Understanding Computer Studies Grade 8 Junior Secondary
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About this ebook
Alice Mukuwiri – Chizengeya
This book gives you a success story in your computer studies as a beginner. It meets the requirements of the Namibian Syllabus for the new curriculum, 2017. It was approved as a learners’ book by National Institute for Educational Development (NIED) in 2016. It moulds you into a pure computer expert as it touches on aspects of the computer world.
The book teaches you from the beginning of computerization, hardware, software, various applications, acquiring a computer system, virtual world (web applications, cloud storage) and introduces you to programming using Scratch 1.4 language. The book has a teacher’s guide.
The book has activities for you to evaluate your understanding. Practical exercises are available for your hands-on skills. Research work is also included and it is good for you to do a lot of research to understand better.
Books in the series: Understanding Computer Studies Grade 9 (with a teacher’s guide), and Success in Computer Studies Level 1, 2 and 3.
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Understanding Computer Studies Grade 8 Junior Secondary - Alice Mukuwiri Chizengeya
PREFACE
This book is suitable to be used as a textbook in an educational institution or training centre, where introductory computer courses are offered. It assumes no previous knowledge of the subject and uses very simple language and illustrations to explain the key terms.
The book has both theory and practical. Chapters 1 to 5 are theoretical and chapters 6 to 9 are practical. The theory part explains how computers started, classification of computers, standard computer laboratory, computer hardware (input, output and storage devices), and considerations to make in purchasing a computer system (both software and hardware). The practical section explains step-by-step on how to work with an operating system, a word-processor, desktop publisher and a computer programming language. When working with practical aspects, hands-on approach is the best. The operating system used in this book is Windows 8.1 and the Microsoft Office 2010 is used for word-processing and desktop publishing for illustration purposes. The Programming Language used is Scratch 1.4. Scratch 1.4 can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Install it and learn Scratch language easily.
This book is for grade 8 learners and the grade 9 learners’ book is also available. You can also consider Success in Computer Studies series (Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3). These books can also help especially if you are using Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2007.
Tabchiz Education Links cc
Edited by Loretta B. Carter and Leonard Kombora
Designed by Adweb Africa
Published by Alice Mukuwiri Publishing at Smashwords
P.O. Box 5070
Divundu, Namibia
E-mail address: alice.chizengeya4@gmail.com
© Alice Mukuwiri – Chizengeya
First Published in 2016
First Edition 2017
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the written permission of the copyright owner.
Products and services that are referenced to, in this book are protected by trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and authors make no claim to these trademarks. The content in screenshots of Web pages is a copyright of the pages’ authors.
The publishers have made effort to trace the owners of copyright material, in a few cases this has proven impossible and we take this opportunity to offer our apologies to any copyright holders whose rights we have unintentionally violated. We request any copyright holder who was not consulted to inform us so that corrections can be done in future.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the National Library of Namibia.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to acknowledge the full support I have received from family, many colleagues, teachers and friends. I am deeply indebted to my brother, Milton Mukuwiri who encouraged me to continue writing books as it is my talent from God. Honestly, there are some challenges that I have faced with my first series that were beyond my control and this had discouraged me to continue authoring. My husband, Benson, and my sister, Claris Pangeti, I remember your words, The beginning is always a challenge
. My mother, Media Mukuwiri, I considered your statement, Help the learners. That’s why Namibia recognized you as an asset
. Sometimes you do not realize how important what you do is until some people say it. I thank you for the motivation.
I also appreciate my colleagues in publishing that are assisting and giving me strength.
My dear readers, I thank you for finding my books worth reading when improving your computer knowledge. I really appreciate your support.
I would also like to acknowledge the various sites for information which has been instrumental in the creation of this book. These sites include: www.computertipsfree.com, www.kmax.co.za, www.jegsworks.com, www.t3.gstatic.com, www.gmail.com, www.hotmail.com, www.iis.com.na and any other web site that was used.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Introduction to computers
What is a computer?
The four basic components of a computer system
How is data represented in a computer system
Computer history
Classification of computers
What is a computer laboratory?
Computer basic operations
Chapter 2: Computer Systems
What is a computer system?
