University of Algiers 1

Department of Computer Science

Terminology Course
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SYSTEM

D .benkattas khedidja

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 Computer Science and Information Systems The
objective of this courses is to communicate important
research and development results in the areas of
computer science, software engineering, and information
systems.

OBJECTIVES

Learn the concept of a system in general and the

computer system in specific.
* Learn and understand how the computers have evolved
dramatically within a very short span, from very huge
machines of the past, to very compact designs of the
present with tremendous advances in technology.
* Understand the general classifications of computers.
* Study computer applications.

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 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER SYSTEM

The word computer is derived from the word compute.

Compute means to calculate. The computer was originally
defined as a super fast calculator. It had the capacity to solve
complex arithmetic and scientific problems at very high speed.
But nowadays in addition to handling complex arithmetic
computations, computers perform
many other tasks like accepting, sorting, selecting, moving,
comparing various types of information. They also perform
arithmetic and logical operations on alphabetic, numeric and
other types of information. This information provided by the
user to the computer is data.

The information in one form which is presented to the

computer is the input information or input data. Information in
another form is presented by the computer after performing a
process on it. This information is the output information or
output data.

The set of instructions given to the computer to perform

various operations is called as the computer program. The
process of converting the input data into the required output
form with the help of the computer program is called as data
processing. The computers are therefore also referred to as
data processors

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Therefore a computer can now be defined as a fast and
accurate data
processing system that accepts data, performs various
operations on the data, has the capability to store the data and
produce the results on the basis of detailed step by step
instructions given to it..

The terms hardware and software are almost always used in

connection with the computer.

A • The Hardware:

The hardware is the machinery itself. It is made up of the physical

parts or devices of the computer system like the electronic Integrated
Circuits (ICs), magnetic storage media and other mechanical devices
like input devices, output devices etc. All these various hardware are
linked together to form an effective functional unit. The various types
of hardware used in the computers, has evolved from vacuum tubes of
the first generation to Ultra Large Scale Integrated Circuits of the
present generation.

B • The Software:

The computer hardware itself is not capable of doing anything on its

own. It has to be given explicit instructions to perform the specific task.
The computer program is the one which controls the processing
activities of the computer. The computer thus functions according to
the instructions written in the program. Software mainly consists of
these computer programs, procedures and other documentation used
in
the operation of a computer system. Software is a collection of
programs which utilize and enhance the capability of the hardware.

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 Chapter 2
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

Computers are broadly classified into two categories depending upon

the logic used in their design as:

A- Analog computers:

In analog computers, data is recognized as a continuous measurement

of a physical property like voltage, speed, pressure etc. Readings on a
dial or graphs are obtained as the output, ex. Voltage, temperature;
pressure can be measured in this way

B - Digital Computers:

These are high speed electronic devices. These devices are

programmable .They process data by way of mathematical calculations,
comparison, sorting etc. They accept input and produce output as
discrete signals representing high (on) or low (off) voltage state of
electricity. Numbers, alphabets, symbols are all represented as a series
of 1s and Os.

- Digital Computers are further classified as General Purpose

- Digital Computers and Special Purpose Digital Computers. General
Purpose computers can be used for any applications like accounts,
payroll, data processing etc. Special purpose computers are used for a
specific job like those used in automobiles, microwaves etc.

Another classification of digital computers is done on the basis of

their capacity to access memory and size like:

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1- Small Computers:

- Microcomputers: Microcomputers are generally referred to as

Personal
- Computers (PCs). They have Smallest memory and less power. They
are widely used in day to day applications like office automation, and
professional applications, ex. PCAT,
Pentium etc.

- Note Book and Laptop Computers: These are portable in nature and
are battery operated. Storage devices like CDs, floppies etc. and output
devices like printers can be connected to these computers. Notebook
computers are smaller in physical size than lap top computers.
However, both have powerful processors, support graphics, and can
accept mouse driven input.
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2- Hybrid Computers:

Hybrid Computers are a combination of Analog and Digital

computers. They combine the speed of analog computers and accuracy
of digital computers. They are mostly used in specialized applications
where the input data is in an analog form, . measurement. This is
converted into digital form for further processing. The computers
accept data from sensors and produce output using conventional
input/output devices.

