CHAPTER NO.

01

BASIC CONCEPTS OF
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

PREPARED BY SIR S.M.RIZWAN

 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS:

1) What is computer Science?

2) What is information technology? Define any three fields of it.
3) What is computer?
4) Write down the capabilities of computer OR discuss the capabilities of computer.
5) What is computer system?
6) What are the parts of computer system?
7) Differentiate between hardware and software.
8) What are input devices?
9) What is keyboard? Discuss its different divisions.
10) What is computer terminal? Discuss different types of computer terminal.
11) What is scanning device? Discuss different scanning device in detail.
12) What is pointing device?
13) Define the following pointing input devices.
i) Mouse ii) Trackball iii) Joystick iv) Light Pen
v) Touch Screen vi) Digitizing Tablet vii) Pen
14) What is CPU? Also define the functions of CPU, draw the block diagram of CPU/computer
system & define the following terms with their major functions:
a) Arithmetic Logic Unit b) Control Unit
15) Define bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, word.
16) What is meant by encoding of data? Explain different coding schemes to
represent data in computer.
17) What is Motherboard?
18) What is power supply?
19) What is microprocessor?
20) Discuss the important features of Micro Processor.
21) Define ports. Discuss its different types.
22) Differentiate between Serial Port and Parallel Port.
23) What are peripheral devices? Name some peripheral devices.
24) Differentiate between soft copy and hard copy.
25) What is Monitor? Discuss its types in detail.
26) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of LCD.
27) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of LED.
28) Discuss the advantages of OLED.
29) Define voice output device and sound output device.
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30) What is Printer? Define Impact and non-impact printer.
31) Differentiate between impact printer and non-impact printer.
32) Discuss different types of Impact printers.
33) What are the different types of Non-Impact Printers?
34) What is plotter? Explain the different types of plotter in detail.
35) Differentiate between Input Device and Output Device.
36) Write the differences between Primary Memory and Secondary Memory.
37) What is Main Memory?
38) What is ROM? What are its different types?
39) Differentiate between RAM and ROM.
40) What is computer output microfilm/microfiche?
41) What is secondary storage? What are the common benefits of it?
42) Define the different types of secondary storage.
43) Define floppy disk, hard disk and magnetic tape.
44) Define volatile memory and non-volatile memory.
45) Differentiate between volatile and non-volatile memory.
46) What is an Operating System? Write some examples.
47) Explain the important features of an operating system.
48) Describe the important functions of an operating system.
49) What is system software? Define the various types of system software.
50) What is a language translator? Also explain its types.
51) What is Application Software? Describe general purpose application software and special
purpose application software.
52) Differentiate between System Software and application software.

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Q1. What is computer science?

Computer science is the study of the principle and use of computer.

Q2. What is information technology? Describe any three fields of it.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)

Information technology means the use of hardware, software, services and supporting
infrastructure to manage and deliver information using voice data and video.

FIELDS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

1) Art:
Artist are using personal computers to generate and manipulate experimental images,
sculptures for example can use personal computer to create models and experiment with
variations before committing to an actual physical piece.

2) Energy:

Energy companies use computers to locate oil, coal, natural gas and uranium.

3) Agriculture:
Computers have penetrated to farms. Farmers now use small computers purchased for less
than the price of a tractor to help with building, crop information, cost per acre feed
combination and market price checks.

Q3. What is computer?

The word computer is derived from a Latin word “COMPUTRE” which means “to compute or
reckon”.

The computer can be defined as:

“It is an automatic electronic, calculating device which can process a given input in a prescribed
manner to produce a desired output, at a very high speed with remarkable accuracy. It can also
perform all arithmetic and logical functions according to instructions given in a systematic order
to solve any problem and produce processed information”.

Q4: Write down the capabilities of computer. OR Discuss the capabilities of computers.

CAPABILITIES OF COMPUTER:
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Speed: A computer can process data faster than any other machine designed to perform a
similar task.

Accuracy: A computer’s high speed processing is accompanied by high accuracy results. No

other system can have as much accuracy as a computer system.

Repetitions: A computer can tirelessly perform the same operations millions of times in exactly
the same way without getting bored and tired the way a human clerk would.

Logical Operations: The computer can make decisions based on some conditions and take
alternative course of action accordingly.

Store and recall information: The computer is like human brain as it can store facts, instructions
and information and recall them when needed.

Self Operating: Once the data and the program is fed into the computer memory, the computer
is capable of executing the instructions on its own, without human intervention.

Q5. What is computer system?

COMPUTER SYSTEM

A computer system is a group of integrated parts that have the common purpose of achieving
some objective(s). So, the following characteristics are key to a system.

a) A system has more than one element.

b) All the elements of a system are logically related.
c) All the element of a system are controlled in such a way that the system goal is achieve.

Q6. What are the parts of a computer system?

PARTS OF S COMPUTER SYSTEM

Complete computer system consist of five parts.

Hardware:
The physical components and other attached input and output devices of computers are called
Hardware. All Hardware components may be connected mechanically, electrically or
electronically with each other. Hardware includes input/output devices, CPU, backing storage
devices and electronic circuit.
Example: Mouse, Keyboard, speakers, monitors, Hard disk etc.

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Software:
Computer requires a number of instructions to do any job. The set of these instructions forms
programs. Numbers of programs are combined for some purposes are called software.
They are designed by manufactures and programmers.

Data:
Data consist of raw facts and figures. Which the computer stores and read in the form of
numbers. The computer process data according to the instructions contained in the software.
After data is processed through the computer, it is called information. A useful model to
describe the relationship between data and information is called data processing cycle.

