Unit 1 Basic Computer Concepts

Topic 1.1: Information Technology Fundamentals

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.

What is a computer?
By modern definition, a computer is an electronic device that accepts (inputs), processes, stores,
and outputs data at a high speed according to programmed instructions. If you look closely at the
definition, you can see that a computer is made up of five basic elements:
• Electronic – means all computers are powered by electricity.
• Programmable – computers follow set of instructions (called programs) in order to
operate.
• Storage – computers are able to store huge amount of data for future use (electronic
cabinet).
• Retrieve – computers are able to get back or return whatever it has stored.
• Process – computers are able to transform or manipulate data it has stored into useful
information.

Data and Information

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.
Four Basic Functions of Computer
All computers perform the following four basic functions:
• Input – the procedure of feeding or entering data into a computer.
• Process – the operation of manipulating and transforming data into something useful. This
function is done through programs. Programs are written instructions that tell the computer
on how to manipulate and transform the data it was given to it.
• Output – the result of the processing function.
• Storage – computers save data and outputs for later use.

Capabilities and Limitations of a Computer

A computer is a machine that needs to be controlled and instructed to successfully perform a task.
No matter how powerful and sophisticated it is, it must be directed what to do. Users should follow
the principal of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) which means that wrong data entered into the
computer will result to wrong information produced.
Capabilities of a Computer
➢ It can process data quickly.
➢ It can perform operations tirelessly.
➢ It can give accurate results depending on the instructions and commands given.
➢ It can store, recall, and retrieve information.
➢ It can confirm and verify the accuracy of the information.
➢ It can perform multi-tasks.

Limitations of a Computer
➢ It needs human intervention.
➢ It has a short life span.
➢ It cannot formulate information on its own.
➢ The information or results generated are user dependent.
➢ It can never replace the capabilities of the human brain.
ANCIENT TIME
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
Abacus 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, the abacus is an ancient computing
device constructed of sliding beads on small wooden rods,
strung on a wooden frame.
MECHANICAL ERA
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
Logarithms John Napier, Baron of Merchiston, Scotland, invents logs in
1614. Logs allow multiplication and division to be reduced to
addition and subtraction.
Pascaline In 1642, a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal
invented a mechanical calculation machine called Pascaline.
It was made out of clock gears and levers, and could solve
basic mathematical problems like addition and subtraction.
Stepped Reckoner In 1671, Gottfried Leibniz, a German mathematician,
invented a machine called steeped reckoner that could
multiply 5 digit and 12 digit numbers yielding up to 16 digit
number.
Jacquard Loom In 1801, Joseph-Marie Jacquard developed an automatic
loom that was controlled by punched cards.
Difference Engine In 1822, Charles Babbage, invented the first modern
computer design: a steamed-powered adding machine called
the difference engine to automatically solve math problems.
Analytical Engine 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.
Babbage’s difference and analytical engine are regarded as
the first “thinking machines”. These inventions earned him
the title “Father of Computers”
Ada The first program was written by Ada Augusta Lovelace for
Babbage’s difference engine. Thus, Ada Lovelace is credited
with being “the first computer programmer”. The
programming ada is named in her honor.
ELECTROMECHANICAL ERA
INVENTION DESCRIPTION
Punched card Tabulating machine In 1890, the first person to successfully use punched cards
specifically for census taking was Herman Hollerith. The
punched card was adapted 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-Berry Computer) In 1942, John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry completed the
first all-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.

The Five Generations of Digital Computing

The First-Generation Computers (1951-1958)

➢ First-generation computers had vacuum tubes, resistors, and welded metal joints. They
were large, slow, expensive, and produced a lot of heat. In addition, first-generation
computers often broke down because of burned-out vacuum tubes.
➢ In 1945, Presper Eckert and John Mauchly developed the first operational electronic digital
computer, called ENIAC, for the US Army. ENIAC had more than 18,000 vacuum tubes
and took up to 1,800 square feet of space. Today, ENIAC’s technology could fit in a modern
wristwatch.
 ➢ In 1951, the UNIVAC-1 became the first commercially available electronic computer. This
computer was designed by Eckert and Mauchly and built by the Remington Rand
Corporation.
➢ IBM 701 was the IBM’s first electronic computer built in 1953.

The Second-Generation Computers (1959-1963)

➢ Instead of vacuum tubes, the second-generation computers used transistors an exciting
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.

The Third-Generation Computers (1963-1974)

➢ Computers in the third-generation computers relied on a new technology called integrated
circuit. The integrated circuit is a single wafer or chip that can hold many transistors and
electronic circuits.
➢ Magnetic tape and disks completely replace punched cards as external storage devices.
➢ Magnetic core internal memories began to give way to a new form, metal oxide semi-
conductor (MOS) memory, which, like integrated circuits, used silicon-backed chips.
➢ In 1958 Jack Kilby invented the monolithic integrated circuit, which is still widely used in
electronic systems.
➢ The C programming language is developed at AT & T bell Labs by Brian Kerninghan and
Dennis Ritchie.
➢ The Unix Operating system, also written at Bell Labs, is rewritten using C. This later makes
UNIX one of the most portable operating systems.

The Fourth-Generation Computers (1971-Present)

➢ The fourth generation is just an extension of the third-generation technology. This next
technological development is to put more power and capabilities in one chip called
microprocessor which has made computers the fastest and most powerful they have ever
been.
➢ In 1975, the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems or MITS produced the first
Personal Computer. They named the computer “Altair 8080”. This was the first easily
available micro-computer. It had256 bytes of memory and ran a version of BASIC written
by Bill Gates.
➢ Apple’s widely successful PC was the Apple II personal computer. Apple II was the first
personal computer to come in a plastic case and include color graphics.
➢ In 1978, VisiCalc was released. It is the first spreadsheet program and it made
microcomputers useful to businesses.
➢ In 1993, Intel Pentium introduced Pentium Processor, a microprocessor with 3.1 million
transistors.
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
1) According to size and processing speed:

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,
o IBM’s AS/400e
d) Microcomputers (Personal Computers)
➢ Is generally a synonym for the more common term, Personal Computer or PC, a computer
designed for an individual.
➢ It uses microprocessor technology to input, manipulate, store and output data.
➢ Business use personal computers for word processing, accounting, desktop publishing, and
for running spreadsheet and database management applications.
➢ Examples,
o Apple II (introduced by Apple Computer in 1977)
o IBM PC(IBM’s first personal computer)

Two Classifications of Microcomputers

1. Personal Computer or PC
➢ It is widely popular with people of all lifestyles because they are powerful, affordable, and
easy to use.

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 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
➢ Design for a fully equipped personal computer that allows a user to take notes using
natural handwriting on a stylus or digital pen.

2) According to Data Handled

a) Analog computers
➢ Analog computers operate on mathematical variables in the form of physical quantities that
are continuously varying. For example temperature, pressure, voltages, etc.
➢ Famous examples of analog computers are the Planimeter, the nomogram, operational
amplifiers, mechanical integrators, slide rules, tide predictors, electric integrators that solve
partial differential equations, electronic machines that solve ordinary differential equations,
machines to solve algebraic equations, the Norden bomb sight, and neural networks.
 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