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C o m p u te r

F u n d a m e n ta ls

Copyright 2010 Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd

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any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior
written permission of both the copyright owner and the above-mentioned publisher o f this book.
ISBN 978-81-317-3309-7
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Published by Dorling Kindersley (India) Pvt. Ltd., licensees of Pearson Education in South Asia
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Typeset by AcePro India Pvt. Ltd
Printed in India at Saurabh Printers Pvt. Ltd.
Copyrighted material

B r ie f C o n t e n t s
Preface

xxi

Acknowledgem ents

XXV

UNIT 1 BASiCS_OF_COMPUIER
1. Introduction to Computer
2. The Computer System Hardware
3. Computer Memory
4. Input and Output Devices
5. Data Representation

1
19
39
61
87

UNIT II USER-COMPUTER INTERFACE


6. Interaction of User and Computer
7. Operating System
8. Computer Programming Fundamentals
9. Data Communication and Computer Network
10. The Internet and Internet Services

115
131
150
163
196

UNIT 111 APPLICATIONS AND SECURITY


11. Information Systems
12. Fundamentals of Database
13. Multimedia
14. Computer Security

219
236
256
284

UNIT IV COMPUTER PRACTICALS


15. Windows XP
16. MS-Word 2007
17. MS-Excel 2007
18. MS-PowerPoint 2007
19. MS-Access 2007
20. Network and Internet Connections
21. Using LaTeX

307
342
379
422
458
486
503

Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Index

515
517
519
523
541

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Contents
rretace
Acknowledgements
1JN 1 T 1

XXI
XXV

R A S IC S O F T O M P I J T F R

1. Introduction to Computer

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Digital and Analog Computers

1.3 Characteristics of Computer

1.4 History of Computer

1.5 Generations of Computer

1.5.1
1.5.2
1.5.3
1.5.4
1.5.5

First Generation (1940 to 1956): Using Vacuum Tubes


Second Generation (1956 to 1963): Using Transistors
Third Generation (1964 to 1971): Using Integrated Circuits
Fourth Generation (1971 to present): Using Microprocessors
Fifth Generation (Present and Next): Using
Artificial Intelligence

1.6 Classification of Computer


1.6.1
1.6.2
1.6.3
1.6.4

Microcomputers
Minicomputers
Mainframe Computers
Supercomputers

1.7 The Computer System


1.7.1 The Input-Process-Output Concept
1.7.2 Components of Computer Hardware

1.8 Application of Computers

4
5
5
6

6
7
7
9
9
9
10
11
12

13

Summary

15

Keywords

16

Questions

17

2, The Computer System Hardware

19

2.1 Introduction

19

2.2 Central Processing Unit

20

2.2.1 Arithm etic Logic Unit


2.2.2 Registers
2.2.3 Control Unit

20
21
22

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1 Contents

2.3 Memory Unit


2.3.1 Cache Memory
2.3.2 Primary Memory
2.3.3 Secondary Memory

22
22
n
24

2.4 Instruction Format

24

2.5 Instruction Set

25

2.6 Instruction Cycle

25

12. Microprocessor

22

13. Interconnecting the Units of a Computer

21
28
29
29

2.8.1 System Bus


2.8.2 Expansion Bus
2.8.3 External Ports

2.9 Performance of a Computer


2.10 Inside a Computer Cabinet
2.10.1
2.10.2
2.10.3
2.10.4
2.10.5
2.10.6
2.10.7

Motherboard
Ports ancf Interfaces
Expansion Slots
Ribbon Cables
Memory Chips
Storage Devices
Processor

29

31
31
32
12

31
34
34
34

Summary

35

Keywords

36

Questions

36

Computer Memory

39

3.1 Introduction

39

3.2 Memory Representation

40

3.3 Memory Hierarchy

40

3.4 CPU Registers

42

3.5 Cache Memory

42

3.6 Primary Memory

43

3.6.1 Random Access Memory


3.6.2 Read O nly Memory

43
44

3.7 Secondary Memory

46

3.8 Access Types of Storage Devices

46

3.8.1 Sequential Access Devices


3.8.2 Direct Access Devices

3.9 Magnetic Tape

46
47

47
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3.10 Magnetic Disk

IX

48

3.10.1 Floppy Dink_________________________________________________________ 50


lJQ.2-Bnr.cLDik____________________________________________________ i I
3.10.3 Zip Disk______________________________________ .______________________ 52

3.11 Optical Disk__________________________________________________ 52


3.11.1 CD-R O M ________________________________________________ 51
J2-DYDzRQM __________________________________________________________ 51
3.11.3 Recordable O ptical Disk
55

3.12 Magneto-Optical Disk

55

3.13 Using the Computer Memory___________________________________ 56


Summary_____________________________________________________ 56
Keywords_____________________________________________________ 57
Questions_____________________________________________________ 58

4. Input and Output Devices__________________________________________ 6

4J._lntiQ .duc.ti.Q n________________________________________________________________ 6 J

Input-Output Unit

62

4.2.1 Input Unit


4.2.2 Output Unit

62
62

4.3

Input Devices

63

4.4

Human Data Entry Devices

64

4.2

4.4.1 Keyboard
64
4.4.2 Pointing Devices______________________________________________________ 65
4.4 J L l_MQii.se__________________________________________________________(15
4.4.2.2 TrackBali
66
4.4.2.3 joystick
66
4.4.2.4 Digitizing Tablet
67