Input (data) ------ Processing------ output (information)

Procedures:
Procedures are the steps that you must follow to accomplish a specific computer related task.
Manuals containing rules and guide lines to follow when using software, hardware and data are
available. These manuals may be written by computer specialists for a particular organization.
Usually, however software and hardware manufacturers provide manuals with their product.

People:
People are the computer operators, also known as users (or sometimes end user). People
operate the hardware, create the software, put data into the system and use the information
that comes out of it.

Q07: Differentiate between Hardware & Software.

HARDWARE SOFTWARE

1) The physical parts of the computer are A set of instructions given to the computer is
called hardware. called software
2) You can touch, see and feel hardware You cannot touch and feel software.
3) Hardware is constructed using physical Software is developed by writing instructions
materials or components. in programming language.

4) If hardware is damaged, it is replaced with If software is damaged or corrupted, its

new one. backup copy can be reinstalled.

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5) Hardware cannot be transferred from one
Software can be transferred from one place to
place to another electronically through
another electronically through network.
network.

INPUT HARDWARE

Q8. What are Inputs Devices?

These are the physical equipments that read or translate data consisting of alphabets,
numbers, or other symbols into electronic pulses, which can be understood by the computer.
The purpose of Input Device is to pass information into the memory unit of the CPU and
convert the characters into binary patterns, which can be held inside the computer memory

EXAMPLES

Keyboard, mouse, trackball, scanner, joystick, light pen, microphone, digital camera are the
example of input devices

There are two kinds of input hardware. They are:

i. Keyboard devices
ii. Non-keyboard or Direct entry devices.

Define the following terms:

i. Keyboard devices
ii. Non-keyboard or Direct entry devices.

Keyboard devices:

A keyboard input devices is a type of input devices in which data is inputted to the computer
through a keyboard.

Non-keyboard or Direct entry devices:

A form of input that does not require data to be keyed by someone sitting at a keyboard. Direct
entry devices create machine-readable data on paper or magnetic media or fed it directly in to
the computers.

KEYBOARD INPUT DEVICES

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Q9. What is keyboard? Discuss its different divisions.

KEYBOARD

“A keyboard is the primary text input device

which consists of a set of keys for computer
input, which uses the same key arrangement
as the mechanical and electronic typewriter.”

The standard arrangement of alphabetic keys

is known as QWERTY. A standard keyboard
includes about 100 keys and each key sends a
different signal to the CPU. All the keys are arranged in the following categories.

DIVISIONS OF KEYBOARD

A. Alphanumeric Keypad
This part of the keyboard looks like as typewriter. The arrangement of the keys for this
part is similar to the pattern of typewriter. There are also some special keys for special
functions.
Example:
1- Backspace- to delete a character.
2- Caps lock- to let you lock the alphabetic keys to produce only capital letters.
3- Enter- issue a command to the processor to perform action on it or place a new line if
you are typing a document etc.

B. Numeric Keypad
It is usually placed on the right hand side of the keyboard that looks like a simple
calculator which includes:
1- Number keys from 0 to 9
2- Four basic operations (+, -, *, /)
3- Decimal point
4- Num-lock key- to force the numeric keys to input numbers. When the Num Lock key is
deactivated, the numeric keypad`s keys perform cursor movement control functions.

C. Function Keys
These keys are usually arranged on the top of the keyboard in a row with numbers
marked on them from 1 to 12(F1 to F12). These keys are used to input commands

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 without typing the long commands or to activate different menus or dialogue boxes.

D. Screen Navigation or Cursor Movement Keys

Cursor Control keys are used to move the cursor around the screen. Most keyboard
include the following cursor movement keys.
 Arrow Keys
There are 4 arrow keys. Left arrow key, Right arrow key, up arrow key and down arrow
key. These are used to move the cursor one place left, right, up or down respectively.
 Home Key
Home key moves the cursor to the beginning of the line on which the cursor is
present.
 End
End key moves the cursor to the end of the line on which the cursor is present.
 Page Up
Page up key is used to move the cursor to the previous/ screen.
 Page Down
Page down key moves the cursor to the next page.

E. Modifier Keys
These keys are used to modify the input of other keys. You press another key while
holding down one of the modifier keys. Example Ctrl, Alt, Shift etc.

In addition to these group of keys, there are also some other keys present on most of the
keyboards.

 Delete Key- to delete a character.

 Insert Key- to insert text between the texts already typed-in. when this key is
deactivated, whatever you will type, the text will overwrite the previously written text.
 Esc Key- The function of this key varies from program to program.
 Print Screen Key- this key allows user to capture whatever is being shown on the
screen as an image.

Q10. What is computer terminal? Define different types of computer terminal.

COMPUTER TERMINAL

Computer terminal are input and output devices that can be to transmit and receive data to /
from a computer host.

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TYPES OF TERMINAL:

Three types of terminal are available:

Dumb Terminal:
Dumb terminal can received and input data but cannot do any processing. Such terminal are
usually used to access mainframe computers such as in airlines reservation system.

Smart Terminal:
A smart terminal can do input and output and has some limited processing capability. It may be
able to edit or verify data before it is sent to a larger computer. However, it cannot be sued to
do programming that is, create new instructions.

Intelligent Terminal:
Intelligent terminal contain a processing unit, memory, and secondary storage. This is given
then the capabilities of processing data making them for distributed applications.

NON-KEYBOARD OR DIRECT ENTRY DEVICES

Some common direct entry devices used to input data into computer usable from are as
follows.

i. Scanning devices.
ii. Voice input devices.
iii. Pointing devices.

Q11. What are scanning devices? Discuss different scanning devices in detail.

SCANNING DEVICES

scanning devices use light sensitive equipment to record data in the form of barcodes, optical
marks, typewritten characters or magnetic ink symbol or even just plain text or graphics.

This data is then converted to electronic form that can be processed by the computer.

