GRADE

10
Lesson 1
Computer
History
COMPUTE
R
 Computer is a
programmable machine.
 Computer is a machine that
manipulates data according
to a list of instructions.
 Computer is any device
which aids humans in
performing various kinds of
 Three principles characteristic
of computer:
1. It responds to a specific set of
instructions in a well-defined
manner.
2. It can execute a pre-recorded
list of instructions.
 Earliest Computer
Analytical engine
 Tally Sticks
A tally stick was an ancient memory aid
device to record and document numbers,
quantities, or even messages
.
 An abacus is a mechanical
device used to aid an
individual in performing
mathematical
calculations.
 The abacus was invented
in Babylonia in 2400 B.C.
 The abacus in the form we
are most familiar with was
first used in China in
around 500 B.C.
 It used to perform basic
Invented by John Napier
in 1614

 Allowed the
operator to multiply,
divide and calculate
square and cube
roots by moving the
rods around and
placing them in
 Invented by William Oughtred in 1622.
 Is based on Napier's ideas about
logarithms.
 Used primarily for – multiplication –
division – roots – logarithms – Trigonometry
 Not normally used for addition or
Invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642.
It was its limitation to addition and
subtraction.
 Stepped
Reckoner

Invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in 1672.

The machine that can add, subtract, multiply
and divide automatically.
  German
philosopher,
mathematician,
and political
adviser
Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz
The Jacquard loom is a
mechanical loom,
invented by Joseph-
Marie Jacquard in
1881.
 It an automatic loom
controlled by punched
cards.
 French weaver
and merchant

Joseph Marie Jacquard

 A mechanical
calculator invented by
Thomas de Colmar in
1820,
The first reliable,
useful and
commercially
successful calculating
machine.
The machine could
A mechanical calculator perform the four basic
 French inventor
and entrepreneur

Charles Xavier Thomas

de Colma
Difference Engine and
Analytical Engine

 It an automatic, mechanical calculator designed

to tabulate polynomial functions.
 Invented by Charles Babbage in 1822 and 1834
 It is the first mechanical computer.
 Mathematician
and philosopher

Charles Babbage
 FIVE GENERATIONS OF
COMPUTERS
First Generation of Computers (1942-1955)
The beginning of commercial computer age
is from UNIVAC (Universal Automatic
Computer). It was developed by two
scientists Mauchly and Echert at the
Census Department of United States in
1947. The first generation computers were
used during 1942-1955. They were based
on vacuum tubes. Examples of first
Advantages
Vacuum tubes were the only
electronic component available
during those days.
 Vacuum tube technology made
possible to make electronic
digital computers.
These computers could
Disadvantages
 The computers were very large in size.
 They consumed a large amount of energy.
 They heated very soon due to thousands of vacuum tubes.
 They were not very reliable.
 Air conditioning was required.
 Constant maintenance was required.
 Non-portable.
 Costly commercial production.
 Limited commercial use.
 Very slow speed.
 Limited programming capabilities.
 Used machine language only.
 Used magnetic drums which provide very less data storage.
Used punch cards for input.
 Not versatile and very faulty.
Second Generation Computers (1955-1964)
 The second generation computers used
transistors. The scientists at Bell
laboratories developed transistor in 1947.
These scientists include John Barden,
William Brattain and William Shockley. The
size of the computers was decreased by
replacing vacuum tubes with transistors.
The examples of second generation
computers are IBM 7094 series, IBM 1400
series and CDC 164 etc. with this
Advantages
 Smaller in size as compared to the first
generation computers. The 2nd generation
Computers were more reliable
 Used less energy and were not heated.
 Wider commercial use
 Better portability as compared to the first
generation computers.
 Better speed and could calculate data in
microseconds
 Used faster peripherals like tape drives,
magnetic disks, printer etc.
 Used Assembly language instead of Machine
Disadvantages
 Cooling system was required
 Constant maintenance was
required
 Commercial production was
difficult
 Only used for specific
purposes
Third Generation Computers (1964-1975)
The Third generation computers used the
integrated circuits (IC). Jack Kilby developed
the concept of integrated circuit in 1958. It
was an important invention in the computer
field. The first IC was invented and used in
1961. The size of an IC is about ¼ square
inch. A single IC chip may contain
thousands of transistors. The computer
became smaller in size, faster, more reliable
and less expensive. The examples of third
generation computers are IBM 370, IBM
Advantages
 Smaller in size as compared to previous generations.
 More reliable.
 Used less energy
 Produced less heat as compared to the previous two generations of
computers.
 Better speed and could calculate data in nanoseconds.
 Used fan for heat discharge to prevent damage.
 Maintenance cost was low because hardware failure is rare. Totally
general purpose
 Could be used for high-level languages.
 Good storage
 Versatile to an extent
 Less expensive
 Better accuracy
 Commercial production increased.
 Used mouse and keyboard for input.
Disadvantages
 Air conditioning was required.
 Highly sophisticated technology
required for the manufacturing of
IC chips.
Fourth Generation Computers (1975-Present)
The fourth generation computers started with the
invention of Microprocessor. The Microprocessor
contains thousands of ICs. Ted Hoff produced the
first microprocessor in 1971 for Intel. It was
known as Intel 4004. The technology of integrated
circuits improved rapidly. The LSI (Large Scale
Integration) circuit and VLSI (Very Large Scale
Integration) circuit was designed. It greatly
reduced the size of computer. The size of modern
Microprocessors is usually one square inch. It can
contain millions of electronic circuits. The
Advantages
More powerful and reliable than previous
generations.
 Small in size
Fast processing power with less power
consumption
Fan for heat discharging and thus to keep cold.
No air conditioning required.
Totally general purpose
Commercial production
Less need of repair
Cheapest among all generations
All types of High level languages can be used in
Disadvantages
The latest technology is required
for manufacturing of
Microprocessors.
Fifth Generation Computers (Present & Beyond)
Scientists are working hard on the 5th generation
computers with quite a few breakthroughs. It is
based on the technique of Artificial Intelligence
(AI). Computers can understand spoken words &
imitate human reasoning. Can respond to its
surroundings using different types of sensors.
Scientists are constantly working to increase the
processing power of computers. They are trying to
create a computer with real IQ with the help of
advanced programming and technologies. IBM
Watson computers one example that outsmarts
Harvard University Students. The advancement in
Lesson 2

