HANDOUT ON INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER APPLICATION

Definition of a computer,
A computer is an electronic device that accepts Data inform of input, processes the Data
and gives you output in a desired form.

It performs the following three operations in sequence.

1. It receives data & instructions from the input device.

2. Processes the data as per instructions.
3. Provides the result (output) in a desired form.
Data : It is the collection of raw facts, figures & symbols. Ex : Names of students and
their marks in different subjects listed in random order.

Information : It is the data that is processed & presented in an organized manner. Ex :

When the names of students are arranged in alphabetical order, total and average marks
are calculated & presented in a tabular form, it is information.

Program : Set of instructions that enables a computer to perform a given task.

Advantages of computers :

1. High speed: Computers have the ability to perform routine tasks at a greater
speed than human beings. They can perform millions of calculations in seconds.

2. Accuracy: Computers are used to perform tasks in a way that ensures accuracy.

3. Storage: Computers can store large amount of information. Any item of data or
any instruction stored in the memory can be retrieved by the computer at lightning
speeds.

4. Automation: Computers can be instructed to perform complex tasks

automatically ( which increases the productivity).

5. Diligence: Computers can perform the same task repeatedly & with the same
accuracy without getting tired.

6. Versatility: Computers are flexible to perform both simple and complex tasks.

7. Cost effectiveness: Computers reduce the amount of paper work and human
effort, thereby reducing costs.

Disadvantages of computers:

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1. Computers need clear & complete instructions to perform a task accurately. If the
instructions are not clear & complete, the computer will not produce the required
result.

2. Computers cannot think.

3. Computers cannot learn by experience.
4. Computers are addictive
5. Computers can causes eye strain and back disorders
6. Computer are prone to hackers and viruses
Generations of computers :

ANATOMY OF COMPUTERS

The computer system consists of three units:

1. Input device 2. Central Processing Unit (CPU) 3. Output device Block

diagram of a Computer :

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The various functions of these units can be summarized as:

Unit Function

[Link] device : Reads information from input media and

enters to the computer in a coded form

2. CPU
(a) Memory unit : Stores program and data

(b) Arithmetic Logic unit : Performs arithmetic and logical functions

(c) Control Unit : Interprets program instructions and controls

the input and output devices

3. Output device : decodes information and presents it to the user

Central Processing Unit:

It is the part of the computer that carries out the instructions of a computer
program. It is the unit that reads and executes program instructions. Hence it is
known as the―brain‖ of the computer. The CPU consists of storage or memory
unit, Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and control unit.
(a). Memory Unit: It is also known as the primary storage or main memory. It stores
data, program instructions, internal results and final output temporarily before it is sent to
an appropriate output device. It consists of thousands of cells called ―storage locations‖.
These cells activate with ―off-on‖ or binary digits(0,1) mechanism. Thus a character
either a letter or numerical digit is stored as a string of (0,1) Binary digits ( BITS). These
bits are used to store instructions and data by their combinations.

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(b) Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU): It is the unit where all Arithmetic operations
(addition, subtraction etc.) and logical functions such as true or false, male or female are
performed. Once data are fed into the main memory from input devices, they are held
and transferred as needed to ALU where processing takes place. No process occurs in
primary storage. Intermediate generated results in ALU are temporarily placed in
memory until needed at later time. Data may move from primary memory to ALU and
back again to storage many times before the process is finalized.
(c).Control Unit: It acts as a central nervous system and ensures that the information is
stored correctly and the program instructions are followed in proper sequence as well as
the data are selected from the memory as necessary. It also coordinates all the input and
output devices of a system .
Input Devices

Devices used to provide data and instructions to the computer are called
Input devices. Some important input devices are
Key board, Mouse, Scanner, MICR, Web camera, Microphone etc.
1. Keyboard: The Key board is used for typing text into the computer. It is also known as
standard Input device. A computer keyboard is similar to that of a type writer with additional
keys. The most commonly available computer keyboard has 104 keys. There are different
types of keys on the keyboard. The keys are categorized as : Alphanumeric keys , including
letters & numbers. Punctuation keys, such as colon (:), semicolon (;) Question mark (?),
Single & double quotes (‗,‖) Special keys such as arrow keys, control keys, function keys (F1
to F12), HOME, END etc.