The principle devices include the following:

BAR CODE READER:

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A bar code is the small image of lines (bars) and spaces that is affixed to retail store item,
identification cards, and postal mail to identify a particular product number, person, or location.

Bar codes are read by bar code readers. Bar code readers are photoelectric scanners that read
bar codes by means of reflected light.

TYPES OF BAR CODE READER:

There are two types of bar code reader:

1. Hand Held 2. Stationary.

Hand Held Bar Code Reader:

Hand held bar code reader are flat stick like scanning devices that analyze the bar codes and
translates them into computer process able data.

Stationary Bar Code Reader:

Stationary bar code readers are built in to a computer top, as in the super markets.

MARK AND CHARACTER READERS:

Certain direct input devices use a light source to read special marks and character and convert
the data to computer process able form. These include the following.

Optical-Mark Recognition:
An Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) device detects the presence or absence of a mark and
converts the data to computer useable form.

Optical Character Recognition:

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) devices read pre-printed characters through the use of
light sensitive device and convert them to computer useable form. It has ability to read printed
numerals, special characters, and alphabetic characters and hand written character.

Magnetic-Ink Character Recognition:

Magnetic-ink Character Recognition (MICR) read pre-printed characters printed with special
magnetic ink (i.e. ink containing iron oxide) and convert them into computer useable form.

IMAGE SCANNER:

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An image scanner is direct entry device that scans, or detects image on paper and convert them
into computer usable form. The scanner scans each image with light and digitizes it. Digitize
means that the image is converted to computer process able form data.

Scanners are of several types. They include:

Flatbed Scanner:
Flatbed scanners are stationary scanners that hold the image document in place while the
scanning mechanism passes over it. A flatbed scanner thus resembles a photocopying machine.

Sheet-Fed Scanner:
Sheet-fed scanners are stationary scanners that use mechanical rollers to move the image
document past the scanning mechanism.

Hand-Held Scanner:
Hand-Held Scanners are moveable scanner that requires the scanning mechanism to be moved
over the image document.

FAX MACHINE:

The word stands for “facsimile”, or reproduction. A fax machine, or facsimile transmission
machine, is a specialized scanner that sends and receives documents images over telephone
lines. Fax machines, may be of two sorts:

1) Dedicated fax machine. 2) Computers with fax machines.

VOICE INPUT DEVICE

Voice input devices, or voice recognition systems, convert spoken words into computer usable
code. The devices compare electrical patterns produced by the speaker’s voice with a set of pre
recorded patterns. If a matching pattern is found, the computer accepts this pattern as a part of
its standard “Vocabulary”.

Q12. What is pointing Device?

POINTING DEVICE: A pointing device is an input device. It is used to control the movement of
the pointer or cursor on the screen. Example of pointing devices includes mouse, trackball,
joystick, touchpad, light pen etc.
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It can also be used for:

 Scanning command signals to the computer.

 Selecting items on the screen.
 Selecting commands from commands menu.
 Drawing graphs etc.

Q 13. Define the following pointing input devices.

i) Mouse ii) Trackball iii) Joystick iv) Light Pen

v) Touch Screen vi) Digitizing Tablet vii) Pen Based Computer

i) MOUSE

“The mouse is also a primary input device but lacks the ability to
easily transmit textual information. It is also know
known as pointing
device”.

Mouse is used to move a pointer on the computer screen in order to

point to a place on a display screen to select one or more actions to
Mouse
be taken from that position

ii) TRACK BALL

“A Track
rack ball is a pointing device that looks like upside-down mouse.”

The function of track ball is same as of mouse, but you do not have
Trackball
to roll it over a flat surface. You use a track ball by rolling the ball with your palm or fingers in
the direction you want the pointer to go.

iii) JOYSTICK

“Joy stick is a hand held stick which is used for video games in computers
and also used for CAD/CAM systems.”

The joy stick is just like a vertical handle that is gripped by hands. This
handle is used to move an object on the screen in any direction. It usually
has one or more push buttons for shooting, jumping etc. These hese buttons are Joystick
called triggers.

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iv) LIGHT PEN

“Light pen is pointing input device that contains a photo detector or light
source, and that allows interaction with computer through a specially
designed-monitor/display screen.”
A light pen is approximately 3.5 inches long and 0.5 inch in diameter. A light
Light Pen
pen is similar to a mouse, except that with a light pen you can move a
pointer and select objects on the display screen by directly pointing to the objects with the pen.

v) TOUCH SCREEN:

A touch screen is a computer display screen that is also an input device. The screens are
sensitive to pressure: a user interacts with the computer by the touching picture or words on
the screen. Touch screen are generally used in the locations such as airport and hotels to
display certain types of menus.

vi) DIGITIZING TABLET OR DIGITIZER

An input device that enables you to enter drawings and sketches into a computer. A digitizing
tablet consists of electronic tablet and cursor or pen. The tablet contain electronic that enable it
to detect movement of the cursor or pen and translate the movement into digital signals that it
sends to the computer.

vii) PEN BASED COMPUTERS:

A computer that utilize an electronic pen (called a stylus) rather than a keyboard for input. Pen
computers generally require special operating system that supports handwriting recognition so
that users can write on the screen or on a table instead of typing on a keyboard. Most pen
computers are hand-held devices. Which are too small for a full-size keyboard.

PROCESSING HARDWARE

Q14. What is CPU? Also define the functions of CPU, draw the block diagram of CPU/computer
system & define the following terms with their major functions:

a) Arithmetic Logic Unit b) Control Unit

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CPU (CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT):

The central processing unit is the brain or the nerve center of the computer system. The
processing or calculating function takes place in the central processing unit. It is here that raw
data is transformed into meaningful information. It is the hub of processing activities ina
computer system. The CPU is the most important element of computer system.

