Computer System Component
Computer: A programmable electronic device
that can store, retrieve, and process data.
The word “Computer” emerged during WWII,
people who operated desk calculators were
called: Computers.
History of the Modern
Computer
Human: Could add a two 10 digit number in 10 seconds, with
Calculator, in 4 Seconds.
Mark 1: Also called “Harvard Mark 1” Could add two 10digit
numbers in about 0.3 seconds. 30 times faster than Pencil
and paper.
ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. The
world's first electronic digital computer was developed by
Army Ordnance to compute World War II ballistic firing
Tables. Could add the same in 0.0002 seconds, 50,000 times
faster than a human, and 1,500 times faster than the Mark 1.
General Vocabulary
and Units
Bit: "Binary digIT" Computers happen to operate using the
base-2 number system, also known as the binary number
system ( 0, 1)
Byte: 8- bit collections (single, double precision )
Digital: Send – Receive 0’s and 1’s
Analog: AM - FM
Hertz: Unit of Frequency
Kilo-Hertz: 1000 Cycles
Mega-Hertz: 1 million Cycles
Giga-Hertz: 1 Billion Cycles
Components of a
Computer System
Hardware
Computer
Software
Motherboard
Floppy
Hard Drive
Operating System
Office 2003
Internet Explorer
Components of a
Computer System
Storage
Input
Information
Processing Cycle
Output
Process
Components of a
Computer System
Input
Process
Storage
Output
Types of Computer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline
of current processing capacity, particularly
speed of calculation. Introduced in
1960
These computers were used for complex
calculations such as forecasting weather and
quantum physics. Today, supercomputers are
one of a kind; they are fast and very advanced.
The term supercomputer is always evolving as
tomorrow's normal computers are today's
supercomputer.
The word "minicomputer" (colloquially,
"mini") is a term for a class of smaller
computers that evolved in the mid-1960s and
sold for much less than mainframe and midsize
computers from IBM and its direct competitor.
the
term
"minic
omput
er" came to mean a machine that lies in
Types of
Computer
the middle range of the computing
spectrum, in between the
smallest
mainframe computers and the
microcomputers.
A microcomputer
is
a
complete computer on a smaller
scale and is generally a synonym for
the
more common
term, personal computer or PC
A data processing system employed mainly in large organizations for various
applications, including bulk data processing, process control, industry and consumer
statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.
Mainframes use proprietary operating systems, most of which are based on Unix, and a
growing number on Linux. Over the years they have evolved from being roomsized to
networked configurations of workstations and servers that are an extremely competitive
and cost effective platforms for e-commerce development and hosting. Mainframes are
so called because the earliest ones were housed in large metal frames.
DRAM
Hardware Devices Memory
Memory
RAM
ROM
SRAM
PROM
Memory
EPROM
Random Access Memory Read Only Memory
SRAM: Static RAM
EPROM: Erasable Programmable ROM
DRAM: Dynamic RAM PROM: Programmable ROM
Memory Size in MB
1 MB 256 MB
2 MB 512 MB
4 MB 1024 MB
8 MB
16 MB
32 MB
Extra Points: What mathematical equation 64 MB
describes the pattern?
128 MB
Monitors
Output device,
Soft-Copy Output
Resolution is given by the amount of “Pixels”
Two categories: CRT (Cathode Ray Tubes) and
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Printers
Output Devices
Hard Copy Output
Resolution is given in “dsi”. Dots per Inch.
Two Categories: Laser (B&W, Color) uses Toner.
Inkjet (Color) uses ink cartridges.
Types of Software and Their
Uses
Operating System Software (OS): Tell the
computer how to work and what to do.
Windows, Linux and Macintosh.
Driver: Software that tells a hardware
component how to work.
Application Software: Accomplish a task
Using a computer. Word, Excel, PowerPoint