Introduction To Computer

Computer is  an electronic machine that accepts data from the user, processes  the data by performing calculations and operations on it and generates the desired output as a result. The term computer is derived from the Latin word "computare" which means 'to compute'.

Generally, computer is the combination of
Hardware and software which converts data into information. Computer operates on set of instructions only, they cannot think as human being. Computer has an ability to store and execute set of instructions called program which makes it extremely distinguishable and versatile than calculators. Computer makes people's lives easier and more comfortable.
                                   

Functioning of a computer

Computer performs four basic functions which are as follows
1. Input - Information or data that is entered into a computer is called input. It sends data and instructions to the central processing unit (cpu).
2. Processing - It is the sequence of actions taken on data to convert it into information which is meaningful to the user. It can be calculations, comparisons or decisions taken by the computer.
3.Output - It makes processed data available to the user.It is mainly used to display the desired result to the user as per input instructions.
4. Storage - it stores data and programs permanently. It is used to store information during the time of program execution and possible to get any type of information from it. 

Features of Computer

The key features of Computer are as follows:
1. Speed - The computer can process data very fast at the millions of instruction per second.

2.Accuracy - computers provide a high degree of accuracy. They respond to the user as per the input instructions.

3. Storage Capacity - Computers are capable to store huge amount of data which depends on the capacity of hard disk.

4.  Versatility - Computers can do different types of work simultaneously. They can perform multiple tasks at a same time.

5. Automatic - once the instructions  to do any word is given to the computer, the computer does its work automatically by itself.

6. Secrecy - Leakage of information is reduced by creating login system with password protection.

Classification of Computer

Computers are mainly classified as three types as follows:

Based on size

Microcomputer
Minicomputer
Mainframe computer
Supercomputer

1. Microcomputer - Microcomputers are the least powerful, yet the most widely used and fastest growing type of computers and are also called portable computers. Micro computer consists of three basic categories of physical equipment ,system unit, input/output  and memory unit.

Some types of microcomputer are as follows

(a) Desktop Computer or personal computer (pc).

(b) Laptop

(c) Handheld computer

(d) Tablet Computer

(e) Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

2. Minicomputer -  Minicomputers  are a smaller in size, faster, cost lower than mainframe computers. Initially the mini computers were designed to carry out some specific task like engineering and Computer Aided Design (CAD) calculations. But now they are being used as a central computer which is known as server. 

3. Mainframe computer -  Mainframe computers are those having internal memory storage and comprehensive range of software.

4. Supercomputer - supercomputers are the fastest and most expensive machine. They have high processing speed compare to other Computers. The speed of supercomputers are measured in FLOPS(floating point operating Per Second).

Based on work

On the basis of work, computers are categorised as 

Analog computer
Digital computer
Hybrid computer

Based on purpose

On the basis of purpose, computers are categorised as follows

General purpose computer
Special Purpose computer

Applications of computer

1. Education  computers have proved to be excellent teachers. Educational institutes are using computers in many ways like tele- education, virtual classroom, online classes, etc.

2. Science and Engineering scientists have been long users of it. A new adventure among scientists is the idea of a collaboratory, an Internet based collaborative laboratory, in which researchers all over the world can work easily together even at a distance.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Output device

Output device An output is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing to the outside world. Output may be viewed on a computer monitor, heard thought speakers, printed on printers, etc.  The output produced by the output devices can be of the following forms Monitor It is also known as visual display unit (VDU). The monitor is provided along with the computer to view the display result. A monitor is of two kinds; mono-chrome display monitor and colour display monitor.  A monochrome display monitor uses only one colour to display text and colour display monitor can display 256 colour at a time. An image on the monitor is created by the configuration of dots, also known as pixels. The clarity of image depends on three factors which are as follows Resolution of screen - Resolution refers to to the number of pixels in horizontal and vertical directions. the resolution of...
Read more

Computer Hardware

Image
                Computer Hardware  Computer hardware refers to the physical components of a computer that can be seen and touched by the user .By the use of these hardware devices, it made very easy for the computer for processing its data, store and retrieve. Hardware  is one of the basic necessary part of a computer system.   Computer hardware also includes communication bus, input devices, output devices, etc. Input Devices An input  device  can defined as an electromechanical device that allows the user to feed data into the computer for analysis and storage and to give commands to the computer.the data is entered into the main memory thought the input devices. They accept instructions from the user and convert the accepted instructions into the machine language. Some of the commonly used input devices are described below Keyboard It is one of the most common input devices. The user can ty...
Read more

Computer Architecture

Image
Computer architecture deals with the functional behaviour of a computer system as viewed by a programmer. It can also be described as the logical structure of the system unit that house electronic components. The computer architecture forms the backbone for building successful computer system. Pc from Google Components of computer A computer consists of following main components: 1. Input/output (I/O) unit 2. Central processing unit 3. Memory Unit Input Unit The computer accepts coded information through input unit by the user. It is a device that is used to give required information to the computer e.g. keyboard, mouse, etc. An input unit performs the following functions (a) It accepts the instructions and data from the user. (b) It converts these instructions and data in computer in acceptable format. (c) It supplies the converted instructions and data to the computer system for further processing. Output Unit This units sends the pro...
Read more