NOTES INORMATICS

PRACTICES

CH1 COMPUTER SYSTEM

Computer: A computer is an electronic device that can be programmed to accept data (input),
process it and generate result (output).
Computer System: A computer along with additional hardware and software together is called a
computer system.Primarily comprises of a central processing unit, memory, input/output devices, and
storage devices. All these components function together as a single unit to deliver the desired output.
Central Processing Unit (CPU) : It is the electronic circuitry of a computer that carries out the actual
processing and is usually referred to as the brain of the computer. It is also commonly called
'processor'. CPU is also popularly known as microprocessor.
Integrated Circuits: Physically, a CPU can be placed on one or more microchips called integrated
circuits (IC). The ICs comprise semiconductor materials.
How does a CPU works?
The CPU is given instructions and data through programs. The CPU then fetches the program and
data from the memory and performs arithmetic and logical operations as per the given instructions and
stores the result back to memory.
Registers: the CPU stores the data as well as instructions in its local memory, 'called' registers. they
are limited in size and number. Different registers are used for storing data, instructions or
intermediate results.
CPU HAS TWO MAIN COMPONENTS
ARITHMETIC LOGIC UNIT: ALU performs all the arithmetic and logic operations that need to be
done as per the instruction in a program.
CONTROL UNIT: CU controls sequential instruction execution, interprets instructions and guides
data flow through the computer’s memory, ALU and input or output devices.
INPUT DEVICES: The devices through which control signals are sent to a computer are termed as
input devices. These devices convert the input data into a digital form that is acceptable by the
computer system. Ex: keyboard, mouse, scanner, touch screen, etc.
Data entered through input device is temporarily stored in the main memory (also called RAM) of the
computer system. The data as well as instructions are stored permanently in additional storage
locations called secondary memory.
OUTPUT DEVICES: The device that receives data from a computer system for display, physical
production, etc., is called output device. It converts digital information into human understandable
form. Ex: monitor, projector, headphone, speaker, printer, etc.
3-D PRINTER: a new type of printer called 3D-printer, which is used to build physical replica of a
digital 3D design. These printers are being used in manufacturing industries to create prototypes of
products. Their usage is also being explored in the medical field, particularly for developing body
organs.
ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) is the first binary programmable
computer based on Von Neumann architecture.
LSI: Large Scale Integration (LSI) of electronic circuits allowed integration of complete CPU on a
single chip, called microprocessor.
VLSI: the processing power of computers increased exponentially by integrating around 3 million
components on a small-sized chip termed as Very Large Scale Integration.
SLSI: Further advancement in technology has made it feasible to fabricate high density of transistors
and other components (approx 106 components) on a single IC called Super Large Scale Integration.
HOW PERSONAL COMPUTER STARTED AS A TREND?
IBM introduced its first personal computer (PC) for the home user in 1981.
The popularity of the PC surged by the introduction of Graphical User Interface (GUI) based
operating systems by Microsoft and others.
The growth of World Wide Web (WWW) further accelerated mass usage of computers.
Further, with the introduction of laptops, personal computing was made portable to a great extent.
Followed by smartphones, tablets and other personal digital assistants it leveraged the technological
advancements in processor miniaturisation, faster memory, high speed data and connectivity
mechanisms.
COMPUTER MEMORY
A computer system needs memory to store the data and instructions for processing. The secondary
memory (also called storage device) is used to store data, instructions and results permanently and for
future use.
UNITS OF MEMORY
A computer system uses binary numbers to store and process data. Basic units of memory, are called
bits. A 4-bit word is called a Nibble. 8-bit word is called a byte.

