NAME: MUHAMMAD UMER

ROLL NO: 10091

ASSIGNMENT NO 1
DEPT OF MECH ENGG

CHAPTER NO 1
EXERCISE

Q 1: WHAT IS A COMPUTER? WHY IS IT ALSO KNOWN AS A DATA PROCESSOR?

ANS:
A computer is normally considered to be a calculating device, which can perform arithmetic
operations at enormous speed. It is also known as a data processor since it not only computes in
the usual sense, but also performs other functions with the data.
Q 2: WHAT IS DATA PROCESSING? DIFFRENTIATE BETWEEN DATA & INFORMATION.
WHICH IS MORE USEFUL TO THE PEOPLE AND WHY?
ANS:
The activity of processing data using a computer is called data processing.
Data is the raw material used as input to data processing and information is the processed data
obtained as the output of data processing,
Information is more useful to the people because they cant get information from data as it is in
raw form.
Q 3: LIST OUT AND EXPLAIN SOME OF THE IMPORTANT CHARECTERISTICS OF A
COMPUTER?
ANS:

Being automatic
Speed

 Accuracy of computing
Diligence
Versatility
Power of remembering
Lack of intelligence& feelings

Automatic: computers are automatic machines because i=once started on a job, they carry on,
until the job is done, normally without any human resistance.
Speed: a computer is a very fast device; it can perform in a few seconds, the amount of work that
a human being can do in a entire year.
Accuracy: in addition to being very fast, computers are very accurate. The accuracy of a
computer is very high and the degree of accuracy of a particular computer depends upon its
design,
Q 4: WHAT IS MEANT BY GARBAGE-IN-GARBAGE-OUT?
ANS:
Whenever a wrong input is given to computer , the answer will be wrong. These wrong answers
are referred to as GIGO
Q 5: WHO IS KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF MODERN DIGITAL COMPUTER?
ANS:
CHARLES BABBAGE is considered to be the father of modern digital computer, because
modern digital computers were based on his theory.
Q 6: WHO INVENTED THE CONCEPT OF STORED PROGRAM? WHY IS THE CONCEPT
SO IMPORTANT?
ANS:
Dr. John Neumann introduced the stored program. This concept is very important because due
to this feature, we often refer to modern digital computer as stored program digital computers.
Q 7: WHY ARE MODERN DIGITAL COMPUTERS OFTEN REFFERD TO AS STORED
PROGRAM DIGITAL COMPUTER?
ANS:
Due to the stored program concept, which considerably influenced the development of modern
digital computer, modern digital computers are often referred to as stored program digital
computers.
Q 8: WHICH WAS THE 1ST COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED COMPUTER? WHEN AND
WHERE IT FIRST INSTALLED?
ANS:

UNIVAC (the universal automatic computer) was the first digital computer, which was not one
of a kind. Many UNIVAC machines were produced, the first of which was installed in the
Census Bureau in 1951 and was used continuously for 10 years
Q 9: GIVE THE FULL FORM OF THESE ABBRIVATIONS: IBM, ENIAC, EDVAC, EDSAC,
and UNIVAC?
ANS:

IBM: International Business Machines

ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integer and Calculator
EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer
EDSAC: Electronic Delay Storage Automatic calculator
UNIVAC: Universal Automatic calculator

Q 10: WHAT IS MEANT BY GENERATION IN COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY? HOW

MANY COMPUTER GENERATIONS ARE THERE UNTILL NOW?
ANS:
Generation in computer talk is a step in technology.
There are total five computer generations.
Q 11: LIST OUT THE VARIOUS COMPUTER GENERATIONS ALONG WITH THE KEY
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMPUTERS OF EACH GENERATION?
ANS:
First generation (1942-1955):
They were the fastest calculating devices of their time
They were too bulky in size, requiring large rooms for installation
These computers were difficult to use, the had limited commercial use
Second generation (1955-1964):
They were more than ten times faster than the first generation computers.
They were much smaller than first generation computers, requiring smaller space
Commercial production of these computers was difficult and costly.
Third generation (1964-1975):
They were more powerful than the second generation computers. They were capable of
performing about 1 million instructions per seconds.
They were much smaller than the second generation computers, requiring smaller space
The minicomputers of the third-generation made computers affordable even by smaller
companies
Fourth generation (1975-1989):
The PCs were smaller and cheap than the mainframes or minicomputers of the third
generation.
The mainframes were much more powerful than the third-generation systems

The PCs of fourth generation made computers affordable for personal use at home.

