Computer- machine that performs a variety of tasks  Main Memory- RAM (Random Access Memory).

according to specific instructions. - is very closely connected to the processor.

- It is a data processing machine which - It is used to hold programs and data, which
accepts data via an input device and its the processor is actively working with. It is not
processor manipulates the data according to used for long term storage.
a program. - The computer’s memory is considered as
volatile storage. This means that once the
FUNCTIONALITIES OF A COMPUTER computer is turned off, all information in the
main memory is erased.
 Takes data as input.
 Stores the data/instructions in its memory and  Secondary Memory- stores data and programs
use them when required. permanently: its retained
 Processes the data and converts it into useful after the power is turned
information. off.
 Generates the output.
 Controls all the above four steps.  Hard drive (HD)- often called a "disk drive,"
Data- is a computer input "Hard drive," or "hard disk
- Raw facts and figures which can be processed drive,"
using arithmetic and logical operations to obtain - it is part of a unit that store
information and provides relatively quick
access to large amounts of data on
Information- is the output obtained after processing it, an electromagnetically charged
based on user’ s instructions. surface or set of surfaces.
 Optical Disk- an optical disc drive (ODD)
COMPUTER COMPONENTS
- is a disk drive that uses laser
 HARDWARE- refers to the physical parts or light as part of the process of
components of a computer reading or writing data to or
- all of which are physical objects that from optical discs.
can be touched.  Flash Disk- A storage module made of flash
memory chips.
 Input device- is any peripheral (piece of - have no mechanical platters or
computer hardware equipment to access arms,
provide data and control signals to - The disk storage structure is
an information processing system emulated.
such as a computer or other
information appliance.
 SOFTWARE- a program that a computer uses in
order to function.
 Keyboard- contains keys you press to enter
- It is kept on some hardware device
data into the computer. For
like a hard disk, but it itself is
security purposes, some keyboards
intangible.
include a fingerprint reader.
- The data that the computer uses can
 Mouse- is a small handheld device.
be anything that a program needs.
- you control movement of a small
- Programs acts like instructions for the
symbol on the screen, called the
processor
pointer, and you make selections from
the screen. SOFTWARE TYPES
 Microphone- allows you to speak into the
computer.  System Software- responsible for controlling,
integrating, and managing the individual
 Scanner- converts printed material (such as
hardware components of a computer system so
text and pictures) into a form the
that other software and the users of the system
computer can use.
see it as a functional unit without having to be
 Web cam- is a digital video camera that
concerned with the low-level details such as
allows you to create movies or
transferring data from memory to disk, or
take pictures and store them on
rendering text onto a display. Generally, system
the computer.
software consists of an operating system and
some fundamental utilities such as disk
 Output device- is any hardware component
formatters, file managers, display managers,
that conveys information to one
text editors, user authentication (login) and
or more people.
management tools, and networking and device
control software.
 Printer- produces text and graphics on a
physical medium such as paper.
 Monitor- displays text, graphics, and videos
on a screen.
 Speakers- allow you to hear music, voice,
and other audio (sounds)
TYPES of COMPUTERPROGRAMS Tablet Computers
- designed to be portable. However, they provide a very
1) Systems Programs- Programs that are needed to different computing experience.
keep all the hardware and software running smoothly - they don't have keyboards or touchpads. Instead, the
2) Application Programs- A program that people use to entire screen is touch-sensitive, allowing you to type
get their work done. on a virtual keyboard and use your finger as a mouse
pointer.
3)COMPILERS-The computer understands only one - are mostly designed for consuming media, and they
language: machine language. are optimized for tasks like web browsing, watching
Machine language- is in the form of ones and zeroes. videos, reading e-books, and playing games.
Since it is highly impractical for people to create Smartphones
programs out of zeroes and ones, there must be a way - is a powerful mobile phone that is designed to run a
of translating or converting a language which we variety of applications in addition to phone service.
understand into machine language, for this purpose, - They are basically small tablet computers, and they
there exists compilers can be used for web browsing, watching videos,
reading e-books, playing games and more.
COMPUTERS CLASSIFICATION
Data
Personal Computer- A small, single-user computer - Facts and figures which relay something specific, but
based on a microprocessor. which are not organized in any way, and which provide
- has a keyboard for entering data, a no further information regarding patterns, context, etc.
monitor for displaying information, - means "unstructured facts and figures that have the
and storage device for saving data. least impact on the typical manager."
Workstation- A powerful, single-user computer.
