What is Computer : Computer is an electronic device that is designed to work

with Information. The term computer is derived from the Latin term ‘computare’, this means
to calculate or programmable machine. Computer can not do anything without a
Program. It represents the decimal numbers through a string of binary digits. The Word
‘Computer’ usually refers to the Center Processor Unit plus Internal memory.
Charles Babbage is called the “Grand Father” of the computer. The First mechanical
computer designed by Charles Babbage was called Analytical Engine. It uses read-
only memory in the form of punch cards.
The computer is an electronic device that takes input from the user and processes these
data under the control of a set of instructions (called program) and gives the result (output)
and saves future use. It can process both numerical and non-numerical (arithmetic and
logical) calculations.

Digital Computer
Definition

The basic components of a modern digital computer are: Input Device, Output Device,
Central Processor Unit (CPU), mass storage device and memory. A Typical modern
computer uses LSI Chips. Four Functions about computer are:

Accepts data Input

Processes data Processing

Produces output
Output

Stores results Storage

Input (Data):
Input is the raw information entered into a computer from the input devices. It is the
collection of letters, numbers, images etc.

Process:

Process is the operation of data as per given instruction. It is totally internal process of the
computer system.
Output:
Output is the processed data given by computer after data processing. Output is also called
as Result. We can save these results in the storage devices for the future use.
Block Diagram of Computer and Explain its Various Components

A computer can process data, pictures, sound and graphics. They can solve highly
complicated problems quickly and accurately. A computer as shown in Fig. performs
basically five major computer operations or functions irrespective of their size and make.
These are
1) it accepts data or instructions by way of input,
2) it stores data,
3) it can process data as required by the user,
4) it gives results in the form of output, and
5) it controls all operations inside a computer.
We discuss below each of these Computer operation

1. Input: This is the process of entering data and programs in to the computer system. You
should know that computer is an electronic machine like any other machine which takes as
inputs raw data and performs some processing giving out processed data. Therefore, the
input unit takes data from us to the computer in an organized manner for processing.

2. Storage: The process of saving data and instructions permanently is known as storage.
Data has to be fed into the system before the actual processing starts. It is because the
processing speed of Central Processing Unit (CPU) is so fast that the data has to be
provided to CPU with the same speed. Therefore the data is first stored in the storage unit
for faster access and processing. This storage unit or the primary storage of the computer
system is designed to do the above functionality. It provides space for storing data and
instructions.

The storage unit performs the following major functions:

• All data and instructions are stored here before and after processing.
• Intermediate results of processing are also stored here.
3. Processing: The task of performing operations like arithmetic and logical operations is
called processing. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) takes data and instructions from the
storage unit and makes all sorts of calculations based on the instructions given and the type
of data provided. It is then sent back to the storage unit.
4. Output: This is the process of producing results from the data for getting
useful information. Similarly the output produced by the computer after processing must
also be kept somewhere inside the computer before being given to you in human readable
form. Again the output is also stored inside the computer for further processing.
5. Control: The manner how instructions are executed and the above operations are
performed. Controlling of all operations like input, processing and output are performed
by control unit. It takes care of step by step processing of all operations inside the
computer.
Functional Units

In order to carry out the operations mentioned in the previous section the computer
allocates the task between its various functional units. The computer system is divided into
three separate units for its operation. They are
Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU)

Logical Unit :After you enter data through the input device it is stored in the primary
storage unit. The actual processing of the data and instruction are performed by Arithmetic
Logical Unit. The major operations performed by the ALU are addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, logic and comparison. Data is transferred to ALU from storage unit
when required. After processing the output is returned back to storage unit for further
processing or getting stored.
Control Unit (CU)

The next component of computer is the Control Unit, which acts like the supervisor seeing
that things are done in proper fashion. Control Unit is responsible for coordinating various
operations using time signal. The control unit determines the sequence in which computer
programs and instructions are executed. Things like processing of programs stored in the
main memory, interpretation of the instructions and issuing of signals for other units of the
computer to execute them. It also acts as a switch board operator when several users
access the computer simultaneously. Thereby it coordinates the activities of computer’s
peripheral equipment as they perform the input and output.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The ALU and the CU of a computer system are jointly known as the central processing unit.
You may call CPU as the brain of any computer system. It is just like brain that takes all
major decisions, makes all sorts of calculations and directs different parts of the computer
functions by activating and controlling the operations.
Basic characteristics about computer are:
 1. Speed: – As you
know computer can work very fast. It takes only few seconds for calculations that we take
hours to complete. You will be surprised to know that computer can perform millions
(1,000,000) of instructions and even more per second.
Therefore, we determine the speed of computer in terms of microsecond (10-6 part of a
second) or nanosecond (10 to the power -9 part of a second). From this you can imagine
how fast your computer performs work.

