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LEARNING AREA 2 – COMPUTER SYSTEMS

System Concept (2.1)

Overview of Computer Systems (2.1.1)

Define computer systems (2.1.1.1)

A Computer System is defined as combination of component designed for

input , process, output and store data.

State the meaning of input, process, output and storage (2.1.1.2)

Input:
Any data or instructions entered into the memory of a computer. There
are four types of input: text, graphics, audio and video.
Example of devices:
Keyboard, mouse, digital camera, joystick, trackball, touch screen,
microphone, pointing
stick, graphic tablet and scanner, barcode reader.

Process:
Performs operations on the data and transform it into information
Example of devices:
CPU or Central Processing Unit/ Processor/ Microprocessor such as
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor, AMD Athlon

Output:
The result of raw input data that has been processed by the Central
Processing Unit (CPU)
Example of devices:
Speaker, monitor, LCD projector, printer and plotter.

Storage:
A location in which data, instructions, and information are saved for future
use.
Example of devices:
CDROM, diskette, hard disk, flash disk.

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Describe the information processing cycle which includes input,

process, output and storage (2.1.1.3)

Input Process Output

Storage

Computer processes data (input) into information (output). A computer

often hold data, information and instructions in storage for future use.

The Information processing cycle is best described as below:

User will input the data using input devices.

Data will be processed by the processor.
The output devices present the processed data,
The storage holds data, files & instruction to be retrieved for future use.

Exta Info:
MACHINE CYCLE

FETCHING

STORING DECODING

EXECUTING

The processing unit (CPU) controls all activities within the system. For
every instruction, the control unit repeats a set of four basic operations
called the machine cycle:

FETCHING : the process of obtaining a program instruction or data item

from memory
DECODING : the process of translating a program instruction into signal
that the
computer can execute
EXECUTING : the process of implementing the instructions in a program
STORING : the process of writing the result to the storage or memory

Data Representation (2.1.2)

Data representation is the manner in which data is expressed symbolically

by the binary digit in the computer

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State the relationship of data representation: bit, byte and

character (2.1.2.1)

BIT : Bit is a short for binary digit. A bit is represented by the

numbers 1 and 0.
BYTE : Byte is a unit of information built from bits. One byte is
equals to 8 bits.
CHARACTER : One byte represents one character such as A, 7, 9, %, $
and +. Eight bits that are grouped together as a unit.

The relationship of data can be as follow:

1 bit = 0 or 1
1 byte = 8 bits
1 character = 1 byte

Introduction to Binary Coding (2.1.3)

Binary coding is a computer code that uses the binary number system.
Numbers and letters are translated into signals that a computer reads as
sequences of 0’s and 1’s called binary digits

Explain the function of ASCII code (2.1.3.1)

ASCII can be pronounced as "ask-key". It stands for the American

Standard Code for Information Interchange. ASCII is a standard of 7-bit
code

The function of ASCII is used

• to represent characters such as letters, numbers and punctuation
marks.
• to let human communicate with digital computer that use binary
signal.

Data Measurements (2.1.4)

State the unit of data measurement (2.1.4.1)

1 Bit 1 bit = 1 or 0 (Single Binary Digit)

2 Byte 1 Byte = 8 bits
3 Kilobyte (KB) 1 KB = 1024 bytes
4 Megabyte 1 MB = 1024 KB
5 Gigabyte 1 GB = 1024 MB
6 Terabyte (TB) 1 TB = 1024 GB

Additional notes: A petabyte (PB) is 1,024TB. Indiana University is now

building storage systems capable of holding petabytes of data. An
exabyte (EB) is 1,024PB. A zettabyte (ZB) is 1,024EB. Finally, a
yottabyte (YB) is 1,024ZB.

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Clock Speed Measurement (2.1.5)

Clock speed is the rate at which a processor can complete a processing

cycle

State the units of clock speed measurement (2.1.5.1)

There are two clock speeds, Megahertz(MHz) and Gigahertz (GHz)

Megahertz (MHz)

Mega is a prefix that stands for million. Thus, megahertz (MHz) equals to
one million cycles of the system clock

Gigahertz (GHz)

Giga is a prefix that stands for billion. Gigahertz (GHz) equals to one billion
cycles of the system clock. In relation with megahertz, 1.0 GHz is
equivalent to 1000 MHz.

The clock speed unit is measured in hertz.

1 Hertz

2 Megahertz(MHz)

3 Gigahertz(GHz)

HARDWARE (2.2)

Hardware is the physical aspect of the computer, telecommunication and

other devices

Input Device (2.2.1)

Any hardware component that allows users to enter data and instruction
into a computer.

