Chapter 1

Overview of Computer Science

and ICT
Outline
• Introduction to data and information
• Introduction to ICT
• Computer Science and computer
• Characteristics of computer
• Types of computer
• Limitations of computer
• Application areas of computer

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Understand data, information and data
processing
• Data
• Data is defined as a factual information (as
measurement or statistics) used as basis for
reasoning, discussion or calculation.
or
• Data are streams of raw facts representing
events occurring in an organization or in the
physical environment before they have been
organized and arranged in to a form that people
understand or use it.

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Characteristics of Data

Is raw, it simply exists Can exist in any form Represents a fact or In general data are:
and has no (usable or non-usable) statement of event
significance but it doesn’t convey without giving relation
meaning by itself to other things
Stored facts
Inactive (they exist)
Can be gathered from various
sources
•E.g. 221289, a, !,...

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Information
• Data that has been rearranged, processed, organized into a form
perceived as useful by the recipient.
• Is a data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and
useful to human beings.
• It provides answers to who, what and when questions.
• The meaning we attach to a data can be considered as information.
For instance, the red traffic light is a form of data, the meaning we
attach to this data (i.e. STOP) is the information.
• Generally, information is:
• Processed facts
• Active (it enables doing)
• Transformed from data

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Information and Communication
Technology (ICT)

ICT can be defined as the use of electronic devices and

telecommunication network for creating, storing,
processing, sending, and receiving information.

It is the combination of Informatics technology with

other, related technologies, specifically communication
technology.

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ICT...

Is a diverse set of technological tools and

resources used to create, disseminate, store and
manage information

Umbrella term that includes communication

devices or application as well as various services
associated with them.

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ICT...
The wide variety of computing hardware (PCs, servers, mainframes,
networked storage), the rapidly developing personal hardware (cell
phones, personal devices, MP3 players, and much more);

The full gamut of application software from the smallest home-

developed spreadsheet to the largest enterprise packages; and

The hardware and software needed to operate networks for

transmission of information: home network to the largest global
private networks operated by major commercial enterprises and, of
course, the Internet.

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Computer Science and Computer

• Computer science
• Is a science concerned with information
Representation, storage, manipulation or
processing and presentation
• Like any other science, which uses some devices
for the practical aspect, computer Science uses a
special device called COMPUTER.

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Computer Science & Computer...

• Computer

• It is an electronic device that accepts data, performs

computations, and makes logical decisions according to
instructions that have been given to it then produces
meaningful information in a form that is useful to humans

• The name computer comes from a Latin word “Compute”,

meaning, “to compute”

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Characteristics of computers

Speed: A computer is a very

Automatic: once started on
fast device. A powerful
a job, they carry on until the
computer can perform
job is finished, normally
several billion (109) simple
without any human
arithmetic operations per
intervention.
second.

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Characteristics of computers...

Accuracy: The accuracy of a

computer is consistently Diligence: A computer can
high and the degree of work for days without
accuracy of a particular creating any error and
computer depends upon its without grumbling.
design.

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Characteristics of computers...

Versatility: Versatility is one

of the most wonderful things Power of Remembering: A
about computer. computer can store and recall
huge amount of information
• A computer can perform almost any
task provided that the task can be because of its secondary
reduced to a series of logical steps. storage capability.

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Characteristics of computers...

No I.Q: It must be told what to do No Feelings: Computers are devoid

and in what sequence. Hence, only of emotion. Computers cannot
the user can determine what tasks make judgments on their own.
a computer will perform. Their judgment is based on the
• The difference is that it performs these tasks instructions given to them in the
with unthinkable speed and accuracy. It
possesses no intelligence of its own. Its I.Q.
form of programs that are written
is zero. by us.

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Types of
computers
• Computers can be categorized broadly by
their:
• Application
• The type of data they process
• Their size.

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By Application
General-purpose computers:

• Can be used for different purposes.

• We need only have appropriate software to use a general-
purpose computer to perform a particular task.
• For example, the personal computers (PCs) currently in
wide use are general-purpose computers.

Special-purpose computers:

• Are specifically designed to perform one task.

• For example: A computer that guides a missile is, a
special-purpose computer

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By Type of Data
Analog Computers:

• Process data that vary continuously with time, such as

variations in temperature, speed, chemical composition
of petroleum products, or current flowing through a
conductor.
• For example: thermometer

Digital computers:

• Process digital or discrete data.