3- Mini Computers:

Mini computers are more powerful than the micro computers. They
have higher memory capacity and more storage capacity with higher
speeds. These computers are mainly used in process control systems.
They are mainly used in applications like payrolls, financial accounting,
Computer aided design etc. ex. VAX, PDP-11

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4- Mainframe Computers:

Main frame computers are very large computers which process data at
very high speeds of the order of several million instructions per second.
They can be linked into a network with smaller computers, micro
computers and with each other. They are typically used in large
organizations, government departments etc.

5- Super Computers:

A super computer is the fastest, most powerful and most expensive

computer which is used for complex tasks that require a lot of
computational power. Super computers have multiple processors which
process multiple instructions at the same time. This is known as parallel
processing. These computers are widely used in very advanced
applications like weather forecasting, processing geological data etc.

3- APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTERS

Today computers find widespread applications in all activities of the

modern world. Some of the major application areas include:

1 - Scientific, Engineering and Research:

This is the major area where computers find vast applications. They
are used in areas which require lot of experiments, mathematical
calculations, Computer Fundamentals/10 weather forecasting, and
complex mathematical and engineering applications. Computer Aided
Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) help in
designing robotics, automobile manufacturing, automatic process
control dev ices etc.

2- Business:

Record keeping, budgets, reports, inventory, payroll, invoicing,

accounts are all the areas of business and industry where computers are
used to a great extent. Database management is one of the major area

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where computers are used on a large scale. The areas of application
here include banking, airline reservations, etc. where
large amounts of data need to be updated, edited, sorted, searched
from large databases.

4- Medicine :

Computerized systems are now in widespread use in monitoring

patient data like , pulse rate, blood pressure etc. resulting in faster and
accurate diagnosis. Modern day medical equipment are highly
computerized today. Computers are also widely used in medical
research.

5- Information:

This is the age of information. Television, Satellite communication,

Internet, networks are all based on computers.

6- Education:

The use of computers in education is increasing day by day. The

students develop the habit of thinking more logically and are able to
formulate problem solving techniques. CDs on a variety of subjects are
available to impart education. On line training programs for students
are also becoming popular day by day. All the major
encyclopedias, dictionaries and books are now available in the digital
form and therefore are easily accessible to the student of today.
Creativity in drawing, painting, designing, decoration, music etc. can be
well developed with computers.

7- Games and Entertainment:

Computer games are popular with children and adults alike. Computers
are nowadays also used in entertainment areas like movies, sports,
advertising etc.

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 Chapter 3

COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM

The basic parts of computer system are:

Input Unit
The Central Processing Unit
Output Unit

1- The Input Unit:

Input dev ices are the devices which are used to feed programs and data
to the computer. The input system connects the external environment
with the computer system. The input devices are the means of
communication between the user and the computer system. Typical
input devices include the keyboard, floppy disks, mouse,
microphone, light pen, joy stick, magnetic tapes etc. The way in which
the data is fed into the computer through each of these devices is
different. However, a computer can accept data only in a specific form.
Therefore these input devices transform the data fed to them, into a
form which can be accepted by the computer. These devices are a
means of communication and inter1 station between the user and the
computer systems.

Thus the functions of the input unit are :

accept information (data) and programs.

convert the data in a form which the computer can accept.
provide this converted data to the computer for further processing

2- The Central Processing Unit:

This is the brain of any computer system. The central processing unit
or CPU is made of three parts

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Computer Fundamentals :

The control unit.

The arithmetic logic unit

The primary storage unit

A- The Control Unit :

The Control Unit controls the operations of the entire computer

system. The control unit gets the instructions from the programs stored
in primary storage unit interprets these instruction an subsequently
directs the other units to execute the instructions. Thus it manages and
coordinates the entire computer system.

