INTRODUCTION

TO COMPUTING SCIENCES
COS101
TUTOR: Dr.(Mrs.) Abisoye O.A
Phone: +23460546074
E-mail: [email protected]
 You would agree recent time; computers have become
very important tools in virtually all aspects of human
lives. The development of handheld computers such as
personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers
and smart phones has helped computers to become
INTRODUCTION versatile.

We will be discussing present background information

about computers by defining basic computer terms,
providing a brief history of modern computing, and
describing the parts of a computer system in this unit
DEFINITION OF
TERMS
 WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
Computer: A computer is an electronic
device that processes data, in order to
convert it to information that is useful to
people. A computer can perform the
following tasks:
 Accept data through an input device (e.g.
keyboard or mouse)
 Process the data to convert it into
information
 Display the information on an output device
(e.g. visual display unit
or printer)
 Store the information for future use in a
storage device (e.g. hard
WHAT IS DATA AND INFORMATION

Data: Data refer to raw or unprocessed facts about a

person, place or thing. Examples of data include name,
age, height and profession. Data is the plural for datum.

Information: Information is processed data or data that

has been converted into useful form e.g. the result of
students in an examination or the net pay of an employee.
Data Processing Information

Storage

Figure 1.0 Schematic Diagram of a Computer

Generations of Computers
Computer scientists and historians use the term computer
generations to describe the stage-by-stage development of
modern computing. Each generation is characterized by the
technology used to fabricate computers at that time.
These generation include
 The First Generation
 The Second Generation
 The Third Generation
 The Fourth Generation
 The Fifth Generation
The First Generation (1950s)

In 1951 Presper Eckert and John Mauchly delivered the Universal

Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), the first successful general-purpose
computer to the U.S. Census Bureau. The UNIVAC used punched cards
and magnetic tape for input. It was made of vacuum tubes, which
required lots of power and failed regularly. The UNIVAC was
programmed using machine language, which is composed of strings of
zeros and ones.

Example of first generation computers are: UNIVAC, International

Business Machine (IBM-701, IBM-650 )etc.
 Vacuum Tubes

The First-Generation Computer

The Second Generation(1960s)

I want you to understand that First-generation computers were

highly unreliable because the vacuum tubes burned out
frequently. Second generation computers were made of
transistors, which are small electronic devices that can control
the flow of electricity in an electronic circuit.

Owing to the use of transistors, second generation computers

were faster, smaller, and More reliable than first-generation
computers. Even though second generation computers still
used punched cards for input, they had printers, tape storage,
and disk storage.
The Second Generation(1960s) cont’d

Do you know that Second generation computers were

programmed using high level programming languages, rather
than machine language? Unlike machine language which was
cumbersome to work with, high-level programming languages
are much easier for people to understand and work with
because of the use of English commands and mathematical
symbols.

So also, unlike machine language which was machine-

dependent, a high-level language program can be used on
computers produced by different manufacturers. An example
of second generation computers is the IBM’s line of
computers called System/360.
 Transistors

The Second Generation Computer

The Third Generation (Mid-1960s to Mid-1970s)
The key distinction of third generation computers was there use of
Integrated Circuits (ICs) in place of transistors. ICs incorporated many
transistors and electronic circuits on a single silicon chip. They were much
cheaper than transistors. Using a technology called small-scale integration
(SSI), the earliest ICs could contain 10 to 20 transistors on a chip.

By the late 1960s, medium-scale integration (MSI) allowed between 20

and 200 transistors to be placed on a chip. In the early 1970s, large-scale
integration (LSI) was achieved, allowing up to 5,000 transistors on a single
chip ICs made it possible to produce smaller, inexpensive computers that
more organizations could afford to buy.

