Introduction of Computer
l Computer is an electronic device that accepts data and instructions and processes, stores or
displays results according to software or programs.
l Abacus is the first and simplest instrument. It was invented in China in 1602 AD. It is used for
addition, subtraction and finding square roots.
l Charles Babbage is called the father of computer.
l Charles Babbage invented the Analytical Engine in 1837 AD, which was used to perform all
mathematical operations.
l Pascaline was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642 AD. This is the first mechanical adding
machine, which works on the principle of odometer and clock.
l ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first digital computer. It was
used in private firms, the Engineers Research Association and IBM.
l First generation - Vacuum tube l Second generation - Transistor
l Third generation - Integrated Circuit (IC) l Fourth generation - Microprocessor
l Fifth generation - ULSI
l Computers have been divided into different categories on the basis of their design, functions and
purposes etc., which are as follows
l There are four types of computers on the basis of size.
l Microcomputers are so small in size that they can be easily kept on the desk. These computers
are also known as Computer on a Chip, like- Personal Computer (PC), Desktop Computer,
Laptop, Tablet Computer, Personal Digital Assistant, etc.
l Mini Computer These medium-sized computers have both functionality and price as compared
to microcomputers is more. The speed of mini computers is 10 to 30 MIPS
(Million Instructions Per second), like HP9000, RISC 6000, etc.
l Mainframe computers are larger than both mini and microcomputers in size, functionality, and
price. They are used for paying employees, maintaining accounts of goods purchased by
consumers, etc. Like CRAY-1, IBM 4381, etc.
l Supercomputers have the highest speed and storage capacity. Their size is equal to a normal
room. They are used in weather forecasting, animation, space travel, etc. Example-PARAM,
PRATYUSH, etc.
l On the basis of work, there are three types of computers
l Analog computers are used to measure physical quantities such as pressure, temperature,
length and mercury etc. and present their results in numbers, such as speedometer, earthquake
detector, etc.
l Digital computers are used to calculate numbers. like desktop, laptop, etc.
l Hybrid computers which combine the properties of both analog and digital computers, such as
ECG, DIALYSIS machine, etc.
l There are two types of computers on the basis of purpose
l General Purpose General tasks like preparing documents, printing them, creating databases
and preparing letters etc. are done through these computers.
l Specific Purpose Computers are used for specific purposes in fields like space science,
meteorology, traffic control, etc.
Computer Architecture
l Various components of the computer and the relationship between them are called the
architecture of the computer.
l The first computer architecture was proposed by John von Neumann in the year 1970.
l The input unit has hardware that sends data to the computer. Like keyboard, mouse, etc.
l This unit converts instructions and data into a form acceptable to the computer i.e. binary
code.
l This unit is used to display data and instructions as results. Like printer, monitor, etc.
l This unit presents the results to the user in the changed form.
l CPU is called the Brain of the computer.
l The CPU of a microcomputer is also called a Microprocessor.
l CPU is that part of the computer in which arithmetic and logical operators are executed and
instructions are decoded and executed.
l CPU controls the entire operations of the computer.
Following are the main components of CPU
l All types of arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and
comparisons for CPU, is done in arithmetic logic unit.
l This unit is made up of many such electronic circuits, in which when two numbers are sent to
one end, their sum, difference, product or quotient is received from the other end.
l This unit keeps an eye on the functions of all the parts of the computer and sends appropriate
charges to coordinate with each other.
l To ensure the execution of any order, it gives proper instructions and instructions to all other
parts of the computer.
l The control unit of a digital computer is called clock.
l Memory is the part of the computer that stores data and instructions.
l Computer memory provides an information storage facility with the basic functions of modern
computers.
l It is a part of the computer’s CPU and together with it forms the entire computer.
l There are two types of memory units - primary memory and secondary memory.
Hardware (I/O) Devices
l All those parts of the computer that we can see are called hardware.
l Devices that are used by the user to provide data and instructions to the computer is called
input device.
l Some major input devices are as follows
– Keyboard is also used to give information in the form of letters and other forms to the computer.
– Pointing Device is used to move the cursor or pointer from one place to another on the monitor
screen.
– Mouse is used to move the cursor or pointer from one place to another.
– Trackball is a type of pointing device, which is used like a mouse.
– Joystick is a type of pointing device, which moves in all directions and controls the position of the
cursor. Joystick is used in flight simulator, computer gaming, etc.
– Light Pen is a hand-operated electromechanical measuring device, which is used for making
drawing and graphics and for selecting menus.
