Course Title: Introduction to

Computer Science
Course Code: Comp211

CHAPTER – TWO
Introduction to Computer Systems
 What is a computer system and how it works
to process data ?
System is a group of components, consisting of
subsystems or procedures that work in a coordination
fashion to achieve some objective.
Computer system refers to the computer and all the
components interconnected to it.
Basically, the computer system is categorized into two
components:
 Computer Hardware
 Computer Software

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 Computer Hardware
Computer hardware is the physical part of the
computer that you see, you use to and the parts you
can touch.
 The hardware part of a computer system is composed
of a number of interacting physical parts based on the
need of the information flow.

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Cont’d

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 Information flow in the Computer Hardware

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 Input Devices
It is used to enter data into the computer so that it can be
processed.
It converts information from a form suitable to human
beings to understandable by the computer.
Examples of input devices: -
Keyboard (which is the most widely used input devices)
 Scanner: it translates images of text, drawings
and photos into digital form.
Light pen(a photo cell to choose a displayed response to
request further information)…etc.
Mouse, Camera, Microphone, etc.
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 Output Devices
Used to get data out of a computer so that it can be
examined, analyzed or distributed to others.
Convert the result of the only-machine understandable
form to a form understandable by human beings.
Examples of Output devices: -
The Visual Display Unit (VDU) or monitor or screen
Printers (dot matrix, DESY wheel, laser printers)
Plotters
Voice (audio) response unit
Disk drives

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 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
It is the brain of the computer.
It co-ordinate and control the computer activity.
It performs logical and arithmetical operations.
It is the most costly and main component of the computer
system
The different parts are inter connected by a cable like
device called BUS, which is used to facilitate
communications between the parts.
Buses are used to transfer data, address and control code
(signal).
It has three parts (CU,ALU&R)
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1. The Control Unit

As the name implies, it performs all the control functions

of the computer.
It retrieves the instruction from memory.
Translates those instructions into computer functions and
sends signals to other computer hardware units to carry
out those functions.
It is also responsible for determining the next instruction
to be executed by the computer.
In general it serves as the computer traffic cope.
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 2. The ALU

ALU: for logical and arithmetical operations.

It performs the arithmetic calculations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division and comparisons
It is used to keep track of and execute instruction.
All modern digital computers can do is addition;
multiplication is merely a continuous addition;
Subtraction is the addition of the complements of the
number to be subtracted;
Division is the addition of complements.
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 3. Register
Registers are special high-speed circuitry areas that
temporarily store data during processing and provide
working areas for computation
Registers are paths or conduits that connect the
Arithmetic Logical Unit to the main memory.
 When an instruction loaded from main memory, it is
placed first in the register to wait instructions from the
control unit.
Data are also stored in registers prior to execution in the
ALU.
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 Purpose of CPU
Fetch Instruction: CPU read instruction from the
memory
Interpret Instruction: the instruction must be decoded
to determine what action is required
 Fetch Data: the execution of an instruction may require
reading of data from memory or an I/O module.
Process Data: the execution of an instruction may
require performing some arithmetic or logical operation
on data.
Write Data: The result of an execution may require
writing data to memory or an I/O module.
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 Buses
The system bus is a metallic conductor through which
information travels within a PC.
It links the computer’s main components CPU, memory,
control logic and I/O devices.
It is a pathway through which data are conveyed from
one place to another inside the system unit.
There are 3 types of buses:(Data bus, Address bus, and
Control bus)
Data Bus: is used to transfer data between the CPU and
the main memory. It is a bus system which interconnects
the CPU, memory and all the peripheral I/O devices of a
computer system for the purpose of exchanging data
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 Cont’d
Address Bus: is a set of wires carrying the addressing
information used to describe the memory location to
which the data is being sent or from which the data is
being retrieved.
For the CPU to read or write data, it must be able to
specify the accurate location of the data in system
memory.
 Control Bus: carries signal that tell the computer to “read” or
“write” data to or from A given memory address, input device
or output device.
 In other words, it synchronizes and co-ordinates the operation
of a CPU with other devices in the computer.
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 Storage Devises
Storage Devises: are divided into two primary storage
devices and secondary storage devices.
Primary Storage or Internal Storage
It is a high capacity magnetic disk made up of metal
which can be fixed in the system unit of the computer.
Enables very fast accessibility of data.
Accessing data from hard disk is faster than from floppy
disks.
The disk pack is mounted on a magnetic disk drive which
rotates the disk at speed up to 1,000 revolutions per
second. Its types are Cache, RAM, & ROM.
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 Cont’d
 Cache Memory: - Small memories on or close to the CPU chip can be made
faster than the much larger RAM (main memory).
 RAM (Random Access Memory): RAM in a computer is considered main
memory or primary storage: the working area used for loading, displaying and
manipulating applications and data.
 RAM is Volatile Memory & Virtual Memory): contents of memory are erased
when power supply is turned off.
 It is also called temporary storage. You can add, delete, edit and read data from
RAM.
 ROM (Read-only Memory): is a class of storage media used in computers and
other electronic devices
 ROM is Nonvolatile memory: the contents of memory are not erased when
power is turned off. It is also called permanent storage.
 Data cannot be edited, deleted or added. It is only for reading.
 Store programs only for system purpose
 Types of ROM: PROM, EPROM, and EEPROM
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 Cont’d
Secondary Storage or External Memory
It is computer memory that is not directly accessible to the
CPU of a computer, requiring the use of computer’s I/O
channels.
It is used to store data that is not in active use.
It is usually slower than primary storage, or internal memory,
but also almost always has higher storage capacity and is non-
volatile, which makes it perfect for the preservation of stored
information in an event of power loss.
Types of Secondary Storage or External Memory are
Magnetic Tape, Magnetic Disk, Floppy Disk, Hard Disk,
Optical Disk, and Flash memory.
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 Cont’d
Magnetic Tape: is a non-volatile storage medium consisting
of a magnetic coating on a thin plastic strip.
 It has large storage capacity but it is slow to access because it
is sequentially accessed.
Magnetic Disk: they are metals or plastic platters coated with
ferrous oxide, an easily magnetized material.
 Magnetic disks allow for random access of information and
overcome the slow access time commonly found in tape files.
Floppy Disk: Also called flexible or diskette.
 It is cheap, and portable, but it has small storage capacity
(1.44 MB) and is unreliable.
 Data is stored in concentric circles called tracks.
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 Cont’d
 Hard Disk: (HDD), also commonly shortened to hard drive and
formerly known as a fixed disk) is a digitally encoded non-volatile
storage device which stores data on rapidly rotating platters with
magnetic surfaces.
 Optical Disk or Optical Storage Devices: offer high-capacity
storage medium.
 It use reflected light to read data. The disk’s metal surface is
covered with dents (pits) and flat spots (lands), which cause light
to be reflected differently.
 Types of are Optical Disk CD–ROM (Compact Disk ROM), CD–
R, CD-RW is, DVD (Digital Video Disk).
 Flash Memory: USB flash drives thumb drives, handy drives,
which are used for general storage and transfer of data between
computers. It is highly portable.
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 Computer Software
Software is a collection of programs and routines that support
the operations of performing a task using a computer.
Software also includes documentations, rules and operational
procedures.
It makes the interface between the user and the electronic
components of the computer.
Computer software made up of one or more computer
program, sometimes it means one specific program, or it can
means all the Software on a Computer, including the
applications and operating systems.
Any program to be executed first it should reside / loaded/ in
the memory.
It is classified into two: System SW, and Application SW.
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 Cont’d
System software
It organizes those programs which facilitate the work of the
computer HW.
It organizes and manages the machine’s resources, handle
the I/O put devices.
Ii make the complex HW more users friendly.
It acts as intermediate between the user and the HW.
The important categories of system software are:
 Operating system, and
 Language software.

