UNIT-1 Introduction and Evolution of Computer

1.1 Concept and Characteristics of Computer

1.2 Application of Computers
1.3 History of Computer: Mechanical Calculating
era, Electro-Mechanical era, Electronic
computers era
1.4 Generation of Computers: First, Second, Third,
Fourth and Fifth Generation(AI) and its
features
1.5 Computer speed and Measurement Unit
1.1 Concept and Characteristics of
Computer
• Computer is an electronic device that is designed to work
with Information. The term computer is derived from the
Latin term ‘computare’, this means to calculate or
programmable machine. Computer can not do anything
without a Program. It represents the decimal numbers through
a string of binary digits. The Word ‘Computer’ usually refers
to the Center Processor Unit plus Internal memory.
• Computer is an advanced electronic device that takes raw data
as an input from the user and processes it under the control of
a set of instructions (called program), produces a result
(output), and saves it for future use.
INPUT
Taking information that is external to the system and entering
it into the system. This may be manual (e.g. keyboard) or
automated input (e.g. OMR). May also be input by electronic
means (e.g. via a network or CD).
PROCESSING
An action performed on the data. Processing can include
sorting, searching or performing calculations on the data.
STORAGE
Where data is held and still in the system. It may be the data
that has been input, required during processing or results of
processing.
OUTPUT
Taking information that was in the system and outputting it.
May result in a printed, on screen or electronic
Characteristics of Computer(Features)
• High Speed
– Computer is a very fast device.
– It is capable of performing calculation of very large
amount of data.
– The computer has units of speed in microsecond,
nanosecond, and even the picosecond.
– It can perform millions of calculations in a few seconds
as compared to man who will spend many months to
perform the same task.
• Accuracy
– In addition to being very fast, computers are very
accurate.
– The calculations are 100% error free.
– Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy
provided that the input is correct.

• Storage Capability
– Memory is a very important characteristic of computers.
– A computer has much more storage capacity than human
beings.
– It can store large amount of data.
– It can store any type of data such as images, videos, text,
audio, etc.
• Diligence
– Unlike human beings, a computer is free from monotony,
tiredness, and lack of concentration.
– It can work continuously without any error and boredom.
– It can perform repeated tasks with the same speed and
accuracy.
• Versatility
– A computer is a very versatile machine.
– A computer is very flexible in performing the jobs to be
done.
– This machine can be used to solve the problems related
to various fields.
– At one instance, it may be solving a complex scientific
problem and the very next moment it may be playing a
card game.
• Reliability
– A computer is a reliable machine.
– Modern electronic components have long lives.
– Computers are designed to make maintenance easy.

• Automation
– Computer is an automatic machine.
– Automation is the ability to perform a given task
automatically. Once the computer receives a program
i.e., the program is stored in the computer memory, then
the program and instruction can control the program
execution without human interaction.
• Reduction in Paper Work and Cost
– The use of computers for data processing in an
organization leads to reduction in paper work and results
in speeding up the process.
– As data in electronic files can be retrieved as and when
required, the problem of maintenance of large number of
paper files gets reduced.
– Though the initial investment for installing a computer is
high, it substantially reduces the cost of each of its
transaction.
 Disadvantages of Computers
• No I.Q.
− A computer is a machine that has no intelligence to
perform
− any task.
− Each instruction has to be given to the computer.
− A computer cannot take any decision on its own.
• Dependency
− It functions as per the user’s instruction, thus it is fully
dependent on humans.
• Environment
− The operating environment of the computer
− should be dust free and suitable.
• No Feeling
− Computers have no feelings or emotions.
− It cannot make judgment based on feeling, taste,
− experience, and knowledge unlike humans.
 Application of Computers
Business
A computer has high speed of calculation, diligence, accuracy,
reliability, or versatility which has made it an integrated part
in all business organizations.
Computer is used in business organizations for:
• Payroll Calculations
• Budgeting
• Sales Analysis
• Managing Employee Database
• Maintenance of stocks, etc.
 
