Chapter Two

Computer System
System: - is a group of components, consisting of subsystems or procedures that work in a
coordination fashion to achieve some objective.

A computer system: - composed of physical components (hardware) and non-physical

component (software) that work together in coordination to achieve a common goal (data
processing).
Software: software consists of step by step instructions that tell the computer how to do its
work. The purpose of software is to convert data (unprocessed fact) into information (processed
facts).
Hardware: is physical part of the computer that processes data to create information based on
instructions of software. It is controlled by the software.
Data: data consists of raw, unprocessed facts, including text, numbers, images, sounds, etc.
When it is processed using computers, it becomes information.

A computer system composed of two main components:

• Computer hardware and
• Computer software
Computer Hardware
Computer hardware is the physical part of the computer that you can see, you use and the parts
you can touch.
The hardware part of a computer system is composed of a number of interacting physical parts based
on the need of the information flow. Information flows in the computer hardware. Based on
information processing, we can divide computer hardware into four:
1) Input Device
2) Storage Device
3) Output Device
4) Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Input Devices
Input devices are used to enter information into computer. They convert the data we give them
into the form that can be manipulated in the computer (electronic format).

Keyboard
is an input device consisting of a set of typewriter-like keys that enable one to enter data into a
computer. The keys on the keyboard are often classified as follows
• Alphanumeric keys - Letters and numbers
• Punctuation keys - comma, period, semicolon, etc.
• Special keys- function keys, control keys, arrow keys, caps lock, etc.

In detail the following are descriptions of the keys of keyboard.

Escape key - Generally used to abort system actions.

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Function keys - functions vary from program to program. For example F1 is used to get help
most of the times
Enter key - used to enter commands or to return to blank (new) lines in a document.
Backspace key - used to move the cursor backwards, deleting backward.
Tab key - used to access tab stop.
Caps lock key – used to write small or capital letters.
Shift key - used to produce upper case or lower case letters and sometimes to invoke commands
Control key & Alt key - commonly used in combination with other keys to enter commands e g.
Control home.
Insert key - used to enter characters.
Arrow keys - used to move the cursor around the display screen.
Delete keys - used to delete characters.
Num lock keys - used to activate/deactivate the numeric keypad.
Print screen keys - used to print the contents of the screen.
Mouse
Mouse is a hand-operated device that controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on a display
screen. It is a small object that can be rolled along a rough flat surface.

Advantage: -easy to use

Use:
• making menu selection
• editing documents
• moving documents (i.e. dragging data from one location to another location)
• Opening and closing programs
Scanner
Data scanning devices are input devices used for direct data entry into the computer system from
source documents. A scanner is a device that reads text or image on a paper and translates the
information into a form that a computer can manipulate.
Bar code reader
Data coded in the form of small lines (known as bars) are known as bar codes. Bar codes
represent alphanumeric data by a combination of adjacent vertical lines (bars) by varying their
width and spacing between them. They are particularly used to unique identification of all types
of goods, books, postal packages, bags, tags etc.

The bar code reader is a device used for reading (decoding) bar-coded data. It uses a laser-beam
scanning technology, which stroked across the pattern of bars of a bar code. The bar code reader
analyses the bars for width and spacing and translates this data to electrical signals for the
computer.
Microphone
Microphone uses to input sound to the computer system. The computer with a voice recognition
device (Microphone) follows the following steps to recognize and act upon a spoken input data.
• The person speaks to the microphone.
• Convert into electrical signals (analog form).
• Digitize- the analog-to-digital converter is used to convert the analog form of data
into its digital form.

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Light Pen
Light pen is a light sensitive pen which is connected to a screen by wire and is used to write,
draw, mark, or select objects on the screen.
Touch Screen
Touch screen is a type of screen that allows users to choose menu items or other objects
displayed on the screen by touching.

Digital Camera
A digital camera looks much like an ordinary camera but it captures the image it takes in a
format that can be stored on disk. The image can then be manipulated using graphics software.
The technology allows the user to insert the image into data files, documents, or presentations.

Central Processing Unit

It is also called microprocessors or processors. A microprocessor is a semiconductor device

consisting mostly one software controlled LSI chip which performs the functions of automatic data
processing.
CPU executes instructions and performs the computer's processing activities. It is also known as
processor or microprocessor. It functions the same purpose as the human brain for human being.
It is called the brain of the computer.

CPU has three sub-components:

• Control Unit (CU)
• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)
• Register
The three sub components are connected by a cable like device called bus. It facilitates
communication between the parts. It is used to transfer data between these sub components.