4.4.3 Pick Devices

68

4.4.3.1 Light Pen


4.4.3.2 Touch Screen
4.5

68
68

Source Data Entry Devices_____________________________________

69

4 .5 .1 A u d io In p u t D e v ic e _________________________________________________________ 6 9

4.5.2 Video Input Device___________________________________________________ 69


4.5.3 O ptical Input Devices
70
4.5.3.1
4.5.3.2
4.5.3.3
4.5.3.4
4.5.3.5
4 .6

Scanner
Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
Barcode Reader

Output Devices
4.6.1 Hard Copy Devices
4.6.1.1 Printer
4.6.1.2 Plotter
4.6.1.3 Computer Output on Microfilm

70
71
72
72
72
74

74
74
76
77
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4.6.2 Soft Copy Devices


4.6.2.1
4.6.2.2
4.6.2.3
4.6.2.4

77

Monitor
Visual Display Terminal
Video Output
Audio Response

77
77
78
78

4.7 I/O Port

80

4.8 Working of I/O System


Summary
Keywords
Questions

81
82
83
84

5. Data Representation

87

5.1 Introduction

87

5.2 Number System

88

5.2 .1 Decim al Number System


88
5.2.2 Binary Number System _______________________________________________ 89
5.2.3 O ctal Number System________________________________________________ 89
5.2.4 Hexadecimal Number System________________________________________ 89

5.3 Conversion from Decimal to Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal


5.3. / Converting Decim al Integer to Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal
5.3.2 Converting Decim al Fraction to Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal
5 .3 .3 C o n ve rtin g D e c im a l Integer. Fraction to B inary, O c ta l,

90

90
92

Hexadecimal

94

5.4 Conversion of Binary, Octal, Hexadecimal to Decimal

95

5.5 Conversion of Binary to Octal, Hexadecimal

97

5.6 Conversion of Octal, Hexadecimal to Binary

97

5.7 Binary Arithmetic

98

5.7.1 Binary Addition


5.7.2 Binary Subtraction

98
100

5.8 Signed and Unsigned Numbers

102

5.8.1 Complement of Binary Numbers

102

5.9 Binary Data Representation

103

5.9 .1 Fixed Point Number Representation

103
105

5.9.2 Floating Point Number Representation

5.10 Binary Coding Schemes

106

5.10.1 EBCDIC
106
5.10.2 A SC II_________________________________________________________ 106
5^1D,3.JJniL0ik ____________________________________________________________ W Z

5.11 Logic Gates__________________________________________________


Summary
Keywords
Questions
Answers

108
110
110
111
113

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Contents

UNIT II

USER-COMPUTER INTERFACE

6. Interaction of User and Computer

I Ix i
115
115

6.1 Introduction

115

6.2 Types of Software

116

6.3 System Software

116

6.3.1
6.3.2
6.3.3
6.3.4

Operating System
Device Driver
System Utilities
Programming Languages

117
117
118
120

6.3.4.1 Machine Language


6.3.4.2 Assembly Language
6.3.4.3 High-level Language
6.3.4.4 Different Generations of Programming Languages

121
121
122
122

6.3.5 Translator Software


6.3.5.1 Assembler
6.3.5.2 Compiler
6.3.5.3 Interpreter

6.3.6 Linker
6.3.7 Loader

122
124
124
125

125
125

6.4 Application Software

126

6.5 Software Acquisition


Summary
Keywords
Questions

127
128
129
129

7. Operating System

131

7.1 Introduction

131

7.2 Objectives of Operating System

132

7.3 Types of OS

132

7.4 Functions of OS

134

7.5 Process Management

135

7.5.1 CPU Scheduling


7.5.2 Process Synchronization
7.5.3 Deadlock

7.6 Memory Management


7.6.1 Memory Allocation
7.6.2 Virtual Memory

136
136
137

138
138
139

7.7 File Management

140

7.8 Device Management

141

7.9 Protection and Security

142
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7.10 User Interface

143

7.11 Examples of Operating Systems

144

7.11.1 MS-DOS
7.11.2 Windows Family of OS
7.11.2.1 Brief History of Windows OS

144
145
146

7.11.3 Linux OS

146

Summary

147

Keywords

147

Questions

148

Computer Programming Fundamentals

150

8.1 Introduction

150

8.2 Program Development Life Cycle

151

8.3 Algorithm

152

8.4 Control Structures

153

8.5 Flowchart

153

8.5.1 Flowchart Symbols

8 .5 .2 P re p a rin g a F lo w c h a rt
8.6 Pseudo Code
8.6.1 Preparing a Pseudo Code

8.7 Programming Paradigms

153

153

156
156

158

8.7.1 Structured Programming


8.7.2 Object-Oriented Programming (O O P)
8.7.3 Aspect-Oriented Programming

158
159
160

Summary

161

Keywords

161

Questions

162

Data Communication and Computer Network

163

9.1 Introduction

163

9.2 Importance of Networking

164

9.3 Data Transmission Media

165

9.3.1
9.3.2
9.3.3
9.3.4
9.3.5
9.3.6

Twistedpair
Coaxial Cable
O ptical Fiber
Radio Transmission
Microwave Transmission
Satellite Transmission