2.. Mouse: It is a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a monitor. A mouse will
have 2 buttons on its top. The left button is the most frequently used button. There will be a
wheel between the left and right buttons.

This wheel enables us to smoothly scroll through screens of information. As we move the
mouse, the pointer on the monitor moves in the same direction. Optical mouse is another
advanced pointing device that uses a light emitting component instead of the mouse ball.
Mouse cannot be used for entering the data. It is only useful to select the options on the
screen.

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3. Scanner: It is an input device that can read text or illustrations printed on paper and
translate into digital form. The main advantage of these scanners is that the data need not be
entered separately resulting in saving lot of time.

Scanners are of two types: i) optical scanners ii) MICR

i) Optical scanners:

a. Optical character Recognition (OCR): In this, characters are read with the help of a
light. This is used in office atomization, documentation in library etc.

b. Optical mark recognition (OMR): It is a technology where an OMR device senses

the presence or absence of a mark such as a pencil mark. OMR is used in tests such as
aptitude tests.

c. Optical barcode recognition (OBCR): Barcode readers are photoelectric scanners

that read the barcodes or vertical zebra striped marks printed on product containers. This is
used in super markets, book shops etc. ii. MICR:
This is widely used in banks to process the cheques. This allows the computer to recognize
characters printed using magnetic ink.

4. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition(MICR): : It is a character recognition technology

used primarily by the banking industry to facilitate the processing of the cheques. MICR
characters ( cheque No., [Link]) are printed in special ink usually containing iron oxide.
When a document that contains the ink needs to be read, it passes through a machine which
magnetizes the ink and there will be a reader sorter unit which translates the magnetic
information into characters. MICR provides a secure, high speed of scanning and processing
information. It scans about 2600 cheques/min.

Output devices

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Any device that is capable of representing information on a computer is called an Output
device. Output devices receive information from the CPU and present it to the user in the
desired form.

Some important Output devices are : Monitor, Printer

1 .Terminal/Monitor: It is similar to TV screen- either a monochrome

(black & white) or colour – and it displays the output. It is also referred as Visual Display
Unit(VDU). Several types of monitors are in use. Some of them are Colour Graphic
Adapter(CGA), Enhanced Graphics Adaptor(EGA) , Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) and
Super Video Graphics Adapter (SVGA).

The screen sizes differ from system to system. The standard size is 24 lines by 80 characters.
Most systems have provision for scrolling which helps in moving the text vertically or
horizontally on the screen.

2 . Printer: A printer is used to transfer data from a computer onto paper.

The paper copy obtained from a printer is often referred as ―printout‖.

The different printers and their speeds are as follows:

( CPS: Characters Per Second; PPM: Pages Per Minutes; LPM : Lines Per

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Minute)

MEMORY OF THE COMPUTER

Memory or storage capacity is one of the important components of a computer. Any storage
unit of a computer system is classified on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Access time: This is the time required to locate and retrieve stored data from the storage
unit in response to program instructions.

2. Storage capacity: It is the amount of data that can be stored in the storage unit.
3. Cost per bit of storage.
Units of memory: The computer stores a character in the storage cells with binary (0,1)
mechanism.

Thus the basic unit of memory is a bit (binary digit – 0,1). To store a character, a computer
requires 8 bits or 1 byte. This is called the ― word length‖ of the storage unit. Hence the
storage capacity of the computer is measured in the number of words it can store and is
expressed in terms of bytes. The different units of measurement are.

