What is a computer

A computer is an electronic machine designed to allow

data input, process data, give output as information and
store data or information for future use if necessary

 System - Group of components organized to perform a certain goal

 Computer is referred as a system because it involves a combination of

hardware components attached together to perform an intended goal

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Computer components
A computer system is composed of two main components
which are Hardware and Software.

• Hardware is the machine itself and its connected devices such

as monitor, keyboard, mouse. Are made up of the physical
parts.

• Software are the set of electronic programs with instructions

which commands the computer (Processor) to perform various
functions.
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
 Computer Hardware

• Hardware refers to the physical elements of a

computer.

• Examples of computer hardware are keyboard, the

monitor, the mouse and the central processing unit.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Computer Hardware Components
• Input devices
• Keyboard, Mouse, Camera,
Touch Pad, scanner

• Processing device
• CPU

• Output devices
• Monitor, Printer, speaker

• Storage
Permanent storage: Floppy,
Hard Disk Drive, CD, DVD, Flash
Drive.

Temporary storage: Random

Access Memory (RAM)
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
 Input and output devices
• An input device sends information to a computer system or allow
for input/insertion of data to a computer for processing.
Examples:
Keyboard, Mouse, Camera, Touch Pad, scanner

• Output device receives the output of data after being processed

and reproduces or displays the results of that processing.
Examples:
Monitor, Printer, speaker

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Processing device

Data Processing is the action of converting data to information. The flow of

data through the CPU and memory to output devices is called processing.

The central processing unit (CPU) or processor, is the device which performs
data/instructions processing inside a computer.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Storage devices
There are two types of storage devices used with computers which are
primary storage devices and secondary storage devices.

primary storage devices are devices that stores temporarily the

data/information that is directly accessible by the computer CPU.
A good example of this storage device is a Random Access Memory (RAM)

Secondary storage devices are devices that stores data/information

permanently.
Good examples of this storage are Hard Disk Drive and Flash disk

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Characteristics of a computer
1. Speed:
• Is able of performing a large amount of data in microseconds,
nanoseconds or picoseconds.
• It can perform a work in seconds which a human being could
take months to accomplish.

2. Accuracy:
• there is no room for error, each and every work is performed
with the same accuracy provided that correct input was given

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Cont.

3. Flexible:
• a computer can do more than one job at the same time;
• a computer is capable of performing almost any task provided
the instructions are already in place.

4. Storage:
• a computer has got high capacity of storing data
• It can store any type of data such as image, video, texts, audios
etc

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Cont.
5. Diligence:
• Unlike human, computer has no feelings of tiredness or lack of
concentration
• it can work 24 hrs a day 7 days per week and 364 days per year
without a rest.

6. No I.Q:
• computer has no intelligence of performing any task
• Its not equipped with the Artifical Inteligence as a human being
• its only operates on demands of it master’s need

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Cont.
7. Automation:
• It is fully automatic
• After instructions stored in its memory, it can perform activities
without the interactions of human being

8. High level of remembering:

• unlike humans our power of remembering is low,
• in computer technology, every peace of information can be
retained as long as desired by the user and can be recalled as
and when required.
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
Classification of computer
• Computers can be classified into Four main groups:
1. Making principles
2. Purpose
3. Size and capabilities
4. Number of users

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 01:Making principles
Here we have three classification
1. Digital computer:
A Digital Computer, as its name implies, works with digits to represent numerals, letters or other
special symbols.
The most common examples of digital computers are accounting machines ,calculators as well as
personal computers or desktop computers

2. Analog Computer:
 Computers which process analog data
These computers accept data directly from measuring instrument without having to convert it
into numbers or codes.
Eg. Speedometer, thermometer, weight machine, pressure gauge, studio sound recording mixer,
meter reading etc

3. Hybrid computers:
is a computer system that combines both digital and analog components.
Example: In hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU), an analog device is used to measures patient's blood
pressure and temperature etc, which
11/19/2023 are then converted
[email protected] and displayed in the form of digits
phone 0763612036
 02:Purpose
• Involves two classification
1. Special purpose computers:
 Computer designed only to meet the requirements of a particular task or application.
 The instructions needed to perform a particular task are permanently stored into the
internal memory, so that it can perform the given task on a single command.
 It doesn’t posses unnecessary options