765
766
766
767

168
168
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9.4 Data Transmission Across Media

168

9.4.1 Transmission Modes


9.4.2 Transmission Speed
9.4.3 Fundamentals o f Transmission

168
170
170

9.4.3.1 Analog and Digital Signals


9.4.3.2 Modulation and Demodulation
9.4.3.3 Multiplexing
9.4.3.4 Asynchronous and Synchronous Transmission

9.5 Data Transmission and Data Networking


9.5.1 Switching
9.5.1.1 Circuit Switching
9.5.1.2 Message Switching
9.5.1.3 Packet Switching

171
172
174
174

175
176
177
177
177

9.6 Computer Network

178

9.6.1 Network Types

178

9.6.1.1 Local Area Network


9.6.1.2 Metropolitan Area Network
9.6.1.3 W ide Area Network
9.6.2 LAN Topologies
9.6.2.1 Bus Topology
9.6.2.2 Ring Topology
9.6.2.3 Star Topology
9.6.3 Communication Protocol

9.6.4 Network Devices


9.6.4.1
9.6.4.2
9.6.4.3
9.6.4.4
9.6.4.5
9.6.4.6
9.6.4.7

Network Interface Card


Repeater
Bridge
Hub
Switch
Router
Gateway

9.7 Wireless Networking

179
179
180

180
180
181
181

181
184
184
185
186
186
187
188
188

189

9.7.1 Bluetooth Technology


9.7.2 Wireless LAN
9.7.3 Wireless W AN

189
190
191

Summary

192

Keywords

193

Questions

193

10. The Internet and Internet Services

196

10.1 Introduction

196

10.2 History of Internet

197

10.3 Internetworking Protocol

198

10.4 The Internet Architecture

198

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Contents

10.5 Managing the Internet

199

10.6 Connecting to Internet

199

10.7 Internet Connections

200

10.7.1
10.7.2
10.7.3
10.7.4
10.7.5

Dial-up Access
Leased Line
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISD N )
Digital Subscriber Line (D SL)
Cable Modem

201
201
202
202
203

10.8 Internet Address

203

10.9 Internet Services

204

10.9.1 World W ide Web (W W W )


10.9.1.1 W ebBrowser
10.9.1.2 Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
10.9.1.3 Internet Search Engines
10.9.1.4 W W W Development Languages

204
206
207
207
209

10.9.2 Electronic M ail

210

10.9.2.1
10.9.2.2
10.9.2.3
10.9.2.4

210
210
211
211

E-mail Address
E-mail Message Format
E-mail Services
How E-mail Works

10.9.3 File Transfer Protocol (FTP)


10.9.3.1 How FTP Works

10.9.4 Terminal Network (Telnet)


10.9.5 News
10.9.6 Internet Relay Chat (IR C )

212
213

213
214
214

10.10 Uses of Internet

214

Summary

215

Keywords

216

Questions

216

UNIT III

APPLICATIONS AND SECURITY

11.

219
Information Systems219

11.1 Introduction

219

11.2 Data, Information and Knowledge

220

11.3 Characteristics of Information

221

11.4 Information System (IS)

221

11.5 Computer-Based Information System (CBIS)

223

11.6 Need for Efficient Information System

224

11.7 Categories of Information System

225
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Contents

11.8 Operations Support System


11.8.1 Transaction Processing System (TPS)
11.8.2 Office Automation System (O A S)

11.9 Management Support System


11.9.1 Management Information System (M IS)
11.9.2 Decision Support System (D SS)
11.9.3 Executive Information System (EIS)

11.10 Specialized Information System


11.10.1 Expert Systems
11.10.2 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
11.10.3 Electronic-Commerce (E-Commerce)

11.11 Careers in Information Systems

i 1 -'IBfeSSlliS

226
226
227

228
228
229
230

230
230
231
231

232

Summary

233

Keywords

234

Questions

234

Fundamentals of Database

236

12.1 Introduction

236

12.2 Database

237

72.2.1 File-Oriented Approach and Database Approach

12.2.2 Characteristics of Database Approach


12.2.3 Data Models, Schema and Instances
12.2.4 High-Level or Conceptual Data M odel
12.2.4.1
12.2.4.2
12.2.4.3
12.2.4.4

Entity
Attribute
Relationship
Entity-Reiationship (E-R) Model

12.2.5 Representation or Implementation Data M odel


12.2.5.1 Relational Database Model
12.2.5.2 Hierarchical Database Model
12.2.5.3 Network Database Model

12.2.6 Low-Level or Physical Data M odel

12.3 Database System


12.3.1 Components of Database System
12.3.2 Architecture o f Database System

237
239
240
240
240
240
241
241

242
242
244
244

245

245
245
246

12.4 Database Management System________________________________ 247


12.4.1
12.4.2
12.4.3
12.4.4

Data Independence________________________________________________ 248


Data Dictionary____________________________________________________ 248
Database Administrator (D BA )____________________________________ 249
Database Languages_______________________________________________ 249
12.4.4.1 Data Definition Language (DDL)_____________________________ 249
12.4.4.2 Data Manipulation Language (DML)__________________________ 249