Identify the input devices used for text, graphic, audio and video
(2.2.1.1)

TYPES OF INPUT EXAMPLE OF INPUT DEVICES

Text Keyboard, barcode reader
Graphics Digital camera, scanner, graphic tablet
Microphone, MIDI keyboard, digital
Audio
voice recorder pen
Video Digital video camera, webcam, CCTV

Output Devices (2.2.2)

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Any hardware that is capable of delivering or showing information to one

or more user. An output device shows, prints and presents the result of a
computer’s work.

Identify the output devices used for text, graphic, audio and video.
(2.2.2.1)

TYPES OF INPUT EXAMPLE OF OUTPUT DEVICES

Text Screen (monitor), printer, plotter
Graphics Screen (monitor),printer, plotter
Audio Speaker, headphone
Video LCD projector, screen (monitor)

Motherboard (2.2.3)

Motherboard is the main circuit board in a computer. Each motherboard

has a collection of chips and controllers known as chipsets.

Identify the location of the central processing unit (CPU),

expansion slots, expansion cards, RAM slots, portsExpansion
and card
connectors on the motherboard.( 2.2.3.1)

Expansion slot
RAM slot

CPU slot

Ports

Audio
port

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PS2 Serial Parallel Firewi USB LAN

port port port report port port
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COMPONENT FUNCTION
Central Processing Unit • interpret and carries out basic
instructions
• perform calculations and
comparisons
• make logical decisions
• store information temporarily for
use by another of the CPU's
processing units
• keep track of the current step in
the execution of the program
• communicate with the rest of the
computer.

Expansion Slot An expansion slot is an opening in a

computer where a circuit board can be
inserted to add new capabilities to the
computer like upgrading the quality of
the PC's graphics and sound, connection
to a local network, etc.
Expansion Card Expansion cards are electronic circuits
used to add some of the basic functions
of the system, including memory, hard
disk and floppy disk, display, modems,
serial ports, parallel ports, and even the
clock and calendar function of the Pc
RAM Slot The slot where the computer memory,
also called as RAM is placed on the
computer’s motherboard.
Port and Connector A port is the point at which a peripheral
attaches to a system unit so that the
peripheral can send data to or receive
information from the computer.

A connector is a device that joins a cable

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to a peripheral

TYPE OF PORT FUNCTIONS

Serial Port Connect modem and previous
version of printer
Parallel Port Connect printer
USB Port Printer, external hard disk, mouse,
scanner
Firewire Port Require faster data transmission

Storage (2.2.4)

Explain types and function of: (2.2.4.1)

• Primary Storage (RAM , ROM)
• Secondary Storage (Magnetic Medium, Optical Medium and Flash
Memory)

Primary storage is the area in the computer in which data is stored for
quick access by the computer’s processor. It is also known as main
storage or memory.

There are two types of Primary storage; RAM and ROM

PRIMARY STORAGE FUNCTION

RAM o RAM is volatile, which means the program and
data will be lost when the computer is turned off.
o Data from RAM can be read or retrieved and
written or stored during processing
o It stores instruction and information about
programs it is currently running
ROM o ROM is non-volatile which means is holds the
programs and data even when computer is
turned off.
o data from ROM can just be read only.
o Contains permanently stored data from the
manufacturer

Secondary storage refers to storage devices and storage media that are
not always directly accessible by a computer. It is an alternative storage
to store programs and data for future use.

There are three types of secondary storage; magnetic medium, optical

medium and flash memory

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TYPE OF FUNCTION EXAMPLE

MEDIUM
Magnetic Medium is a non- Magnetic disk: floppy
volatile storage medium that disk, hard disk,
Magnetic utilizes magnetic patterns to magnetic tape; video
Medium represent information. cassette, audio
storage reel-to-reel
tape
Optical Medium is a non-volatile CD, CD-ROM, and DVD
Optical
storage media that holds CD-R
Medium
content in digital form that are CD-RW, DVD-RW, and
written and read by a laser. DVD-RAM
Flash Memory is non-volatile, Memory card, Flash
Flash Memory rewritable memory that drive
functions like RAM and a hard
disk drive combined.

Software (2.3)
Operating System (OS) ( 2.3.1)

An operating system is a set of programs that coordinates all the activities

among computer hardware devices. It provides an interface for users to
communicate with the computer and other software.

State the various types of OS used on different platforms (2.3.1.1)

Platform Operating System

• PC and IBM compatible • Microsoft DOS
• Microsoft Windows XP
• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Microsoft Windows 7
• Linux
• Free BSD
• TinyOS
• Mac –Macintosh (Apple) • Mac OS
• Mac OS X
• Mac OS X Leopard
• Mac OS X Snow Leopard

Types of OS
• Stand alone operating system

o Eg: Windows XP, Vista, Mac OS, Linux, DOS

• Network Operating System

o an operating system that includes special functions for

connecting computers and devices into a local-area network
(LAN).