FOUR TYPES OF
COMPUTERS
The four basic types of
computers are as
under:
1.Supercomputer
2.Mainframe Computer
3.Minicomputer
4.Microcomputer
 Supercomputer, any of a class of extremely powerful
computers. The term is commonly applied to the
fastest high-performance systems available at any
given time. Such computers have been used
primarily for scientific and engineering work
requiring exceedingly high-speed computations.
 A mainframe computer, informally called a
mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily
by large organizations for critical applications like
bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses,
industry and consumer statistics, enterprise
 Minicomputers are used by small businesses & firms.
Minicomputers are also called as “Midrange Computers”.
These are small machines and can be accommodated on a
disk with not as processing and data storage capabilities as
super-computers & Mainframes. These computers are not
designed for a single user. Individual departments of a large
company or organizations use Mini-computers for specific
• A microcomputer is a
complete computer
on a small scale,
designed for use by
one person at a time.
An antiquated term, a
microcomputer is now
primarily called a
personal computer
(PC), or a device
based on a single-chip
microprocessor.
Common
Lesson 3
Computer Parts
and Functions
 Major hardware
components of a computer
system
RAM – (Random Access Memory)
RAM is volatile, meaning it holds
data only when the power is on.
When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost.
ROM – (Read Only Memory)
ROM is non-volatile, meaning it
holds data even when the power
is ON or OFF.
  A bus is a data
Expansion Bus pathway between
several hardware
components
inside or outside a
computer. It does
not only connect
the parts of the
CPU to each
other, but also
Adapters  Printed-circuit boards
(also called interface
cards) that enable the
computer to use a
peripheral device for
which it does not have the
necessary connections or
circuit boards. They are
often used to permit
upgrading to a new
different hardware.
  Installed in the back
Power Supply Unit corner of the PC
(PSU) case, next to the
motherboard. It
converts 120vac
(standard house
power) into DC
voltages that are
used by other
components in the
PC.
Also known as hard
drive, is a magnetic
storage device that is
installed inside the
computer. The hard
drive is used as
permanent storage for
data. In a Windows
computer, the hard
drive is usually
configured as the C:
Optical Drive A storage device that
uses lasers to read
data on the optical
media. There are three
types of optical drives:
Compact Disc (CD),
Digital Versatile Disc
(DVD) and Blu-ray
Disc (BD).
 A keyboard typically contains keys for individual letters, numbers
and special characters, as well as keys for specific functions.
Three Categories
of Direct Entry
Devices
1. Pointing Devices - An input device used
to move the pointer (cursor) on screen.
 Mouse - The most common 'pointing device'
used in PCs. Every mouse has two buttons
and most have one or two scroll wheels.
A display screen that is sensitive to the touch of a finger or
stylus. Used in myriad applications, including ATM machines,
retail point-of sale terminals, car navigation and industrial
controls. The touch screen became wildly popular for smart
phones and tablets.
A light-sensitive
stylus wired to a
video terminal used
to draw pictures or
select menu
options. The user
brings the pen to
the desired point on
screen and presses
 A graphics drawing tablet
used for sketching new
Digitizer Tablet images or tracing old ones.
Also called a "graphics
tablet," the user contacts
the surface of the device
with a wired or wireless pen
or puck. Often mistakenly
called a mouse, the puck is
officially the "tablet cursor."
Scanning Devices
 A device that
can read text or
illustrations
printed on
paper and
translates the
information into
a form the
Voice- Input Audio input devices also
Devices known as speech or
voice recognition
systems that allow a
user to send audio
signals to a computer
for processing,
recording, or carrying
out commands. Audio
input devices such as
microphones allow users
to speak to the
  It displays information
Computer Display Monitor
in visual form, using
text and graphics. The
portion of the monitor
that displays the
information is called
the screen or video
display terminal.
 Cathode Ray Tubes
CRT Monitors
(CRT) were the only
type of displays for
use with desktop
PCs. They are
relatively big (14" to
16" deep) and heavy
(over 15 lbs).
 Liquid Crystal
LCD Monitors Display (LCD)
technology has been
used in laptops for
some time. It has
recently been made
commercially
available as monitors
for desktop PCs.
 (Light Emitting Diode) -
LED Monitors A display and lighting
technology used in
almost every electrical
and electronic product
on the market, from a
tiny on/off Computer
System Servicing NC II
light to digital readouts,
flashlights, traffic lights
and perimeter lighting.
 Utilize two sheets of
polarizing material with a
LCD Projectors liquid crystal solution
between them. An electric
current passed through the
liquid causes the crystals to
align so that light cannot
pass through them. Each
crystal, therefore, is like a
shutter, either allowing light
to pass through or blocking
the light.
 A type of display
Smart Board
screen that has a
touch sensitive
transparent panel
covering the
screen, which is
similar to a touch
screen.
 Thermal Printer
Printer Line Printer