Banking
Today, banking is almost totally dependent on computers.
Banks provide the following facilities:
• Online accounting facility, which includes checking current
balance, making deposits and overdrafts, checking interest
charges, shares, and trustee records.
• ATM machines which are completely automated are making
it even easier for customers to deal with banks.
Insurance
Insurance companies are keeping all records up-to-date with
the help of computers. Insurance companies, stock broking
firms are widely using computers for their concerns.
Insurance companies are maintaining a database of all clients
with information showing:
• Procedure to continue with policies
• Starting date of the policies
• Next due installment of a policy
• Maturity date
• Interests due
• Survival benefits
• Bonus
Education
The computer helps in providing a lot of facilities in the
education system.
• The computer provides a tool in the education system
known as CBE (Computer Based Education).
• CBE involves control, delivery, and evaluation of learning.
• Computer education is rapidly increasing the graph of
number of computer students.
• There are a number of methods in which educational
institutions can use a computer to educate the students.
• It is used to prepare a database about performance of a
student and analysis is carried out on this basis.
Marketing
In marketing, uses of the computer are following:
• Advertising - With computers, advertising professionals
create art and graphics, write and revise copy, and print and
disseminate ads with the goal of selling more products.
• Home Shopping - Home shopping has been made possible
through the use of computerized catalogues that provide
access to product information and permit direct entry of
orders to be filled by the customers
Healthcare
Computers have become an important part in hospitals, labs,
and dispensaries. They are being used in hospitals to keep the
record of patients and medicines. It is also used in scanning
and diagnosing different diseases. ECG, EEG, ultrasounds and
CT scans, etc. are also done by computerized machines.
Following are some major fields of health care in which
computers are used.
• Diagnostic System
• Lab-diagnostic System
• Patient Monitoring System
• Pharma Information System
• Surgery
Engineering Design
Computers are widely used for Engineering purpose.
One of the major areas is CAD (Computer Aided Design) that
provides creation and modification of images. Some of the
fields are:
• Structural Engineering - Requires stress and strain analysis
for design of ships, buildings, budgets, airplanes, etc.
• Industrial Engineering - Computers deal with design,
implementation, and improvement of integrated systems of
people, materials, and equipment.
• Architectural Engineering - Computers help in planning
towns, designing buildings, determining a range of
buildings on a site using both 2D and 3D drawings.
Military
Computers are largely used in defense. Modern tanks, missiles,
weapons, etc. Military also employs computerized control systems.
Some military areas where a computer has been used are:
•  •Missile Control
• Military Communication
• Military Operation and Planning
• Smart Weapons

Communication
Communication is a way to convey a message, an idea, a picture,
or speech that is received and understood clearly and correctly by
the person for whom it is meant. Some main areas in this category
are:
• E-mail • Chatting • Usenet • FTP • Telnet
• Video-conferencing
Government
Computers play an important role in government services.
Some major fields in this category are:
• Budgets
• Sales tax department
• Income tax department
• Computerization of male/female ratio
• Computerization of voters’ lists
• Computerization of PAN card
• Weather forecasting
Capabilities and
Limitation of
Computers
CAPABILITIES
• Can process data faster than any other machine designed to perform
a similar task.
• Can tirelessly perform the similar operations million of times in
exactly the same way without getting bored.
• Can make decisions based on alternative courses of action.
• Can store facts, instructions, and information.
• Can verify the accuracy of its own work by means of a parity check.
• Capable of executing the instructions on its own, without human
intervention.
• Provides new time dimension.
Limitations:
• Cannot generate information on its own.
• Cannot correct wrong instructions.
• Cannot come out with an original decision.
HISTORY OF
COMPUTER
 The Mechanical Era
• Abacus:- The history of computer begins with the birth of
abacus which is believed to be the first computer. It is said
that Chinese invented Abacus around 4,000 years ago. It
was a wooden rack which has metal rods with beads
mounted on them. The beads were moved by the abacus
operator according to some rules to perform arithmetic
calculations. Abacus is still used in some countries like
China, Russia and Japan. An image of this tool is shown
below;
• Napier's Bones:- It was a manually-operated calculating
device which was invented by John Napier (1550-1617). In
this calculating tool, he used 9 different ivory strips or bones
marked with numbers to multiply and divide. So, the tool
became known as "Napier's Bones. It was also the first
machine to use the decimal point.
• Pascaline:- Pascaline is also known as Arithmetic Machine
or Adding Machine. It was invented between 1642 and 1644
by a French mathematician-philosopher Biaise Pascal. It is
believed that it was the first mechanical and automatic
calculator. Pascal invented this machine to help his father, a
tax accountant. It could only perform addition and
subtraction. It was a wooden box with a series of gears and
wheels. When a wheel is rotated one revolution, it rotates
the neighboring wheel. A series of windows is given on the
top of the wheels to read the totals. An image of this tool is
shown below;
• William Oughtred:- After John Napier invented logarithms
and Edmund Gunter created the logarithmic scales (lines, or
rules) upon which slide rules are based, Oughtred was the
first to use two such scales sliding by one another to
perform direct multiplication and division. He is credited
with inventing the slide rule in about 1622
• Typical slide rules contain scales for multiplying, dividing,
and extracting square roots, and some also contain scales for
calculating trigonometric functions and logarithms.
• Stepped Reckoner: The step reckoner (or stepped
reckoner) was a digital mechanical calculator invented by
the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
around 1673 and completed in 1694. The name comes from
the translation of the German term for its operating
mechanism, Staffelwalze, meaning "stepped drum". It was
the first calculator that could perform all four arithmetic
operations.
• Its intricate precision gear work, however, was somewhat
beyond the fabrication technology of the time; mechanical
problems, in addition to a design flaw in the carry
mechanism, prevented the machines from working reliably.
• Jacquard Loom:- The Jacquard system was developed in
France in 1804-05 by Joseph-Marie Jacquard, improving
on the original punched-card design of Jacques de
Vaucanson's loom of 1745. The punched cards controlled
the actions of the loom, allowing automatic production of
intricate woven patterns. The loom contributed to the
transformation of textile weaving from a ‘cottage industry’
run by close-knit families of skilled workers, to a focus of
mass production on an industrial scale.