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 Cont’d
Operating System (OS)
 OS coordinates the activity between the user and the
Computer.
 OS has three major functions. Controlling Operations,
Input/output Management & Command Processing.
Controlling operations (control programs): - Coordinates,
or supervises the activity of the computer system.
 It decides where programs and data should be stored in the
computer memory.
 It handles communications among the computer components,
applications software and the user.
 It controls the saving and retrieving of files to and from disks
in the disk drive.
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 Cont’d
Input/output Management: The I/O manager coordinates
the computers communication with outside world, flow of
data to the display screen and other output devices (printers/
plotters) and from the keyboard or other input devices
 It handles the flow of data to and from the disk drives.
Command Processing (Command Interpreter): It
interprets the commands or what you enter using the keyboard
or other input devices.
 If you write an internal command it carries out the function of
that command if it is external command or other executable
file it searches for the corresponding file in the default
(current disk) or the user specified disk, loads the file into
memory and transfers control to that program.
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 Cont’d
Types of Operating Systems
 OSs can be classified by: - The number of programs they can
handle at a time, and the number of users they serve at once at
one or different stations.
Single Tasking OSs: With single tasking OSs only one
program can be run on a computer at a time.
 In order to run another program, one must remove the first
program loaded in the computers main memory and load
the other one (i.e. It can’t handle two or more programs at a
time).
 These types of OSs are single user or can serve only one
user at a time.
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 Cont’d
Multi User OS: It supports a number of work stations
connected to a central system.
 A number of users can use the resources of one high
capacity computer by the help of terminals.
Real Time OS: Often used as a control device in a dedicated
application such as controlling, scientific experiments,
medical imaging systems, industrial control systems, and
some display systems.
 A real time is a system that is capable of processing data so
quickly that the results are available to influence the
activity currently taking place.
 Example: - air plane seat reservations.

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 Cont’d
Language Software
Language software’s are software’s which are used by
programmers to develop application software’s and
translate programs to machine code.
It is a generic name consisting of various programs that
serve as editors & translators to develop programs in a
number of programming languages.
It includes Translators, General Purpose Routines and
Utilities, and High-Level Languages.

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 Cont’d
Translator: is a program that converts one or more languages
to another language.
There are three types of translators, those are Assemblers,
Compiler & interpreters.
 Assemblers: is a program that translates assembly
languages into machine code.
 Compiler: is a program that translates a high-level
language into machine code. (Pascal, Fortran Cobol)
 Interpreter: is a program that translates each instruction
of High-Level Language & executes the instruction
before translating the next instruction.

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 Cont’d
The general-purpose routine and utilities: include
programs which are used to handle file processing,
editing and debugging.
 High level language software: is software which has
their own compilers to detect syntax errors of the user’s
program code.
Example: COBOL, FORTRAN, PASCAL. Etc.

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 Application Software
It is software that is designed to perform tasks for the specific
area or many areas.
 They are usually called application packages as they may
include a number of programs along with operating
instruction, documentation and so forth.
 It consists of programs that help the end-user to perform
specific, productive tasks, such as word processing or image
manipulation.
 Basically, there are four categories of application SW.
 Those are Productivity SW, Home / Personal SW,
Education / Reference SW, and Entertainment SW

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 Cont’d
Productivity SW: The purpose of this SW is to make the users
more productive at performing general tasks.
 E.g. word processing, spread sheets, presentation,
accounting, presentation, database managers, etc.
Home / Personal SW: The purpose of this SW is mainly for
domestic and personal use.
 E.g. cook books, medical guide, gardening, etc.
Education / Reference SW: The purpose of this SW is mainly
to learn any subject or to refer for additional information.
 For example: Encyclopedia, Dictionaries, etc.
Entertainment SW: The purpose of this SW is for
entertainment and time passing. For example: - games.
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 Utility Programs
Utility Programs are generally used to support, enhance
or expand existing programs in a Computer System.
Examples of utility programs are
Backup: - To duplicate the data or information for safety.
Data Recovery: - To restore data that is physically
damaged or corrupted.
Virus Protection: - Antivirus software which will
eliminate viruses from affected files or protect files from
being infected from viruses.
Data Compression: - Used to compress huge files and
save memory storage.
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 ?
Thank You!
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 Quiz (5%)
1. Registers are paths or conduits that connect the ALU to
the Main Memory. (True or False) (1 point)
2. ___ is a types of Language software which are used to
handle file processing, editing and debugging. (1
point)
3. List all the Purpose of CPU? (1 point)
4. Describe translator and types of translators? (2 point)

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 Answer
1. True
2. General-purpose routine and utilities
3. Purpose of CPU: Fetch Instruction, Interpret
Instruction, Fetch Data, Process Data, Write Data
 Translator: is a program that converts one or more languages to
another language.
 There are three types of translators: Assemblers Compiler &
interpreters.
 Assemblers: is a program that translates assembly languages into machine
code.
 Compiler: is a program that translates a high-level language into machine
code. (Pascal, Fortran Cobol)
 Interpreter: is a program that translates each instruction of high-level
language & executes the instruction before translating the next instruction.
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