COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS READING ASSIGNMENT
READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AT THE END. USE
YOUR OWN PAPER TO WRITE THE ANSWERS ONLY. USE COMPLETE SENTENCES WHEN
ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS.
Q.1. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS ACCORDING TO SIZE, FEATURES AND
LATEST VERSIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEMS OF COMPUTERS.
1. Computer application in data processing:
Data processing is the execution of a systematic sequence of operations performed upon
data to transform into information. Data are raw facts; information is processed data. Data
are subjected to processing activities such as calculating, comparing, sorting, classifying
and summarizing. Example: Data received about a sales (done on computer)
1. Added to a running total a sales results.
2. Compared to a standard to determine eligibility for a sales discount.
3. Sorted in numerical order based on product identification numbers
4. Classified into product categories (food or nonfood items)
5. Summarized to provide a sales manager with information about various product
categories and finally,
6. Update sales records.
2. Computer application for information processing
Information processing is a concept that covers both the traditional concepts of
processing numeric and alphabetic data, and the processing of text, images and voices. It
emphasis that the production of information products for uses should be the focus of
processing activities. Data are subjected to a value-added process, then it is called data
processing or information processing. Where its form is aggregated, manipulated and
organized (b) its content is analyzed and evaluated (c) it is placed in a proper context for
human user.
3. Computer application for commercial
Business owner make use of data processing through personnel computer mostly which
previously was available to only large computers. Business application has large
requirement for inputing data for producing multiple hardcopy and softcopy outputs. The
bank and financial companies are major users of financial application. They use modern
method of financial transaction with the help of Electronic payment systems , electronic
fund transfer system, national networks, ATMs , net banking , mobile banking with
adequate proper security. Computers are extensively used in every other function of
business like advertisement using multimedia, internet advertisement, online marketing,
CRM (customer relation management) , HR and administration etc.
4. Computer application for basic management function
Managers at all level must perform basic management tasks of functions as planning ,
organizing, staffing and controlling. Each function involve decision making and this must
be supported by quality information. Computers are useful media for providing information
and also nowadays computers are used for Electronic meeting using videoconferencing
and audio conferencing.
5. Computer application in industry and engineering
In almost all the industries people have started using computer. Now days people have
also started making 3-D walk through, to show it to customer so that they get better
visualization of the design of their home or office. Even in the field of engineering there are
few more examples where computers are used, such as designing car models, bikes and
also used for designing airplanes, helicopters, missiles etc.
6. Computer application in education
Now a days computer has become like necessity for every student, they do lot of research
work with the help of computer by gathering data, organizing them, and finally analyzing it
to come with some conclusion. Two important use for personnel computers in
education are computer managed instruction (CMI) and computer aided instruction (CAI)
CAI is a software which assist the instructor in the management of all the classroom
activities such as record keeping, work assignments, testing and grading.
7. Computer application in office automation
The office automation system also known as “enterprises collaboration systems” which
enhances team and workgroup communications and productivity. For example; knowledge
workers in a project team may use electronic message and videoconferencing to
hold electronic meeting to co-ordinate their activities. It is an ideal system which
would allow people to communicate in the medium of their choice like data , document,
image, voice or video. Office automation function eliminate typewriter, file cabinet, manual
type setting , commercial printing telephone service, memos, travel and physical presence
at meeting.
8. Computer in music
The internet is a goldmine for music and video. For downloading video or music we can use
some website like: www.playpress.com by Sony iTunes for iPod.
9. Computer in Animation Industry
Modern computer animation usually uses 3D computer graphics, although 2D computer
graphics are still used for stylistic, low bandwidth, and faster real-time renderings. The first
completely computer-generated television series was ReBoot, in 1994, and the first
completely computer-generated animated movie was Toy Story (1995)
10. Computers in healthcare
Every individual is conscious about his health. There are numerous applications of
computers in the medical field. The computer act as a large bank of data about medical
conditions of the patients (diagnosis) computerized patient record help in good
hospital management. The latest technology area where computers are widely used are
biotechnology, bio-informatics, bio science in the study of genes, DNA, etc for gathering
information , teleprocessing , teleconferencing and videoconferencing are the other areas
used in patients operations by doctors from distant places who form a virtual team.