Control Unit
As human brain control the body, control unit controls the computer. Control Unit does not
execute instruction by itself, i.e. does not carry out instruction, but it directs other processing
elements to execute instruction.

It retrieves instruction from memory and this process is called fetch instruction. After fetching
instruction, it translates that instruction into computer understandable format and sends signals to
other computer hardware units to carry out the instruction. This process (the process of
translating instruction) is called decoding.

Arithmetic Logic Unit

The purpose of ALU is to execute instruction. It performs two operations:
• Arithmetic operation
• Logic Operation
Arithmetic operation: this includes mathematical operations like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, etc. If you give your computer the instruction 2+3, this will be included
in arithmetic operation and it is executed by Arithmetic Unit.

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Logical Operation: this is concerned with the comparison of data and it is called logical
operation. It includes operators like less than, greater than, equal to, less or equal to, greater or
equal to, different from, etc. e.g. if mark>80, grade is 'A'.
Arithmetic Logic Unit has two parts:
Arithmetic Unit: perform arithmetic operations
Logic Unit: performs logical operations
Registers
When instruction is loaded from main memory, it is placed first in registers to wait instruction
from control unit. Registers are temporary storage location for data prior to execution in ALU.
There are different types of registers. E.g. data register, program counter, address register, etc.
How CPU Works
Instruction cycle
CPU operates by performing the following four operations, i.e. instruction execution has four
steps:
1) Fetch instruction
2) Decode instruction
• step 1 and step 2 called Instruction cycle
3) Execute instruction
4) Store result
• Step 3 and Step 4 are called Execution cycle

Fetch Instruction: fetching instruction is getting instruction from memory. Instructions are stored
in memory and wait execution. The Control Unit gets the instructions from memory and brings it
for execution. It keeps track of which instruction is to be executed next.
Decode Instruction: translating instruction into commands that the computer can process.
Decoding understands what the instruction is about and what it tells the computer to do.
Execute Instruction: the actual processing of the commands i.e carrying out what the instruction
order the computer to do.
Store Result: writing the result of executed instruction into memory.
Example: suppose we give the following two instructions to the computer
2+3
3*4
When we write these instructions, first they are stored in memory (RAM) and wait for execution.
The first step in carrying out instruction is getting the instruction from memory. The control unit
gets the first instruction 2+3 and sets pointer to next program to be executed i.e. 3*4. This is the
fetching process.
Then the CU translates the instruction and it finds out that the instruction tells the computer to
add 2 and 3 together. This is translating or decoding instruction.
After decoding CU sends control message to ALU based on the interpretation done in step 2. The
ALU adds the numbers and gets the result which is 5. This process is called execution.
The last step is storing the result of execution, 5 in this case, in memory back. This process is
called storing the result.

CPU speed is measured in Hertz. Hertz is the number of cycles per second.
1Hz=1cycle per second

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Output Devices
Output devices are used to get data out of a computer so that it can be examined, analyzed or
distributed to others. It converts information from machine-understandable form to a human
understandable form.
Two types of output:
Soft copy: displayed on monitor, projector, or similar devices
Hard copy: printed on paper

Examples
• Monitors
• Printers
• Plotters
• Speakers
Monitor
Monitor is the most frequent type of output device. It consists of a display surface called screen
which displays output to the user. Image is displayed on monitors using pattern of lighted dots.
Each of these lighted dots is called pixel a short form of picture element.
There are two types of monitor:
1) CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
2) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

CRT Monitor
CRT is similar in size and technology to televisions. It uses electron guns that emit electrons.
These electrons are directed towards phosphorous coated screen. The phosphorous coat glows
(emits light) when hit by electron from electron guns, thus creating visible things that we see.
Disadvantage: -large size (bulky)
- consumes much power
LCD Monitor
Crystal display is most commonly used in digital watches, clocks, calculators, etc. In computer,
they are commonly used for portable computers. E.g. laptop.
Liquid crystal uses liquid crystal for display purpose, not electron guns. The liquid crystal is
deposited between sheets of polarizing material.
Advantage over CRT: -small size which makes it easy to transport
-consumes less power which makes it suitable for laptop.
Printer
Printer is a device that enables us to produce a hard copy of data/information. They have varying
speeds, capabilities, and printing methods.
Based on the way they print, printers are divided into two:
• Impact printers
• Non-impact printers
Plotters
Plotters are used to produce high-quality drawings such as bar charts, maps, architectural
drawings, and three-dimensional drawings.
• Can produce high quality multi-color documents
• Can print on large size papers, which most printers can’t handle.