• 2. General purposes computers:

 designed to meet the needs of a large variety of technical problems.
 The instructions to perform a particular job are not fed into the computer permanently
 When one job is over, instructions for another job can be loaded into the internal memory
for processing.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 03: Size
Here there are about 5 classification
1. Super computers:
The fast and most powerful type of computer ever existed
Supercomputers are very expensive and are employed for specialized applications that
require large amounts of mathematical calculations.
For example, weather forecasting analysis .
2. Mainframe Computer
Computers with large storage capacities and very high speed of processing
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or
even thousands, of users simultaneously.
Main application in these systems is in the banks, insurances companies,
universities, and other big organizations which interact with huge data.
3. Mini Computer
A midsized computer.
 Its size and power lie between Mainframes
11/19/2023 andphone
[email protected] micro computers.
0763612036
 Cont…
4. Micro computer:
• Most commonly know as the personnel computer or PC
• Are the smallest general purpose processing systems
• They are cheaper, faster and they are holding the records of the most used computer in the
world.
• Micro computers come in variety of shapes and sizes depended on the end users needs.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Cont…
• Examples:
• Digital watches,
• digital cameras,
• Mp3 players,
• traffic lights,
• Automobile controls units
• Digital television
• Robots
• Photo copies, printers, fax machines
• etc.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Types of Computer Hardware

• Computer hardware components can either be

• internal
• external
• In order to communicate with the system, they can either be attached
through connecting wiring in the ports or connected through a non
wiring option

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Internal hardware components

• These are all hardware devices that are internally found in the system unit
• Internal hardware components include
1. CPU
2. Motherboard
3. Power supply Unit
4. Internal storage device and External storage devices eg. Hard Disk
Drive (HDD), Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only
Memory (ROM).
5. Internal wiring & ports
6. Drive’s (CD- drive, floppy disk drive)
7. Cooling fans and Heat sink (Cooling system)
etc
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
 Characteristics of Computer Hardware
1.Hardware consists of parts that one can touch and feel.
2.Hardware determines what software will be used in the computer
3.Computer hardware is expensive to acquire.
4.Not easy to change particular hardware components (specifications)

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 01. Motherboard
Is the main circuit board (CB) found in the computer systems.
It is mounted inside the system unit.

Functions of a Motherboard
Its primary function is to allow communication between many of the
crucial electronic components of a system such as the central processing
unit (CPU) and memory.
Provides connectors for other peripheral and non peripheral devices.
Helps to supply electrical signals among the attached components

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Pc Motherboard

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Laptop motherboard

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 02: Central processing Unit- CPU
It’s the main Hardware part where data processing occurs

The CPU is subdivided into two important units which work

together with the Memory in order to accomplish all
processing activities.

These components are integrated together as a single

microprocessor that is mounted on the computer's
motherboard. These include
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
1. Control unit - This unit controls the operations of all parts of computer but
does not carry out any actual data processing operations.
2. Arithmetic Logic Unit - This is where data processing occurs

• Functions of the Control unit:

1. It is responsible for controlling the transfer of data and instructions among other
units of a computer.
2. It manages and coordinates all the units of the computer.
3. It obtains the instructions from the memory, interprets them, and directs the
operation of the computer.
4. It communicates with Input/output devices for transfer of data or results from
storage.

• Functions of Arithmetic and logic unit:

• The ALU is responsible for all arithmetic and logic operations like additions,
multiplications, subtractions
11/19/2023
and division, and comparison logic operations.
[email protected] phone 0763612036
 03. Power supply unit (PSU)
• The power supply changes alternating current (AC) from a wall
socket to low-voltage direct current to operate the processor and
peripheral devices.
• Several direct-current voltages are required, and they must be
regulated with some accuracy to provide stable operation of the
computer.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 04.Memory
• In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to
store programs (sequences of instructions) or data on a
temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer.