• All the PCs currently in wide use are digital computers.

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By Type of Data

Hybrid computers:

• The best features of analog and digital

computers can be combined into a single
device to form a hybrid computer.
• Example: In hospital intensive-care unit
(ICU), analog devices may measure a
patient’s heart function, temperature and
other vital signs. These data will
be processed through digital machine

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 By Size

• Supercomputers:

•Are the most powerful, fast and expensive

computers
•They are used for problems requiring complex
calculations.
•They have multi-user, multiprocessing, very high
efficiency and large storage capacity
•They have evolved from the grid to cluster
systems of massively parallel computing.
• The CRAY and CYBER are typical examples of the supercomputers.
• Application
• Weather and global climate forecasts
• Military research and defense systems
• Genetic engineering, seismology, plasma and nuclear researches,...

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By Size
• Mainframe computers:

•Are mainly found in large organizations.

•They can serve hundreds or thousands of
users, handling massive amounts of input,
output and storage.
•They are like big file servers, enabling
multiple users from nearby and remote
locations to access resources at the same time.
• IBM S/390, CDC 6600
• Application
• Large business organizations
• Air traffic control system
• E-commerce, bank account management,…
• Cloud storage, patinent info management,...

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 By Size

• Minicomputers:
•Are properly called medium-sized
computers
•Are smaller, slower and less expensive
than mainframes.
• perform many of the tasks that a
mainframe can, but on a reduced scale.
• They may be used as network servers
and Internet servers.
• Texas Instrument TI-990, K-202 and MicroVAX II are examples
of minicomputers.
• Application
• 3D graphics, computer design and gaming
• Monitoring and control of laboratory equipment.

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By Size...
• Workstations: are powerful single-user computers
used for tasks that require a great deal of number-
crunching power, such as product design and
computer animation.
• They are often used as network and Internet
servers.
• Microcomputer, or personal computers, are
meant for personal or private use.
• Full-size desktop computers, notebooks (or laptops)
and hand-held PCs (such as PDAs), smart wearables,
tablets, embedded systems,...

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Limitation of computers
As a machine, a computer can only perform what it is
programmed to do

It can only operate on the user provided data, that is, it can
accept data, process it, and communicate the results to the user.

It needs well- defined instructions to perform any operation.

A computer’s use is limited in For instance, it can make plans based

on situations and information though it
areas where qualitative cannot foresee whether they
considerations are important. will succeed or not.
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Applications of computers

LEARNING AID ENTERTAINMENT COMMERCIAL AND INFORMATION

BUSINESS UTILITY
APPLICATIONS

ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC SERVICE

RESEARCH
APPLICATIONS

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End of chapter 1

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 Chapter 2

Development of Computer
Objective
• know the origin and evolution of computer
• distinguish computer from human beings and
calculator
• appreciate the evolution of computer through
five generations
 HISTORY OF COMPUTER/Computing
• In the earliest times peoples use their fingers or pebbles
for simple counting or adding.
• As the name computer, which is a Latin driven word to
mean to think, compute, or recon, implies in earliest
time computer is recognized as a device which is
associated with calculation or computation.
• History of computer could be traced back to the effort of
man to count large numbers.
Cont…
• This process of counting of large numbers generated
various systems of numeration
– Babylonian system of numeration,
– Greek system of numeration,
– Roman system of numeration and
– Indian system of numeration.
(0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
 calculating machines/Prehistory
Abacus
• Is the first concept of calculation used by Asian
merchants before 5000 BC
• Is a manual data processing machine capable of
performing addition
• It consists rows of beads in rectangular frame, beads
represent place holders and performs arithmetic
operations
• It worked on the principle of place value notation
calculating machines/Prehistory - Long,
Long Ago

