Tuesday, October 9, 2018

WHAT IS COMPUTERS?



DEFINITION OF COMPUTER  

A Computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules, produce information (output), and store the information for future use.[1]

HARDWARE and SOFTWARE
Any kind of computers consists of HARDWARE and SOFTWARE
HARDWARE
SOFTWARE
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a computer system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk (HDD), system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can be touched.[2]
Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions, often broken into two major categories: system software that provides the basic non task-specific functions of the computer, and application software which is used by users to accomplish specific tasks. 




[1] Vermaat, Misty E. Microsoft Office 2013 Introductory. Cengage Learning, p.IT3.  2014
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_hardware   




All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components:

Ø  Memory: enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs.
Ø  Mass storage device: allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include solid state drives (SSDs) or disk drives and tape drives.
Ø  Input device: usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
Ø  Output device: a display screenprinter, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished.
Ø  Central processing unit (CPU): the heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions.
Ø  In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic components to work together efficiently. For example, every computer requires bus that transmits data from one part of the computer to another.


INPUT & OUTPUT DEVICES


Input Devices -" How to tell it what to do“
Ø  Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance. Input device Translate data from form that humans understand to one that the computer can work with. Most common are keyboard and mouse.

Example of Input Devices :-
1. Keyboard
5. Scanner
2. Mouse (pointing device)
6. Webcam
3. Microphone
7. Touchpads
4. Touch screen
8. Cameras







Output Devices -"How it shows you what it is doing"
Ø  The monitor (the screen) is how the computer sends information back to you. A printer is also an output device.

Example on Output Devices:

1. Monitor
4. Computer Output Microfilm (COM)
2. LCD Projection Panels
5. Plotters
3. Printers
6. Speaker



CHARACTERISTICS OF
COMPUTERS

1. Computer is fast ( Speed )

The computer can process data very fast, at the rate of millions of instructions per second. Some calculations that would have taken hours and days to complete otherwise, can be completed in a few seconds using the computer. For example, calculation and generation of salary slips of thousands of employees of an organization, weather forecasting that requires analysis of a large amount of data related to temperature, pressure and humidity of various places, etc.

2. Computer is accurate ( Accuracy )

Accuracy Computer provides a high degree of accuracy. For example, the computer can accurately give the result of division of any two numbers up to 10 decimal places.

3. Diligence

When used for a longer period of time, the computer does not get tired or fatigued. It can perform long and complex calculations with the same speed and accuracy from the start till the end.

4. Store Capacity

Large volumes of data and information can be stored in the computer and also retrieved whenever required. A limited amount of data can be stored, temporarily, in the primary memory. Secondary storage devices like floppy disk and compact disk can store a large amount of data permanently.

5. Computer are Versatile( Versatility )

Computer is versatile in nature. It can perform different types of tasks with the same ease. At one moment you can use the computer to prepare a letter document and in the next moment you may play music or print a document.