2. Accuracy: – The degree of accuracy of computer is very high and every calculation is
performed with the same accuracy. The accuracy level is 7.
determined on the basis of design of computer. The errors in computer are due to human
and inaccurate data.
3. Diligence: – A computer is free from tiredness, lack of concentration, fatigue, etc. It can
work for hours without creating any error. If millions of calculations are to be performed, a
computer will perform every calculation with the same accuracy. Due to this capability it
overpowers human being in routine type of work.

4. Versatility: – It means the capacity to perform completely different type of work. You
may use your computer to prepare payroll slips. Next moment you may use it for inventory
management or to prepare electric bills.
5. Power of Remembering: – Computer has the power of storing any amount
of information or data. Any information can be stored and recalled as long as you require it,
for any numbers of years. It depends entirely upon you how much data you want to store in
a computer and when to lose or retrieve these data.

6. No IQ: – Computer is a dumb machine and it cannot do any work without instruction from
the user. It performs the instructions at tremendous speed and with accuracy. It is you to
decide what you want to do and in what sequence. So a computer cannot take its own
decision as you can.
7. No Feeling: – It does not have feelings or emotion, taste, knowledge and experience.
Thus it does not get tired even after long hours of work. It does not distinguish between
users.
8. Storage: – The Computer has an in-built memory where it can store a large amount of
data. You can also store data in secondary storage devices such as floppies, which can be
kept outside your computer and can be carried to other computers

Input Devices of Computer

As mentioned above the input devices allow the users to send signals to the computer to perform a
certain task. The receiver at this end is the Central Processing Unit (CPU) which then sends the signal
to the output devices. Input devices further classify according to modality like visual or audio, discrete
or continuous, and is it direct or indirect.
Some of the classifications are –
1. Keyboard Devices
 Keyer
 Keyboard
 Lighted Program Function Keyboard (LPFK)
2. Pointing Devices
 A mouse sitting on a desk.
 A computer mouse
 3D mice
 Joysticks
 Pointing sticks
3. Composite Devices
 Wii Remote
 Wii Remote with attached strap
4. Game controller
 Gamepad (or joypad)
 Paddle (game controller)
 Jog dial/shuttle (or knob)
 Wii Remote
5. Visual Devices
 Digital camera
 Digital camcorder
 Portable media player
 Webcam
 Microsoft Kinect Sensor
 Image scanner
 Fingerprint scanner
 Barcode reader
 3D scanner
 Laser rangefinder
 Eye gaze tracker
 Medical Imaging
 Computed tomography
 Magnetic resonance imaging
 Positron emission tomography
 Medical ultrasonography
6. Audio Input Devices
 Microphones
 MIDI keyboard or another digital musical instrument
Some of the important input devices are −
1. Keyboard

The most basic input device to enter data on the system or any other device with the help of
the keys is a keyboard. They establish a connection with the computer either by wifi or by a
USB system. There are keys for everything – numbers, letters, characters, and functions.

The typing keys are A – Z and number keys till 09. The numeric keypad has 17 keys allowing
users to perform different calculations. Then there are function keys for special computer
features at the top row. The control keys have arrow signs on them allowing users to scroll on
the page and select. Then there are special-purpose keys like space, enter, shift, etc.

There are several types of keyboards according to geographic location but the most popular
one is QWERTY. The go-to keyboard of the modern-day, even the Latin-based countries use
this type of keyboard very frequently. The top six letters of the keyboard are qwerty, giving us
the name of the keyboard. Many people even think that this is the only keyboard that exists.

2. Mouse

A hand-supported input device that allows users to move the cursor on the screen is a mouse. It works
on a flat surface with a wheel between the left and right buttons. Laptops have a touchpad as does the
function of a mouse. The invention of the mouse took place in 1063 by Douglas C. Engelbart.
The earliest version of the mouse had a rollerball underneath but the modern ones are made with
optical technology with a light beam. The port of the mouse connection depends on the computer and
mouse type. Its advantages are –
 Easy to use
 Affordable
 Moves the cursor faster
3. Joystick

Joystick is a pointing device to move the cursor on the monitor screen but not the same as a
mouse. It has a spherical ball stick-type structure. It can move in all directions and is a
computer aid design mainly for gaming purposes.