B- The Arithmetic Logic Unit:

The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) actually executes the instructions and
performs all the calculations and decisions. The data is held in the
primary storage unit and transferred to the ALU whenever needed.
Data can be moved from the primary storage to the arithmetic logic unit
a number of times before the entire processing is complete. After the
completion, the results are sent to the output storage section and
the output devices.

C - The Primary Storage Unit:

This is also called as Main Memory. Before the actual

processing starts the data and the instructions fed to the computer
through the input units are stored in this primary storage unit. Similarly,
the data which is to be output from the computer system is also
temporarily stored in the primary memory. It is also the area where
intermediate results of calculations are stored. The main memory has
the storage section that holds the computer programs during execution.
Thus the primary unit:

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 Stores data and programs during actual processing
Stores temporary results of intermediate processing
Stores results of execution temporarily

3- Output Unit:
The output devices give the results of the process and computations to
the outside world. The output units accept the results produced by the
computer, convert them into a human readable form and supply them
to the users. The more common output devices are printers, plotters,
display screens, magnetic tape drives etc.

French Translations Of English Computer Terms

• computer scientist = informaticien

• programmer = programmeur
• database administrator = administrateur de base de données
• web administrator = administrateur de site web
• network administrator = administrateur de réseau
• analyst = analyste
• software architect = architecte de logiciel
• information technology architect = architecte informatique
• hardware architect = architecte de matériel
• referencing expert = expert en référencement
• database expert = expert en bases de données
• web designer = concepteur de sites web
• software designer = concepteur de logiciel

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• referencing consultant = consultant en référencement
• data protection officer = responsable de la protection des
données
• developer = développeur
• project director = directeur de projet
• information technology director = directeur informatique
• hosting service provider = hébergeur
• development engineer = ingénieur de développement
• systems engineer = ingénieur système(s)
• computer science engineer = ingénieur informaticien
• technical support manager = responsable de l’assistance
technique
• Software = logiciel
• To type = Taper (au clavier)
• Power supply = alimentation électrique
• Data = données
• Operating system = le logiciel qui fait marcher votre ordinateur
• Monitor = moniteur
• A word-processor = un traitement de texte
• Hard disk = disque dur
• Hardware = tous les composants physiques de l’ordinateur

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• Keyboard = clavier
• Screen = écran

• A key = Une touche (sur le clavier)

• A laptop = un ordinateur portable
• Desktop = ordinateur de bureau
• An update = une mise à jour
• To update = mettre à jour
• World Wide Web (www) = réseau internet mondial
• Online = en ligne
• Offline = hors-ligne
• A printer = une imprimante
• Computer = ordinateur
• Monitor = moniteur
• Touchpad / trackpad = pavé tactile
• Mouse pad = tapis de souris
• Webcam = webcam
• Mouse = souris
• Computer case = boîtier d’ordinateur
• Loud speaker = haut parleur

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• Graphics processing unit = processeur graphique
• Central processing unit = processeur central
• Motherboard = carte mère
• To boot = démarrer, initialiser
• Backup = une sauvegarde
• « dot com » = .com
• Bug = une anomalie
• Cookie = un cookie
• Chip = une puce
• Byte = un octet
• A screen = capture d’écran
• Display = afficher, l’affichage
• Firewall = un pare-feu
• Cyberspace = le cyberespace
• A browser = un navigateur
• To download = télécharger
• Random-access memory (RAM) = mémoire vive
• Video card = carte graphique
• Sound card = carte son

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• Fan = ventilateur
• A search engine = un moteur de recherche
• A domain name = un nom de domaine
• Homepage / Home = page d’accueil / accueil
• FAQ = Frequently asked questions
• A post = un article
• About = à propos
• A permalink = un lien permanent
• A link = un lien
• Content = contenu
• Broadband = connexion à haut débit
• To upload = envoyer des données
• To download = télécharger
• A network = un réseau
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization) = optimisation
d’un site (pour le référencement)
• Trojan Horse = Cheval de Troie (virus)
• Spyware = Logiciel espion
• A hacker = un pirate informatique
• To hack = pirater
• A virus = un virus

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