11. Computer application in employment
Computer and internet job sites are really helpful to provide employment opportunity to
many people. All company’s job are published on net and job website
like monster.com and naukri.com not only give information about the job opportunity,they
also create a huge employee data bank which provide useful data for corporate to search
the idle candidate. Computer also help people to apply online for a job and create a good
resume. Both employers and job seekers have a mountain of related information to sort
through with minimal search parameter assistance.
12. Computer application in graphics and multimedia
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally,
the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from
specialized software and hardware. Graphics are pertaining to symbolic input and output
from a computer system such as lines, curves and geometric shapes , using video display
units or graphics plotters and printers. Developments in computer graphics have had a
profound impact on many types of media and have revolutionized animation, movies and
the video game industry. Today, computers and computer-generated images touch many
aspects of daily life. Computer imagery is found on television, in newspapers, for example
in weather reports, or for example in all kinds of medical investigation and surgical
procedures.
Types of Computers
Microcomputers or personnel computers
The term microcomputer and personnel computer are interchangeable, but PC which
stands for personnel computer – sometimes has more specific meaning. In 1981, IBM
called its first microcomputer the IBM PC. The mainly used microcomputers are HCL, PCs,
Wipro, HP, etc. The mostly used micro computers are PC-AT (advanced technology) and
PC-XT (extended technology). There are several types of microcomputers, each with its
own capabilities, features and purposes. Microcomputers include the following types:
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Desktop models
Notebook computers or laptop computers
Network computers
Handheld personnel computers of all types.
WORKSTATION
A workstation is a high-end microcomputer designed for technical or scientific
applications. Intended primarily to be used by one person at a time, they are commonly
connected to a local area network and run multiuser operating system. The
term workstation has also been used to refer to a mainframe terminal or a PC connected
to a network.
Supercomputers
Supercomputers are the most powerful computers made, and physically they are some of
the largest. These systems are built to process huge amount of data, and the fastest
supercomputers can perform more than 1 trillion calculations per second. Some
supercomputers – such as Cray T90 system – can house thousands of processors. The
supercomputer handles mostly complex scientific and statistical applications or programs.
Supercomputer has high technology, which is used for special purpose.
Supercomputers are used for weather forecasting, airflow control traffic, defense system,
railway reservation etc. India’s first super computer is PERM. Supercomputer can cost tens
of millions of dollars and consume enough electricity to power dozens of homes.
Supercomputer are very sensitive to the temperature, humidity, dust etc.
Mainframe computers
These computers has a smaller size than the supercomputer. Also these computer are
non-portable. Mainframe computers are used in large organizations like insurance
companies and banks where many people need frequent access to the same data, which is
usually organized into one or more huge databases.
Airlines uses large mainframe systems for flight scheduling, reservations, ticketing and
meeting a range of customer service needs. Government agencies — such as the internal
Revenue service, federal aviation Administration and the census Bureau – use mainframe
to track information about large population, payroll etc.
Mainframe are being used more and more as specialized servers on the WWW.
The mainly used mainframe computers are non-portable. The mainly used mainframe
computer is PDP370, IBM-40. The cost of mainframe computers varies from Rs5 lacs to 20
Lacs. Its memory capacity is also very high. All kind of hardware and software can be
executed on the mainframe computer. Today, a typical mainframe computer looks like an
unimposing file cabinet- or a row of file cabinets – although it may still require a somewhat
controlled environment.
Minicomputers or midrange computers
First released in the 1960’s, minicomputers got their name because of their small size
compared to other computers of the day. The capabilities of a minicomputer are
somewhere between mainframe and personnel computers. The most powerful
minicomputers can serve the input and output needs of hundreds of users at a time.
Minicomputers are used as a servers in network environments that handle the data-sharing
needs of other computers on the network. Minicomputers cost anywhere from $18,000 to $
500,000 and are ideal for many organizations and companies that cannot afford or do not
need a mainframe system.
Desktop models
The first types of PC introduced was the desktop model. It is full sized computer that is
small enough to be used at a desk but too big to carry around. A variation of the desktop
systems is the tower model, where a system unit sits vertically and has more space for
devices.
Notebook computers or laptop computers
Notebooks computers, as the name implies are very small size, portable computer which
can fit inside a briefcase easily. It is also called as laptop computers. Notebooks systems
can be configured with such memory and storage space as a desktop systems.