FUNCTIONS OF CPU:

 Interprets the data & instructions.

 Generates control signals
 Performs arithmetic & logic operations.
 Produces the address bits needed by memory.

COMPONENTS OF CPU:

There are two typical components of CPU.

a) Arithmetic & logic unit (ALU)

b) Control Unit (CU)

Arithmetic &Logic Unit (ALU):

This is where arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, division & multiplication are
performed. This is where logical operations are also done such as comparison between two
pieces of data. ALU performs the basic functions on data received from the primary storage
based on instructions from the control unit.

Control Unit (CU):

It works like a traffic cop directing the flow of data between the components of the CPU and to
and from the other devices. CU regulates operations in a computer by directing the data flow
within the CPU. It controls input & output devices and data-transfer process to and from
memory.
A control Unit:

 Interprets & carries out the instructions of computer programs;

 Selects programs statements from memory.
 Moves these to instructions registers in the control unit; and carries out
instruction.

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Q 15. Define bit, byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte, word.

Computer manufacturers express the capacity of a computer to hold or store data in terms of
the number of bytes or multiples of bytes.

Bit: Binary digit-0 or 1.

Byte: 8 bits.

Kilobyte: kilo represents 2 to the tenth power (210), or 1024. (This is commonly rounded to 1000
bytes.) Kilobyte is abbreviated KB or, simply, K. the kilobyte was a common unit to measure
memory or secondary-storage capacity on older computers.

Megabyte: a megabyte is equal to 1024 KB (This is commonly rounded to 1 million bytes.) many
measures of microcomputer capacity today are expressed in megabytes.

Gigabyte: A gigabyte is equal to 1024 MB (This is commonly rounded to 1 billion bytes.) the
gigabyte is measure used with mainframe computers, minicomputers, supercomputers and
now also with microcomputers.

Terabyte: A terabyte is equal to 1024 GB (This is commonly rounded to 1 trillion bytes.)

Word: A computer word is defined as the number of bits or bytes that a microcomputer can
manipulate as a unit. The length of a word varies by computer.

Q 16. Explain different coding schemes to represent data in computer.

TYPES OF CODING SCHEMES

There are two commonly used coding schemes.

1) ASCII ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. It was
published in 1968 by ANSI (American National Standard Institute)it is the most widely used
coding scheme for personal computers. The 7-bit code can represent 128 characters. It is
not enough to represent some graphical characters displayed on computer screens. An 8-bit
code can represent 256 characters. The extended 128 unique codes represent graphic
symbols.

2) EBCIDIC EBCDIC stands for Extended Binary Coded Interchange Code. It is an 8-bit code. It is
normally used in mainframe computers. It can represent 256 characters.

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Q 17. What is Motherboard?

MOTHERBOARD:

A motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects the different parts a
computer together. It has sockets for the CPU, RAM and expansion cards (e.g, discrete graphics
cards, sound card, network card, storage card etc.) and it also hooks up to hard drives and front
panel ports with cables and wire. The motherboard is the piece of computer hardware that can
be thought of as the “back bone” of the PC.

Q 18. What is power supply?

POWER SUPPLY

A power supply is an internal hardware component that supplies components in a computer

with power. The power supply converts a 110-115 or 220-230 volt alternating current (AC) into a
steady low-voltage direct current (DC)usable by the computer and rated by the number of watts
it generates.

Q 19. What is Micro Processor?

MICRO PROCESSOR

The microprocessor contain all, or most of, the central processing unit (CPU) function and is the
“engine” that goes into motion when the computer is turn on. A microprocessor is designed to
perform arithmetic and logic operations that make use of small number-holding areas called
“register”.

Q 20: Discuss the important features of Micro Processor.

FEATURES OF MICRO PROCESSORS:

Some features of micro processors are:

Registers:
A “Register” is a very small amount of very fast Volatile memory that is built into the CPU
(central processing unit) in order to speed up its operations by providing quick access to
commonly used values. Registers are normally measured by the number of bits they can hold,
for example, an 8-bit register or a 32-bit register. There are fourteen basic registers shared by
ALU & CU.

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Word Size:
In computing, word size refers to the maximum number of bits that a CPU can process at a
time. A word is a fixed-sized piece of data which is dictated by the processor hardware
architecture; fixed in a sense that it is the maximum size that the processor is always using, yet
variable in the sense that word sizes vary amongst processor architectures, most notably
because of generation and the state of technology.

Bus and bus width:

A processor communicates with input/output circuits and memory by using signals these
signals travel along a set of wires or connections called Bus that connects the different
components together.
Simply, Bus is a set of wires that is used as a communication path.
There are three types of Bus.
1) Address Bus 2) Control Bus 3) Data Bus
The data carrying capacity of a bus is expressed in terms of its width, measured in bits. Older
computers had microprocessor with data buses that were 8 bit wide; this meant they could
carry 8 bits, or one byte (or character), at a time. Newer microprocessors are 32 bit wide.

Clock:
The clock controls hoe fast all the operations within a CPU take place. Clock speed, which is
expressed in megahertz or gigahertz, indicates how fast computer process information. Clock
speed is a function of the ease with which electricity passes through the CPU. Hertz (Hz) is
equivalent to cycle per second (c/s); 1 MHz is equal to 1 million cycles per second and 1 GHz is
equal to 1 billion cycles per second.

Coprocessors:
Coprocessor is microprocessors that are subordinate to the CPU and help it handle data over
load and speed up the computer’s operation. The best example of a coprocessor is that used
for mathematical calculations.

Q 21: Define Ports & Discuss its different types.

PORTS:
A Port is a socket at the back of a computer used to plug in various devices. Personal computers
have various types of port. Internally, there are several ports for connecting disk drives, display
controllers, and keyboards. Externally, personal computers have ports for connecting modems,
printers, scanners and other peripheral devices.