KB (Kilobyte) 1 KB = 1024 Bytes PB (Petabyte) 1 PB = 1024 TB

MB (Megabyte) 1 MB = 1024 KB EB (Exabyte) 1 EB = 1024 PB
GB (Gigabyte) 1 GB = 1024 MB ZB (Zettabyte) 1 ZB = 1024 EB
TB (Terabyte) 1 TB = 1024 GB YB (Yottabyte) 1 YB = 1024 ZB
TYPES OF MEMORY

(A) Primary Memory:

The primary memory is an essential component of a computer system. Program and data are
loaded into the primary memory before processing. The CPU interacts directly with the
primary memory to perform read/ write operation. It is of two types viz. i) Random access
memory (RAM), and ii) Read only memory (ROM).
(B) Cache Memory:
Because of RAM, a CPU may have to slow down. To speed up the operations of the CPU, a
very high speed memory is placed between the CPU and the primary memory known as
cache. It stores the copies of the data from frequently accessed primary memory locations,
thus, reducing the average time required to access data from primary memory. When the
CPU needs to access memory, it first examines the cache.
(C) Secondary Memory:
A computer system needs auxiliary or secondary memory to permanently store the data or
instructions for future use. The secondary memory is non-volatile and has larger storage
capacity than primary memory. It is slower and cheaper than the main memory. But, it
cannot be accessed directly by the CPU. Contents of secondary storage need to be first
brought into the main memory for the CPU to access. Ex: Hard Disk Drive, Pen DRIVE Etc.

RAM: RAM is volatile i.e. as long as the power is supplied to the computer, it retains the data in it.
But as soon as the power supply is turned off, all the contents of RAM are wiped out. It is used to
store data temporarily while the computer is working. RAM is usually referred to as main memory
and it is faster than the secondary memory or storage devices.

ROM: ROM is non-volatile, means its contents are not lost even when the power is turned off. It is
used as a small but faster permanent storage for the contents which are rarely changed.

SSD: Solid-State Drive (SSD) which support very fast data transfer speed as compared to earlier
HDDs. Also, data transfer between computers have become easier and simpler due to the availability
of small sized and portable flash/pen drives.

DATA CAPTURING: It involves the process of gathering data from different sources in digital form.
Data may be captured using, keyboard bar code readers, remote sensors on earth orbiting satellites
etc. comments/ports over multiple social media are also captured as data.

DATA STORAGE: It is the process of storing the captured data for processing later.

DATA RETRIVAL: It involves fetching data from the storage devices, for its processing as per the user
requirement. Minimising data access time is crucial for faster data processing.

DATA DELETION: One of the biggest threats associated with digital data is its deletion.

DATA RECOVERY: Data recovery is a process of retrieving deleted, corrupted and lost data from
secondary storage devices.

SOFTWARE: The software comprises of set of instructions which on execution deliver the desired
outcome. These sets of instructions are referred to as software. Ex: Ubuntu OR Windows 7/10.

The sole purpose of a software is to make computer hardware useful and operational. Depending on
the mode of interaction with hardware and functions to be performed, software can be broadly
classified into three categories vise. i) System software ii) Programming tools and iii) Application
software.
HARDCOPY: Printed document or an image is called a hardcopy.

SOFTCOPY: A document or image stored on the hard disk or pen drive is referred to as a softcopy.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE: The software that provides the basic functionality to operate a computer by
interacting directly with its constituent hardware is termed as system software. It provides services
directly to the end user, or to some other software.

OPERATING SYSTEM: Operating system is a system software that operates the computer. An
operating system is the most basic system software, without which other software cannot work. The
operating system manages other application programs and provides access and security to the users
of the system. Ex: Windows, Android, iOS, etc.

SYSTEM UTILITIES: Software used for maintenance and configuration of the computer system is
called system utility.

DEVICE DRIVERS: The purpose of a device driver is to ensure proper functioning of a particular
device. The device driver acts as an interface between the device and the operating system. It
provides required services by hiding the details of operations performed at the hardware level of the
device.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE: a new category of software is needed to cater to different requirements

of the ensures. This specific software that works on top of the system software is termed as
application software.

Two broad categories of application software:

General Purpose Software: The application software developed for generic applications, to
cater to a bigger audience in general are called general purpose software.

Customised Application Software: These are custom or tailor-made application software, that
are developed to meet the requirements of a specific organisation or an individual.

Proprietary or Free and Open Source Software: Developers of some software allow public to freely
use their software along with source code with an aim to improve further with each other’s help.
Such software is known as Free and Open Source Software (FOSS).