Unit 1 Basic Computer Concepts: 10 Hours
Unit 1 Basic Computer Concepts: 10 Hours
Learning Objectives
At the end of the session, the students should be able to:
1. Define basic concepts on computer as such computer, data and information.
2. Relate the development of computing and computing devices.
3. Describe the development of computing devices, their capabilities and limitations.
4. Explain the different components of computer systems.
5. Describe the role of each component in the functionality of the computer.
6. Describe basic troubleshooting techniques and proper use of hardware and software.
1. What is a computer?
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Presentation of Contents
What is a Computer?
Data is raw, unprocessed facts. It has the potential to become useful information, but
first it has to be manipulated and transformed. And the best way to do that is to feed the data
into the computer. Data is actually what computers feed on. Meanwhile, information is
processed data. It is a data that has already manipulated and transformed into something
useful.
Limitations of a Computer
1. It needs human intervention.
2. It has a short life span.
3. It cannot formulate information on its own.
4. The information or results generated are user dependent.
5. It can never replace the capabilities of the human brain.
ANCIENT TIME
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
The abacus was man’s first recorded adding machine. It was in 500 B.C
when the abacus was invented in Babylonia, then popularized in China,
Abacus
the abacus is an ancient computing device constructed of sliding beads
on small wooden rods, strung on a wooden frame.
History of Computer
MECHANICAL ERA
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
John Napier, Baron of Merchiston, Scotland, invents logs in 1614.
Logarithms Logs allow multiplication and division to be reduced to addition and
subtraction.
In 1642, a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal invented a
mechanical calculation machine called Pascaline. It was made out of
Pascaline
clock gears and levers, and could solve basic mathematical problems
like addition and subtraction.
In 1671, Gottfried Leibniz, a German mathematician, invented a
Stepped Reckoner machine called steeped reckoner that could multiply 5 digit and 12
digit numbers yielding up to 16 digit number.
In 1801, Joseph-Marie Jacquard developed an automatic loom that was
Jacquard Loom
controlled by punched cards.
In 1822, Charles Babbage, invented the first modern computer design:
Difference Engine
a steamed-powered adding machine called the difference engine to
automatically solve math problems.
Babbage also invented the analytical engine. It was a mechanical
adding machine that took information from punched cards to solve and
print complex mathematical operations.
Analytical Engine
Babbage’s difference and analytical engine are regarded as the first
“thinking machines”. These inventions earned him the title “Father of
Computers”
The first program was written by Ada Augusta Lovelace for Babbage’s
Ada difference engine. Thus, Ada Lovelace is credited with being “the first
computer programmer”. The programming ada is named in her honor.
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ELECTROMECHANICAL ERA
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
Punched card In 1890, the first person to successfully use punched cards specifically
Tabulating for census taking was Herman Hollerith. The punched card was adapted
machine for use in early computers and provided computer programmers with a
new way to put information into their machines. Hollerith later went on
to found the Tabulating Machine Company, which later became the
Computer Tabulating Recording Company. He retired in 1921, but his
company went on to become the
International Business Machines Corporation. We know it today as IBM.
Millionaire The Millionaire, the first efficient four-function calculator, is invented by
Otto Shweiger, a Swiss Engineer in 1893.
ELECTRONIC ERA
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
Z3 In 1941, Konrad Zuse, built the first programmable computer called Z3.
It was the first fully functional, program controlled computer of the
world. The Z3 was presented on May 12, 1941 to an audience of
scientist in Berlin. The demonstration was a success.
Mark I Howard Aiken, a Ph.D. student at Harvard University built Mark I “The
first Stored-Program Computer”. 8 feet tall, 51 feet long, 2 feet thick,
weighed 5 tons, used 750,000 parts, 500 miles of wires, 3-5 seconds per
calculation.
ABC(Atanasoff- In 1942, John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry completed the first all-
Berry Computer) electronic computer called ABC (Atanasoff-Berry Computer). It was the
first computer to use electricity in the form of vacuum tubes. It was used
for solving complex systems equations.
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The Second Generation Computers (1959-1963)
Instead of vacuum tubes, the second-generation computers used transistors an
exciting new invention at the time. John Barden, Walter Brattain, and William
Shockley of Bell Telephone Laboratories invented the transistor.
Magnetic tapes and disk began to replace punched cards as external storage
devices.
Magnetic cores (very small donut-shaped magnets that could be popularized in
one of two directions to represent data) strung on wire within the computer
became the primary internal storage technology.
In 1961, Grace Hopper, the woman that found the first computer bug, finishes
developing COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language).
The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) founded by Ken Olsen, released the
first minicomputer, the PDP-8 in 1964.