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o Eg: Windows NT, Windows Server 2000, Linux, UNIX, Solaris

• Embedded Operating System

o An embedded operating system is an operating system for

embedded computer systems. very compact and efficient.

o Examples of embedded operating systems could include the

software used in Automated Teller Machines, Cash Registers,
CCTV systems, a TV box set, a GPS, jukeboxes, missiles, etc

State the functions of OS (2.3.1.2)

• Starting a computer (booting)

• User Interface

o how the user interacts with the computer to perform various

tasks

o User runs the application programs, opens the document,

enters the data, prints the output reports etc

• Managing program

o Some operating systems have single user functionality and

can support only one user at a time.

o The operating systems can perform multi tasking, multi

programming and multiprocessing.

• Managing memory

o Allocating data and instruction to an area of memory while

being processed

o Monitoring the contents of memory

• Configuring devices

o The functions of devices attached with the computer are

controlled by the special system software called device
drivers.

o The device driver tells the operating system how to

communicate with a device.

o Each device has its own device driver.

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State the different interfaces of OS (2.3.1.3)

• There are three main types of user interfaces. These are: command-
line user interface, graphical user interface and menu driven
interface.

o Command-line User Interface

 The command is typed manually from keyboard to
perform a specific task.
 The command typed must follow the specific rules
and syntax.
 difficult to use, not user friendly
 example: DOS .
o Graphical User Interface (GUI)
 the operating system provides graphical images on the
computer screen,
 known as icons or command buttons and represent
objects.
 The user clicks the icon to open the document or to
execute the command.
 The GUI is very easy to interact with the computer.
 Example: Microsoft Windows operating system .
o Menu Driven Interface
 Shows all the option available at a given point in a
form of text- based menu.
 Easy to learn.
 Enable user to avoid memorizing keyword and syntax.
 Allow the user to navigate using the mouse.

Application Software (2.3.2)

Application software is any software design to perform a specific function
or task directly for the user.

State the types of application software (2.3.2.1)

Describe the uses of application software (2.3.2.2)

Types of Uses / function Examples

software
Word Processing • Allows user to create and MS-Word, WordPad,
manipulate documents Notepad
containing mostly text and
sometimes graphics.
Spreadsheet • Allows users to perform Excel, Lotus 1-2-3
calculations. and Apple Numbers
• They simulate paper
worksheets by displaying

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multiple cells that make up a

grid.
Presentation • To create visual aid for Microsoft
presentation to communicate PowerPoint, Flash,
idea, messages and other Open Office
information. Impress, Apple
• The software perform Keynote
three functions:

o EditingText and
o Inserting
graphics
o formatting

Graphic • Allows users to work with Adobe Photoshop

drawing, photos and pictures. Adobe Ilustrator
• Provides the users the Corel Draw
ability of creating, GIMP
manipulating and printing Ulead Photo Impact
graphics.

Utility Program (2.3.3)

Utility Program is a type of system software that allows a user to perform
maintenance-type task usually related to managing computer, its devices
or its program.
Some examples of utility programs include:
• Virus scanning software
• Backup software
• Scandisk
• Disk defragmenter

Differentiate between the types and usage of utility programmes

(files management, diagnostic and file compression). (2.3.3.1)

Utility Program Usage Examples

File management • Perform functions related to Windows
files and disk management Explorer
• Ex: copy, move, rename or
delete files
Diagnostic Utility • Diagnostic or troubleshooting Norton utilities
utility
• compiles technical information
about a computer’s hardware
and certain system software
programs
• prepares a report outlining
any identified problems
File Compression • System software used to WinZip,
WinRar, PKZip

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shrink the size of files

Antivirus • A program that protects a Norton
computer against viruses by Antivirus,
identifying and removing any Kaspersky,
computer viruses found in a AntiVir, AVG
memory, storage media or
incoming files.
Defragmenter • Utility program that Norton Speed
reorganises files and unused Disk, Disk
space on a computer hard disk Defragmenter

Proprietary and Open Source Software (2.3.4)

Proprietary Software
• Company that developed that software owns the software

• No one may duplicate or distribute without the companies

permission

• Users have to purchase the license to use the software

• Examples: Microsoft Office 2010, Adobe Photoshop CS3, and

Windows 7

Open Source Software

• Software provided for use, modification and redistribution
• Provide the original source code so that advanced users can modify
it

• Examples: LINUX, GIMP, Blender, Mozilla Firefox, and OpenOffice.org

Differentiate between proprietary and open source software

(2.3.4.1)
Open Source Aspects Proprietary Software
Software
Purchased with its Source Purchased without its source
source code code code
User can get open Cost User must pay to get the
software for free of proprietary software
charge
Users can modify the Modificatio Users cannot modify the
software n software
Users can install Installation User must have a license form
software freely into vendor before install into
any computer computer
No one is responsible Support Full support from vendor if
to the software anything happened to the
software

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