– Barcode Reader is an input device, which is used to read the barcode specified on a product.
– Optical Mark Reader (OMR) is a type of input device which is used to identify the marks drawn on a
paper.
– Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is a developed form of OMR. It can read not only simple
symbols but also printed or handwritten letters.
– Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) tests the size of the information in the form of a
matrix, then reads it and after reading sends the information to the computer.
– Biometric Sensor is a type of input device, which is used to identify the fingerprints of a person.
– Scanner It converts the data written on paper or the image entered into digital form.
– Webcam It is used for video conferencing and online chatting, etc.
l Output devices produce output in the form of hard copy or soft copy.
l This device is used to view or obtain the results obtained from the computer.
l Some major output devices are as follows
– Monitor is also called Visual Display Unit (VDU). Monitor shows the result as a soft copy received
from computer. The image on the monitor is made up of small dots and these dots are called pixels.
l Some of the commonly used monitors are as follows
– Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) is a monitor that looks like a rectangular box. It is used with a desktop
computer to view the output.
– Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) consists of three plates. A special type of liquid is filled between
these plates. It is used in laptops, notebooks, personal computers, desktops, etc.
– Light Emitting Diode (LED) is used nowadays in home like television.
– 3D monitors use it to view the output in three dimensions. If the picture is viewed in a 3D monitor, it
appears as if the picture is a realistic picture.
– Thin Film Transistor (TFT) the picture can be seen from different angles, whereas in other monitors
the picture is not visible clearly when viewed from different angles.
– Printer is used to print the data and information received from the computer on paper. It can send
black and white as well as color documents.
l There are two types of printers
– Impact Printer This printer works like a typewriter. It contains small pins or hammers to hammer the
letters. There are four types of impact printers
– Dot matrix printer
– Daisy wheel printer
– Line printer
– Drum printer
l Non-impact Printer This printer uses electrostatic chemical and inkjet technology in printing.
Non impact printers are of following types-
– Inkjet printer
– Thermal printer
– Laser printer
– Electromagnetic printer
– Electro-static printer
l Plotter It is used for large drawings or pictures, such as construction plans, blueprints of
mechanical objects, AUTOCAD, CAD/CAM, etc.
l Speaker It delivers the output received from the computer in the form of voice. It receives data
from the computer in the form of electrical current.
l Input/output devices externally connected to the computer are called peripheral devices.
l The medium used to connect peripheral devices to the computer is called input/output port.
Computer Memory
l Computer memory is the computer’s components, medium and recording medium, in which
digital data used in processing is stored.
l Primary memory is also called internal memory, because it is part of the computer’s CPU.
l In primary memory, the programs running at any time and their input data and output data are
stored for some time.
l Types of primary memory are as follows
Random Access Memory (RAM) RAM is like a chip, which is made of metal oxide
semiconductor (MOS).
Read Only Memory (ROM) The data and instructions present in ROM are permanent, due to
which they can only be read, but it is not possible to convert them into data and instructions.
l Secondary memory is outside the CPU, hence it is also called external or auxiliary memory.
l Due to the main memory of the computer being very expensive and most of the information
stored in it gets destroyed when the power is switched off, neither we can expand it as per our
wish nor we can store any information in it permanently.
l High disk drives are also called fixed disks.
l Its speed is 3600 cycles per minute. They are available in many sizes and capacities, but their
design and the methodology is almost similar.
l Floppy disk is also known as diskette, floppy or simply disk.
l It is a sequential medium, which means that the work of writing or reading data is done
sequentially from one end to the other. We cannot start writing/reading from the middle.
l Data on a CD is usually written only once and can then be read any number of times.
l This is another developed form of CD, whose storage capacity can be 2GB or even more.
l There is a special drive for writing or reading data on it, which is called DVD drive.
l Blu-ray Disk takes its name from the blue-violet laser used to read it.
l It is mainly used to store high definition videos, PlayStation-3, video games.
l It is a pen-sized electronic memory, which is used to store data by plugging it into a USB port
like a plug and play device.
l It is a chip-sized data storage device, in which data can be stored.
Computer Software
l Software is a collection of computer programs and related programs written in a programming
language that provide instructions to tell the computer what to do and how to do it.
l The programs which are written to run the computer, control it, take care of its various parts
and make good use of all its capabilities, are collectively called ‘system software’.
l System software is divided into various parts, which are as follows
– Operating System is a systematic group of some special programs, which controls the entire
activities of a computer.
– Device Drivers is a special type of software, which explains the operation of the device. These
software act as an interface between a device and the user.