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1 Contents

12.5 Database System Architectures


12.5.1 Centralized D BM S Architecture
12.5.2 Client-Server Architecture
12.5.3 Distributed Databases

12.6 Database Applications

250
250
250
251

251

Summary

252

Keywords

253

Questions

253

13. Multimedia

256

13.1 Introduction

256

13.2 Multimedia: Definition

257

13.3 Characteristics of Multimedia System

257

13.4 Elements of Multimedia

259

13.4.1 Text
13.4.2 Graphics

13.4.2.1 Bitmap Graphics


13.4.2.2 Vector Graphics

13.4.3 Audio
13.4.3.1 Audio from a CD to W eb

13.4.4 Video
13.4.4.1 Video on Internet

13.4.5 Animation

13.5 Multimedia System


13.5.1 Desirable Features of Multimedia System

13.6 Multimedia Applications


13.6.1
13.6.2
13.6.3
13.6.4
13.6.5

In Education
In Entertainment
In Training
In Business
Virtual Reality

259
260
262
264

265
266

268
269

271

272
272

273
273
276
277
277
278

Summary

280

Keywords

280

Questions

281

14. Computer Security

284

14.1 Introduction

284

14.2 Security Threat and Security Attack

285

14.3 Malicious Software

286

14.3.1 Virus
14.3.2 Worms

287
287
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14.3.3 Trojan Horses


14.3.4 Javascripts, Java Applets and ActiveX Controls

14.4 Hacking
14.4.1 Packet Sniffing
14.4.2 Password Cracking
14.4.3 E-mail Hacking

X V Ii

287
288

288
289
289
289

14.5 Security Services

289

14.6 Security Mechanisms

290

14.7 Cryptography

290

14.7.1 Secret Key Cryptography


14.7.2 Public-Key Cryptography
14.7.3 Hash Functions

291
291
292

14.8 Digital Signature

292

14.9 Firewall

294

14.9.1 Types of Firewall


14.9.1.1 Packet Filter Firewall
14.9.1.2 Circuit Filter Firewall
14.9.1.3 Application-Level Gateway

14.10 Users Identification and Authentication


14.10.1 User Name and Password
14.10.2 Smart Card
14.10.3 Biom etric Techniques

UNIT IV

2 96
296
296
297

297
298
299
299

14.11 Other Security Measures

300

14.12 Security Awareness

301

14.13 Security Policy

302

14.13.1 Formulating a Security Policy

302

Summary

303

Keywords

304

Questions

304

COMPUTER PRACTICALS

15.

307
Windows XP

15.1 Introduction

307

15.2 Features of Windows XP

308

15.3 The Desktop

308

307

L5 A J.-Ih eJzsk.Bar.________________________________________________________ m
IJAJJ^.kilcQiis.d.Dd.Sh.QrLcu.ts____________________________________________111

15.4 Structure of Windows

313
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15.5 Windows XP Explorer


15.5.1
15.5.2
15.5.3
15.5.4
15.5.5
15.5.6

The Start
The Window
The View
Selecting Files
Working with Folders
Files and Folders Properties

314
314
315
316
317
317
318

15.6 The Search

323

15.7 The Recycle Bin

323

15.8 Configuring the Screen

324

15.9 Configuring the Mouse

326

15.10 Adding or Removing Programs

328

15.11 Adding New Hardware

328

15.12 System Tools

330

15.13 The Scandisk

332

15.14 Windows XP Media Player

334

15.15 Windows XP Help

334

15.16

334

W in d o w s V ista

15.17 Windows 7
Questions

Word 2007

337
340

342

16.1 Introduction

342

16.2 Starting MS-Word

343

16.3 MS-Word Screen and Its Components

344

16.4 The Office Button

347

16.5 The Ribbon

350

16.5.1
16.5.2
16.5.3
16.5.4
16.5.5
16.5.6
16.5.7
16.5.8

353
355
358
360
360
363
365
3 66

The Home Tab


The Insert Tab
The Page Layout Tab
The References Tab
The Mailings Tab
The Review Tab
The View Tab
The Help

