Introduction to

computers
By,
Ms. Naina B A
Lecturer in Computer Science,
Hira Womens’ College,
Mangalore.
Introduction to computers

The term computer is derived from the word

compute, which means to calculate.
Computer is an electronic machine devised for
performing calculations and controlling operations
that are expressed in logical or in numerical terms.
It performs diverse operations with the help of
instructions to process data in order to achieve
desired results.
 Characteristics of computers
▪ Speed
▪ Accuracy
▪ Diligence
▪ Reliability
▪ Storage capability
▪ Versatility
▪ Resource sharing
EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS
Evolution of computers
▪ In the beginning, for adding people
used stones or pebbles along lines in
the sand.
▪ Abacus: This allowed users to count
using a system of sliding beads
arranged on a rack.
▪ In 1642, Blaise Pascal invented the
first functional automatic calculator.
▪ It was called pascaline,used eight
movable dials to add numbers up to
eight figures long.
▪ In 1822.charles Babbage
proposed a machine to perform
differential equations called a
Difference Engine.
▪ It was powered by steam and as
large as a locomotive, the
machine would have a stored
program and could perform
calculations and print the results
automatically. Difference Engine
▪ In 1946,John Eckert and john
Mauchly of Moore School of
engineering at the University of
pennsylvania developed the
Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Calculator(ENIAC)
▪ This computer used electronic
vacuum tubes to make the
internal parts of the computer.

ENIAC
▪ In the 1960s,efforts were made to
develop the fastest possible
computer with greatest capacity .
▪ Livermore Advanced Research
computer(LARC) is a mainframe
computer which had access time of
less than 1microsecond and the total
capacity of 100,000,000 words
▪ It was used to run hydrodynamic
simulations for nuclear weapon
design
LARC
▪ 1970s -Trend was to
develop larger range of
applications for cheaper
computer systems.
▪ During this period many
business organizations adopted
computers for their offices.
▪ 1980s -Very Large Scale
Integration (VLSI)design in
which hundreds of thousands of
transistors were placed on a
single chip became common.
PCs were introduced.
▪ 1990s - invention of
microprocessor, a processor on a
single integrated chip(IC)
 Generations of Computers
▪ First generation (1940 to 1956): vacuum tubes
▪ They were based on vacuum tube
technology
▪ They relied on binary-coded language called
machine language and difficult to code.
▪ These computers were very large and
required a lot of space for installation.
▪ These were non-portable & very slow
equipments.
▪ Very expensive to operate & used large
amount of electricity.
▪ Machines were unreliable and needed
constant maintenance.
Second generation(1956 to 1963): Transistors
▪ Transistor- made up of semiconductor
material like germanium & silicon.
▪ It has 3 leads & performs electrical
functions such as voltage, current or power
amplification.
▪ Computers became smaller,faster,cheaper
& computation time reduced to
microsecond
▪ More reliable & less prone to hardware
failure.
▪ Assembly language was used to program
computers.
Third generation(1964 to Early 1970s): IC
▪ They were based on IC technology.
▪ An IC consists of single chip with many
components such as transistors & resistors
fabricated on it.
▪ They reduced the computational time from
microseconds to nanoseconds.
▪ Easily portable & more reliable.
▪ Size was smaller & consumed less power
▪ Extensive use of high level languages.
▪ Manual assembling of individual unit was not
required.
Fourth Generation(early 1970s to till date):
Microprocessors
▪ Based on microprocessors- circuits containing
millions of transistors
▪ Smallest, Cheapest among all the other
generation computers.
▪ Portable & quite reliable.
▪ Generate negligible amount f heat.
▪ Hardware failure is negligible.
▪ Production cost is very low
▪ GUI and pointing devices enabled users to learn
to use the computer quickly.
▪ Interconnection led to better communication &
resource sharing.
Fifth generation(present & beyond): AI

▪ Mega chips
▪ 5th generation computers use Super Large Scale
Integrated (SLSI)chips which results in
production of microprocessors
▪ Great amount of storage capacity will be
provided