– Language Translator are such programs, which translate programs written in different proprietary
languages into the machine language of the computer.
l In this software, programs are made to perform our actual tasks.
l This work is of different types as per the requirement of each company or user, such as
preparing letter documents, calculating salaries of office employees, etc.
There are two types of application software
– General Purpose Software
l This group of programs, which users can use as per their need to fulfill their general purposes
are called general purpose software.
– Specific Purpose Software
l This software is created to fulfill a specific purpose. There is only one purpose for this type of
software.
l These programs perform tasks related to computer maintenance. These programs simplify the
tasks of the computer, they are made to keep away impurities and perform various security
functions of the system. These are packages that are loaded into the computer when installing
software.
Following are some utility software
l Disk Compression
l Disk Fragmenter
l Backup Utilities
l Disk Cleaners
l Antivirus
l Text Editor
Operating System
l Operating System (OS) is an organised set of special programs that control the entire
activities of a computer.
l This system is a set of software programs that establish communication between human
application software and computer hardware.
Types of Operating System
– Batch Processing Operating System
l In this operating system, all tasks of one type are organised as a batch and executed
simultaneously.
– Single User Operating System
l In this operating system, only one user is allowed to work at a time.
– Multi-user Operating System
l More than one user is allowed to work at a time in this operating system.
– Multi-processing Operating System
l Two or more central processing units are used in this operating system.
– Multi-tasking Operating System
l This operating system allows performing more than one task at a time.
– Time Sharing Operating System
l In this operating system, more than one user or program uses the computer’s resources
simultaneously.
– Real Time Operating System
l Real time applications are implemented in this operating system, such as the auto pilot
mechanism used in aircraft.
Some Important Operating Systems
l Unix It is a multitasking and multiuser operating system, which was created in the year 1969
by Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at AT&T Bell Laboratory.
l Apple Macintosh It was proposed by Steve Jobs in January, 1984 and was initially known as
System Software, which was later changed to Mac OS.
l Linux This operating system was developed by Linus Torvalds in the year 1991. It is mainly
used for servers.
l MS Windows It is a graphical user interface operating system developed by Microsoft. It has
different versions like Windows 95/98/XP/Vista/10/11.
l MS-DOS Its full form is Microsoft Disk Operating System. In July 1981, Microsoft company
bought all the rights of 86-DOS mode from IBM and changed its name to MS-DOS.
Microsoft Office
l Microsoft Office is an application suite, which was invented by Microsoft company in the year
1988.
l It is a type of word processing software, which is used to create a document and make some
improvements in it.
l In MS-Word, writing any text, editing the written text, deleting it, modifying the content of the
text etc. are done very easily.
l This refers to the difference between the page border and the text. Using this, you can
increase or decrease the space between the text and the page boundary.
l It is used to print any typed text in a horizontal page or in a vertical page.
l It has the facility to check spelling and grammar. It automatically finds and corrects spelling
and grammar mistakes.
l Through this, one can send a letter to many people or make multiple copies of a document by
changing some information.
l Through this, drawings of different types of shapes like circles, rectangles, lines, triangles, etc.
can be easily made.
l It is a powerful spreadsheet program that helps you organise your data, complete calculations,
reach decisions, generate reports showing off data properties, publish organised data on the
web, and allows access to real - time data.
l In this, many cells are formed from the intersection of rows and columns. A cell is a type of
container that holds numbers, formulas, and text (labels).
l The active cell is the cell you are currently working in.
l A group of cells is called a sheet or worksheet.
l Rows are identified by the numbers 1, 2, 3….
l Columns are identified by the group of letters A, B, C.....AA, AB......ZZ, etc.
l A workbook is a document that contains one or more worksheets.
l Cell pointer is the boundary of a cell, which tells which cell is active at the current time.
l Cell addresses represent the intersection of letters and numbers in rows and columns. For
example, C5 means column C and row 5.
l A single cell formed by joining two or more cells is called a merging cell.
l A formula is an equation that is used to calculate the value of a cell. Any formula in Excel
starts with = sign.
l The formula bar is below the ribbon. It has two parts - the first name box, which shows the
reference of a cell and the second formula, in which the formula is typed.
l Preprogrammed formulas in Excel are called functions.
l PowerPoint, the program helps us to easily and quickly prepare different types of
presentations, edit them and practice presentations.
l When giving a presentation, one slide is followed by another, change the way it appears called
transition.
l Making various elements of a slide appear on that slide or making any sound is called
animation effect.
l To identify a slide, that slide has its own name, which is called slide title.
l Titles used within a title, which briefly describe some slide data, are called subtitles. Subtitle
highlights the central point of a slide data i.e. tells about the central point.
l Many-to-Many In this, multiple data in Table A is linked to multiple data in Table A.