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TYPES OF PORTS:

There are three types of ports, namely;

1) Serial Ports
2) Parallel Ports
3) USB Ports

Serial Ports:
A port or interface that can be used for serial communication in which only one bit is
transmitted at a time is called serial ports. A serial port also called a Male connector, has 9 or 25
Pins. A serial port is used for connecting modems, mice & printers.

Parallel Ports:
A socket on a computer for transmitting data in parallel which means more than one bit at a
time is called parallel port. There may be 8, 16, or 32 channels (wires); A parallel port also called
a female connector, has 25 holes and the cable that plug in to it has 25 pins. It is a kind of port
used to connect tape drives, CD-ROMs, extra hard disks & most of the printers

USB Ports:
The USB (Universal Serial Bus) port is rapidly gaining popularity for PCs, because the USB port
allows 127 peripheral devices to be connected to the one general-purpose port. USB ports are
useful for peripherals such as digital cameras, digital speakers, scanners, high-speed modems,
and joysticks

Q 22: Differentiate between Serial Port and Parallel Port.

SERIAL PORTS PARALLEL PORTS

1) These ports send the information These ports send the information through
through a cable one bit at a time. parallel wires 8-bit or more at a time.

2) These ports send data slower than These ports send data faster than serial
parallel ports. ports.

3) These ports are reliable for

These ports are reliable for transmission
transmission data over a long
data over a short distance.
distance.

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 4) These ports are also called male These ports are also called female
connectors. connectors.

Q 23: What are peripheral devices? Name some peripheral devices.

PERIPHERAL DEVICE

A peripheral device provides input/output (I/O) functions for a computer and serves as an
auxiliary computer device without computing-intensive
functionality. Peripheral devices connect with a
computer through several I/O interfaces, such as
communications (COM), Universal Serial Bus (USB) and
serial ports.

Peripheral devices include the following:

• Mouse, Keyboard, Printer, Webcam, Printer,

Scanner etc.

OUTPUT HARDWARE

Q 24: Differentiate between soft copy and hard copy.

SOFT COPY HARD COPY

1) The Copy which is stored in a memory

and displays on a screen is called Soft The Copy which is printed on a paper or other
Copy element’s surface is called Hard Copy.

2) It is Easy to modify, Correction etc. It is Hard to modify, correction etc.

3) Soft copy is not touchable. Hard copy is touchable.

4) Soft Copy is Virtual. Hard Copy is Physical.

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Q 25: What is Monitor? Discuss its types in detail.

MONITOR:

A monitor is a television like device to display text and graphics from a computer. The monitor
is also referred as screen, video display terminal (VDT), console, and cathode ray tube (CRT).

TYPES OF MONITORS:

There are two main types of monitor.

i) CRT Monitors
ii) Flat Panel Monitors

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor:

The cathode ray tube (CRT) is an output display device that resembles a television screen. CRTs
contain an electron “gun” that fires a beam of electrons. The inside of the front CRT screen is
coated with phosphor. When a beam of electrons from the electron gun hits the phosphor, it
lights up tiny points of phosphor for a short period. Each tiny point of light is called a pixel. Each
character you see on the screen is made up of many pixels.

FLAT PANEL MONITOR:

CRTs have been largely superseded by newer “flat panel” monitor technologies such as LCD,
LED display and OLED displays. LCD and OLED displays have lower manufacturing costs and
power consumption, as well as significantly less weight and bulk there are four common types
flat panel monitors –LCD (liquid crystal display. Led (light emitting diode) display and OLED
(organic light-emitting diode) display.

i) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD):

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display that uses the light-modulating
properties of liquid crystal. Liquid crystal do not emit light directly instead using a black
light or reflector to produce images in color or monochrome. The clear liquid crystals
trapped in tiny pockets of liquid are covered both front and back by very think wire.
When a small amount of current is applied to both wires, a chemical reaction turns the
liquid crystals a dark color-thereby blocking light. The point of blocked light is the pixel.

ii) Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Display:

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 A light emitting diode (LED) display is a flat panel display, which uses and array of light-
emitting diode as pixel for a video display. LEDs are small semiconductor that emit visible
light when an electrical current is passed through them.

iii) Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) Display:

An Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the
emissive electro-luminescent that emits light in response to an electric current. This layer
of Organic layers is situated between two electrodes; typically, At least one of these
electrodes is transparent. OLEDs are used to create digital displays in device such as,
television screens, computer monitors, and portable systems.

Q 26: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of LCD.

ADVANTAGES OF LCD:

The principle advantages of LCDs are:

i) LCDs are Very compact, thick and light.

ii) LCDs are Low power consumption.
iii) LCDs are Low cost display screens.

DISADVANTAGES OF LCD:

The biggest disadvantages are:

i) LCDs do not emitted light; as a result, the image has less contrast.
ii) The screen is very susceptible to glare, so the optimum viewing angle is very narrow.
iii) The resolution is not as good as that of a CRT.

Q 27: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of LED.

ADVANTAGES OF LED:

The principal advantages of LED display are:

i) LEDs are efficient and low-energy consumption.

ii) LEDs produce more brilliance and greater light intensity.
iii) Rows of LEDs give better control of the light provided to the display and act greater
efficiency as it is possible to turn off individual LEDs when they are not needed.

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DISADVANTAGES OF LED:

The biggest disadvantages are:

i) LEDs can shift color due to age and temperature.

ii) LED displays are largely depend on the correct engineering otherwise a lot of
deterioration and defects can develop in the products.
iii) LEDs are very expensive display screens.

Q 28: Discuss the advantages of OLED.