16.6 Solved Examples


Exercises

366
375
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Contents

379

MS-Excel 2007
17.1 Introduction

379

17.2 Start MS-Excel

380

17.3 Basics of Spreadsheet

381

17.4

MS-Excel Screen and Its Components

382

17.5 The Office Button

386

17.6 The Ribbon

390

77.6.7 The Home Tab

392

17.6.2
17.6.3
17.6.4
17.6.5
17.6.6
17.6.7
17.6.8

394
399
400
403
405
406
408

The
The
The
The
The
The
The

Insert Tab
Page Layout Tab
Formulas Tab
Data Tab
Review Tab
View Tab
Help

17.7 Solved Examples


Exercises

409
417

MS-PowerPoint 2007

422

18.1 Introduction

422

18.2 Basics of PowerPoint

424

18.3 Start MS-PowerPoint

425

18.4 MS-PowerPoint Screen and Its Components

426

18.5 The Office Button


18.6 The Ribbon

429
434

18.6.1
18.6.2
18.6.3
18.6.4
18.6.5

The Home Tab


The Insert Tab
The Design Tab
The Animations Tab
The Slide Show Tab

18.6 .6 T he R e v ie w Tab

18.6.7 The View Tab


18.6.8 The Help

18.7 An Example
Exercises

MS-Access 2007

435
438
440
442
443
446
447
452

453
456

458

19.1 Introduction

458

19.2 Database Terminology

459

19.3 Start MS-Access

460
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Contents

19.4 MS-Access Screen and Its Components

461

19.5 The Office Button

463

19.6 The Ribbon

467

19.6.1
19.6.2
19.6.3
19.6.4
19.6.5

The Home Tab


The Create Tab
The External Data Tab
The Database Tools Tab
The Help

468
472
475
476
477

19.7 Solved Example

478

Exercises

483

20. Network and Internet Connections

486

20.1 Introduction

486

20.2 Start Network Connections

487

20.3 Create a New Connection

488

20.4 Manage a Network Connection

491

20.5 Network Setup

493

20.6 Windows Firewall

493

2 0 .7

495

S h a rin g o f File s

20.8 Wireless Network Setup

496

20.9 Connect using Virtual Private Network (VPN)

497

20.10 Set Up a Wired Network

498

20.11 Automatic Wireless Network Connections

498

20.12 Set up Internet Properties Internet Options

501

20.13 Choose an Internet Connection

502

21. Using LaTeX

503

21.1 Introduction

503

21.2 Create LaTeX Document

504

21.3 Components of a LaTeX Document

504

21.4 LaTeX Commands

504

21.5 Solved Examples

508

Exercises
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix
Appendix

514
A
B
C
D

515
517
519
523

Index________________________________________________________ 5A1
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r e f a c e

C om puters play a key role in o u r everyday lives. In addirion co com m unication m edia like television,
radio and newspaper, we now have another com m unication m edium , i.e. com puters. We use com puters
to e-m ail, to chat, for the Internet browsing, for teleconferencing, for video conferencing, etc. W e also use
them for e-learning, e-com merce, e-banking, e-governance, e-ticketing and for m any m ore things. And
the interesting part is, while we interact w ith the other m edia like television, radio, newspaper, etc. to
merely get inform ation, the interaction in com puters is tw o ways we can be a creator as well as a user.
We m ay use a com puter as a m edium to get m ore inform ation, as a tool to perform certain activities, o r
as an integral part o f another com ponent.
T h e fundam entals o f com puters arc the stepping stones to com puter science. Nowadays, all courses,
related and unrelated to com puter science, require using a com puter. Knowledge o f the basics o f co m p u t
ers has becom e a fundam ental requirem ent, in whatever area we choose to study o r follow professionally.
C o m p u ter fundam entals are also an introductory course to a m ore advanced study o f com puter science.

ABOUT THE BOOK


T his book is w ritten w ith the aim o f introducing the fundam entals o f com puters to the reader. A ttention
has been paid to include chapters that are required by the students studying different courses. T h e book
deals w ith b o th the theoretical concepts and the p rac tic a l. T h e unique features o f this book are as follows:

Style o f W riting
T h e language used in the book is lucid, is easy to understand, and facilitates easy grasping o f

concepts.
T h e chapters have been logically arranged in sequence.
T h e book is w ritten in a reader-friendly m anner both for the students and the teachers.
M ost o f the content presented in the book is in the form o f bullets, organized sequentially. This
form o f presentation, rather than in a paragraph form , facilitates the reader to view, understand
and rem em ber the points better.
T h e explanation is supported by diagrams, pictures and images wherever required.
Sufficient exercises have been included for practice in addition to the solved examples.
T h e questions at the end o f the chapter are given section-wise. It is easier for the reader to find
answers for the section-wise questions in a particular section rather than the whole book.

() Content o f Book Theory (Chapters 1 -1 4 )


Several latest topics have been included in the book. Some o f these topics are
USB, Z ip disk, Flash m em ory

Wireless networking
N otebook, N etbook, PDA, sm artphones
Aspect O riented Program m ing (AOP)
Im parting education via m ultim edia
Cryptography, Digital signature, Firewall, Biometrics
System clock, BIO S, C M O S , SIM M & D IM M m em ory m odule
In the theory chapters (Chapters 1-14), the theory is supported with the practical information like,
the nam e o f supercom puter o f India, how to create m p3 file from C D , w hat is a stream ing video
and understanding m achine configuration.

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XXli

1 Preface
T his book does not discuss in detail the old technologies that have becom e too com m on o r are no
longer used, like, about keys in a keyboard, m agnetic tape, using mouse, drum printers and message switching.
Several colored inserts in the book provide a colored view o f the photographs.

Content o f BookPractical (Chapters 15-21) a n d Appendix


T his book describes MS-Office with the latest com m ercially available version, version 2007.
T his book includes description o f Windows Vista and Windows 7 in addition to the detailed
description o f W indow s XP.
T h e solved examples in the M S-O ffice chapters arc described step-wise.
A long list o f practical exercises is provided at the end o f each chapter.
Some chapters contain topics that are new to a book on com puters. These chapters are
C hapter 11 Inform ation Systems
C hapter 12 Fundam entals o f Database
C hapter 14 C om puter Security
C hapter 19 MS-Access
C hapter 20 N etw ork and Internet C onnections
C hapter 21 Using LaTeX
Appendix D Assembling a PC.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This book has been w ritten keeping in m ind the readers familiar and not-so familiar w ith com puters.
Several chapters have been included that cover the syllabi of different universities in India. T h e book is
well suited for the following target audience:
0

Computer science students undergoing a course in com puter science D C A , M CA, BSc(Gcn),
BSc(Hons), M Sc(IT), BSc(IT), BCA, D O E A C C level courses.