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Speakers
These devices are useful for sound output, which were recorded using microphone, and they are
useful for music and sound output recording in multimedia.

Storage Devices
Two types of storage devices:
• Primary storage device
• Secondary storage device
Primary Storage Devices (Main Memory)
Primary memory refers to integrated circuit that stores program instructions and data. Memory
stores three things:
• Operation system software instructions
• Application software instruction
• Data that is being processed

There are two types of primary memory:

RAM (Random Access Memory)
ROM (Read Only Memory)

RAM
RAM is temporary storage i.e. the data is lost when the computer is off unlike secondary storage.
Because of this it is called volatile memory. Why is it volatile? It uses electric power to store
data. When you write anything on your computer, first it is stored on RAM. When you save the
file, it is transferred into secondary storage. RAM has differing capacity, the common ones being
128, 256, and 512.
It is directly accessible by CPU. It is called RAM because each memory location can be accessed
randomly using memory address. Each unit in RAM has memory address by which it can be
easily accessed/referenced.
ROM
ROM store information permanently. They have programs built into them at the factory and that
program could not be changed or erased by the user, but read.
It is non-volatile, read-only (not changeable). Read-only means data can't be altered or erased but
read.
ROM contain special instruction that the computer uses when it is turned on. E.g instruction that
starts the computer, instruction that displays information on screen, etc.
Secondary Storage
Secondary storage (also called auxiliary storage), takes many forms. It includes punched cards,
punched paper tape, magnetic tape, magnetic disk and optical disk. Based on information access,
secondary storage devices are divided into two:
• Sequential Access: information is accessed sequentially. To access information on such
media, we start from the beginning and read through to the end. Jumping to some part is not
possible. E.g. tape recorder cassette
• Random Access: information can be accessed in any order. You can access the first or the
last part of information by jumping others. E.g. floppy disk

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Random Access Storage Media
Data can be accessed in any order.
Magnetic Disks
Magnetic disk is the most widely used storage medium on all computers. It consists of a round piece
of plastic or metal the surface of which is covered with magnetic material. Magnetic disks offer:
• High storage capacity
• Reliability
• Fast date access during reading or writing to disk.
They allow for random access of information and overcome the slow access time commonly found
in tape files.
Examples: floppy disk, hard disk
Floppy Disk
They are also called diskette. It is made up of thin Mylar plastic which is coated with metal
oxide. Data is stored as electromagnetic charges on the plastic coat. It stores data by means of
magnetizing and demagnetizing the metal oxide.

Floppy is an easily removable storage used to transport data from one computer to another. It is
used to store programs and data for a longer period outside the computer system. Often used with
mini and micro computers. Data is stored in concentric circles called tracks.

Hard Disk
A high capacity magnetic disk made up of metal which can be fixed in the system unit of the
computer. It serves as a secondary storage and it enables very fast accessibility of data. Accessing
data from hard disk is faster than from floppy disks.

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Fig hard disk

Data is stored on hard disks by magnetizing and demagnetizing the surface each cylinder. They
store data on both sides of the cylinder i.e two sided. It is read-write head that reads or writes
data from hard disk.

Optical Disk
Optical disks use laser light to read or write data from optical disk. Laser: light amplified
stimulated emission of rays.
Optical disks use high powered laser light to burn microscopic holes on the surface of the disk to
store data. Burned out part is called pit, and the non-burnt part is called land. Land may represent
binary 0 and pit binary 1.

Fig CD pit and land

Optical disks use low powered laser to read data.

There are two most common types of optical disks:

• CD (Compact Disc)
• DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)
CD (Compact Disc)
CD can store 700BM of information. Data is stored only on one side of the disc. There are three
basic types of CDs:
1) CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory)
2) CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable)
3) CD-RW (Compact Disc Read-Write)
CD-ROM
This kind of is read only i.e. you can’t write data to such CDs or you can’t erase from them.
Data is only accessed/read from these CDs.

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CD-R
It is also called WORM (Write Once and Read Many). These CDs can be written on once. But
then after, you can’t rewrite on it or erase data from it. After you first wrote data on such discs,
then only thing you can do to read data from them.
CD-RW
They are also called erasable optical discs. You can write data as many times as you want on
such CDs. You can also erase the content of such CDs.
DVD
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc. But some people mistakenly call it Digital Video Disc.
It is a new technology that is introduced recently. It is similar to CD except that it can store large
amounts of data and it has narrow tracks than CD.
It can store 4.7-17GB of information.