Programming Languages
l Sequencing actions and steps to solve a problem with the help of computer is called computer
programming.
l People who write or prepare programs for computers are called programmers.
l Programmers use some special language for computer programming, which is called
programming language. Like C++, Java, etc.
l These languages are created according to the internal working of the computer and the speed
of execution of programs written in such languages is higher, because the computer can
execute its instructions quickly.
l Two major examples of these are machine languages and assembly languages.
– Machine Languages
l These languages are made up of only binary digits (0 or 1). Each computer has its own
machine language.
– Assembly Languages
l These languages are completely based on machine languages, but instead of series of 0, 1,
English letters and some selected words are used as codes.
l High level languages are not based on the internal workings of computers.
l In these languages, some selected English words and symbols used in simple mathematics
are used.
l Computer programs are usually written in high-level programming languages. The human
readable version of a program is called source code.
l Language translators are programs that translate programs written in different programming
languages into computer machine language.
l Language translators are mainly divided into three categories
(i) Assembler
Assembler is a program that reads a program written in assembly language and translates into
machine language.
(ii) Compiler
A compiler is a program that translates a source program written by a programmer in a
high-level programming language into machine language.
(iii) Interpreter
Interpreter translates the source program written by a programmer in high level programming
language into machine language.
It is a set of commands written in a particular order to perform a task. This order is written in
such a way that if a user understands it and executes it correctly in the same sequence, then
the work is completed.
This is a method of writing algorithms, in which the commands of the algorithm are represented
in the form of special types of shapes.
Number system includes a group of different types of numbers, which are used to express any
data instruction in the computer.
Types of Number System
– Binary Number System
l This number system has only two digits - 0 (zero) and 1 (one), due to which its base is 2. That
is why it is called binary number.
– Decimal Number System
l This number system has ten sign values from 0 to 9, due to which the base of this number
system is 10.
– Octal Number System
l In this system, eight digits i.e. 0 to 7 are used, due to which its base is 8.
– Hexadecimal Number System
l This number system has a sixteen (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F) digits.
l Its main values range from 0 to 15 respectively, so in place of numbers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and
15 we write letters A, B, C, D, E and F respectively.
Computer Network
By computer network, we mean connecting computers scattered nearby or far away in such a
way that each of them can freely connect with any other computer and can share each other's
resources and facilities.
Local Area Network
l All the computers in such a network are located in a limited area. This area is about one
kilometer like, a big building or a group of them.
l When many local area networks i.e. LANs are connected to each other within a town or city.
So this type of network is called metropolitan area network.
l Computers and devices connected to such a network can be located even at a geographical
distance of thousands of kilometers from each other.
l These devices are used to connect two or more computers.
l Following are some important networking devices
l These are such electronic devices, which receive low level signals and send them back after
converting them into high level signals. Use of repeaters prevents weakened signals and the
problems caused by them.
l It is used at a place where all the cables of the network meet. It is a type of repeater, which
has ports to connect network channels.
l It is a device that is used to connect two different network protocols.
l These are such hardware, which connect different computers to a LAN.
l Switch is used in place of hub.
l It is used to send data anywhere in the network, this process is called routing.
l These are used to connect small networks together, so that by connecting with each other
they can work like a big network.
l It converts analog signals into digital signals and digital signals into analog signals.
l The method of connecting computers in a computer network is called topology. Each
computer in a topology is called a node or link station.
l Network topology is of the following types
l In this topology, devices are connected by a long cable. This network installation is for small or
temporary broadcast.
l Under this topology, there is a host computer, to which various local computers (nodes) are
directly connected.
l Under this topology, there is no hub or a long cable. All computers are connected by cables in
the form of a circular shape.
l Each computer in this topology is directly connected to all other computers connected to the
network. For this reason, it is also called Point-to-Point network or Completely Connected
network.