In 1965, Thomas Kurtz and john Kemeny of Dartmouth College developed
BASIC (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) as a computer
language to help teach people how to program.
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The Fifth-Generation Computers (1982 - Onward)
The Fifth Generation Computer Systems was an initiative by Japan's Ministry of
International Trade and Industry, begun in 1982, to create computers using
massively parallel computing and logic programming. It was to be the result of a
massive government/industry research project in Japan during the 1980s.
This generation’s focus is more on connectivity. This is to permit computer users
to connect their computers to other computers.
Classifications of Computer
a) Supercomputers
The fastest type of computer.
They are very expensive and employed for specialized applications that
require immense amounts of mathematical calculations.
They are mainly used for:
o weather forecasting
o animated graphics
o fluid dynamic calculations
o nuclear energy research
o petroleum exploration
Examples,
o NEC Earth Simulator
o IBM ASCI White
o TERASCALE Computing System
o TERA Supercomputer
o NERSC IBM SP RS/600
b) Mainframe computers
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or
even thousands, of users simultaneously.
They are slower and less than supercomputers.
They support hundreds or thousands of users at a time.
They are used as e-commerce and web servers and in large organizations,
banks, universities and airlines as databases.
Examples,
o IBM 3090
o Andhal 5890
c) Minicomputers
A midsized computer.
In size and power, microcomputers lies between workstations and mainframes.
In general, a minicomputer is a multi-processing system capable of supporting
from 4 to about 200 users simultaneously.
They are also known as midrange computers.
They are used in medium size business, education and government
departments and are also used as servers on the network environment.
Examples,
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o IBM’s AS/400e
2. Portable Computer
Include laptops or notebooks, sub-notebook, tablet computer and
personal digital assistants.
They are small enough to move easily from one place to another and
they can operate on batteries.
They are popular with people who travel and need computing power
on the go.
a. Laptop/Notebook Computer
A small portable computer. Small enough that it can sit
on your lap.
Use a variety of techniques, known as flat-panel
technologies, to produce a lightweight and non-bulky
display c. screen.
b. Subnotebook Computer
Slightly lighter and smaller than a full-sized notebook
computer.
Have smaller keyboard and screen, but are otherwise
equivalent to notebook computers.
c. PDA or Personal Digital Assistant
A handheld device that combines computing,
telephone/fax, and networking features.
It can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, and
personal organizer.
Most PDA’s began as pen-based, using stylus rather
than a keyboard for input.
d. Tablet PC
Provides the full power and functionality of today’s
notebook PC’s
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Design for a fully equipped personal computer that
allows a user to take notes using natural handwriting on
a stylus or digital pen.
b. Digital computers
Digital computers deal with mathematical variables in form of numbers that
represent discrete values of physical quantities. The advantages of digital
computers are that they are versatile, reprogrammable, accurate, and less
affected by outside disturbances. In contrast to analog computers, digital
machines work on numbers. Each variable is converted into numbers and each
number into binary form, i.e. 0 and 1. It is this combination of 0 and 1 that
does all the calculations.
All modern computers, laptops, and calculators are all digital computers.
c. Hybrid computers
A hybrid is a combination of digital and analog computers. It combines the
best features of both types of computers. It has the speed of analog
computer and the memory and accuracy of digital computer. Hybrid
computers are used mainly in specialized applications where both kinds of
data need to be processed.
Computer used in hospitals to measure the heartbeat of the patient. Devices
used in petrol pump. In scientific applications or in controlling industrial
processes.
3. According to Purpose
a. General-purpose computers
It is capable of dealing to a variety of different problems and are able
to respond to programs created to meet different needs.
It is capable of storing different programs of instructions thus they can
perform a variety of operations.
Example is a Desktop Computer
b. Special purpose computers (Dedicated computers)
It is designed to perform one specific task.
The programs are built into permanently in the machine and given task
are performed very quick and efficient.
Examples are computers used in monitoring nuclear reactions, outer
space missions, oil explorations
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Components of a Computer System
I. HARDWARE is the physical equipment associated with a computer system. This is the
tangible components of the computer system.
Four Primary Components of a Computer Hardware System
A. Input Devices - any hardware component that allows the user to enter data, execute
commands and user responses into the computer. Basically, input devices are used for
data entry.
1. Keyboard – The set of typewriter keys that enables you to enter data in a computer.
2. Mouse – invented by Douglas Engelbert of Stanford Research Center in 1963, and
pioneered by Zerox in 1970s, the mouse is a device that controls the movement of
the cursor or pointer on a display screen.