Types of Memory
1. Internal Memory
2. External Memory

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Solid State Disk (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
• Both HDD and SSD are permanent internal storage
devices/media used in the computer system to store the
Operating System, User files and all other software/programs.
• The basic difference between SSD and HDD is that Solid State
Drive stores the data in integrated circuits and a Hard Disk Drive
stores data magnetically, through spinning disks.

A Hard Disk Drive is the commonly used storage disk

It uses a moving read/write head technology to access data.
This is the traditional type of storage unit which is used in
Computer devices.
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
Hard Disk Drive

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Solid State Disk (SSD) and Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
A Solid State Drive is a faster than HDD and more efficient secondary
storage
which stores data using flash memory circuit technology.
SSD HDD
Movement: It is a solid drive and no movement Movement: It is a moving drive and the hard disk
occurs while its functioning spins when it is functioning
Speed: It has faster processing speed Speed: The processing speed is low in
comparison to SSD
R/W Time: It has a shorter Read/Write time R/W Time: It has a longer Read/Write time

Power Consumption: No motion results in less Power Consumption: Because of the spinning
use of electricity or power platters, more electricity and power is consumed
Components: There are no moving parts. It only Components: HDD comprises moving
as a memory chip which stores data into components. It has one or more spinning moving disks
integrated circuits
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
 ROM (Read Only
Memory)
Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage device/media used in
computers and other electronic devices.

Because data stored in ROM cannot be modified (at least not very
quickly or easily), it is mainly used to distribute firmware of the
specific hardware.
Firmware is software that is very closely tied to specific hardware.

• Read on types of ROM.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Examples of External/ secondary storage
devices
• External hard drive.
•Flash drive.
•Floppy disk.
•Compact disc.
•Tape drive.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

COMMUNICATION DEVICES

• hardware device capable of transmitting an analog or digital signal from one computer to
another.
• The best example of a communication device are
i. Bluetooth devices:
Bluetooth is a wireless technology which allows the computer to communicate
wirelessly with other devices that have the hardware necessary to send and receive
Bluetooth signals.

iii. Network card (using Ethernet port)

The Ethernet port is another popular communication device which allows a
computer to communicate via Ethernet cable with another computer, a router or other
networking device.

34
iv. Modem (over phone line):
The successor to the Ethernet port was the telephone
port or modem port, which is a device that allows the
computer to communicate via telephone lines, typically
with an Internet service provider
v. Wi-Fi devices (using a router)
Most modern laptops come with hardware capable of
communicating wirelessly with a router or with other
computers.

35
 Computer wiring
• As a system, components work together inform of connectivity,
• Computer connections Involves two categories :
• Internal category: mainly involves wiring
• External category: involves physical wiring or wireless (wireless
connection is covered in lesson)

Microsoft Office 2010: Introduction to Computers 36

M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
INTERNAL WIRING

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

• IDE cables have used to connect storage devices to a motherboard.

• It’s the wide cable that looks like a ribbon with more than 2 plugs.
• The connectors on an IDE cable have from 40 pins to 44 pins.

37
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)
• Newer hard drives use SATA ports.
• This is because SATA was designed to succeed IDE, and it has.
• SATA provides higher data transfer speeds.

38
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
Bus
• In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that transfers
data between components inside a computer
• The thin lines crossing from one circuit to another in the picture below are
referred to a buses
• You can think of a bus as a highway on which data travels

39
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
Expansion slots
• Alternatively referred to as a bus slot or expansion port, an expansion
slot is connection or port located inside a computer on the motherboard
or riser board that allows a computer hardware expansion card to be
connected.
• For example, if you want to install a new video card in the computer,
you'd purchase a video expansion card and install that card into the
compatible expansion slot.

40
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
EXTERNAL WIRING

Computer power Cord

connect one end to the electric socket and the other end to the computer power
supply unit

41
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
Video Graphic Array cable (VGA)
Also know as D-sub cable or analog cable, Connect one end to:
computer monitor, projector, television (PC input port)
Connect other end to: VGA port on computer

42
High Definition Multimedia Interface cable (HDMI):

• this is similar to VGA, how ever it is best recommended in

connecting it with the television as its able to transmit both sound
and display.