 Contains a chain of  An inexpensive printer

A device that characters or pins that works by pushing
that print an entire heated pins against heat-
prints text or line at one time. Line sensitive paper. Thermal
illustrations on printers are very fast, printers are widely used
but produce low in calculators and fax
paper. quality print. machines.
 Ink-Jet or Laser Printer
Bubble-Jet Printer
Similar to a laser
printer, but uses
liquid crystals or
light emitting
diodes rather than
a laser to produce
 Uses the same
an image on the
sprays ink at a sheet technology as copy drum.
of paper. Ink-jet machines. Laser
printers produce high- printers produce very
quality text and high quality text and
graphics.
graphics.
 Used to play sound.
Speakers They may be built into
the system unit or
connected with cables.
Speakers allow you to
listen to music and hear
sound effects from your
computer.
Serial Port - Intended
for serial type mouse
and older camera.

Parallel Port - Also

called as printer port.
This is only for old
model printer. It has 25
pins. It is a female port.
VGA (Video Graphic
Array) Port
- Used to connect
monitors. It has 15 pins
and it is a female port.
USB (Universal
Serial Bus) Port -
High speed serial
interface that is used
with almost all devices.
It is used to connect
latest model printers,
pen drives, cell phones
etc. it has 4 pins.
PS/2 Port -
Simple, 6-pin,
low-speed
serial
connections
commonly
dedicated to a
keyboard and
mouse.
Power Port -
Intended for
power cord.
S-Video Port -
are available on
certain source
components and
video display
devices, and offer
a higher level of
video performance
over composite
video signals.
c

Audio Port
-Intended for
plugging in
the speaker
or headset.
LAN (Local Area
Networking) Port
– A physical interface
often used for
terminating twisted pair
type cables used to
connect computers
onto a local-area
networks (LAN),
especially Ethernet RJ-
45 connectors.
Lesson 4
Use of Tools in PC
Hardware
Servicing
Electro-Static Discharge (ESD)
- Tools Static electricity is easily generated by
friction on carpets, tile flooring, clothing, hair,
fabric, and etc. The friction of moving air alone
will charge suspended particles and cause the
buildup of static electrical charges on people
and objects in the environment. Grounded
antistatic work mats used with antistatic wrist
straps provide the most basic means for the
controlled discharge of electrostatic electricity.
Examples of ESD Tools:

- Used to
prevent ESD
damage to
computer
equipment.
Anti-static mat
- Used to stand
on or place
hardware on to
prevent static
electricity from
building up.
A hand tool is a device for
performing work on a material or a
physical system using only hands.
Hand tools can be used manually
or electrically powered, using
electrical current. Examples of
Hand Tools are as follows:
Cleaning Tools - Having the
appropriate cleaning tools is essential
when maintaining or repairing
computers. Using these tools ensures
that computer components are not
damaged during cleaning.
Examples:
Diagnostic Tools Computers are
easier to use and more dependable
with each new generation of
hardware and operating system
update, but that does not mean they
are problem-free. Here are the most
popular tools for diagnosing your
computer problems: