Computer Studies

Book:
Discovering Computers
Living in a Digital World
FUNDAMENTALS, 2011 EDITION

By
Gary B. Shelly
Misty E. Vermaat
Chapter 1

Introduction to computer
What is Computer?
A computer is an electronic device,
operating under the control of
instructions stored in its own memory,
that can accept data, process the data
according to specified rules, produce
results, and store the results for future
use.
Data & Information
Computers process data into information.
• Data is a collection of unprocessed items,
which can include text, numbers, images,
audio, and video.
• Information conveys meaning and is
useful to people.
The Components of a
Computer
• Input Devices keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, and
Web cam

• Output devices printer, a monitor, and speakers

• System unit Two main components on the motherboard are
the processor and memory
• Storage Devices USB flash drives, hard disks, optical discs,
and memory cards
• Communications Devices cables, telephone lines,
cellular radio networks, satellites, and other transmission media
system unit
• system unit is a case that contains electronic components
of the computer that are used to process data.
• The circuitry of the system unit usually is part of or is
connected to a circuit board called the motherboard.
• Two main components on the motherboard are the
processor and memory.
▫ The processor, also called the CPU (central processing
unit), is the electronic component that interprets and
carries out the basic instructions that operate the computer.
▫ Memory consists of electronic components that store
instructions waiting to be executed and data needed by
those instructions.
Storage Devices
• Storage holds data, instructions, and information for future use
• A computer keeps data, instructions, and information on storage
media.
• Examples of storage media are USB flash drives, hard disks,
optical discs, and memory cards.
• A storage device records (writes) and/or retrieves (reads) items to
and from storage media.
▫ The average USB flash drive can hold about 4 billion characters.
▫ The average hard disk can hold more than 320 billion characters.
▫ A CD can hold from 650 million to 1 billion characters.
▫ Some DVDs can store two full-length movies or 17 billion
characters.
▫ Blu-ray Discs can store about 46 hours of standard video, or 100
billion characters.
Communications Devices
• A communications device is a hardware component that
enables a computer to send (transmit) and receive data,
instructions, and information to and from one or more
computers or mobile devices.
• A widely used communications device is a modem.
• Communications occur over cables, telephone lines,
cellular radio networks, satellites, and other transmission
media.
• Some transmission media, such as satellites and cellular
radio networks, are wireless, which means they have no
physical lines or wires
Advantages of Using Computers
• Speed: Many computers process billions or trillions of
operations in a single second.
• Reliability: The electronic components in modern computers
are reliable because they rarely break or fail.
• Consistency: Given the same input and processes, a
computer will produce the same results — consistently.
Computers generate error-free results, provided the input is
correct and the instructions work
• Storage: Computers store enormous amounts of data and
make this data available for processing anytime it is needed.
• Communications: Most computers today can communicate
with other computers, often wirelessly.
Disadvantages of Using Computers
• Violation of Privacy: In many instances, where personal and confidential
records stored on computers were not protected properly, individuals have found
their privacy violated and identities stolen.
• Public Safety: Adults, teens, and children around the world are using
computers to share publicly their photos, videos, journals, music, and other
personal information.
• Health Risks: Computer users can protect themselves from health risks
through proper workplace design, good posture while at the computer, and
appropriately spaced work breaks. Two behavioral health risks are computer
addiction and technology overload.
• Impact on Environment: Green computing involves reducing the electricity
consumed and environmental waste generated when using a computer. Strategies
that support green computing include recycling, regulating manufacturing
processes, extending the life of computers, and immediately donating or properly
disposing of replaced computers.
Networks and the Internet
• A network is a collection of computers and
devices connected together, often wirelessly, via
communications devices and transmission media.
• Networks allow computers to share resources,
such as hardware, software, data, and
information. Sharing resources saves time and
money.
• The Internet is a worldwide collection of
networks that connects millions of businesses,
government agencies, educational institutions,
and individuals.
Social networking Website
• The Web, short for World Wide Web, is one of the more
popular services on the Internet.
• The Web contains billions of documents called Web pages.
• A Web page can contain text, graphics, animation, audio, and
video.
• A Website is a collection of related Web pages.
• Millions of people worldwide join online communities, each
called a social networking Website or online social network,
that encourage members to share their interests, ideas, stories,
photos, music, and videos with other registered users.
Social networking Website
• A blog is an informal Web site consisting of time stamped articles in a
diary or journal format, usually listed in reverse chronological order.
• A microblog, such as Twitter, allows users to publish short messages,
usually between 100 and 200 characters, for others to read.
• A podcast is recorded audio stored on a Web site that can be
downloaded to a computer or a portable media player such as an iPod.
• A Web application is a Web site that allows users to access and interact
with software from any computer or device that is connected to the
Internet. Examples of software available as Web applications include
those that allow you to send and receive e-mail messages, prepare your
taxes, organize digital photos, create documents, and play games.
Computer Software
• Software, also called a program, is a series of related
instructions, organized for a common purpose, that tells the
computer what task(s) to perform and how to perform them.
You interact with a program through its user interface.
• The two categories of software are
▫ System software
 Operating system
 Utility Programs
▫ Application software.
System software consists of the programs that control or maintain the
operations of the computer and its devices.

Operating System Microsoft’s Windows, or Mac OS, Apple’s

operating system, Linux, Android

Utility Software helps to manage , maintain and control computer resources

E.g, Antivirus software , backup software, disk tool software (formatting), system boot,
device driver

Application Software helps you to do a specific type of work

E.g Excel, MS word
Installing and Running Programs
• Installing is the process of setting up
software to work with the computer,
printer, and other hardware.
• When you instruct the computer to run an
installed program, the computer loads it,
which means the program is copied from
storage to memory.
• Once in memory, the computer can carry
out, or execute, the instructions in the
program so that you can use the program.
Software Development
• A programmer, sometimes called a
developer, is someone who develops
software or writes the instructions that
direct the computer to process data into
information.
• Popular programming languages include
C++, Visual C#, Visual Basic, JavaScript,
and Java.
Categories of computer
• Personal computers (desktop)
• Mobile computers and mobile devices
• Game
• Mainframes
• Supercomputers
• Embedded computers
personal computer
• A personal computer is a computer that can
perform all of its input, processing, output,
and storage activities by itself.
• Two popular architectures of personal
computers are the PC and the Apple.
• Two types of personal computers are
desktop computers and notebook
computers.
▫ A desktop computer is designed so that the
system unit, input devices, output devices,
and any other devices fit entirely on or under
a desk or table
Mobile computers and mobile devices
Mobile computers and mobile devices
• Notebook computer
• Tablet PC
• Smart phones, PDAs
• E-book reader
• Handheld computers
• Portable media players (I pod)
• Digital cameras
Game console
• A game console is a mobile computing
device designed for single player or
multiplayer video games.
• Xbox
• Play stations
server
• A server controls access to the hardware,
software, and other resources on a
network and provides a centralized
storage area for programs, data, and
information.
• Servers support from two to several
thousand connected computers at the
same time.
Mainframe
• A mainframe is a large, expensive,
powerful computer that can handle
hundreds or thousands of connected users
simultaneously.
Supercomputer
• A supercomputer is the fastest, most powerful
computer and the most expensive.
• The fastest supercomputers are capable of
processing more than one quadrillion instructions in
a single second.
• Applications requiring complex, sophisticated
mathematical calculations use super computers.
• Large-scale simulations and applications in
medicine, aerospace, automotive design, online
banking, weather forecasting, nuclear energy
research, and petroleum exploration use a
supercomputer
Embedded Computers
• An embedded computer is a special-
purpose computer that functions as a
component in a larger product.
A variety of everyday products contain
embedded computers:
▫ Consumer electronics
▫ Home automation devices
▫ Automobiles
▫ Process controllers and robotics
▫ Computer devices and office machines
Examples of computer usage
Examples of computer usage
Computer Applications in Society
• Education
• Finance
• Government
• Health care
• Science
• Publishing
• Manufacturing
• Travel