LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

COMPUTER programmable machine, electronic device that accepts structured input, stores it temporarily in the
memory, processes it according to prescribed rules and produces the results as output.
COMPUTER SYSTEM group of machines, or hardware that accepts data, process it and displays information.

COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

1. DATA raw, unprocessed facts that are input to a computer system. Such material can be letters, numbers or
facts.
INFORMATION is processed data. It is data that has already been manipulated and transformed into something
useful.
2. HARDWARE This is the actual machinery- wires, transistors and circuits. It is the tangible, physical part of the
computer system.
Hardware components:
a. Central processing Unit the heart of the computer, the component that actually executes instructions.
b. Memory enables a computer to store, at least temporarily data and programs.
c. Input device conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
d. Output device devices that lets you see what the computer has accomplished.
e. Mass storage device allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data.
3. SOFTWARE programs, applications and instructions that tell a computer what to do. It is the intangible part.
4. PEOPLEWARE user of the computer.
5.
3 FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTERS
1. SPEED Businesses depend on the speedy processing computers that can handle high volume activities.
2. RELIABILITY/ ACCURACY Computers are very reliable and accuracy is very high. Errors in hardware can occur,
but error detecting and correcting techniques will prevent false results. In most cases, errors are due to the
human factor rather than the technological flaws.
3. STORAGE CAPABILITY computers can store a large amount of data, which can be retrieved and located
efficiently.

BY-PRODUCTS OF THE 3 CHARACTERISTICS

1. PRODUCTIVITY also means diligence. It means being constant and earnest in effort and application. Human
beings suffer from weakness like tiredness, lack of concentration etc. Humans have feelings, they become sad,
depressed, bored and negligent and it will reflect on the work they do.
2. DECISION MAKING Using problem solving techniques originally developed by humans, computer helps decision
makers sort things out, analyze the implications and make better choices.
3. COST REDUCTION computer helps us hold down costs of labor, energy and paperwork. As a result, computers
help reduce the costs of goods and services in our economy.

TYPES OF COMPUTERS
Computers can be classified by their size and power as follows:
1. Personal computer a small, single user computer based on a microprocessor. In addition to the
microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information,
and a storage device for saving data.
2. Workstation a powerful, single user computer. It is like a personal computer, but it has a more powerful
microprocessor and a higher quality monitor.
3. Minicomputer a multiuser computer capable of supporting 10 to hundreds of users simultaneously.
4. Mainframe A powerful multiuser computer capable of supporting many hundreds of users simultaneously.
5. Supercomputer An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of instructions per second.

GENERATIONS OF MODERN COMPUTERS

Even though the developments that paved the way for the creation of computers started very early in the history of
mankind, computers in the true sense began to appear from the 1940 onwards. Computers are classified from first to
fifth generation. The time period of each generation is given below:
1. First Generation Computers (1945 1956)
2. Second Generation Computers (1956 1963)
3. Third Generation Computers (1964 1971)
4. Fourth Generation Computers (1971 Present)
5. Fifth Generation Computers (Present beyond)

FIRST GENERATION In 1946, two engineers at the University of Pennsylvania, John Presper Eckert (1919 1995) and
John W. Mauchly (1907 1980), built the first digital computer using parts called vacuum tubes. They named their new
invention ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer). Consisting of 18, 000 vacuum tubes, 70, 000 resistors
and 5 million soldered joints, the computer was such a massive piece of machinery that it consumed 160 kilowatts of
electrical power enough energy to light an entire section of Philadelphia.
In the mid 1940s, John Von Neumann (1903 2957) joined the University of Pennsylvania team, initiating
concepts in computer design that remained central to computer engineering for the next 40 years. He designed the
EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) in 1947 with a memory to hold both a stored program as well
as data. This allowed the computer to be stopped at any point and then resumed, allowed for greater versatility in
computer programming.
In 1951, UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer) built by Remington Rand, became one of the first
commercially available computers to take advantage of these advances. One of the UNIVACs impressive early
achievements was predicting the winner of the 1952 presidential election, Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The distinctive characteristics of first generation computers were the use of vacuum tubes (responsible for their
breathtaking size) and magnetic drums for data storage.

SECOND GENERATION By 1948, the invention of the transistor greatly changed the computers development. The
transistor replaced the large, cumbersome vacuum tube in televisions, radios and computers. This led to smaller, faster,
more reliable and more energy efficient second generation computers.

THIRD GENERATION Though transistors were clearly an improvement over the vacuum tube, they still generated a
great deal of heat, which damaged the computers sensitive internal parts. The quartz rock eliminated this problem.
Jack, Kilby, an engineer with Texas Instruments, developed the IC (integrated circuit) in 1958. The IC combined three
electronic components onto a small silicon disc, which was made from quartz. Scientists later managed to fit even more
components on a single chip, called a semiconductor. As a result, computers became ever smaller as more components
were squeezed onto the chip.

FOURTH GENERATION By the 1980s, very large scale integration (VLSI) squeezed hundreds of thousands of
components onto a chip. Ultra large scale integration (ULSI) increased that number into millions. The ability to fit so
much onto an area about the size of one rupee coin helped diminish the size and price of computers. It also increased
their power, efficiency and reliability.
The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971 located all the components of a computer on a chip. By the mid 1970s,
computer manufacturers sought to bring computers to general consumers. These minicomputers came complete with
user friendly software packages. Pioneers in the field were Commodore, Radio Shack and Apple computers. In 1980s,
arcade video games such as Pac man and home video game systems such as Atari 2600 ignited consumer interest.
In 1981, IBM (international Business Machine) introduced its personal computer (PC) for use in homes, offices
and schools.

FIFTH GENERATION Defining this generation is quite difficult because the field is in its infancy. The most famous
example of a fifth generation computer is the fictional HAL9000 from Arthur C. Clarkes novel, 2001: A space odyssey.
HAL performed all of the functions currently envisioned for real life fifth generation computers. With artificial
intelligence, Hal could reason well enough to hold conversations with its human operators use visual input and learn
from its own experiences. Generally, fifth generation computers aim to be able to solve highly complex problems, ones
which require reasoning, intelligence and expertise when solved by people.