4. Light Pen

Again a pointing device with a pen-like structure allowing users to select on the screen and
even draw on it. Photocells and optical systems are inbuilt inside the small tube allowing the
flow of signals to the CPU. The tip of the pen moves on the screen with the button pressed,
the CPU receives the signals.

5. Track Ball

A common accessory for notebooks and laptops, that works as a replacement for a mouse.
With a similar structure, it has a half inserted ball which the fingers move to send signals for
cursor movement. It is kind of stationary taking very little space. It comes in a ball, button,
and square shape as well.

6. Scanner

A scanner works like a photocopy machine is an input device to make information available
on a pc from paper. This is mainly to manipulate the information by converting an image
into a digital form and then printing it.
7. Digitizer

Responsible for converting analog information into digital form, a digitizer converts signals
into numeric values stored in a computer. The computer can now do anything with it as long
as the camera is pointing out the image. A graphic tablet is also a digitizer converting
graphics into binary data. It is ideal for drawing and image manipulation applications.

8. Microphone

It is an inbuilt voice input device to take in the sound signals and then convert them into
digital form. It is a very common device present in multimedia presentation and music-
related applications.

9. Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

MICR is a device commonly present in banks as they deal with many cheques every day. The
bank’s code number and cheque number have magnetic ink present in them allowing
machines to read the letters. This process is Magnetic Ink Character Recognition that has
fewer errors and is very fast.

10. Optical Character Reader (OCR)

It is also a reading device that reads printed text by scanning it character by character. It first
converts them into machine-readable code and saves them in the system memory.

11. Bar Code Readers

Again a reading device but to read barcode data like on goods, books, etc. It can be a
handheld scanner or a stationary one but they both scan the image by converting it to
alphanumeric value on the computer.

12. Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

It is an optical scanner to recognize marks by pen and pencil and is commonly present in
educational institutions to check objective exam papers.

Output Devices of Computer

The output devices take care of displaying the result after data processing by the input
device. It may be in image, graphic, textual or audio form. These devices show the visual
elements on the display. The information on the screen is soft copy and some of the
important output devices are –

1. Monitors

The visual display units are the most important output device responsible for showing the visual made
of pixels to the user. The pixels decide the image sharpness. There are two types of viewing screen on
the monitor:
a. Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor

The pixels make up the image on the CRT display. The smaller pixels mean the image is
more clear. Even a single character like ‘k’ is made of numerous pixels on the screen. A
screen can have limited pixels at once, it is usually 80 by 20 characters horizontally and
vertically.

Disadvantages of CRT Monitor −

Large Size
Power consumption is high

b. Flat-Panel Display Monitor

These are high-level video devices with low volume, lightweight, and low power
requirements. From wall hanging to smartwatches, they are everywhere. There are either
emissive displays or non-emissive displays. Emissive displays convert electrical energy into
light like LEDs in plasma panels. While the non-emissive display converts sunlight to light
energy like LCDs.

2. Printers

The primary feature is to print information on paper. It is mainly of two types –

a. Impact Printers

They have a ribbon on the front which prints characters on the paper by pressing it.
Characteristics –
 Consumable cost is less
 Noisy in nature
 Good for bulk printing
 Physical contact between paper and machine
b. Character Printers

These printer print only one character at a time and are of two types –
i. Dot Matrix Printer

They have a very economical price and are easy to use. Each character print has a dots pattern of the
size (5*7, 7*9, 9*7, or 9*9) creating a complete symbol.
Its advantages are –
 Inexpensive
 Accessible
 Multilingual Printing
Its disadvantages are –
 Slow Speed
 Quality is poor
ii. Daisy Wheel

With head lying on the wheel, the pins next to the characters form a petal shape thus giving it
its name. They print nice quality characters and are mostly present at word-processing
offices that need a few letters only.

Its advantages are –

 Reliable than the dot matrix printer
 Quality Characters
 Exchangeable Fonts
Its disadvantages are –
  Slow in speed
 Noisy Nature
 A bit expensive
c. Line Printers

They print one line at a time. They are of two types –

i. Drum Printer

They have a drum-like shape with track division equal to paper size, like 100 width paper will have
100 tracks. Each track has a character set embossed either 48 character set, 64 or 96 characters set.
Each drum prints one line and is as fast as 300 to 2000 lines per minute.
Its advantages are –
 High speed
Its disadvantages are
 Very Costly
 Only one set of font available in one printer
ii. Chain Printer

