Chapter Two

Computer System
Basically the computer system is categorized into two components:
 The hardware component and
 The software component
The computer hardware is the physical part of the computer system, which we can
touch, and see.
On the other hand, the computer software is a set of instructions that instructs the
hardware to perform different tasks.
 The Computer Hardware
The computer hardware is divided into four categories:
1. Input Devices
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU)
3. Output Devices
4. Secondary Storage Devices
Input Devices
Input devices are devices through which data are entered into the computer. The
different devices, which are commonly used to input data or information into a computer
system, are: Keyboard, mouse, Image Scanner, Microphone etc.

 Keyboard: The keyboard is an input device used to enter information into your PC.
 Mouse: The mouse is a pointing device that is used to move the insertion pointer around
the screen.
 Scanner: Can be used to input images and words into a computer.
 Microphones: It captures the voices or sounds and translates them into digital signals
for the computer.

Central Processing Unit

At the center of the computer system is the processor, which is commonly referred to
as the Central Processing Unit (CPU). It executes program instructions and performs the
computer’s processing activities. The CPU is the computer’s brain that is the
microprocessor. The central processing unit has three (3) major components:

1. The Arithmetic or Logic Unit (ALU): Contains the electronic circuitry that
performs the arithmetic (+, -, *, /) and logical (>, <, <=, >=, =) operations. Logical
operations compare one element of information with other.
2. The Control Unit: Controls every activity of the computer. What our brain does for
us will be done by the control unit for the computer.
3. The Main memory: Memories are used to store programs and data. It is a means of
storage that is found within the computer itself and that is why it is called internal
memory or primary memory.
Types of Memory
Main Memory is divided into two: Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory
(RAM).
 Random-Access Memory (RAM)
 It allows both read and write access.
 The instructions in RAM are volatile.
 When the computer is turned off the information in RAM disappears.
 The information in RAM needs to be saved to secondary storage before the computer is
turned off.
 Each memory location can be accessed without having to work sequentially through
hundreds or even thousands of memory locations called addresses.
 RAM (Random Access Memory) stores data and program code needed by the CPU.
 Read-Only Memory (ROM)
 ROM: Stands for Read Only Memory.
  Once programmed, it can only be read from it.
 Data cannot be written on it.
 ROM contains programs and instructions that enable the computer to start to the
entire operating system and other programs can be permanently stored in it by
computer manufacturers.
 Since the contents cannot be changed and they are not lost when electric current is
turned off, ROM is non-volatile.

Output Devices
The output devices enable the user to see the results of the computer’s calculation or
data manipulations. They convert the results of a process, which is only in machine
understandable form to a form understandable by human being. Included in the output
devices are:
1. Visual Display (Monitors)

 Monitors display softcopy output.

Monitor can be:-
Cathode-Ray Tubes (CRTs):
- The cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube used as a display screen in a
computer or video display terminal.
Flat-Panel Displays
- Compared to CRTs, flat-panel displays are much thinner, weigh less, and consume
less power.
-
Monitor, display screen, video display terminal (VDT) is alternatively used to refer
to the screen of the computer.
- Example of flat-panel Display:
 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Monitors
 LED (Light-Emitting Diodes) Monitors
2. Printer: Printers are most widely used output devices. It produces hard copy materials
that are paper output. Different types of printers are in use today. In general, there are
two major categories of printers. Namely:

 Impact Printers
 Non-Impact printers.
Impact Printers: in impact printing, the paper and the character being printed come
in contact with one another. That is, striking an inked ribbon with pins forms characters.
Examples of Impact Printers are: Dot Matrix, Line and Character printers.
 Dot matrix Printers: are designed to print characters as a pattern of dots.
 Line Printers: Line printers print a full line (up to 144 characters) at a time. They
are able to print up to several thousand lines per minute.
 Character Printers: These printers print one character at a time.
Non-Impact Printers: are printers that do not bring the paper and the print material into
physical contact. The characters of the print material are produced on the paper through a
heat, chemical, or spraying process. Laser and Ink-Jet Printers are the most frequently
used kinds of Non-Impact printers.
 Laser Printers: print by depositing a black powder called toner on the paper. The
Laser printer prints an entire page at a time.
 Ink Jet printers: These printers spray tiny streams of ink from holes in the print
mechanism on to the paper.
3. Speakers allow you to hear sounds from the computer. Speakers can be separate
peripheral devices attached to the computer, or they can be built in to the monitor.
Secondary Storage Devices
They are also called Secondary memories or Mass Storage devices. Secondary storage
devices are used for mass storage of programs and data files for long periods of time and
can keep them even when the computer is turned off or unplugged.
The main types of secondary memory are categorized in to two:
1. Magnetic Storage
2. Optical storage devices
1. Magnetic Storage: is further divided into two:

Magnetic Tape: is the earliest form of secondary storage. Data can be stored on
and retrieved from tape sequentially. Magnetic tape is not so widely used for file
processing, but still plays an important part in the file back up for security purposes.