Engineering students of first year BTech, BE.

Science students pursuing BSc in physics, chemistry, botany, zoology and mathematics.

Non-science students pursuing B C om (P), B C om (H ons), BA(P), BDP, BBA, MBA, BBE

Students enrolled in short-term courses on I T in polytechnics, training institutes, Technical Institutes.

Any learner interested in com puter science.

STRUCTURE OF THE TEXT


T h e book follows a structured and m odular design, to facilitate the instructor in the teaching o f the course
and the students in the reading o f rhe book. Figure 1 shows the design o f the book. T h e following para
graphs present a brief review o f the four units o f the book.
U nit I comprises five chapters. T his unit introduces the reader to the computer as a machine. C hapter 1
provides a b rief introduction to com puters their evolution, types and applications. C hapter 2 discusses
organization o f the com puter, different parts inside a com puter case and their interaction. C hapter 3
provides an overview o f the m em ory hierarchy, different kinds o f m em ory o f the com puter and storage
devices that are required for storing large quantities o f data. T he different devices that are used for providing
input to the computer, and the presentation o f o u tp u t from the com puter are discussed in C hapter 4. T he
com puter uses the binary num ber system; C hapter 5 discusses binary coding schemes, logic gates, and the
representation and conversion o f num bers in the binary, octal and hexadecimal num ber system.
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Preface

Figure 1

X X iii

Modular structure of text

U nit II comprises five chapters. T his unit focusses on the interaction o f user and computer, and the Internet.
C hapter 6 provides a description o f the system software and the application software. C h ap ter 7 describes
the operating system in detail. T he writing o f the program m ing logic and the different program m ing para
digms are discussed in C hapter 8. Chapters 9 and 10 relate to networking and the Internet. C hapter 9
discusses com puter networks and the com m unication o f data across the network. T h e Internet and its
services are detailed in C hapter 10.
U nit III contains four chapters. This unit is about applications and security. C hapter 11 describes the
inform ation systems. This chapter is included bearing in m ind the non-science courses. For teaching this
paper in a science course, you may skip this chapter. T he fundam entals o f databases are discussed in C hapter
12. C hapter 13 describes the different elements o f the m ultim edia system text, audio, graphics, video and
anim ation. C hapter 14 on com puter security discusses the security attacks, and the way to handle them.
Unit IV consists o f seven chapters. This unit is designedfor the computer practicals. A detailed discussion
on W indow s XP is provided in C hapter 15, including a brief description about W indow s Vista and
W indow s 7. C hapters 16 through 19 are about the four m ain com ponents o f M S-Office 2007, i.e. M S-W ord,
M S-Excel, M S-Pow erpoint and MS-Access. C hapter 20 is about N etw ork and the Internet connections.
T h is chapter facilitates the reader in the creation and m anaging o f com puter netw ork and the Internet
connection. C hapter 21 is about using LaTeX which is used for the production o f publication-quality
typeset docum ents.

PEDAGOGICAL FEATURES
Pedagogy is the art and science o f how som ething is taught and how students learn it. H ow the teaching
occurs, the approach to teaching and learning, the way the co n ten t is delivered and w hat the students
learn as a result o f the process are all included in pedagogy. T he following are the pedagogical features in
this book:
S ta rt-o f Chapter Aids
C ontents An overall view o f the topics discussed in the chapter is provided, at the beginning
o f each chapter.
W hy this chapter It describes the need o f including this chapter in com puter fundam entals
and w hy one should read it.
In-Between Chapter A ids
Visualization A picture is w orth a thousand words is a famous quote. T his book supports the
concepts w ith figures, diagrams and images to facilitate visualization.
Bulleted text T he book follows a bulleted approach o f w riting the text in contrast to the long
paragraphs. T h e bulleted text approach is easier to read, understand and grasp.
Copyright

X X IV

1 P re fa c e

End-of-Chapter Aids
Sum m ary Ir reviews the m ajor concepts discussed in the chapter.
Keywords A list o f keywords at the end o f each chapter facilitates in locating a topic in the
chapter.
Q uestions T h e questions at the end o f each chapter are given section-wise. T h e reader has to
search for the answers in this section, rather than the com plete chapter.
Extra questions A t the end o f each chapter, the extra questions from the com plete chapter are
given in th e form o f short notes, abbreviations and differences.
Colored inserts A first initiative in a book on this topic, the colored inserts provide the reader
w ith actual images in colour.

FEEDBACK
For interacting with the author, or for suggestions and com m ents on this book, please send your e-mails
at goel.anita.book^gm ail.com .