3. Joystick – a device consisting of a hand held stick that pivots about one end and
transmits its angle in two dimensions to a computer. It often used to control games,
and usually have one or more push-buttons whose state can also be read by the
computer.
4. Light pen - A small, photosensitive device connected to a computer and moved by
hand over an output display in order to manipulate information in the computer.
Used in Personal Digital Assistant and Smart Board.
5. Microphone – allows the computer to receive and record sound. Necessary for
voice recognition software and any software that needs to record sound.
6. Digital camera – takes pictures without film, and stores your snapshots as digital
files in its memory. Later, you can transfer your picture files to your PC through
cable.
7. Barcode reader - An optical scanning device that reads texts which have been
converted into a special bar code or zebra stripes.
8. Webcam - A digital camera capable of capturing images to a computer for
transmission over the Internet or other network.
9. Drawing Tablet - is similar to a white board, except you use a special pen to write
on it and it's connected to the computer. Then the word or image you draw can be
saved on the computer.
10. Scanner – An input device that takes in an optical image and digitizes it into an
electronic image. This can be used to create a computerized version of a photo or
illustration.
4 Kinds of Scanner
Flatbed scanner - A scanner that provides a flat, glass surface to hold
pages of paper, books and other objects for scanning. The scan head is
moved under the glass across the page.
Sheet-fed scanner - A scanner that allows only paper to be scanned
rather than books or other thick objects. It moves the paper across a
stationary scan head.
Handheld scanner - A scanner that is moved across the image to be
scanned by hand. Handheld scanners are small and less expensive than
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their desktop counterparts, but rely on the dexterity of the user to move
the unit across the paper.
Drum scanner - A type of scanner used to capture the highest resolution
from an image. Photographs and transparencies are taped, clamped or
fitted into a clear cylinder. A light source that focuses on one pixel is
beamed onto the drum and moves down the drum a line at a time.
1. Monitor – it is the most popular output device. It receive signals from video card
inside of the computer and gives the user a graphical or textual display.
2. Speakers – are used to produce sounds, listen to music, play music and watch
movies.
3. Printer-create images on paper, plastic, cloth and other print media using
technologies like ink transfer, heat transfer, chemical reactions and physical force.
Types of Printers
Laser Printer-uses toner and an internal laser to print.
Inkjet or Bubble Jet Printers-uses ink to print. Usually available in
color.
Dot-Matrix Printer-creates characters by striking pins against an ink
ribbon. Each pin makes a dot, and combinations of dots form
characters and illustrations.
C. Storage Devices- these are important for keeping a document for later retrieval and
use.
Most common examples of external secondary storage devices are the following.
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b) CD-ROM- is an optical disk format used to hold texts, graphics and sounds
that are pre-recorded. It is small, flat metal-coated plastic disc, about 4.75
inches in diameter. It stores information by using a laser which creates pits on
disc, and is read by using another laser to read the light reflected from the
pins.
c) Flash Drives – is a type of compact USB memory drive that acts like a
portable hard drive, letting you to store and transport computer data.
D. System Unit- part of the computer which is responsible for accepting and processing
the data brought in by the input devices, passing resulting information to the users
via the output devices.
Bit- stands for binary digits. It is the basic unit of data recognized by
the computer.
1 Byte= 8 bits
1 Kilobytes (KB) = 1024 bytes
1 Megabytes (MB) = one million bytes
1 Gigabytes (GB) = one billion bytes
1 Terabytes (TB) = one trillion bytes
II. SOFTWARE – is the programs and data that a computer uses. The software provides the
commands that tell the hardware what task to perform, what to read and write, how to send
the end result (the output) to a monitor and/or printer.
Kinds of Software
1. Application Software – these are programs that people use to get their work done.
Examples of Application Software
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Word Processor - is a computer application used for the production (including
composition, editing, formatting, and possibly printing) of any sort of printable
material.
Example: MS-Excel
Graphics and Presentation - is a computer software package used to display
information, normally in the form of a slide show.
Example: MS-PowerPoint
Database Software – a software that helps a user organize data in a way that allows
fast and easy access to the data.
2. System Software – The system software includes all programs used to operate and
maintain the computer system. It controls all input/output functions and coordinates the flow
of operations during processing.
Operating System - a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and
software resources of a computer.
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Example: Disk Defragmenters, System Profilers, Virus Scanners (Disk doctors
– fix disks, Antivirus – “kill” viruses)
III. PEOPLEWARE are the users of the computer, they may be the system analysts,
programmers, Web Developer, students, administrators, encoders or just a common personnel
who in a way works with the computer.
Application
Identify the different parts of the computer and describe the role of each in the functionality
of the computer.
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