Classes of hardware
Input devices
Keying devices
Pointing devices
Scanning devices and readers
Speech recognition devices
Digital cameras
Web camera
Sensors
Chapter 3: Computer Systems continued
System Unit
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Arithmetic and Logic Unit
Memory
Processor
Computer Storage
Internal memory
RAM
ROM
External memory
Memory measurement
External storage devices
Magnetic tapes
Hard disk
File allocation table (FAT)
Solid State Storage (SSS)
Smart cards
Optical Disks
Chapter 4: Computer Systems continued
Output devices
Different forms of output
Monitors
Printers
Plotters
Audio output devices
Data projector
Light Emitting diodes
Photo printers
Both Input & Output devices
Fax machine
Interactive devices
MODEMS
Cables and ports
Chapter 5: Computer system continued
Purposes of different software
System software
Operating System
Classes of operating systems
Utility programs
Application software
Acquiring software
Selecting a computer system
Chapter 6: Operating System
Functions and types
Functions of an OS
Types of operating systems
Tools for organizing & managing a computer
Changing settings
File or folder manipulation
Creating a file/folder
Renaming file/folder
Deleting a file/folder
Moving file/folder
Copying a file/folder
Dragging and dropping a file/folder
Accessing a file/folder
Sorting a file/folder
Creating and deleting shortcuts
Installing an application program
Uninstalling an application program
Chapter 7: Word-Processing Application Program
What is a word-processor
Loading Microsoft word
Changing language
Creating a document
Using a new command
Saving a file
Loading/retrieving a file
Closing a file and application program
Editing a document
Selecting text
Copy, cut and paste commands
Deleting text
Find and replace
Spelling check
Thesaurus
Auto-correct
Undo and redo commands
Formatting a document
Character formatting
Paragraph formatting
Page formatting
Headers and footers
Advanced word-processing features
Creating tables
Borders and shading
Convert table to text
Table calculations
Sorting a table
Mail merging
Edit data source
Printing a document
Inserting graphics
Editing an image
Other word-processing features
Hyperlinking
Inserting equations or symbols
References
Review
Chapter 8: Desktop Publishing
What is Desktop Publishing?
Requirements of DTP
Sources of graphics
Using Desktop Publishing program
Creating award certificates
Printing a publication
Chapter 9: Computer Programming
Introduction
Scratch programming language
Adding, deleting and selecting a Sprite
Adding sound
Writing scripts
Variables
Setting conditions
Operators
Repetition structures How to handle complex problems
Importance of correct sequential order of instructions
Glossary
Index
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
What is a computer?
A computer is an electronic machine which accepts input such as numbers, text, sound, image and video; and under a stored program, processes the input into meaningful information. The input consists of data and instructions. Data are raw facts, and are not meaningful. For the data to be meaningful, it needs processing. Once the data is processed, it becomes meaningful information called output. The output can be returned as numbers, text, sound, image or video.
A program is a set of instructions to carry-out a specific task.
The data is entered into the computer using an input device.
The central processing unit (CPU) changes data into information, thus processing.
The information can be communicated to the outside world through an output device; such as monitor, printer and speaker.
The information can also be stored on a storage device for later use. Hence, the storage devices are output devices.
The diagram gives a visual explanation.
A user enters input through an input device such as keyboard, mouse, touch pad and microphone. The computer can read input from a storage device such as CD_ROM, memory card or memory stick. The storage devices are also input devices. Hence, storage devices are both input devices and output devices. Input is data and instructions given to the computer in-order to carry-out a task. For example, 10 and 5 are data, + is an instruction to add. Therefore, 10 + 5 is input which the computer processes into 15. Hence, 15 is the output or information.
Activity
Discuss uses of computers with your friend or a group of not more than five members.
The four basic components of a computer system
Among the computer parts called hardware, there are four components which a computer cannot work without. These are the keyboard, memory, central processing unit (CPU) and monitor. The keyboard is used for input, the memory temporarily holds the data and information as processing takes place, the CPU is used to process the input, and the monitor shows the output. Memory referred to here is Random Access Memory, commonly shortened as RAM; it is only used when the computer is on. A basic computer system requires these components, though can add other input devices and output devices. More shall be discussed later.
The four basic components of a computer system
How is data represented in a computer system?