Fifth generation (1989-present):

Portable PCs are much more smaller and handy than the PCs of the fourth generation
The desktop PCs and workstations are several times more powerful than the PCs of the
fourth generation
With so many types of computers in all prices ranges, today we have a computer for
almost any type of user.
Q 12: LIST OUT THE KEY HARDWARE TECHNOLOGIES USED IN BUILDING THE
COMPUTERS IN EACH OF FIVE GENERATIONS?
ANS:
First: vacuum tubes, electromagnetic relay memory, punched cards secondary storage
Second: Transistors, magnetic core memory, magnetic tapes and disks secondary storage
Third: ICs with SSI & MSI technologies, larger magnetic core memory, larger capacity disks and
magnetic tapes storage, minicomputers
Fourth: ICs with VLSI technology, microprocessors, semiconductor memory, larger capacity
hard disks as in-built secondary storage, magnetic tapes and floppy disks as portable storage
media, personal computers, spread of high-speed computer networks.
Fifth: ICs with ULSI technology, larger capacity hard disks, optical disks as portable read-only
storage media, notebook computers, powerful desktop PCs & workstations, very powerful
mainframes, internet
Q 13: LIST OUT THE KEY SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES USED IN BUILDING THE
COMPUTERS IN EACH OF FIVE GENERATIONS?
ANS:
First:

Machine & assembly languages; stored program concept; mostly scientific

applications

Batch operating system; high-level programming languages; scientific &

commercial applications

Timesharing operating system; standardization of high-level programming

languages; unbundling of software from hardware

Operating systems for PCs; GUI multiple windows; UNIX operating system; C
programming language; PC- based applications; network-based applications

World Wide Web; multimedia applications; internet-based applications

Second:

Third:
Fourth:

Fifth:

Q 15: WHAT ARE THE ADVATAGES OF TRANSISTORS OVER VACUUM TUBES?

ANS: transistors have advantages over tubes due to following reasons

They were less expensive to produce

They dissipated much less heat as compared to vacuum tube
They consumed almost one-tenth the power consumed by a tube
They could switch much faster than tubes
They were highly reliable as compared to tubes

Q 16: WHAT IS AN IC? HOW DOES IT HELP IN REDUCING THE SIZE OF COMPUTERS?
ANS: ICs are consisting of several electronic components like transistors, resistors and capacitors
grown on a single chip of silicon. It made possible to integrate larger number of circuit
components into very small (less than 5 mm sq) surface of silicon, known as chip.
Q 17: LIST OUT SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF IC TECHONOLOGY OVER
TRANSISTOR TECHNOLOGY?
ANS:

ICs were much smaller

Less expensive to produce
More ragged and reliable
Faster in operation
Dissipated less heat and
Consumed much less power than circuits built by wiring electronic components
manually

Q 18: GIVE THE FULL FORM OF THESE ABBRIVATIONS: GIGO, IC, SSI, MSI, LSI, VLSI
and ULSI?
ANS:

GIGO: Garbage-in-garbage-out
IC: Integrated circuits
SSI: Small scale integration
MSI: Medium scale integration
LSI: Large scale integration
VLSI: Very large scale integration
ULSI: Ultra large scale integration

Q 19: WHY WERE 1ST AND 2ND GENERATION COMPUTERS MORE DIFFICULT &
COSTILLER TO PRODUCE COMMERCIALLY THAN THE COMPUTERS OF
SUBSEQUENT GENERATION?
ANS: In second generation computer, thousands of individual transistors had to be assembled by
hand into functioning circuits
While in first generation, computers were difficult to program and use, they had limited
commercial use, so the commercial production of these computers was difficult and costly.

Q 20: NAME THE TECHNOLOGIES USED FOR CINSTRUCTING MAIN MMORY IN THE
COMPUTERS OF 1ST TO FIVE GENERATIONS?
ANS: In the first generation electro magnetic relay memory, in the second generation magnetic
cores memory, in the third generation larger magnetic core memory and in the fourth generation
semiconductor memory

Q 21: NAME THE SECONDARY STORAGE MDIA POPULARLY USED IN THE

COMPUTERS OF 1ST TO FIVE GENERATIONS.
ANS: FIRST GENERATION:
ENIAC, EDVAC, EDSAC, UNIVAC 1, IBM 701.
SECOND GENERATION:
HONEYWELL 400, IBM 7030, CDC 1604, UNIVAC
LARC.
THIRD GENERATION:
IBM 360/370,PDP-8, PDP-11,CDC 6600.
FOURTH GENERATION:
IBM PC and its clones APPLE 11,TRS-80, VAX 9000,
CRAY-1, CRAY-2, CRAY-X/MP.
FIFTH GENERATION:
IBM notebooks, PENTIUN PCS, SUN workstations, IBM
SP/2, SGI ORIGIN 2000, PARAM 1000.

Q 22: WHAT IS A MICROPROCESSOR? HOW DID IT REVOLUTIONIZE THE COMPUTER

INDUSTRY?
ANS: microprocessor contains all the circuits needed to perform arithmetic logic and control
functions, the core activities of all computers, on a single chip
It becomes possible to build a computer with a microprocessor, a few additional primary storage
chips. It started a new social revolution-the PC revolution
Q 23: NAME SOME OF THE REPRESENTATIVE COMPUTER SYSTEMS OF EACH OF
THE FIVE COMPUTER GENERATIONS?
ANS:
FIRST:
ENIAC
EDVAC
EDSAC
UNIVAC 1
IBM 701
SECOND:
Honeywell 400

 IBM 7030
CDC 1604
UNIVAC LARC
THIRD:
IBM 360/37
PDP-8
PDP-11
CDC 6600
FOURTH:
IBM PC and its clones
Apple 2
TRS-80
VAX 9000
CRAY-1
CRAY-2
CRAY-X/MP
FIFTH:
IBM notebooks
Pentium PCs
SUN workstations
IBM SP/2
SGI Origin 2000
PARAM 10000