43
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
3.5 mm Audio Cable
• Connect one end to the speakers, microphones or headphones
and on the other end connect one end to the audio port in the
computer.
• Green audio port is for speakers or head phones
• Pink audio port is for microphones
• Blue audio port Is for mp3player, cd player, dvd player, guitar and
etc

44
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
Ethernet cable also know as RJ-45

• Connects one end to the router or network switch and the other
end to the Ethernet port in the computer

45
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
PS/2 Cable
• connect one end to: PS/2 keyboard, PS/2 mouse, connect other
end to: PS/2 ports on computer
• Purples connects the keyboard
• Green connects the mouse

46
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
FireWire
• The purpose of FireWire is similar to that of USB: high speed data
transfer for computer peripherals. High bandwidth devices, like
printers and scanners, will benefit from FireWire.

47
M.A 0769444191/ [email protected]
Types of Software
System software - these are programs that dedicated to manage the computer
itself and provide a platform for other software.
Examples of system software include operating systems like Microsoft Windows,
macOS, Linux and Android.
This is the interface between application software and Hardware.

Application software (Software Applications)- these are productivity

programs or end-user programs which enable users to perform and complete their
desired (specific) tasks. It runs on the platform which is provide by system software.

Such tasks are as creating documents, spreadsheets, databases, publications and

designing graphics. Application software is specific to the task it is designed for and
can be as simple as a calculator
11/19/2023 application
[email protected] or as complex as a word processing
phone 0763612036
 Types of Software Applications
Entertainment software
These are application software usually played in form of video games. They
can be played using consoles, personal computers and game players.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

Communication software
-These are application software or program designed to pass information from one
system to another or from one person to another.
-Communication software handles the internal and external day-to-day exchange of
information.
Among the most common systems in this category are live chat platforms, messaging
applications, email applications.

• Zoom: A cloud-based online video conferencing and meeting platform that can be
used by SMBs, enterprises, healthcare organizations, and educational institutions to
host seminars, conduct online training, virtual meetings, video demonstrations, and
video conferences.
• Skype: A web-based communication platform the platform that allows users to send
and receive messages in real-time, share documents and images, conduct group video
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
conferencing, group chat, or video chat for free
Benefits of Communications Software
• Work remotely. Working teams can be distributed globally but
communication can be made timely to improve daily operations, work
collaboration and urgent situations reporting.
• Boost productivity. Remote teams can always be connected through
mobile devices, so the office and field can quickly coordinate daily on
urgent tasks to increase productivity.
• Capture important information. Many apps can record or archive
message exchanges and audio and video calls which can be captured
important details such as customer queries, discussion points, and
meeting minutes.
• Minimize costs. Many communication systems can be accessible by
employees mobile devices and many communication tools are
available for free.
11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036
Office productivity software
Is an application software used for producing information (such as documents, presentations, worksheets
and databases.

Common examples of office software are

Microsoft office Word- produces digital files, makes the tasks of creating, editing,
storing and sharing documents much more efficient and easy.

Database management systems- simplify the tasks to manage data by storing and
easy data access.

Microsoft Excel /Spreadsheet- used to organize data in rows and columns for
calculations and data analysis.

Microsoft office PowerPoint - Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation application

that11/19/2023
enables users to create and edit presentations on slides
[email protected] phone 0763612036
Importance of Ms-word
• Is an effective tool for creating all kinds of documents like letters, memos,
reports, term papers, and magazines.
• offers users specialized tools for formatting your document in various
ways;
• It is useful for creating large volume text files.
• Offers drawing and graphics editing tools to add a touch of graphics or
images to go with your documents.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036

 Importance of Ms-Excel
• Data organization- Excel gives the users the ability to set up tables, in
which they can organize their data and provide updating keys too
• Graphics features - it has the ability to produce a variety of different charts,
which may be used by different departments to represent statistical data in
more visual way
• Accounting and Finance- Excel is often used in accounting and finance
because of its ability to automate calculations and its support for complex
formulas.

11/19/2023 [email protected] phone 0763612036