Did you know that a computer does not understand the keyboard characters (symbols) or any other character the way you understand them? Each character has a unique American Standard Code for Information Interchange, commonly known as ASCII code which is converted into 0s and 1s for the processor to work with. This means; we understand symbols like 5 90 Q G s x i @ ) ? 1 0 ≈ ¬ © and so forth as they show, but a computer does not understand them the same way. With a computer, each symbol is equated to a certain number value called ASCII code and that value is changed to its equivalence in binary number system. The binary number system is also called base two number system; because it only uses two digits called binary digits that are a 1 and 0. As this is the language a computer understands, data and programs are stored in the computer using binary patterns or a string of bits. A bit is a 1 or a 0; bit is from binary digit. Each ASCII code is represented in 8 bits called a byte; meaning each character is stored in one byte. The ASCII code set represents 256 characters; the character values range from 0 – 255. Below is an example of characters with their ASCII code values.
Computer history
Computers have changed both in size and the way they operate. This means the physical components that we can see and touch; called hardware have reduced in size. Also the software that contains sets of instructions to carry-out specific tasks has changed to improve on operations or on performance. As been said earlier, computers developed through generations and each generation is characterized by a major technological development that basically changed the way computers operate which resulted in increasingly smaller, cheaper, powerful, efficient and reliable devices.
Before we talk about these generations we need to recognize the pioneers of computerization. All began from abacuses which were simple calculators made from beads, then came mechanical calculators which evolved into computers as people kept on coming-up with new ideas on making them automatic and programmable. The table below gives us a summary of some of the recognized people in computerization; never mind about understanding some terminology, you will understand with time.
First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes
The first generation computers used vacuum tubes for electrical system and magnetic drums for memory, and were often huge; taking up full rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of breakdowns. These computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers; thus binary machine language, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was entered using punched cards and paper tapes, and output was in form of printouts; there was no monitor. The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer.
Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors
The vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors and marked the second generation computers. The transistors made computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than the first generation computers. However, the transistors still produced excessive heat that exposed the computers to damage. These second generation computers still used punched cards for input and printouts for output. Second generation computers moved from binary machine language to a language using symbolic or abbreviations called mnemonics. The language was called Assembly language, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also under development at this time, such as COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology for primary memory and magnetic tapes and magnetic disks were used as secondary storage devices.
Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits
The introduction of the integrated circuits marked the third generation computers. Transistors were shrunk (miniaturized) and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers. Keyboards and monitors replaced punched cards and printouts which were initially used for input and output respectively in prior generations. These computers were interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the computer to run many different applications simultaneously with its memory monitored by a central program. In this generation, computers became available to many people because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors. Thus, the time minicomputers appeared on the market.
Fourth Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors
The fourth generation computers used microprocessors; which allowed thousands of integrated circuits to be built onto a single silicon chip. This marked the appearance of microcomputers; of which the first desktop calculator became available in 1975. In 1981, IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Instead of microprocessors being used on desktop computers only; they were introduced to many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use them. Now as these small computers became more powerful, they were linked together to form networks; which eventually led to the development of the Internet. During the fourth generation of computers, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), the mice and handheld devices were developed. In this generation; time sharing, real time, network and distributed operating systems were used. Higher level languages like C and C++, DBASE and so on also emerged in this generation.
Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial Intelligence
The fifth generation has witnessed the appearance of laptops and palmtops, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray discs, external hard drives, USB devices, bluetooth technology, the use of multimedia and the coming of virtual reality. This is not all as this is an open-ended generation where computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still under development. However, there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are already in use. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will completely change the face of computers in years to come. Artificial Intelligence includes the following:
Robotics
Neural networks
Game Playing
Development of expert systems to make decisions in real life situations
Natural language understanding and generation.
The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.
Classification of computers
Computers come in various shapes and sizes, functionality and purpose. The basic classes are supercomputers, mainframes, microcomputers, workstations, microcontrollers and servers. You have dealt with most of these computers; you have used a remote control for a play-station, radio and TV for selection of games and channels, you have switched on your smartphone to listen to music, you have used a GPS to direct you to your destination, you have used a microwave to warm your food, you have typed your school work on a computer, and you have used the internet to chat with your friends on twitter, facebook, skype and whatsapp. As you work with all these activities, a computer of a certain class is used. Below is a brief explanation of each class. Try identifying the classes of computers used for the above said activities.
Supercomputer
Supercomputers are the most