Copyrighted material

c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

It took me alm ost 2 years to write this book. D uring m y journey o f book w riting, I have been helped and
supported by m y family, friends and collegues. 1 express my gratitude to one and all for their extensive
support in this endeavour.
I
am grateful to Dr. S. C . G upta, Prof. S. K. Wasan and Dr. M ukul Sinha for encouraging me to write
a book. I thank them for their valuable advice and for their encouragem ent to dissem inate inform ation.
I also th an k them for continually inspiring m e to w rite a good book.
I
th an k M r Neeraj Saxena, Ms Renu Saxena and M r Rajendra for their extensive help in clicking the
photographs in this book.
M y special thanks go to all my students, A m it Jain in particular, who have always been eager to inform
m e the the expectations o f the students o f a book. T h eir suggestions and feedback have helped m e write
the book in a student-friendly manner.
T hanks to M r Sachin Saxena and the team o f Pearson Education for their extensive support. T h e book
in its present form is a result o f the long discussions and the brainstorm ing sessions w ith Sachin. I am
grateful to Sachin for his ideas, suggestions and excellent support provided to m e during the w riting o f
this book.
I
express m y regards and love to m y m other Urm ila, and m y father Am ar C hand. Being their child
makes me feel special, and I thank them both for guiding m e through life. T h ro u g h this book. I carry
forward the legacy o f book w riting from m y m aternal grandfather late M r C . S. Jain. I express m y respect
and thanks to m y father-in-law Gopal Krishan for his m otivation and cooperation, and for taking care o f
m atters while I was busy w riting the book. M y thanks are due, in m em ory of m y m other-in-law Pushpa
w ho has always loved and supported me.
T hanks to m y loving husband, Ajay, for standing by m e in the difficult times d u rin g the course o f w rit
ing this book. H e is a bagful o f innovative ideas and has contributed creatively to the w riting o f this book.
M y special thanks to my lovely and beautiul children, A nirudh and Ashima, who brilliantly contributed
towards the creation and editing o f this book. T hey are m y greatest source o f inspiration and m otivation.
Since this is n o t the first book on this topic, I thank the authors o f other books on sim ilar topic, whose
books have been a source o f ideas for me.
I
th an k the A lm ighty w ithout whose grace it w ould have been impossible for m e to accomplish
this task.

Copyrighted material

Unit I

BASICS OF COMPUTER

INTRODUCTION
TO COMPUTER

Digital and analog computers


Characteristics of computer Speed, accu
racy, diligence, storage capability, versatility
History of computer Calculating machines,
Napier's bones, slide rule, Rascal's adding and
subtraction machine, Leibniz's multiplication
and dividing machine, punch card system,
Babbage's analytical engine, Hollerith's
punched card tabulating machine
Generations of computer
First generation (1940 to 1956): Using
vacuum tubes
Second generation (1956 to 1963):
Using transistors
Third generation (1964 to 1971): Using
integrated circuits
Fourth generation (1971 to present):
Using microprocessors
Fifth generation (present and next):
Using artificial intelligence

Classification
of
computer Micro
computers (desktop computer or Personal
Computer (PC), notebook computers or
laptop, netbook, tablet computer, handheld
computer or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA),
smart phones), minicomputers, mainframe
computers, supercomputers
The
computer
system Hardware,
software, data, users
The Input-process-output concept
Components of computer hardware
Input/output unit, central processing unit,
storage unit
Application of computers Education, en
tertainment, sports, advertising, medicine,
science and engineering, government,
home

W h y this chapter

Com puters are an integral part of our lives. W h e re ve r w e are sitting in our homes, w ork
ing in the office, driving on roads, sitting in a m ovie hall, staying in a hotel, etc. our
lives are directly or indirectly affected by the com puters. In this era of inform ation, w e
are dependent on the storage, flow and processing of data and inform ation, w hich can
o n ly be possible w ith the help of com puters. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce
you to the "com puter".

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, com puters are an integral part o f our lives. T hey are used for the reservation o f tickets for
airplanes and railways, paym ent o f telephone and electricity bills, deposit and w ithdraw al o f m oney
from banks, processing o f business data, forecasting o f weather conditions, diagnosis o f diseases, searching

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2____

Basics of Computer

for inform ation on the Internet, etc. C om puters are also used extensively in schools, universities, organiza
tions, m usic industry, movie industry, scientific research, law firms, fashion industry, etc.
T h e term com puter is derived from the w ord compute. T h e w ord compute means to calculate. A com
puter is an electronic m achine that accepts data from the user, processes the data by perform ing calcula
tions and operations on it, and generates the desired o u tp u t results. C o m p u ter perform s both simple and
complex operations, with speed and accuracy.
This chapter discusses the history and evolution o f com puter, the concept o f input-process-output and
the characteristics o f com puter. T his chapter also discusses the classification of digital com puters based on
their size and type, and the application o f com puter in different dom ain areas.

1.2 DIGITAL AND ANALOG COMPUTERS


A digital computer uses distinct values to represent the data internally. All inform ation are represented
using the digits Os and Is. T he com puters that we use at our hom es and offices are digital com puters.
Analog computer is another kind o f a com puter that represents data as variable across a continuous
range o f values. T h e earliest com puters were analog com puters. Analog com puters are used for m easur
ing o f param eters that vary continuously in real tim e, such as tem perature, pressure and voltage. Analog
com puters m ay be m ore flexible bur generally less precise than digital com puters. Slide rule is an example
o f an analog com puter.
T h is book deals only w ith the digital computer and uses the term computer for them .

