UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF COMPUTING

FOR
Q1. Explain Computer Generations?
Ans: Computer generation means the stage of development of technology used in
computers.
First generation (1942-1955):
They are vacuum tubes/thermionic valves-based machines. They used vacuum tubes for
circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. Input was based on punched cards and paper
tape and the output was in the formed of printouts. They relied on binary coded language
also known as machine language to perform operations. They are able to solve only one
problem at a time. Each machine was fed with different binary codes and hence was
different to program. They are lack in versatility and speed. They are used for scientific
applications. Computers were very large and required a lot of space of installation. They
generated a large amount of heat because of vacuum tubes. Therefore, air conditioning was
essential. They are non portable and very slow. They are very expensive to operate and used
a large amount of electricity. They are unreliable and prone to frequent hardware failures.
Hence, constant maintenance was required.
Example: ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC

Second generation (1956-1963):

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes. So they are smaller than first generation computer.
They are faster, cheaper, and more reliable. Magnetic cores were used as primary memory
and magnetic disks as secondary storage devices. But they are still relied on punched card
for input and printouts for output. Major development is that it changes to machine
language to assembly language. Thus programming became less cumbersome. They are
mainly used for atomic energy industry.
Example: Honey well-400, IBM 7030, CDC 1604

Third generation (1964-1971):

The development of Integrated Circuits made here. This development made computers
smaller in size, reliable and efficient. Punched card and printouts were replaced by
keyboards and monitors. Operating system allowed the device to run many different
applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. They are
accessible to mass audience due to smaller size and cheaper in cost.
Example: IBM 360/370, PDP-8, PDP-11, CDC-6600
Fourth generation (1971-1989):
The technology used was of microprocessor. The development of very large scale
integration (ULSI) technology, Graphical User Interfaces (GUI), mouse and hand-held
devices were take place. Intel 4004 chip were developed in 1971. Computers were smaller
and more powerful. They could be linked to form networks.
Example: CRAY 1, CRAY 2, VAX 9000, TRS 80, Apple made Macintosh(apple II 1984),
UNIX-OS, Object Oriented Language

Fifth generation (present-till on):

Artificial intelligence is used. They are still in development. They used parallel processing.
They use superconductors. The PCs are much smaller, easy to handle, consume less power,
more reliable, less prone to hardware failure, faster and larger primary and secondary
storage. They are user friendly. They used Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI). Cluster
computing can be done.
Example: IBM notebooks, PARAM 10000, SUN workstations.

Q2. Describe use of Formulas in MS Excel.

Ans: use of formulas in MS Excel:

There are different functions and formulas in MS Excel. Formulas are used to perform
calculations or other actions on the data entered in the formula and /or stored in program
files. They can range from basic mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction to
complex engineering and statistical calculations. Formulas are great for working out “what
if” scenarios that compare calculations based on changing data. Once the formula is
entered, we need only change the amounts to be calculated .Formulas start with the “ =”
sign. In Excel, formulas begin with an equal ( = ) sign and, for the most part, they are
entered into to the worksheet cell(s) where we want the results or answer to appear. For
example, if the formula =5 + 4 - 6 was entered into cell A1, the value 3 would appear in that
location. Click on A1 with the mouse pointer, however, and the formula is displayed in the
formula bar above the worksheet.
A formula can also contain any or all of the following:
 values
 constants
 cell references
 functions
 operators
Values in formulas are not just restricted to numbers but can also include:
 dates
 text - words - often surrounded by quotation marks ( " ")
 Boolean values - TRUE or FALSE only
FORMULA CONSTANTS:
A constant - as the name suggests - is a value that does not change. Nor is it calculated.
Although constants can be well-known ones like Pi (Π) - the ratio of a circle's
circumference to its diameter - they can also be any value - such as a tax rate or a specific
date - that changes infrequently.

CELL REFERENCES IN FORMULAS:

Cell references - such as A1 or H34 - indicate the location of data in a worksheet or

workbook. Rather than enter data directly into a formula, it is usually better to enter the data
into worksheet cells and then enter the cell references to the location of the data into the
formula.

The advantages of this are that:

 if you later change your data the formula automatically updates to show the new
result;
 in certain instances, using cell references makes it possible to copy formulas from
one location to another in a worksheet.
 To simplify entering multiple contiguous cell references into a formula, they can be
entered as a range that just indicates the start and end points. For example, the
references, A1, A2, and A3 can be written as the range A1:A3.
 To simplify things even further, frequently used ranges can be given a name that can
be entered into formulas.

FUNCTIONS: BUILT-IN FORMULAS:

Spreadsheet programs also contain a number of built-in formulas called functions.

Functions make it easier to carry out:

 commonly performed tasks - such as adding up columns or rows of numbers with the
SUM function
 long or complex operations - such as finding specific information with the
VLOOKUP function
FORMULA OPERATORS:
An arithmetic or mathematical operator is the symbol or sign that represents an arithmetic
operation in an Excel formula. Operators specify the type of calculation being carried out
by the formula.

TYPES OF OPERATORS:

The different types of calculation operators that can be used in formulas include:

 arithmetic - used for basic arithmetic such as addition and subtraction

 comparison
 text concatenation
ARITHMETIC OPERATORS:

Some of the arithmetic operators - such as the ones for addition and subtraction - are the
same as those used in hand-written formulas, while the ones for multiplication, division,
and for exponents are different.

All of the arithmetic operators are:

Subtraction - minus sign (-)

Addition - plus sign (+)

Division - forward slash (/)

Multiplication - asterisk (*)

Exponentiation - caret (^)

If more than one operator is used in a formula, there is a specific order of operations that
Excel follows in deciding which operation occurs first.

COMPARISON OPERATORS:

A comparison operator, as the name suggests, carries out a comparison between two values
in the formula and the result of that comparison can only ever be either TRUE or FALSE.
There are six comparison operators:

Equals (=)
Less than (<)
Less than or equal to (< =)
Greater than (>)
Greater than or equal to (> =)
Not equal to (< >)
The AND & OR functions are examples of formulas that use comparison operators.
CONCATENATION OPERATOR:

Concatenation means to join things together and the concatenation operator is the
ampersand "&" and it can be used for joining multiple ranges of data in a formula.

An example of this would be:

{=INDEX (D6:F11, MATCH (D3 & E3, D6:D11 & E6:E11, 0), 3)}

where the concatenation operator is used to combine multiple data ranges in a lookup
formula using Excel's INDEX and MATCH functions.