Magnetic disk: are flexible plastic or metal (rigid aluminum) disks of easily
magnetizable materials.
Example of Magnetic Storage:-

 Hard disk: is a high capacity magnetic disk, which is fixed in the main unit of the
computer.
 Floppy disk: is also called diskette. It is removable and has less capacity compared to
the hard disk and can store 1.44 megabytes of information.
2. Optical Storage: it uses the principle of light (laser beam), rather than magnetism to
store information. Optical disks have huge capacity.
Examples of Optical Storages are:
 Compact disk read only memory, (CD-ROM)
 Erasable CDs that is rewriteable, (CD-RW).
 Digital Versatile Disc-Recordable, (DVD-R)
 Digital Versatile Disc-Rewriteable, (DVD-RW)

============================/////
==============================

II. Computer software

 Software is a set of programs that instruct the computer to perform a certain action.
 Software is a sequence of electronic instructions that tells the computer how to do certain
tasks.
 A sequence of instructions used to carry out some task is often called a program.
 When a computer is using a particular program, it is said to be running or executing the
program.
We can classify software in two major types:
1. System software and
2. Application soft ware.
I. System software
- Refers to programs designed to perform tasks associated with directly controlling and
utilizing computer hardware.
- It does not accomplish specific task to the user, such as creating document or
analyzing data.
- System software constitutes those programs, which increase the facilities of the
hardware system.
- It ties the hardware and the application software.
Systems software has been categorized into:
A. Operating Systems,
B. Utility software and
C. Programming language.
A. Operating Systems
- The most important program that runs on a computer.
- Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other
programs.
- Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as
o Recognizing input from the keyboard,
o sending output to the display screen,
o keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and
o Controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.
Operating systems can be classified as follows:
 Multi-user :
- Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time.
E.g. include Windows, UNIX, Novell
 Multiprocessing :
- Supports running a program on more than one CPU.
 Single Tasking:
- Only program can be run on the computer at a time.
E.g. DOS (Disk Operating System)
 Multitasking :
- Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
E.g. includes Ms-windows 3x, 9x, Windows NT, UNIX, windows XP
 Multithreading :
- Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
 Real time:
- Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems

B. Utility programs:
- Many operating systems have utility programs built in for common purposes.
- Some of examples of the utility programs are the following.
Backup software: - it is a type of software which facilitate to a user to have a
recovery copy if his/her computer suddenly stop.
Data recovery:- it is used to restore data that has been physically damaged or
corrupted.
- Data can be damaged by viruses, bad software, hardware failure
and power fluctuation.
Virus protection: - if there is an attack of computer viruses on your computer
system there may be a need to have antivirus utility software.
C. Language software:
 - It is the other subdivision of system software which is normally used by the
programmer to develop application program.
- Each programming language uses a set of symbols that have a special meaning.
Each language has its own set of rules, called syntax.
- Programming languages have improved throughout the years.
- They have progressed from machine oriented language that uses strings of binaries 1
and 0 to problem oriented languages that use common mathematical and/or English
like statements.

II. Application software

- Application software refers to those programs developed to meet particular
user requirements for specific application.
The common application programs are.
Word processing:
- It is a type of software which permits the user to create, edit, format, file and print
usually text documents. E.g. MS-WORD, WordPerfect, WordStar, WordPad.
Spreadsheet:
- It is an electronic tabular spreadsheet displayed on the VDU of the computer.
- It provides the user the opportunity to create, edit, format, file, print, calculate, and
analyze data in tabular form. E.g. FoxPro, MS-Excel and so on.
Database management: -
- Serve to create computerized datable, to insert records, to make queries, to analyze
data, and append data. Eg.MS-access
Graphics software:
- These are a type of application software which provides the user the workspace to
create, edit, and format image and graphical information. E.g. AutoCAD
Presentation application software:
- Which provide the user to create edit and present presentations, e.g. MS-power
point.