Week 3

Features of Computer

Mahfuzur Rahman Emon

1
 Introduction to Computer
A computer is an electronic device, operating
under the control of instructions stored in its
own memory that can accept data (input),
process the data according to specified rules,
produce information (output), and store the
information for future use.
Functionalities Of A Computer
• Any digital computer carries out five functions in gross
terms.

– Takes Data as Input

– Stores the data/Instructions in its memory and use them when
required.
– Processes the data and converts it into useful Information.
– Generates the Output.
– Control all the above four steps.
Computer Components
Any kind of computers consists of

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.

 Hardware
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a
computer system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components
of a computer such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard
drive disk (HDD), system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard
and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can be touched.
 Input Devices
Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment to provide data
and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other
information appliance.
Input device Translate data from form that humans understand to one that the
computer can work with. Most common are keyboard and mouse
 Example of Input Devices:-
1. Keyboard 2. Mouse (pointing device) 3. Microphone

4. Touch screen 5. Scanner 6. Webcam

7. Touchpads 8. MIDI keyboard

10.Graphics Tablets 11.Cameras 12.Pen Input

13.Video Capture Hardware 14.Microphone 15.Trackballs

16.Barcode reader 17.Digital camera 18.Joystick

19.Gamepad 20.Electronic Whiteboard

Note: The most common use keyboard is the QWERTY keyboard. Generally standard Keyboard has 104
keys.
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
A CPU is brain of a computer. It is responsible for all functions and processes.
Regarding computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer
system.
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The CPU is comprised of three main parts :
1. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Executes all arithmetic and logical operations. Arithmetic
calculations like as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Logical operation like
compare numbers, letters, or special characters
2. Control Unit (CU): controls and coordinates computer components.
– Read the code for the next instruction to be executed.
– Increment the program counter so it points to the next instruction.
– Read whatever data the instruction requires from cells in memory.
– Provide the necessary data to an ALU or register.
– If the instruction requires an ALU or specialized hardware to complete, instruct the hardware to
perform the requested operation.

3. Registers :Stores the data that is to be executed next, "very fast storage area".
 Primary Memory
• RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is a memory scheme within the computer system
responsible for storing data on a temporary basis, so that it can be promptly accessed
by the processor as and when needed. It is volatile in nature, which means that data will
be erased once supply to the storage device is turned off. RAM stores data randomly
and the processor accesses these data randomly from the RAM storage. RAM is
considered "random access" because you can access any memory cell directly if you
know the row and column that intersect at that cell.

• ROM (Read Only Memory): ROM is a permanent form of storage. ROM stays active
regardless of whether power supply to it is turned on or off. ROM devices do not allow
data stored on them to be modified.
 Secondary Memory
• Stores data and programs permanently: its retained after the power is turned off

• Hard drive (HD): A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard drive," or "hard disk
drive," that store and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an
electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces.

• Optical Disk: an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light as part of the process
of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only read from discs, but
recent drives are commonly both readers and recorders, also called burners or writers. Compact
discs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which can be read and
recorded by such drives. Optical drive is the generic name; drives are usually described as "CD"
"DVD", or "Bluray", followed by "drive", "writer", etc. There are three main types of optical
media: CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc. CDs can store up to 700 megabytes (MB) of data and DVDs can
store up to 8.4 GB of data. Blu-ray discs, which are the newest type of optical media, can store up
to 50 GB of data. This storage capacity is a clear advantage over the floppy disk storage media (a
magnetic media), which only has a capacity of 1.44 MB.
 Secondary Memory
Flash Disk
A storage module made of flash memory chips. A Flash disks have no mechanical
platters or access arms, but the term "disk" is used because the data are accessed
as if they were on a hard drive. The disk storage structure is emulated.
Comparison between RAM and HARD DISK
RAM Hard Disk (Hard Drive)

Memory Storage

Smaller amount Much larger amount

(typically 500 MB-6 GB) (typically 80GB to 1000 GB)

Temporary storage of files and programs Permanent storage of files and programs

A little like your real desktop - has only your current work on it Like a file cabinet - has long-term storage of work (it's safe
(which could be ruined by a spill of Coke or coffee!) from spills!)

Contents disappear when you turn off power to the computer and Contents remain when you turn off the power to the
when the computer crashes computer (they don't
disappear unless you purposely delete them), and when the
computer crashes

Consists of chips (microprocessors) Consists of hard disks (platters)

When you want to use a program, a temporary copy is put into Holds the original copy of the program permanently
RAM and that's the copy you use
 Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to
communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information
processing system (such as a computer) which converts the electronically
generated information into human- readable form.
 Software
Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and
instructions, often broken into two major categories:

1. system software that provides the basic non- task-specific functions of the
computer, and

2. application software which is used by users to accomplish specific tasks.

 Software Types

System Application
software software
 System software
System software is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing
the individual hardware components of a computer system so that other
software and the users of the system see it as a functional unit without
having to be concerned with the low-level details such as transferring data
from memory to disk, or rendering text onto a display.

Generally, system software consists of an operating system and some

fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file managers, display
managers, text editors, user authentication (login) and management tools,
and networking and device control software.
 Application software
Application software is used to accomplish specific tasks other than just running the
computer system.

Application software may consist of a single program, such as an image viewer; a small
collection of programs (often called a software package) that work closely together to
accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet or text processing system;
a larger collection (often called a software suite) of related but independent programs
and packages that have a common user interface or shared data format, such as
Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor, spreadsheet,
database, etc.;

or a software system, such as a database management system, which is a collection of

fundamental programs that may provide some service to a variety of other independent
applications.
 Comparison Application Software and System
Software
System Software Application Software
Computer software, or just software is a general term Application software, also known as an application or an
primarily used for digitally stored data such as computer "app", is computer software designed to help the user to
programs and other kinds of information read and written perform specific tasks.
by computers. App comes under computer software
though it has a wide scope now.

Microsoft Windows 1) Opera (Web Browser)

Microsoft Word (Word Processing)
1)

2)

2) Linux 3) Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheet software)

Example: Unix
3)

4) MySQL (Database Software)

4) Mac OSX 5) Microsoft PowerPoint (Presentation Software)
5) DOS 6) Adobe Photoshop (Graphics Software)

Generally, users do not interact with system software as it Users always interact with application software while doing
Interaction:
works in the background. different activities.

Dependency: System software can run independently of the application Application software cannot run without the
software. presence of the system software.
 Unit of Measurements
Storage measurements: The basic unit used in computer data storage is called a bit
(binary digit). Computers use these little bits, which are composed of ones and zeros, to
do things and talk to other computers. All your files, for instance, are kept in the
computer as binary files and translated into words and pictures by the software (which
is also ones and zeros). This two number system, is called a “binary number system”
since it has only two numbers in it. The decimal number system in contrast has ten
unique digits, zero through nine.