This printer uses a character chain to print like 48, 64, or 96 characters.
Its advantages are –
 Interchangeable character fonts
 Multilingual printing
Its disadvantages are –
 Noisy in nature
d. Non-impact Printers

They don’t use a ribbon to print but instead print an entire page in one go.
Characteristics of Non-impact Printers
 Very fast
 Don’t make noise
 High-Quality printing
 Many fonts and character size available
e. Laser Printers

These use laser lights for producing dots to form characters on a page.
Its advantages are –
 Fast Speed
 Quality Output
 Great graphic quality
 Supports multiple fonts and size
Its disadvantages are –
 Very Costly
 Can’t print multiple copies at a time
Inkjet Printers

These are the new generation printers that use the spray to print the papers. They produce high-quality
characters with a focus on details. They make relatively lower voices and also have an option to do
color printing.
Its advantages are
 High quality
 Reliable
 Multiple copy printing
Its disadvantages are –
  Expensive
 Slow compared to laser printer
3. Speakers

An output device that produces sound after receiving a command from the computer. They support
the computers as well as other hardware devices. Now we also have wireless speakers with Bluetooth
technology.
4. Projector

This is an optical device that presents visuals on the screen, stationary and moving both.
They are present at movie theatres, auditoriums, etc. It connects to the computer and
displays the image on it on a larger screen.

5. Plotter

It is a device to make graphics, prints and other vector images to give a real life illustration
vibe. It is mandatory to have a graphic card to use the device. The pen like device that comes
with it helps in replicating the exact design on the computer.

6. Braille Reader

Made for the blind users, this device is to process computer data in braille format. It allows users with
low or no vision to recognize the data as the braille reader put data on the paper in embossed format.
They can run their fingers over it to understand everything easily.
7. Television

A very common output device present in most of the households is a display output device. It portrays
video and audio files on the screen according to the user’s needs. Before we had CRT screens but now
most of us use plasma displays.
8. Video Card

This device goes inside the sockets of a motherboard of the computer system. It improvises
the digital content appearance in other output devices. It is very important now with many
people having multiple devices just for personal use.

9. Global Positioning System

A device to help users with directions, GPS uses satellite technology to track geographical
location of the users. There is a continuous latitudinal and longitudinal calculation to have
an accurate result every time. Most of the vehicles and smart devices have GPS as an inbuilt
feature.

10. Headphones

Similar to speakers, this device has a lower sound frequency. They can’t be easily heard in
large areas like grounds and parks but are only accessible to a single person using the device.
A headset is another name for them.

Both Input and Output Devices of Computer

There are many devices that have characteristics of both input and output devices. They can receive
data as well as give out a result becoming useful for both purposes.
Some of them are –
1. USB Drive – It is a detachable device which can receive data from any computer as well as send
out data to other devices.
2. Modems – It is responsible for transmitting data from one device to another using telephonic lines.
3. CD and DVD Drives – Saves data from the computer in the given format and can also send out
data to other devices with disk space.
4. Headset – It has a speaker which is an output device and a microphone which is an input device.
5. Facsimile – This is a fax machine with scanner being an input device and printer being the output
device.
Difference between Input Devices and Output Devices

INPUT DEVICE OUTPUT DEVICE

Accepts user data Reflects user data

The user commands them Processor commands them

Conversion of friendly instruction into a machine Conversion of machine’s instructions to user

friendly needs

Sends data to the processor for execution Sends processed data back to the user.

Helps computer in receiving data Helps computer in displaying data

Complex design structure Less complex design structure

Example – Keyboard, Image Scanner, etc. Ex: Monitor, Printers, etc.

System Software

A system software aids the user and the hardware to function and interact with each
other. Basically, it is a software to manage computer hardware behavior so as to
provide basic functionalities that are required by the user. In simple words, we can say
that system software is an intermediator or a middle layer between the user and the
hardware. These computer software sanction a platform or environment for the other
software to work in. This is the reason why system software is very important in
managing the entire computer system. When you first turn on the computer, it is the
system software that gets initialized and gets loaded in the memory of the system . The
system software runs in the background and is not used by the end-users. This is the
reason why system software is also known as ‘low-level software’.