Conversion :

ASCII – American Standard Code for Information Interchange. This code has given alphabets
like some numbers which can be converted to Binary form. A- 65 …….Z – 90 and a – 97
………. z – 121

By using these codes the alphabets can be converted to digital & hence to Binary form. Types
of Memory : A computer memory is of two types

1. Primary Memory ( Internal storage) 2. Secondary Memory ( External

storage)

Primary Memory :

Primary memory is also called internal memory and is an important part of a computer. It
is the main area in a computer where the data is stored. The stored data can be recalled
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instantly and correctly whenever desired. This memory can be quickly accessed by the CPU
for reading or storing information. Primary memory is further classified into two types:
Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read- Only Memory (ROM ) RAM:
RAM is also known as read/write memory as information can be read from and written
onto it. RAM is a place in a computer that holds instructions for the computer, its
programs and the data. The CPU can directly access the data from RAM almost
immediately. However, the storage of data and instructions in RAM is temporary, till
the time the computer is running. It disappears from RAM as soon as the power to the
computer is switched off. i.e it is volatile memory.

ROM:

It is called Read-only memory as information can only be read from and not written or
changed onto ROM. ROM is the ‗built-in‘ memory of a computer.

It stores some basic input – output instructions put by the manufacturer to operate the
computer. The storage of data and instructions in ROM is permanent. It does not depend on
the power supply. i.e it is non-volatile memory.

Secondary memory:

The primary memory which is faster (and hence expensive) is generally not sufficient for
large storage of data. As a result, additional memory, called the ―auxiliary storage or
―secondary memory is used. It is also referred as ―backup storage as it is used to store
large volume of data on a permanent basis which can be transferred to the primary memory
whenever required for processing. Data are stored in secondary storage in the same binary
codes as in the main (primary memory) storage. Some of the devices of secondary storages
are Floppy Disk, Hard Disk, CD-ROM, DVD and Flash drive.

1. Floppy Disk:
It is also referred as ―Diskette: and is made of flexible Vinyl material. It has a small
hole on one side called ―Right protect notch‖, which protects accidental
writing/deleting the information from the disk. There is a hole in the centre through
which the spindle of drive unit rotates the disk.

The disks are available in two sizes of 5.25 and 3.5 inches and these could be either
low density or high-density floppies. Storage capacity of floppies are measured in
kilobytes (KB) and megabytes (MB). The details about the storage capacities of the
floppies are presented below:

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 2. Hard Disk:
The hard disk can hold more information than the floppy disk and the retrieval of
information from hard disk is faster when compared to floppies or tapes. A hard disk is
fixed inside the CPU and its capacity ranges from 20 MB onwards.

The hard disk is made up of a collection of discs (one below the other) known as
platters on which the data is recorded. These platters are coated with magnetic
material.

It is less sensitive to external environmental disorders and hence the storage in hard
disk is safe. A small hard disk might be as much as 25 times larger than a floppy disk.
Storage Capacity of hard disks varies from 20 MB to several Gega bytes like 80GB,
160GB.

3. CD-ROM:
CD-ROM stands for Compact Disk–Read Only Memory. It is used to store a wide
variety of information. Its main advantage is that it is portable and can hold a large
amount of data.. The storage capacity of most CD-ROMs is approximately 650 MB or
700 MB. CD-ROMs have the following variations:

(i) CD-R(Compact disc Recordable): Data can be written onto it just once. The
stored data can be read. Data once written onto it cannot be erased.
(ii) CD-RW(Compact disc Rewritable): It is also called erasable CD. Data once
written onto it can be erased to write or record new information many [Link] use a
CD-ROM, a device called CD drive is needed.
4. DVD:
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc. It is similar to a CD-ROM, except that it can
store Larger amounts of data. The storage capacity of a DVD is at least 4.7MB. DVDs
that can store up to 17GBs are also available. Because of their capacity, DVDs are
generally used to store a very large multimedia presentations and movies that combine
high quality sound and graphics.
5. Flash Drive:
It is a small, portable device that can be used to store, access and transfer data. Due
to its small size, it is commonly called Pen drive. It is also called USB drive. We can
read, write, copy, delete, and move data from computer to pen drive or pen drive to
computer. It comes in various storage capacities of 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB etc. It is
popular because it is easy to use and small enough to be carried in a pocket. This
device is plugged into the USB port of the computer and the computer automatically
detects this device.
HARDWARE and SOFTWARE

