided into two types
• 1. External Memory or Secondary Memory: These memory donot
communicate directly with the CPU due to their slow speed in
comparison to CPU. Examples of external memory : Magnetic Disk,
Optical Disk, Magnetic Tape.

• 2. Internal Memory or Primary Memory: These memory communicate

directly with the CPU. Examples of internal memory: Cache Memory
& CPU registers.
Primary Memory is of Two Types
• . 1. RAM (Random Access Memory)
• The main characteristics of RAM are as follow :
• The word “random” refers to the fact that any memory location of RAM can
be accessed at constant time regardless the physical location.
• RAM is Volatile or Temporary in nature i.e. Once the system is switched off ,
the information stored on RAM gets erased.
• RAM is read and write memory, it can be read as well as write as per the
processing requirements.
• RAM is a semiconductor memory and is very costly in comparison to
secondary memory.
• RAM size is limited, the storage size of RAM available these days varies
from MB’s to GB’s. Example 512 MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB,8GB etc.
2. ROM (Read Only Memory) :
• ROM is built in memory of a computer system. It is very small in size and
store firmware, which store instruction which are necessary to run or boot
the system.
• The main characteristics of ROM are as follow :
• It is a read only memory, we cannot write into it.
• ROM is non volatile or permanent memory, The data and instructions does
not get erased when the computer power is switched off.
• In ROM data/instruction are accessed in sequence, Random access is not
possible.
• Instruction stored in ROM is executed automatically as soon as computer is
switched on
Output Unit
• The Output Unit: Computer Output is the device which deals
with transmitting the data of the computer among the device
and the clients. The computer is designed for humans in the
form of audio and video format.
• Example – Monitors, printers, microphones, and headphones.
Secondary memory unit
• Secondary memory is computer memory that is
non-volatile, persistent and not immediately accessible
by a computer or processor.
• It allows users to store data and information that can be
retrieved, transmitted, and used by apps and services
quickly and easily. Secondary storage is another name
for secondary memory.
Use of Secondary Memory

• 1. Permanent storage – Primary memory, as we all know,

retains data only when the power is on and loses data when
the power is turned off. As a result, we require a secondary
memory that can keep data indefinitely even if the power
supply is turned off.
• 2. Large storage – Secondary memory provides a significant
amount of storage space, allowing us to store large amounts
of data such as films, photographs, audio files, and other
items permanently.
• 3. Portable – Some of the secondary devices can be
removed. As a result, one can store data and transfer them
effortlessly from one device to another.
Types of Secondary Memory
• It is of two types they are as follows:

Fixed Storage
The fixed storage is a memory device that is present internally in the
system. Furthermore, they store all the computer data and we can call
them fixed disk drives or hard drives.
• Examples are as follows:
• Hard Disk Drives (HDD)
• Solid-State Disk (SSD)
• Flash Memory
Removable Storage

• These are external storage devices that store data of a computer. Moreover,
we can call them external drives or removable disk drives. A removable
device is basically the one that we can inject/insert or remove/eject as per
our requirement.
• Examples are as follows:
• Magnetic tapes
• Floppy disks
• Paper storage like punched cards or punched tapes
• Optical disks like CDs, DVDs, Blu Ray Disks, etc.
Limitations of a computer
• .Lack of Creativity: Computers are unable to be creative in the
same way that humans can be. They can perform tasks that are
programmed into them, but they cannot think outside the box or
come up with new ideas on their own.
• 2.Limited Memory: While computers have the ability to store
vast amounts of data, they have a finite amount of memory. This
means that they can only handle so much information at once
and they may struggle with complex tasks that require a lot of
data processing.
• 3.Inability to Learn: While computers can be programmed to
learn and adapt to new situations, they cannot learn in the same
way that humans can. They do not have the ability to think
critically or make decisions based on instinct or intuition.
• 4.Dependence on Power: Computers require a constant supply
of electricity to function. This means that they cannot be used in
areas where there is no power supply, such as in remote
locations or during power outages.
• 5. Vulnerability to Viruses and Hacking: Computers are
vulnerable to viruses and hacking attacks, which can
compromise the security of sensitive information and cause
serious damage to the system.
• 6.Lack of Emotional Intelligence: Computers are unable to
understand human emotions or communicate on an emotional
level. They can recognize certain emotions based on
programmed responses, but they cannot truly empathize with
human beings.
• 7.Environmental Impact: The production and disposal of
computers have a significant environmental impact, including
the use of non-renewable resources, the emission of
greenhouse gases, and the creation of electronic waste.
• 8.Dependence on Software: Computers rely on software to
perform tasks, which means that they are only as good as the
software that is available to them. If there is no software
available to perform a certain task, the computer cannot perform
it.
Classification of Computers
• On the basis of Work:
• Analog computer
• Digital computer
• Hybrid computer
• Analog Computers
• In computer jargon, an analog system is one in which
the data are understood to be a continuous
measurement of a physical attribute like rotation or
displacement that continuously varies. Calculating
temperature, voltage, speed, pressure, and other
variables is the main application of this sort of computer.
Examples of this type include power meters, oil pump
fuel gauges, and mobile speedometers for automobiles.
Digital Computer

• The digital computers use sporadic data to operate. It

turns the input into binary digits, 0 and 1, and all
operations are performed at an incredibly quick pace on
this digital. In essence, a digital computer is capable of
adding and counting digits. Digital computers are both
faster and more accurate than analog ones. These
computers are multifunctional, problem-oriented
devices. They are utilized for business and scientific use.
Hybrid Computer

• The development of hybrid computers allows them to

perform both the functions of digital and analog
computers. These computers combine the greatest
elements of analog and digital computing. Users can
process both continuous and discrete data with its
assistance. Some calculations in these computers are
done analogically, while the remainder are done
digitally. The analog signals are converted into digital
signals, and the digital signals are then converted back
into analog signals. Example: ECG, Ultra Sound, etc.