Information
- like a personal computer, but it has a
-must be contextualized, categorized, calculated, and
more powerful microprocessor and a
condensed data
higher-quality monitor.
- Information thus paints a bigger picture; it is data with
Minicomputer- A multi-user computer capable of relevance and purpose.
supporting from 10 to hundreds of - It may convey a trend in the environment, or perhaps
users simultaneously. indicate a pattern of sales for a given period of time.
- found "in answers to questions that begin with such
Supercomputer- An extremely fast computer that can words as who, what, where, when, and how many"
perform hundreds of millions of
instructions per second. Knowledge
- is closely linked to doing and implies know- how and
LAPTOP AND SMARTPHONE COMPUTERS understanding.
- possessed by each individual is a product of his
Laptop
experience, and encompasses the norms by which he
- is a battery or AC
evaluates new inputs from his surroundings
- powered personal computer that can be easily carried
and used in a variety of locations. Programming language
- designed to have all the functionality of a desktop - is a standardized communication technique for
computer, which means they can generally run the expressing instructions to a computer. Like human
same software and open the same types of files. languages, each language has its own syntax and
grammar.
Netbook - The syntax of a language specifies how programs in
- a type of laptop that is designed to be even more the language are built up.
portable. - are designed to be both higher level and general
- are often cheaper than laptops or desktops. purpose.
- They are generally less powerful than other types of - A language is higher level if it is independent of the
computers, but they provide enough power for email underlying machine. A language is general purpose if it
and internet access, which is where the name netbook" can be applied to a wide range of problem.
comes from.
Mobile Device CATEGORIES OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
- a device that basically any handheld computer. 1) High level programming language- a programming
- It is designed to be extremely portable, often fitting in language that is more user friendly, to some extent
the palm of your hand or in your pocket. platform independent, and abstract from low level
- Some mobile devices are more powerful, and they computer processor operations such as memory
allow you to do many of the same things you can do accesses.
with a desktop or laptop computer. These include
tablet computers, e-readers, and smartphones 2) Low Level Assembly Language- are similar to
machine languages, but they are much easier to
program in because they allow a programmer to
substitute names for numbers.
Note: The terms “high level” and “low level” are
inherently relative.
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE Number systems
-are systems in mathematics that are used to express
1) Problem definition numbers in various forms and are understood by
2) Problem analysis computers.
-is a system representing numbers.
3) Algorithm design and representation (Pseudocode - It is also called the system of numeration and it defines
or flowchart) a set of values to represent a quantity.
4) Coding and debugging -is defined as the representation of numbers by using
digits or other symbols in a consistent manner.
Flowchart
- It is a means of visually presenting the flow of data Number
through an information processing system. - is a mathematical value used for counting and
- is a diagrammatic representation that illustrates the measuring objects, and for performing arithmetic
sequence of operations to be performed to get the calculations.
solution of a problem. - have various categories like natural numbers, whole
- can be likened to the blueprint of a building. numbers, rational and irrational numbers, and so on.
- are generally drawn in the early stages of formulating TYPES OF NUMBER SYSTEMS
computer solutions.
- facilitate communication between programmers and  Binary number system (Base - 2)
business people.  Octal number system (Base - 8)
- play a vital role in the programming of a problem and  Decimal number system (Base - 10)
are quite helpful in understanding the logic of  Hexadecimal number system (Base - 16)
complicated and lengthy problems.

SIMPLE FLOWCHARTING SYMBOLS

Terminal
Flow Lines
Input / Output.
Process
Decision
ADVANTAGES OF USING FLOWCHARTS
[Link]: Flowcharts are better way of
communicating the logic of a system to all concerned.
[Link] analysis: With the help of flowchart,
problem can be analyzed in more effective way.
[Link] documentation: Program flowcharts serve as a
good program documentation, which is needed for
various purposes.
[Link] Coding: The flowcharts act as a guide or
blueprint during the systems analysis and program
development phase.
[Link] Debugging: The flowchart helps in debugging
process.
[Link] Program Maintenance: The maintenance of
operating program becomes easy with the help of
flowchart.
LIMITATIONS OF USING FLOWCHARTS
1.1. Complex logic: Sometimes, the program logic is
quite complicated. In that case, flowchart becomes
complex and clumsy.
2.2. Alterations and Modifications: If alterations are
required the flowchart may require re-drawing
completely.
3.3. Reproduction: As the flowchart symbols cannot be
typed, reproduction of flowchart becomes a problem.
4.4. The essentials of what is done can easily be lost in
the technical details of how it is done.