Internet and Its Services
l The full name of Internet is International Network, which was started in the year 1950 by Vint
Cerf, he is called the father of Internet.
l The Internet is a network of networks, which consists of millions of private and public networks
ranging from local to global scope. In general, ‘‘a network is a group formed by two or more
computer systems’’.
l Protocol is a set of rules that governs data communications. Some of the protocols are as
follows
– Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
– File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
– Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)
– Telnet Protocol
– Usenet Protocol
– Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
– Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)
– Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
– Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3)
l World Wide Web (World Wide Web-WWW)
l It is an Internet server supporting hypertext and multimedia to access multiple Internet
protocols over a single interface.
l It is a collection of many computer documents or web pages. These documents are written in
HTML and displayed by the web browser. These are of two types - static and dynamic.
l A website is a collection of web pages, in which all web pages are linked to each other by
hyperlinks.
l The first page of the website is called homepage.
l Web browser is a software application, which is used to search and display the content of the
World Wide Web. The F11 key on the Windows keyboard sets full screen mode in most
browsers.
l A web address identifies the location of a specific web page on the Internet. Web address is
also called URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
l URLs represent the Internet addresses of files on a host computer connected to the Internet.
l A domain is a set of network resources to which a group of users are assigned.
l Domain name is used to identify and locate computers connected on the Internet.
l It is used for related information about any topic on the Internet.
l Through this, users can avail a variety of services, such as electronic mail, multimedia display,
shopping, real time broadcasting, etc.
(i) E-mail
l Through this, any user can send and receive messages to any other person in electronic form.
l To send e-mail, it is very important for any user to have an e-mail address, which is unique on
that e-mail service worldwide.
(ii) Video Conferencing
l Through this, a person or a group of people can have a face-to-face conversation with another
person or group even when they are far away.
Computer Security
l Computer security is also known as cyber security or IT security.
l It is a branch of information technology, which is specially designed for the security of
computers.
l Malware means malicious software. This is a combined form of those types of malware whose
main function is to cause harm to the computer, such as virus, worm, spyware, etc.
l Details of some of these important elements are as follows
l Full name of virus is Vital Information Resources Under Seize.
l Viruses are those programs which have a negative impact on the computer. They gain control
over PCs and make them perform unusual and destructive tasks.
l A computer worm is a single malware program that copies itself to spread to other computers.
l It is very difficult to find commerce trends because they are in the form of invisible files.
l Trojan or Trojan horse is a type of non-self-replicating malware that appears to perform any
intended function but facilitates unauthorized access to the user’s computer system.
l This program is installed on any computer system, which monitors all the activities of the
owner of the system and collects all the information which can be used further in wrong way.
l We can use it for legal or illegal purposes.
l Spyware can transmit personal information to another person’s computer via the Internet.
l The technique of accessing unauthorized data without the knowledge of its authorized user is
called spoofing.
l It is also used to access various resources on the network. IP spoofing is also a type of this.
l Under this, a smaller portion is separated from a larger portion of the funds handled by the
system.
l The process of infiltrating a computer connected to a network is called hacking.
l Hacking can also be the result of DoS attack. It keeps all computer resources away from use
by legitimate users. The person who takes this process to the final stage is called a hacker.
l It is the process of breaking any type of software or their components in a computer. This
includes password crackers, etc.
l Trying to obtain sensitive computer information fraudulently etc. is called phishing.
l This is a kind of misuse of messaging systems, under which unwanted messages are sent in
the form of e-mail.
l These are the types of software which are used to protect the computer from viruses,
spyware, worms, trojans, etc.
l It is a digital form of signature, which is used to authenticate the message sent and it also
ensures that the document is genuine.
l Firewall can be either software or hardware based, which helps in keeping the network
secure.
l Its primary purpose is to control incoming and outgoing network traffic by analysing data
packets.
Overview of Future Technology
l It is the concept of connecting any device to the Internet and other connecting devices.
l It can connect the devices installed in different systems to the Internet, when the devices
represent themselves digitally, they can be controlled from anywhere.
l It is the process of collecting, organising, and analysing large sets of data to find useful
information.
l It is a concept that is used to create an imaginary world.
l It is used for applications related to 3D environments, hyper virtual multimedia, etc.
l The development of the ability to think, understand and reason in accordance with human
qualities is called Artificial Intelligence in computers.
l In computer science, artificial intelligence research is defined as ‘Intelligent Agents’.
l According to John McCarthy, the father of Artificial Intelligence, ‘‘It is a means of creating
particularly intelligent computer programs’’.
l It is a volatile digital ledger of economic transactions, which can be used not only for financial
transactions, in fact, it can also be programmed to record.
l It has the ability to distribute digital information (database), that is, it acts like a distributed
network. All the records of the database are not stored in one computer, but are distributed
among millions of computers.
l It is a process of creating 3-dimensional solid objects from a digital file.
l Additive manufacturing is a concept under which various processes are used in Computer
Aided Design (CAD) to physically replicate 3D objects.