Computer Software
A computer hardware is directed by a set of instructions. Without these instructions, computer
can do nothing. These set of instructions are called software (also called programs).

Software are categorized into two:

• System Software
• Application Software

System Software
System software consists of programs that are related to controlling the actual operations of the
computer equipment/resource. There are three types of system software:
• Operating System
• Utility Software
• Language translators
Operating system manage resources, provides a user interface, and run application software. It
organizes resources such as keyboard, mouse, printer, monitor, etc. It also presents GUI
(Graphical User Interface) to the user for easy use of computer. It makes complex hardware more
user friendly i.e. it acts between the user and hardware.

A) Operating system
Operating system coordinates the activity between the user and the computer. An operating
system has four major functions.
I Process management
• In operating system terms, a process is a program or part of a program that can be
executed separately. The operating system does the task of managing these processes that
are being executed and waiting to be executed.
II Input/output Management
The I/O manager coordinates the computers communication with outside world, flow of data to
the display screen and other output devices (printers/ plotters) and from the key board or other
input devices. Handles the flow of data to and from the disk drives (file management).
Handles the process of preparing a disk for use, the copying, renaming, erasing task of a file.

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III Memory Management
During processing, some area of memory are used to store the operating system instructions,
application program instructions, and data to be processed. It is the task of operating system to
allocate or assign each of these items to a memory area.

IV System Administration
Operating system as a system administrator manages the performance of the system (e.g
response time), system security (username and password), and storage device management
(deleting files, renaming files, formatting disks, creating directories, etc).

B) Utility Programs
Utilities are programs that make computing easier. They perform specific tasks related to
managing computer resources or files. There are different utility programs:
• Troubleshooting programs: enable us to recognize and correct computer problems before
they become serious.
• Anti-virus programs: they protect your computer against viruses or other malicious
programs that damage computer. E.g MacAfee, Sophos, Norton, etc.
• File compression programs: are used to reduce the size of files or data so that it takes less
storage space or network band. E.g WinZip, WinRAR, etc.
• Uninstall programs: these software enable us to safely and completely remove unneeded
programs/software from your computer.
• Back up software: with the help of this software, we can make copies of files to be used in
case of the original data is lost/damaged. This copy is called back up.
• Screen savers: helps to prevent your work from being seen by others if you leave your
computer idle for some time.
C) Language translator
Languages are used for writing instructions or software. Basically, computer languages range
from very complicated to human but clear to computers to very easy for human but un-
understandable by computers.
Application Software
Application software performs useful work for the user. These useful work could be:
• Word processing-document creation
• Spreadsheet-electronic calculation
• Email/communicating-email sending and reading
Users use these software to perform different activities like calculation, video editing, word
processing, presentation, etc.

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Chapter Two Questions

1. Define computer system and its components.

2. What is computer hardware? And list types of computer hard ware based on
information processing.
3. Differentiate between an input device and an output device.
4. Name and discuss the commonly used input devices.
5. Name and discuss the commonly used output devices.
6. Differentiate between soft-copy and hard-copy outputs.
7. Differentiate between impact and non-impact printers.
8. Discuss the main functions of the CPU in a computer system.
9. What are the main components of the CPU? Discuss the main functions of each.
10. Explain the differences between volatile and non-volatile memory.
11. What are the main limitations of the primary storage of a computer system?
12. Name and discuss the different primary storages of a computer system.
13. Name and classify the popular secondary storage devices used in today’s computer
system.
14. What is random access storage device? Discuss.
15. List out the main advantages and limitations of magnetic tapes.
16. What is a magnetic disk? Discuss its different types.
17. In the context of magnetic disk, define the terms ‘track’, ‘sector’ and ‘cylinder”.
18. List down the key differences between floppy disks and a hard disk.
19. Discuss the main advantages of magnetic disks as compared to magnetic tapes.
20. What is an optical disk? How are data recorded on and read from an optical disk?
21. List and differentiate among several types of optical disks.
22. Define software and types of software.
23. Explain the importance of system software for a computer system. What functions are
performed by system software?
24. Distinguish between application software and system software.
25. List out some of the tasks commonly performed by utility programs.
26. What is an operating system? Why it is necessary for a computer system?
27. List out the various functions normally performed by an operating system.

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