ADVANTAGES OF OLED:

The principle advantage of OLED over fled panel display made with LED technology.

i) Lower cost of production in the future.

ii) Light weight, flexible and foldable.
iii) Better picture are greater contract ratio and wider viewing angle compared to LED.
iv) Better power efficiency and thickness.
v) Much faster response time then an LED.

Q 29: Define voice output device and sound output device.

VOICE-OUTPUT DEVICE

Voice output device or voice synthesizer, converts data in the computer into vocalized sounds
understandable to human. You hear a person’s voice or when the computer talks to you
through by speakers on the computer.

SOUND OUTPUT DEVICE

Sound-output device produce digitized sounds ranging from beeps and chirps to music. Sound
capabilities can be added to some computers by inserting a sound card and appropriate
software. The sound card plugs in to an expansion slot in your computer; on newer computer. It
is integrated with the motherboard.

Q 30: What is Printer? Define Impact and non-impact printer.

PRINTER
A printer is a device that accepts text and graphic output from a computer and transfers the
information to paper, usually to standard size sheets of paper.

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Impact Printer
An impact printer is a type of printer that operates by striking a metal or plastic head against an
ink ribbon. The ink ribbon is pressed against the paper, marking the page with the appropriate
character, dot, line, or symbol.
Common examples of impact printers include dot matrix, daisy-wheel printers and line printers.

Non-Impact Printer
Non-impact printers do not use a striking mechanism to produce characters on the paper; and
because these printers do not hammer against the paper they are much quieter. Common
examples of impact printers include laser printer, inkjet printer and thermal printer.

Q 31: Differentiate between impact printer and non-impact printer.

NON-IMPACT PRINTER
IMPACT PRINTER

1) It prints characters or images by

striking print hammer or wheel against It prints characters and images without
an inked ribbon. striking the papers.

2) Its speed is slower as compared to Its speed is faster as compared to impact

non- impact printers. printers.

3) Its printing quality is lower. Its printing quality is higher.

4) Dot matrix, Daisy wheel, drum printer,

line printer e.t.c are the example of Laser printer & inkjet printer are the example
Impact Printer. of Non-Impact Printer.

Q 32: Discuss different types of Impact printers.

DOT MATRIX

In a dot matrix printer, the characters and letters are formed by a matrix of dots. A print head,
which has many pins in it, moves in the required direction and strikes against a cloth ribbon
which is soaked in ink, making a mark on the paper.

DAISY WHEEL

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Daisy-wheel printers use a circular wheel with "petals" that each has a different character or
symbol on the end. In order to print each character, the wheel spins to the appropriate petal
and a hammer strikes the petal against the ribbon and the page.

DRUM PRINTER

A drum printer consists of a solid, cylindrical drum that has raised characters in bands on its
surface. The drum rotates at a rapid speed. For each possible print position there is a print
hammer located behind the paper. These hammers strike the paper, along the ink ribbon,
against the proper character on the drum as it passes. One revolution of the drum is required
to print each line.

CHAIN PRINTER

A chain printer uses a chain of print characters wrapped around two pulleys. Like the drum
printer, there is one hammer for each print position. Circuitry inside the printer detects when
the correct character appears at the desired print location on the page. The hammer then
strikes the page, pressing the paper against a ribbon and the character located at the desired
print position. An impression of the character is left on the page.

Q 33: What are the different types of Non-Impact Printers?

LASER PRINTER

A laser printer is a popular type of personal computer printer that uses a non-impact,
photocopier technology. When a document is sent to the printer, a laser beam "draws" the
document on a selenium-coated drum using electrical charges. After the drum is charged, it is
rolled in toner, a dry powder type of ink. The toner adheres to the charged image on the drum.
The toner is transferred onto a piece of paper and fused to the paper with heat and pressure.
After the document is printed, the electrical charge is removed from the drum and the excess
toner is collected.

INKJET PRINTER

An inkjet printer is a computer peripheral that produces hard copy by spraying ink onto paper.
In the inkjet printing mechanism, the print head has several tiny nozzles, also called jets. As the
paper moves past the print head, the nozzles spray ink onto it, forming the characters and
images.

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THERMAL PRINTER

A thermal printer is a printer that makes use of heat in order to produce the image on paper.
Thermal printing does not make use of ink or toner unlike many other printing forms but largely
depends on thermal papers for producing the images. It is mostly used in airline, banking,
grocery, and healthcare industries.

Q 34: What is plotter? Explain the different types of plotter in detail.

PLOTTER:

A plotter is a special kind of output device. It is like a printer in that it produces images on
paper. Plotters are designed to produce large drawings or images, such as construction plans
for buildings or blueprints for mechanical objects.

Pen Plotter:
Pen plotter use colored pens to draw on paper. Such plotters may be drum plotters, in which
the paper is rolled on a drum as pens are held against it. Or they may be flatbed plotters, in
which the paper is held steady as the pen moves around on the paper.

Electro Static Plotter:

Electro static plotters create images by forming Electro static charges on special paper, then
running the paper through a developer. This is faster than pen and produce high-quality
images.
Thermal plotters:
Thermal plotters use electrically heated pens and heat-sensitive paper to create images. They
produce only two colors.

Q 35: Differentiate between Input Device and Output Device.

INPUT DEVICE OUTPUT DEVICE

1) The devices which are used to feed data The devices which are used to give the result
into the computer are called input to the outer world of the computer are called
devices. output devices.

2) Input devices convert what people Output devices do the reverse; they convert
understand to what computer the machine language to language people can
understand. understand.

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 3) There are two types of input hardware.
There are two types of input devices.
i) Keyboard devices.
i) Soft copy output device.
ii) Non-keyboard or direct entry
ii) Hard copy output device.
devices.

4) The commonly used input devices are The most commonly used output devices are
keyboard and mouse. monitor and printer.