Hardware:
The physical components of the computer are known as Hardware. It refers to the
objects that we can actually touch.
Ex: input and output devices, processors, circuits and the cables.
Software:
Software is a program or set of instructions that causes the Hardware to function in a
desired way. The basic difference between the Hardware and Software is just the same

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 as that exists between TV and TV studio. Without TV studio (software) from where
the programs are telecast, the TV (Hardware) is a dead machine.
There are five categories of software. They are:
1. Operating System 2. Translators 3. Utility programs 4. Application programs 5.
General purpose programs
Operating System (OS): The software that manages the resources of a computer
system and schedules its operation is called Operating system. The operating system
acts as interface between the hardware and the user programs and facilitates the
execution of programs.
Generally the OS acts as an interface between the user and the Hardware of the
computer. I.e. it is a bridge between the user and the Hardware.

The User interface provided by the OS can be character based or graphical.

CUI -- Character user Interface GUI --
Graphical user Interface

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 CUI:
It is operated with keyboard only. Ex: MS-DOS, UNIX
GUI:
The system can be operated with mouse and keyboard. Ex: Windows 95, Windows XP etc.
Disk Operating System (DOS): It was developed as early as 1980 by Bill Gates at the age
of 19.

It is suited for personal computers. Dos is a single user and single task operating system
WINDOWS:

It works with DOS and it supports single user and multitask system.

It Requires a powerful PC with a minimum RAM of 8 MB.

UNIX AND XENIX: It is suited for multi-user and multi-task system

Translators:
Computers can understand instructions only when they are written in their own Language
– the machine language. Therefore, a program written in any other language should be
translated into machine language.

The software that ―translates the instructions of different languages is known as

translators.

There are two types of translators. They are compilers and

Interpreters
A Compiler checks the entire user – written program (known as the source program) and if
it is error free, produces a complete program in machine language (known as object
program).

The source program is retained for possible modifications and corrections and the object
program is loaded into the Computer for execution.

If the source program contains errors, the compilers produce a list of errors at the end of the
execution of the program. i.e a compiler translates the whole program before execution.

An interpreter does a similar job but in a different style. The interpreter translates one
statement at a time and if it is error – free, executes. This continues till the last statement.
Thus an interpreter translates or executes the first instruction before it goes to the second,
while a compiler translates the whole program before execution.

The major difference between compiler and interpreter is

1. Error correction is very much simpler in the case of interpreter as it translates the
statements in stages. The compiler produces an error list of the entire program at the end.
2. Interpreter takes more time for the execution of the program compared to compilers
as it translates one statement at a time.
Programming Languages:

There are three types of programming languages.

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 1. Machine Languages: Computers respond only to machine language. This language
is in terms of binary codes (0,1). i.e. all programs should be written with these codes, which
is difficult, time consuming and leading to errors while writing the programs. There is no
unique standard machine language. Rather there are many machine languages. These are
machine dependent.
These are referred as the first generation languages.
2. Assembly Languages : It uses mnemonic codes rather than numeric codes (as in
machine languages). Ex. Add or A is used as a symbol for addition. It requires
translators to convert into machine la nguage. Like machine language, writing program
in assembly language is also time consuming. These are also machine dependent.
3. High Level Languages (HLL): These are referred as problem oriented languages
(POL). These are referred as third generation languages. The advantages of these
languages are
The high level languages are convenient for writing programs as they can be written
without any codes. These languages follow rules like ―English‖ language. Because of their
English like nature, less time is required to write a program.

They are machine independent. A program written in any HLL can be run on computers of
different types without any modifications.
Several High Level Languages which are in common use:

FORTRAN: Formula Translation

COBOL: Common Business Oriented Language

BASIC: Beginner‘s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction

Code

PROLOG: Programming in Logic

ALGOL: Algorithmic Language

3. Utility Programs: These are pre-written programs supplied by the manufacturer for
maintaining day to day activities of computer system. Example: COPY, SORT, MAILING,
virus scanning software etc.,
4. Application Programs: These are user written programs to do a specific job which
can be changed to meet the individual needs. These programs are written in different
languages such as BASIC or C or by using database packages like dBASE, Oracle.
Example: Payroll, Billing, Railway Reservation etc.
5. General Purpose Packages: These packages are developed to suit the needs of
research workers / scientists in different fields. These packages are categorized as:
i) Data Analysis ii) Word Processing iii) Spread Sheet iv) Graphics and v) Databases