▪ Parallel processing
▪ They use multiple processors & perform parallel
processing
▪ Access several instructions at once & work on
them at the same time.
▪ Artificial Intelligence:
▪ It refers to a series of related
technologies that try to simulate &
reproduce human behavior.
▪ They can think, speak & reason out
▪ AI comprises of group of related
technologies: Expert System(ES),natural
language processing, speech
recognition, vision recognition &
robotics.
Classification of computers
 MicroComputers
▪ It is a small, low-cost digital computer, which consists of
a microprocessor, a storage unit, an input channel & an
output channel-all on one chip inserted into one or
several PC boards.
▪ They include desktop,laptop & hand held models such as
PDAs.
 Desktop computers

▪ Also known as PC
▪ It is intended for stand-alone use by an
individual.
▪ Consists of system unit,monitor,keyboard,an
internal hard disk storage & other peripheral
devices.
▪ Not very expensive.
▪ Some manufacturers are: APPLE,IBM,Dell &
HP
Laptop
▪ It is a portable computer that a user can
carry around.
▪ It has all the features of a normal desktop
computer.
▪ They are lightweight & can be used
anywhere & anytime.
▪ Expensive when compared to desktop
computers.
 Hand-Held Computers

▪ It is portable computer that can be stored in a

pocket & used while the user is holding it such
as PDAs.
▪ A PDA user generally uses a pen or a electronic
stylus for input.
▪ Also known as palmtop computers.
▪ They use small cards to store programs & data.
▪ Limited memory.
▪ Ex: Apple Newton,Casio & franklin eBookman
 Mini Computers

▪ It is a small digital computer which is able to process & store

less data than a mainframe & more than a microcomputer.
▪ Used as desktop devices that are often connected to a
mainframe to perform auxiliary operations.
▪ Designed to meet the computing needs of several people
simultaneously in a small-to-medium sized business.
▪ Ex: PDp11,IBM(8000 series) & VAX 7500
 MainFrames

▪ It is an Ultra-high performance computer made for high-

volume,processor-intensive computing.
▪ Consists of high-end computer processor, with related
peripheral devices, capable of supporting large volumes of data
processing.
▪ They are the second largest of the computer family
▪ It allows its users to maintain a large amount of data storage at
a centralized location & to access & process the data from
different computers at different location.
▪ Ex: Ibms ES000,VAX 8000
 Supercomputers

▪ They are special-purpose machines which are designed to

maximize the numbers of floating point operations per
second(FLOPS)
▪ They are the largest among the computers.
▪ It has the highest processing speed at a given time. For solving
scientific & engineering problems.
▪ They are used to solve multivariant mathematical problems such
as aerodynamics, metrology & plasma physics.
▪ Ex: CRAY-3,cyber 205 & PARAM
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

▪ A computer consists of a number of interrelated

components that work together with the aim of
converting data into information.
▪ Programs- instructions given to the computers.
▪ Hardware- physical parts that make up a
computer.
▪ Peripherals- any part of the computer outside the
CPU & working memory.
Components of a computer system

▪ A computer system comprises of following components;

▪ CPU
▪ Input Unit
▪ Output Unit
▪ Storage Unit
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
▪ The CPU is also known as a processor, is the brain of the
computer.
▪ This unit performs processing of instructions & data (input)
inside the computer.
▪ It processes data & converts into meaningful information
(output).
▪ It works with data in discrete form i.e. either 1 or 0.
▪ It counts,lists,compares and rearranges the binary digits of
data.
▪ Results are translated into characters, numbers & symbols.
▪ It has three parts;
▪ Arithmetic Logic Unit(ALU)
▪ It performs arithmetic & logical operations on the data.
▪ Whenever an arithmetic or logical operation is to be
performed, the required data are transferred from the
memory unit to the ALU, the operation is performed
and the result is returned to the memory unit.
▪ Control unit :
▪ This unit checks the correctness of the sequence of
operations.
▪ It fetches the program instructions from the memory unit,
interprets them and ensures correct execution of the
program.
▪ Registers:
▪ These are special purpose, high speed temporary memory
units that can hold varied information such as data,
instructions, addresses and intermediate results of
calculation.