• beads on rods to count and calculate

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Napier Bone
• Invented in 1614 by Scottish mathematician, Joho Napier
• Is a more sophisticated computing machine.
• It was the interpretation of Abacus
Pascaline/ pascal’s adding and subtracting Machine
• Invented by a French mathematician Blasé Pascal, in
1642.
• Is the first functional automatic calculator
• Is also the first mechanical calculating machine that can
perform only addition and subtraction, up to 8 - digit
long.
Stepped Reconer/ Leibniz’s multiplication and dividing
machine
• Invented by German mathematician Gottfried Whelm Von
Leibniz, in 1694
• Is a calculator similar to pascaline but it uses stepped
cylinders like a music box
• Extends the pascaline to perform multiplication and
division and to find the square root.
• Is the first mass product calculating device
• Lack mechanical precision in its construction.
Babbage’s Difference and Analytical Engine
Difference engine
• Designed by Charles Babbage in 1822 as the first
commercial calculator.
• Is the real beginning of computer
• It is a mechanical calculating machine powered by steam,
which is fully automatic.
• Ten years later the device was still nowhere near complete
and funding dried up. The device was never finished.
Analytical engine
• Designed by Charles Babbage in 1833.
• Basic design of the engine includes
• Input device in the form of perforated card containing
operating instruction.
• Control unit to allow process instruction in any
sequence.
• Output device to produce printed result.
• Use punch card to encode the machine instruction.
• Store 1000 numbers up to 50 decimal digits long.
• Out line the basic elements of modern computer.
 Babbage-Analytic Engine
• Babbage realized that punched paper could be employed
as a storage mechanism, holding computed numbers for
future reference.

• Babbage called the two main parts of his Analytic

Engine the "Store" and the "Mill”.

• The Store was where numbers were held and the Mill
was where they were "woven" into new results.

• In a modern computer these same parts are called the

memory unit and the central processing unit (CPU). 37
 Babbage – Analytic Engine
• The Analytic Engine also had a key function
that distinguishes computers from calculators:
the conditional statement.
• A conditional statement allows a program to
achieve different results each time it is run.
• Based on the conditional statement, the path of
the program can be determined based upon a
situation that is detected at the very moment
the program is running.
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 Babbage’s second computer
Analytical engine
general-purpose
used binary system
punched cards as input
branch on result of
previous instruction
Ada Lovelace (first
programmer)
machined parts not
accurate enough
never quite completed

analytical engine, 1834

history.ppt 21-Jan-03 39
• 1816-1852: Lady Ada Augusta
Lovelace
– Punched cards could be prepared to
instruct Babbage’s engine to repeat
certain operations

– The first programmer

– Ada invented the subroutine and was

the first to recognize the importance of
Source: http://archive.computerhistory.org/
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looping.
Mechanical and Electrical Calculator
• In the beginning of 19th century the mechanical
calculator was developed to perform all sorts of
mathematical calculations. Up to the 1960s it was widely
used. Later the rotating part of mechanical calculator was
replaced by electric motor. So it was called the electrical
calculator.
Modern Electronic Calculator
• The electronic calculator used in 1960’s was run with
electron tubes, which was quite bulky. Later it was
replaced with transistors and as a result the size of
calculators became too small.
• The modern electronic calculator can compute all kinds of
mathematical computations and mathematical functions.
It can also be used to store some data permanently. Some
calculators have in-built programs to perform some
complicated calculations.
• 1860-1929: Herman Hollerith
– Devised a punched-card tabulating machine to
speed up the 1890 U.S. census

Image courtesy of Computer History Museum, http://www.computerhistory.org

43
• 1890: Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine
– Used a hand punch to enter data onto cards

Image courtesy of Computer History Museum, http://www.computerhistory.org

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Hollerith desk
⚫ The Hollerith desk, consisted of:
⚫ a card reader which sensed the holes in the cards,
⚫ a gear driven mechanism which could count (similar to
Pascal’s)
⚫ A large wall of dial indicators to display the results of the
count.
⚫ The 1890 census was completed in only 3 years at a
savings of 5 million dollars
⚫ Hollerith built a company, the Tabulating Machine
Company which, after a few buyouts, eventually became
International Business Machines, known today as IBM

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 Generation of Computer

• The modern history of computers referenced into different

generation depending on the type of technological
achievement or the type of devices used.
– Basic electronic component
– Secondary storage device
– Operating system
– Access time of the computer and
– Computer language used
Vacuum tube, transistor, IC
 First Generation Computers (1940-1956)

• Used Vacuum tubes or thermionic valve as a circuitry.