Data Analysis
Ex: SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science), MSTAT,
MICROSTAT, GENSTAT, SAS etc.
Word Processing
Ex: WORD PERFECT, WORDSTAR, MS-Word, CHIRATOR, NORTON EDITOR etc.
Spread Sheet

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 Ex: LOTUS, Qpro, VP-PLANNER, SYMPHONY, MS-Excel etc.
Graphics
Ex: LOTUS, STORY-BOARD, POWER-POINT etc.

Databases
Ex: dBASE, FOX-BASE, FOX-PRO, ORACLE, MS-Access etc.
Functions of Operating System:
Today most operating systems perform the following important functions:

1. Processor management: It manages the assignment of processor to different tasks being

performed by the computer system.
2. Memory management: It manages the allocation of main memory and other storage
areas to the system programmes as well as user programmes and data.
3. Input / Output management: It manages the co-ordination and assignment of different
Input and Output devices while one or more programmes are executed.
4. File management: It allows all files to be easily changed and modified through the use
of text editors or some other file manipulation routines.
5. Establishment and enforcement of a priority system: It determines and maintains the
order in which jobs are to be executed in the computer system.
6. Interpretation of commands and instructions.
7. Facilitates easy communication between the computer system and the computer
operator.

Classification of Computers
Computers are classified according to the storage capacity, speed and the purpose for which
they are developed. These can be classified into three types:
1. Analog Computes 2. Digital Computers 3. Hybrid Computers
1. Analog computers: They operate by ―measuring‖ instead of ―counting‖. The
name (derived from Greek word analogy) denotes that the computer functions by
establishing similarities between the two quantities. They are powerful tools for solving
differential equations.
2. Digital Computers: These computers operate by ―counting‖. All quantities are
expressed as discrete digits or numbers. These are useful for evaluating arithmetic
expressions and manipulations of data.
3. Hybrid Computers: Computers which combine the features of analog and digital
computers are known as Hybrid computers. A majority of the computers that are in use are
digital. These computers were essentially developed for computations. Later, the
developments in the computers led to the use of digital computers in variety of
applications. Depending on the use of applications, the digital computers are classified into
1) Special Purpose Computers and 2) General Purpose Computers
1. Special Purpose Computers:
These are developed with a specific purpose. Some of the areas where these computers
are being used are – soil testing, drip irrigation, medical scanning, traffic signals,
spacecraft, rocket technology etc.,
2. General Purpose Computers: These are developed to meet the requirements of several
areas such as simulation, solving mathematical equations, payroll and personnel database. These

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 computers are available in different sizes and capabilities and are further classified (based on
memory, speed, storage) as follows.

a) Super Computers b) Mainframe Computers c) Mini Computers d)

Micro Computers
a) Super Computers: These have extremely large storage capacities and computing speeds
which are atleast 10 times faster than other computers. These are used for large scale numerical
problems in scientific and engineering disciplines such as electronics, weather forecasting etc.,.
The first super computer was developed in U.S.A. by CRAY computers. In India the indigenous
super computer was developed under the name Param.

b) Mainframe Computers: They also have large storage and high computing speed (but
relatively lower than the super computers). They are used in applications like weather forecasting,
space applications etc., they support a large number of terminals for use by a variety of users
simultaneously, but are expensive

c) Mini Computers: It is a medium sized computer with moderate cost, available

indigenously and used for large volume applications. It can serve multi-user simultaneously.

d) Micro Computers: A microcomputer is the smallest general purpose processing system.

e) Micro computers are also referred as ―personal computers (PC). These are self-contained
units and usually developed for use by one person at a time but can be linked to very large
systems. They are cheap, easy to use even at homes and can be read for variety of applications
from small to medium range. These are available in three models:

1. PC : Personal Computer
2. PC-XT : PC with Extended Technology
3. PC-AT : PC with Advanced Technology

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