STORAGE HARDWARE

Q 36: Write the differences between Primary Memory and Secondary Memory.

PRIMARY MEMORY SECONDARY MEMORY

1) Primary memory is temporary. Secondary memory is permanent.

2) Primary memory is directly accessible by Secondary memory is not directly accessible

Processor/CPU. by the CPU.

Secondary memory devices are less

3) Primary memory devices are more
expensive when compared to primary
expensive than secondary storage devices.
memory devices.

4) Examples: RAM, ROM, Cache memory, Examples: Hard Disk, Floppy Disk, Magnetic
PROM, EPROM, Registers, etc. Tapes, etc.

Q 37. What is Main Memory?

RAM OR MAIN MEMORY

RAM or Random Access Memory is known as main memory or primary memory, is used to
store programs and data that the CPU is presently processing. It is called “Random Access”
memory because data can be retrieved at random from anywhere in a RAM chip in equal

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amount of time. RAM is volatile memory which means that any data stored in RAM is lost when
the computer is switch off.

Q 38. What is ROM? What are its different types?

ROM (READ ONLY MEMORY)

ROM stands for Read Only Memory. It is type of internal memory. The data and instructions in
ROM are stored by the manufacturer at the time of its manufacturing. This data and programs
cannot be changed or deleted after wards. ROM stores data and instructions permanently.
When the power is turned off, the instructions stored in ROM are not lost. That is the reason
ROM is called non-volatile memory.

TYPES OF ROM

There are three types of ROM:

1) PROM 2) EPROM 3) EEPROM

1) PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory):

PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of ROM is initially blank. The
user or manufacturer can write data/program on it by using special devices. However, once the
program or data is written in PROM chip, it cannot be changed.

2) EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory):

EPROM stands for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of ROM is also initially
blank. The user or manufacturer can write program or data on it by using special devices. Unlike
PROM the data written in EPROM chip can be erased by using special devices and ultraviolet
rays. So program or data written in EPROM chip can be changed and new data can also be
added.

3) EEPROM (Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory):

EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This kind of ROM
can be Written or changed with the help of electrical devices. So data stored in this type of ROM
chip can be easily modified.

Q 39: Differentiate between RAM and ROM.

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 RAM ROM

1) RAM stands for Random Access Memory ROM stands for Read Only Memory.

2) Both the read and write operations can be The ROM memory only allows the user to read
performed over the information that is the information. User cannot make any
stored in the RAM. changes to the information.

3) Electricity is needed in RAM to flow to Electricity is not needed in ROM to flow to

preserving information. preserving information.

4) The RAM memory is categorized into two The ROM memory is categorized into three
types they are: S-RAM and D-RAM. types, they are: PROM, EPROM and EEPROM.

40: What is computer output microfilm/microfiche?

COMPUTER OUTPUT MICROFILM/MICROFICHE (COM) SYSTEM

Computer paper takes a lot of room –hence the reason microfilm and microfiche.

Computer output microfilm/microfiche (com) is computer output produce as very small images
on rolls or sheets of film. When the output is on rolls (usually 35mm). It is microfilm. When the
output is on sheet (4*6 inches), it is microfiche.

Q 41: What is secondary storage? What are the common benefits of it?

SECONDARY STORAGE:

The secondary storage, or storage medium, is permanent storage, which is separate from the
CPU. The content still exist after the power is turned off. Some common examples of secondary
storage are hard disks, SSDs, USBs and CDs.

The benefits of secondary storage are:

Economy: It is less expensive to store data on hard disk. USB flash drive or optical disk, the
principle means of secondary storage, than in filing cabinet. Optical storage media and USB
flash drive are also relatively low in cost.

Reliability: Data in secondary storage is basically save, since secondary storage is physically
reliable. Also, the data in it is stored in such a way that data tampering is difficult.
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Convenience: With the help of a computer, authorized people can locate and access data
quickly.

Q 42: Define the different types of secondary storage.

MAGNETIC STORAGE:

In the Magnetic storage devices, all data are stored with using magnetized medium, and those
types of data saved in that medium in the binary form like as 0 and 1. This magnetic storage has
also non-volatile storage nature.

OPTICAL STORAGE:

Optical storage techniques make use of the laser beams to write and read data which can
consist of text, graphics, audio clips, or video images. A single optical disc of the type called CD
can hold up to 700 megabytes of data.

FLASH STORAGE:

A flash storage also known as flash memory is a type of non-volatile memory that can be erased
or rewritten electronically. Flash storage chips are solid state media, which means they consist
entirely of electronic components and contain no moving parts.

Types of flash memory include solid state drives, memory cards, and USB flash drives.

Q 43: Define floppy disk, hard disk and magnetic tape.

FLOPPY DISK

It is a small removable, portable storage device that is made of polyester film coated with a
metal oxide compound. Its look like a 45 rpm phonograph record except that it is enclosed in a
jacket square in shape. It is readable by a computer with a floppy disk drive. The physical size of
disks has shrunk from early 8 inch, to 5.25-inch square and about 1 millimeter thick (“mini-
floppy”) to 3.5-inch square and about 2 millimeters thick (“micro floppy”) while the data capacity
has risen.

HARD DISK

A hard disk is a magnetic disk on which you can store computer data. Hard disks hold more
data and faster than floppy disks. In general, hard disks are less portable than floppies,
although it is possible to buy removable hard disks.

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Hard disks are rigid aluminum or glass disks about 3.5 inch in a diameter in a personal
computer, and smaller in a laptop. They are coated with ferromagnetic material and a
read/write head transfer data to it magnetically.

MAGNETIC TAPE

A magnetic tape is also a storage device from which you can access data serially like an audio
cassette from which you can hear the songs in the order in which they are stored. The access
speed can be quite slow when the tape is long and what you want is not near the start. So the
best use of the magnetic tape is for the data that you do not use very often.