• Have small internal memory based on magnetic drums or
relays.
• Input device was based on punch card or paper tape.
• Output is displayed on printouts.
• se Machine (or low level) language.
• Access time measured in milliseconds (thousands of a
second).
Cont…
• Consists’ about 1,000 circuits per cubic foot.
• Require extreme air conditioning system.
Examples: Harvard Mark I (electromechanical),
Whirlwind, ENIAC, EDSAC UNIVAC & IBM 650,
UNIVAC I, UNIVAC II, UNIVAC 1101, IBM models 604
etc.
ENIAC

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 Second Generation Computers (1956-
1963)
• used transistors (discrete electronic components) as a
main circuitry: made it smaller, less-expensive, efficient
• Use magnetic core or tape as storage device.
• Input device was on punch card.
• Output was displayed on printout.
• Use assembly language
• Consists of about 100,000 circuits per foot.
• Access time measured in microseconds & batch OS
Examples: -UNIVAC 1107, UNIVAC III, NCR 300
series, IBM 7030 Stretch Honeywell 800, 400 series,
General Electric GE 635, LARC, Burroughs B5000 etc.
The Stored Program Computer
⚫ In 1945 John von Neumann presented his
idea of a computer that would store computer
instructions in a CPU
⚫ The CPU(Central Processing Unit) consisted
of elements that would control the computer
electronically

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The Stored Program Computer
⚫ The EDVAC, EDSAC and UNIVAC were the
first computers to use the stored program
concept
⚫ They used vacuum tubes so they were too
expensive and too large for households to
own and afford

53
 UNIVAC (Universal Automatic
Computer) - 1951
• first fully electronic digital
computer built in the U.S.
• Created at the University of
Pennsylvania
• ENIAC weighed 30 tons
• contained 18,000 vacuum
tubes
• Cost a paltry $487,000
• UNIVAC was also the first
computer to employ magnetic
tape
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 Grace Hopper
• Programmed UNIVAC
• Recipient of Computer
Science’s first “Man of the
Year Award”

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 Third Generation computers (1964 -
early 1970’s)
• Use Integrated circuits in place of transistors.
• A number of transistors are integrated on a small size
silicon chip.
• Use IC based (magnetic) storage device.
• 10 million circuits per square foot
• New input/ output devices, like the keyboard and visual
displaying unit, were developed.
• Access time in 100 nanoseconds (100 times that of
second generation computer.)
 Cont…
• Cheaper and made commercial
production easier.
Examples: Burroughs 6700, Control
Data 3300,Honeywell 200, IBM
System/360, System 3, System 7, NCR
Century Series, RCA Spectra 70 series,
UNIVAC 9000 series, General Electric
GE 600 series, GE 235 etc.
Fourth generation computers (1970.s
to present)
• Are extensions of the third generation computers
• Introduce very large scale integration circuit or VLSI
technology.
• Widely known for the use of microprocessors.
• Circuit density approached 100,000 components per chip
and above
• billions of circuits per cubic foot
• Access time approached nanoseconds
Cont…

• Programming task were simplified

• Virtual operating systems were introduced for multiple
use
• Are versatile in nature and are also able to form a
network.
Examples: IBM System 3090, IBM RISC 6000, IBM RT,
ILLIAC IV Cray 2 XMP, HP 9000, Pentium I, Pentium II.
etc.
 Fifth Generation (future generation)
computers
• One major behavior of computers which exist in the
present day is that they perform what they instructed to
do. This raise the question of why? This means:
• Why they do not learn from their mistakes?
• Why they do not posses the skill of experts?
• Therefore, to answer the above questions, future
generation computers are expected to have:
• Logical decision making capability
• Reasoning capability.
• Use super large scale integration circuit(SLSI)
Cont…
• parallel processing will be used
• high speed logic and memory chips
• Voice/data integration, knowledge-based platforms.
• they are called as artificial intelligent (or expert systems )
• Generally expected to understand and processes human
natural language accordingly.
IBM PC - 1981
• IBM-Intel-Microsoft joint venture
• First wide-selling personal
computer used in business
• 8088 Microchip - 29,000 transistors
– 4.77 Mhz processing speed
• 256 K RAM (Random Access
Memory) standard
• One or two floppy disk drives

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Apple 1 Computer - 1976

63
Apple Computers
• Founded 1977
• Apple II released 1977
– widely used in schools

• Macintosh (left)
– released in 1984, Motorola 68000
Microchip processor
– first commercial computer with
graphical user interface (GUI) and
pointing device (mouse)
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 21 st Century Computing
• Great increases in speed, storage, and
memory
• Increased networking, speed in Internet
• Widespread use of CD-RW
• PDAs
• Cell Phone/ smart phones
• WIRELESS!!!
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End of Chapter 2