Some common system software examples are:

 Operating System: It is the most prominent example of System Software. It is a

collection of software that handles resources and provides general services for
the other applications that run over them. Although each Operating System is
different, most of them provide a Graphical User Interface through which a user
can manage the files and folders and perform other tasks. Every device, whether
 a desktop, laptop or mobile phone requires an operating system to provide the
basic functionality to it. As an OS essentially determines how a user interacts
with the system, therefore many users prefer to use one specific OS for their
device. There are various types of operating system such as real -time,
embedded, distributed, multiuser, single-user, internet, mobile, and many more.
It is important to consider the hardware specifications before choosing an
operating system. Some examples of Operating systems given below:


o Android
o CentOS
o iOS
o Linux
o Mac OS
o MS Windows
o Ubuntu
o Unix

 Device Drivers: It is a type of software that controls particular hardware which is

attached to the system. Hardware devices that need a driver to connect to a
system include displays, sound cards, printers, mice and hard disks. Further,
there are two types of device drivers: Kernel Device Drivers and User Dev ice
Driver. Some examples of device drivers are:


o BIOS Driver
o Display Drivers
o Motherboard Drivers
o Printer Drivers
o ROM Drivers
o Sound card Driver
o USB Drivers
o USB Drivers
o VGA Drivers
o VGA Drivers
o Virtual Device Drivers

 Firmware: Firmware is the permanent software that is embedded into a read-

only memory. It is a set of instructions permanently stored on a hardware
device. It provides essential information regarding how the device interacts with
other hardware. Firmware can be considered as ‘semi-permanent’ as it remains
permanent unless it is updated using a firmware updater. Some examples of
firmware are:
o BIOS
o Computer Peripherals
o Consumer Applications
o Embedded Systems
 o UEFI
 Programming Language Translators: These are mediator programs on which
software programs rely to translate high-level language code to simpler
machine-level code. Besides simplifying the code, the translators also do the
following :
o Assign data storage
o Enlist source code as well as program details
o Offer diagnostic reports
o Rectify system errors during the runtime
o Examples of Programming Language Translators are Interpreter,
Compiler and Assemblers.
 Utility: Utility software is designed to aid in analyzing, optimizing, configuring
and maintaining a computer system. It supports the computer infrastructure.
This software focuses on how an OS functions and then accordingly it decides
its trajectory to smoothen the functioning of the system. Softwares like
antiviruses, disk cleanup & management tools, compression tools,
defragmenters, etc are all utility tools. Some examples of utility tools are:

o Avast Antivirus
o Directory Opus
o McAfee Antivirus
o Piriform CCleaner
o Razer Cortex
o Windows File Explorer
o WinRAR
o WinZip

2. Application Software

Application Software, also known as end-user programs or productivity programs are

software that helps the user in completing tasks such as doing online research, jotting
down notes, setting an alarm, designing graphics, keeping an account log, doing
calculations or even playing games. They lie above the system software. Unlike system
software, they are used by the end-user and are specific in their functionality or tasks
and do the job that they are designed to do. For example, a browser is an application
designed specifically for browsing the internet or MS Powerpoint is an application
used specifically for making presentations. Application Software or simply apps can
also be referred to as non-essential software as their requirement is highly subjective
and their absence does not affect the functioning of the system. All the apps that we
see on our mobile phones are also examples of Application Software. There is certain
software that is exclusively made for app development like Meteor and Flutter. These
are examples of Application software too.

There are various types of application software:

 Word Processors: These applications for documentation. Along with that it also
helps I storing, formatting and printing of these documents. Some examples of
word processors are:


o Abiword
o Apple iWork- Pages
o Corel WordPerfect
o Google Docs
o MS Word

 Database Software: This software is used to create and manage a database. It is

also known as the Database Management System or DBMS. They help with the
organization of data. Some examples of DBMS are:


o Clipper
o dBase
o FileMaker
o FoxPro
o MS Access
o MySQL

 Multimedia Software: It is the software that is able to play, create or record

images, audio or video files. They are used for video editing, animation,
graphics, and image editing, Some examples of Multimedia Software are:


o Adobe Photoshop
o Inkscape
o Media Monkey
o Picasa
o VLC Media Player
o Windows Media Player
o Windows Movie Maker

 Education and Reference Software: These types of software are specifically

designed to facilitate learning on a particular subject. There are various kinds of
tutorial software that fall under this category. They are also termed as academic
software. Some examples are:


o Delta Drawing
o GCompris
o Jumpstart titles
o KidPix
o MindPlay
o Tux Paint
 Graphics Software: As the name suggests, Graphics Software has been devised
to work with graphics as it helps the user to edit or make changes in visual data
or images. It comprises of picture editors and illustration software. Some
examples are:


o Adobe Photoshop
o Autodesk Maya
o Blender
o Carrara
o CorelDRAW
o GIMP
o Modo
o PaintShop Pro