Information Technology The field of engineering involving computer-based systems, and communication systems, to retrieve, store and transmit

information. Computer Computer is an electronic machine that manipulates data according to a set of instruction. OR A computer can also be defined as an electronic machine that accepts input (data), processes it and gives out results (information).

Data & Instructions Processin g

Information/Results

Storage

Characteristics of Computer Introduction: Computer is playing a main role in our everyday life. Actually a computer is a collection of hard are and software components that help you accomplish many different tasks. It is very fast speed device and it can solve the problems very quickly and precisely. The important characteristics of a computer are as under Speed Computers work at very high speed and are much faster than humans. A second is very large time period time for computer. A computer can perform billions of calculations in a second. The time used by a computer to perform an operation is called the processing speed. Accuracy Accuracy means to provide results without any error. Computers can process large amount of data and generate error-free results. A modern computer performs millions of operations in one second without anyerror. Multi Tasking It can perform a lot of task at the same time. This is known as its multi tasking feature. It is the most important feature of computer that enables you to do many tasks according to your requirement simultaneously. Storage A computer can store a large amount of data permanently. User can use this data at any time. We can store any type of data in a computer. Text, graphic, pictures, audio and video files can be stored easily. The storage capacity of the computer is increasing rapidly. Versatility Computer is versatile device. There is no any other invention instead of computer that has great impact on all fields of life like business & Commerce, Graphic designing, Agriculture, Education, Health etc.

 Automation It means performing task automatically. Once the user has given instructions to it then it can perform that task automatically e.g. downloading and printing. When we tell computer to print hundred of copies then it can do it until the last print is taken. Diligence It means that giving the degree of care required in a given situation. Like human being the computer does not tired while performing its task. It performs the operations with the same accuracy as well as speed for many hours and even days e.g. an ATM machine which performs its task with the same level 24 hr a day and even weeks. Reliability Reliability is an attribute of any system that consistently produces the same results. Computer can perform its task consistently. Now we have better hardware technologies. Therefore we have very low failure rate. In general, we say that computers are very reliable. Many personal computers are so reliable that they have never needed a service call. Convenience Computer can perform the task very easily. It provides a GUI (graphical User Interface). That provides very easiness to the users that they can perform their task conveniently. This feature is also called user friendliness. Flexibility It means that we can do all sort of work e.g. if it is used in industry then it is used as control unit. If used in hospitals it is doing some other task. Therefore this means that it can be used in every walk of life and user can benefit from it. Productivity This machine has high productivity. Which means that we can process millions of instructions per second e.g. editing and printing of documents can be done with in minutes Irrespective of human computer has great storage and retrieval power That makes it more productive than humans Quick Retrieval Data is stored on computers in secondary storage devices. The devices have large capacities. But the retrieval of data is very quick. We can search the required file with in seconds because the processing power is very high. The data is retrieved and presented to users very quickly in a specific file format. Communications Most computers today have the capability of communicating with other computers. We can connect two or more computers by a communication device such as modem. These computers can share data, instructions, and information. Various Uses of Personal Computer Introduction: There is wide variety of tasks that PCs can perform. The PCs role as a portal to the Internet and World Wide Web has had profound effects on how people conduct their lives and work, and pursue education. Home Uses In the home PCs can help balancing the family checkbooks keeping track of finances and investments, and filing taxes, as well as preserving family documents for easy access. Entertainment

PCs are also a recreational device for playing computer games, watching videos with web casting. downloading music, saving photographs, or cataloging records and books. Social Contacts /Communication Together with the Internet, PCs are a link to social contacts through electronic mail (email), text-messaging, personal Web pages, blogs, and chat groups. News PCs can also allow quick and convenient access to news and sports information on the World Wide Web, as well as consumer information. Online Shopping Shopping from home over the Internet with a PC generates billions of dollars in the economy. Increased Productivity in Business PCs can greatly improve productivity in the workplace, allowing people to collaborate on tasks from different locations and easily share documents and information. Many people with a PC at home are able to telecommute, working from home over the Internet. Virtual Working Laptop PCs with wireless connections to the Internet allow people to work in virtually any environment when away from the office. Self Employment PCs can help people to be self-employed Special software can make running a small business from home much easier. PCs can also assist artists, writers, and musicians with their creative work, or allow anyone to make their own musical mixes at home. Medical Sciences Medical care has been improved and costs have been reduced by transferring medical records into electronic form that can be accessed through PC terminals. Educations PCs have become an essential tool in education at all levels, from grammar school to university. Classrooms of all kinds commonly use PCs. Digital Libraries The Internet provide access to enormous amounts of information available on the digital libraries, some of it free and some of it available through subscription or fee. Speech Recognition Visual disabilities can be aided by speech recognition software that allows spoken commands to work a PC or for e-mail or text to be read aloud. Online Banking Banks are expanding their businesses on the internet. Through online banking the concept of any time any where banking is made possible. Customers can get their accounts information on a single click of mouse. is not limited to a specific area. Video conferencing It is technique through which two or more than two person can communicate on the internet directly. Now a day it is widely used in on line lectures and in medical field , operations are seen by doctors on remote sites. E- Government

It stands for electronic government. Various web sites of the government are developed. Through which the operation and services are provided to public online.