The recording medium is a plastic tape coated with some magnetic material on one side only
and this coated side is used to record data.

Q 44: Define volatile memory and non-volatile memory.

VOLATILE MEMORY

Volatile memory is memory that requires electric current to retain data. When the power is
turned off, all data is erased. The most common type of volatile memory is random- access
memory, or RAM.

NON-VOLATILE MEMORY

Non-volatile memory (NVM) is a type of memory that retains stored data after the power is
turned off. Unlike volatile memory, it does not require an electric charge to maintain the
storage state. Only reading and writing data to non-volatile memory requires power.

The most common type of non-volatile memories are HDDs, SSDs, USBs etc.

Q 45: Differentiate between volatile and non-volatile memory.

VOLATILE MEMORY NON-VOLATILE MEMORY

1) Volatile memory is the type of Non-volatile memory is the type of

memory in which data is lost as it is memoryin which data remains stored even
powered-off. if it is powered-off.

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 2) Content of Volatile memory is stored content of Non-volatile memory is stored
temporarily. permanently.

3) It is faster than non-volatile memory. It is slower than volatile memory.

4) Volatile memory generally has less Non-volatile memory generally has more
storage capacity. storage capacity than volatile memory.

5) RAM (Random Access Memory) is ROM (Read Only Memory) is an example

an example of volatile memory. of non-volatile memory.

Q 46: What is an Operating System? Write some examples.

OPERATING SYSTEM

Operating system is a set of programs that control and supervises the hardware of the
computer and provides services to the application software, programmers and users of the
computer. The primary goal of an operating system is to make the computer convenient to use.
The secondary goal is to use the computer efficiently.

IMPORTANT TASKS PERFORMED BY OS:

Some important tasks of an operating system are managing the resources of the computer
such as Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, disk drivers, printer and running user
user programs. Every type of computer has its own operating system.
Examples of operating system
DOS, UNIX, Linux, MAC, Windows, Solaris etc.

Q 47: Explain the important features of an operating system.

FEATURES OF OPERATING SYSTEM:

Operating system should have the following features:

i) Efficiency, in terms of processors and resource utilization.

ii) Reliability, in terms of being error-free and handle all possibilities in the execution of jobs.
iii) Maintainability, in terms of enhancing facilities, modularity, correction of bugs etc.
iv) Small size, in terms of the amount of memory and backing store required.
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Q 48: Describe the important functions of an operating system.

FUNCTION OF OPERATING SYSTEM:

Today most operating system performs the flowing important functions:

i) Processor management, that is, assignment of processor to different task being performs by
the computer system.
ii) Memory management that is allocation of main memory and other storage areas to the
system programs as well as user programs and data.
iii) Input/output management that is coordination and assignment of the different input/output
devices while one or more programs are being executed.
iv) File management, that is, the storage of file on various storage devices and the transfer of
these file from one storage device to another. It also allows all files to be easily changed and
modified through the use of text editor or some other file manipulation routines.
v) Establishment and enforcement of a job priority system, that is, it determines and maintains
the order in which jobs are to be executed in the computer system.

Q 49: What is system software? Define the various types of system software.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE:

The programs that are directly related to the computer hardware and perform tasks associated
with controlling and utilizing computer hardware are known as System Software.

Following are the different types of system software.

OPERATING SYSTEM

Same as Question No. 46

UTILITY SOFTWARE

These are programs that users can purchase as separated products to perform a wide range of
functions. The programs for these functions are PC-Tools, Scan Disk, Norton Disk Doctor (NDD),
Anti-Virus etc.

LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS

Same as Question No. 50

DATA-MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
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Data management software includes database and file management programs that manage
data for an operating system .they can organize, update and print data.

Q 50: What is a language translator? Also explain its types.

LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR

It translates the computer program in to machine understandable form. Language translators

are interpreter, compiler and assembler.

INTERPRETER

Interpreter translates and executes each program statement one at time, translation is required
if program is run again. Example: GWBASIC

COMPILER

Compiler translates the whole program at a time and stores translated program on disk. The
original program is called source program and its translated version is called object program.

ASSEMBLER

Assembler is a program that converts an assembler language program in to machine language.

Q 51: What is Application Software? Describe general purpose application software and special
purpose application software.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE:

An application is a job or task a user wants to accomplish through a computer. Application

softwares are the programs that help the user to perform a specific job.

Example: Application software enables a user to write a letter/ and or create a drawing. It helps
the user work faster; more efficiently and thus provide more productivity than manual
performance.

TYPES OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE:

There are two types of application software:

General Purpose Application Software

They are called packaged software or commercial software. A Single software can be applied to
a wide variety of tasks. By using such softwares a user can fulfill his or her general needs.
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Examples: MS-Office, Corel Draw, Page maker, Adobe Photoshop etc.

Special Purpose Application Software

The software that is designed to perform a specific task is known as special purpose
application. This is also called Custom Software. This is also called custom made software. The
software can perform only one task for which it has been designed.

Example: software to process inventory control, software to maintain bank accounts, software
used in airline booking system etc.

Q 52: Differentiate between System Software and application software.

SYSTEM SOFTWARE APPLICATION SOFTWARE

1) It is a set of one or more programs, It is a set of one or more programs designed

designed to control the operations of to carry out operation for a specified
computer system application

2) These programs do not solve a

These programs solve a specific problem.
specific problem

3) System packages support the running

Application packages run via system packages.
of other software, communicate with
They cannot control the peripheral.
the peripheral devices.

4) Operating systems, device drivers, MS-WORD, MS EXCEL, Inpage, Adobe

language translators are the examples Photoshop are the examples of application
of system software. software.

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