Network computers
In some situation a user does not need all the power and features provided by a personnel
computer, If you want to use the internet, or example if you are a data entry operator, then
you may not need the processing power , memory, and storage capacity of a fully equipped
PC.. In this instance a network computer becomes useful. Network computer are designed
to be connected to a network, a corporate intranet orto the internet. The NC relies on the
network for software and data storage and may even use the networks server to perform
some processing tasks.
Handheld personnel computers of all types
These are tiny systems which can work like PC and can fits in the user’s hand, such as
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Personnel digital assistant (PDA)
Cellular telephone with internet, e-mail and fax capabilities
Most PDAs come with an electronic pen that lets user write on a touch-sensitive screen.
Wearable computer
A Wearable Computer is a body-worn or in clothing integrated IT device that offers handsfree operation through speech control. Essentially, common computer applications (e-mail,
database, multimedia, calendar/scheduler) are integrated into watches, cell phones, visors
and even clothing!
Generations of Computers
First Generation – 1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
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These first generation computers were based on vacuum tube technology.
These first generation computers were the fastest computing devices of their times
(computation time was in Milli-Seconds).
These first generation computers were very large, and required a lot of space for
installation.
Since thousands of vacuum tubes were used, they generated a large amount of heat.
Therefore, air conditioning was essential.
These first generation computers were non-profitable and very slow equipments.
They lack in versatility and speed.
They were expensive to operate and consumed large amount of electricity
Second Generation – 1956-1963: Transistors
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1. Transistors were used
2. Core Memory was developed
3. Faster than First Generation computers
4. First Operating System was developed
5. Programming was in Machine Language & Assembly Language
6. Magnetic tapes & discs were used
7. Computers became smaller in size than the First Generation computers
8. Computers consumed less heat & consumed less electricity
Third Generation – 1964-1971: Integrated Circuits
1. Integrated
circuits developed
2. Power consumption was low
3. SSI & MSI Technology was used
4. High level languages were used
Fourth Generation – 1971-Present: Microprocessors
. LSI & VLSI Technology used
2. Development of Portable Computers
3. RAID Technology of data storage
4. Used in virtual reality, multimedia, simulation
5. Computers started in use for Data Communication
6. Different types of memories with very high accessing speed & storage
Fifth Generation – Present and Beyond: Artificial Intelligence
Used in parallel processing
2. Used superconductors
3. Used in speech recognition
4. Used in intelligent robots
5. Used in artificial intelligence
Classification of Computers
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS ACCORDING TO SIZE, FEATURES AND
LATEST VERSIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEMS OF COMPUTER
THE MAIN FEATURE OF COMPUTER ARE:
1. Speed : computers are capable of carrying out the task with enormous speed.
Today’s computer’s , according to their class , can perform from 4 MIPS
(million of instruction per second) to 100 MIPS.
2. Storage : computer can store enormous quantity of information. The large
volume of storage occupy much lesser space compared to paper documents
and this aspect of computers makes them more powerful.
3. Accuracy : the accuracy of computer is consistently high. In fact , this
quality of the computer make the indispensable in various field such as
scientific Research, space research , weather prediction and many other
precision of a high order is required.
4. Versatility: computers are versatile in that they can perform almost any task,
provided they are given the appropriate logical steps. For example they are capable of
performing wide ranging tasks such as construction of payroll, inventory management in
a factory, hotel billing, hospital management, banking application, etc.
5. Dilligence: computer are machines and that do not get tired or “lose concentration” like
human beings. If a large number of calculations say million calculations are to be
performed the resultant output will remain exactly the same even if operations are
repeated any number of times.
6. Automation: the biggest advantage of computers is that it is automatic in its operation.
Once a programming logic is initiated the computer performs repeated operations
without human interventions until program completion.
7. Power of remembering: computer has the power of storing any amount of information
or data. Any information can be stored and recalled as long as you require it, for any
numbers of years.
8. No IQ: computer is a dumb machine and it cannot do any work without instruction from
the user. It performs the instruction at tremendous speed and with accuracy.
9. No feeling: it does not have feelings or emotion, taste, knowledge and experience. Thus
it does not get tired even after a long hours of work. It does not distinguish between
users.
ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUESTIONS, TURN IN YOUR ANSWERS ONLY TO MRS.
HARRISON. MAKE SURE YOUR NAME, DATE AND CLASS PERIOD IS ON THE FIRST LINE OF THE
RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR PAPER AND CHAPTER 2 READING ASSIGNMENT IS ON THE TOP LINE OF THE
LEFT SIDE OF YOUR PAPER.