There was another innovation of third generation computers with

timesharing. A technique that allowed several people to simultaneously
use a computer from their remote terminals. An example of third
generation computers is DEC’s PDP-8.
 Integrated Circuits (ICs)

The Third Generation Computer

The Fourth Generation(1970s to 80s)
The fourth generation of computers began with the use
of microprocessors in computer systems. The invention of the
microprocessor revolutionized computers because hundreds to thousands of
integrated circuits could be assembled on a single silicon chip.

This ultimately enabled manufacturers to develop computers in a very

compact size that could easily fit on the desk as well. very large scale
integration (VLSI) techniques. The VLSI circuits helped to combine more
than 5000 transistors and many other circuit components on a single chip,
called a microprocessor.

Due to microprocessors, fourth-generation computers were minimized,

leading to the development of microcomputers. The first microcomputers
were not easy to use because users had to type commands on the
command line to perform such actions as formatting a disk or starting a
program.
The Fourth Generation(1970s to 80s)

However, from the mid-80s, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) were

incorporated into microcomputers, allowing users to interact with on-
screen, icons, windows and pull-down menus using a pointing device
such as a mouse. GUIs were easier to use than command line interfaces
because they eliminated the need to memorize commands.

The main features of this generation are: VLSI technology used, portable
and reliable, use of PC, very small size, no AC required, concept of
internet was introduced, great development in the fields of networks etc.

Example of 4th generation computers are: Personal Data Processor

(PDP-11), CRAY-1(Super Computer) etc.
 Microprocessors

The Fourth Generation Computer

The Fifth Generation(1980s to Date)
The fifth generation of computers is by far the most successful
generation of computers. In this generation, there have been
significant changes in computer technology that make
computers extraordinary. Although the fifth generation is in
progress, computers have received several major benefits
compared to their predecessors.
Instead of VLSI technology used in fourth-generation computers,
fifth-generation computers received a major upgrade and VLSI
technology was replaced with Ultra Large Scale Integration
(ULSI) technology. This revolutionized the development of
microprocessors. This helped manufacturers assemble around
ten million electronic components on a microprocessor chip.
In addition to ULSI technology, fifth-generation computers were
also based on AI (artificial intelligence), which is still in the
development stage, and parallel processing hardware. Artificial
intelligence is an emerging technology in computer science that
primarily helps to make computers more realistic. This means
that it enables computers to think like humans; however, there is
still room for much improvement.

The period of the fifth generation of computers is considered

from 1980 to the present day, which simply means that the fifth
generation is the ongoing generation of computers. Nowadays
computers are using ULSI circuits, AI software, and parallel
processing hardware. The main objective of all these
technologies is to introduce technology in computers that can
respond to natural languages.
 AI (artificial intelligence)

Laptop Computer
Desktop Computer
Fifth Generation Computer Definition
Computer: A computer is an electronic device that
processes data, in order to convert it to information that is
useful to people.

Computer: A computer is an electronic device or a machine

that accept data, process it and give out information in an
incredible high speed.
 Components of a Computer System
Every computer is part of a system. The complete computer system
consists of four parts, namely: hardware, software, data and user.
Hardware
Hardware are the electrical and mechanical devices that
make up a computer. They are the parts of the computer that can
be touched and felt, such as keyboard, mouse, monitor,
speaker and printer.
Software
Software is the set of instructions that tells the computer
what task to do, and how to do it. A piece of software is referred to
as a program. Some programs such as operating systems exist
to help the computer perform tasks and manage its resources.
Other programs such as word processors and spreadsheets allow
users to create and manage documents.
Data
Data refers to individual facts that may not make sense on
their own. The computer’s job is to convert data into useful
information
Users or Human ware
The people who operate computers systems are referred
to as users. Even though a computer may function without
anyone sitting in front of it and operating it, no computer is
completely autonomous. Human beings are still needed to
design, build, program and repair computers.
 CONCLUSION
We have learnt so far that computer is a device that transforms
raw data into useful information, generation of computer, and
complete computer system is made up of the physical
components (hardware), instructions (software), operators
(users) and data.
Thank you