1.3 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTER


Speed, accuracy, diligence, storage capability and versatility are some o f the key characteristics o f a com
puter. A brief overview o f these characteristics are

Speed T h e com puter can process data very fast, at the rate o f m illions o f instructions per second.
Some calculations that w ould have taken hours and days to com plete otherwise, can be com pleted
in a few seconds using the com puter. For example, calculation and generation o f salary slips o f
thousands o f employees o f an organization, weather forecasting th at requires analysis o f a large
am o u n t o f data related to tem perature, pressure and hum idity o f various places, etc.

Accuracy C o m p u ter provides a high degree o f accuracy. For example, the com puter can accu
rately give the result o f division o f any two num bers u p to 10 decimal places.

Diligence

Storage Capability

Versatility

W hen used for a longer period o f tim e, the com puter does n o t get tired o r fatigued.
It can perform long and complex calculations with the same speed and accuracy from the start till
the end.

Large volum es o f data and inform ation can be stored in the com puter and
also retrieved whenever required. A lim ited am ount o f data can be stored, temporarily, in the
prim ary memory. Secondary' storage devices like floppy disk and com pact disk can store a large
am ount of data permanently.
C o m p u ter is versatile in nature. It can perform different types o f tasks w ith the same
ease. At one m om ent you can use the com puter to prepare a letter d o cu m en t and in the next
m om ent you may play m usic or print a docum ent.

C om puters have several lim itations too. C o m p u ter can only perform tasks that it has been program m ed
to do. C o m p u ter cannot do any work w ithout instructions from the user. It execures instructions as speci
fied by the user and does noi take its own decisions.
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Introduction to Computer

____

1.4 HISTORY OF COMPUTER


U ntil the developm ent o f the first generation com puters based on vacuum tubes, there had been several
developm ents in the com puting technology related to the mechanical com puting devices. T h e key devel
opm ents that took place till the first com puter was developed are as follows

Calculating M achines ABACUS was the first mechanical


calculating device for counting o f large num bers. T he word
ABACUS m eans calculating board. It consists o f bars in
horizontal positions on which sets o f beads are inserted. T he
horizontal bars have 10 beads each, representing units, tens,
hundreds, etc. An abacus is shown in Figure 1.1

N apiers Bones was a mechanical device built for the purpose


o f m ultiplication in 1617 a d . by an English m athem atician
John Napier.

Slide Rule was developed by an English m athem atician


E dm und G u n ter in the 16th century. Using the slide rule,
one could perform operations like addition, subtraction,
m ultiplication and division. It was used extensively till late
1970s. Figure 1.2 shows a slide rule.

Figure 1.2

Figure 1.1

Abacus

Slide rule

Pascal's A dding a n d Subtraction M achine was developed by Blaise Pascal. It could add and sub
tract. T he m achine consisted o f wheels, gears and cylinders.
Leibniz's M ultiplication and D ividing M achine was a mechanical device that could both m ul
tiply and divide. T he G erm an philosopher
and m athem atician G ottfried Leibniz built it
around 1673.
Punch Card System was developed by Jac
quard to control the power loom in 1801. He
invented the punched card reader that could
recognize the presence o f hole in the punched
card as binary one and the absence o f the hole
as binary zero. T he Os and Is are the basis of
the m odem digital computer. A punched card
is shown in Figure 1.3.

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Punched card

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Introduction to Computer

are able to store m illions o f c o m p o n e n ts on a single chip. T hese co m p u ters have large m em ory
req u irem en ts.
T his generation o f com puters uses parallel processing that allows several instructions to be executed in
parallel, instead o f serial execution. Parallel processing results in faster processing speed. T h e Intel dualcore microprocessor uses parallel processing.
T h e fifth generation com puters are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). T hey try to sim ulate the hum an
way o f thinking and reasoning. Artificial Intelligence includes areas like Expert System (ES), N atural Lan
guage Processing (N LP), speech recognition, voice recognition, robotics, etc.

1.6 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER


T h e digital com puters that are available nowadays vary in their sizes and types. T h e com puters are broadly
classified into four categories (Figure 1.8) based on their size and type (1) M icrocom puters, (2) M ini
com puters, (3) M ainfram e com puters, and (4) Supercom puter.

Fast Expensive Complex Large

Slow Cheap Simple Small


Figure 1.8

Classification of computers based on size and type

1.6.1 Microcomputers
M icrocom puters are small, low-cost and single-user digital com puter. T hey consist o f C P U , in p u t unit,
o u tp u t unit, storage unit and the software. A lthough m icrocom puters are stand-alone machines, they can
be connected together to create a netw ork o f com puters that can serve m ore than one user. IBM P C based
on Pentium microprocessor and Apple M acintosh are some examples o f m icrocom puters. M icrocom put
ers include desktop com puters, notebook com puters or laptop, tablet com puter, handheld com puter,
sm art phones and netbook, as shown in Figure 1.9.

Copyright

8____ I Basics of Computer

Tablet
Figure 1.9

Laptop

Netbook

PD A

Sm art Phone

Microcomputers

Desktop Computer or Personal Computer (PC) is the m ost com m on type o f m icrocom puter. It is
a stand-alone m achine that can be placed o n the desk. Externally, it consists o f three units key
board, m onitor, and a system unit containing the C P U , memory, hard disk drive, etc. It is not very
expensive and is suited to the needs o f a single user at hom e, small business units, and organizations.
Apple, M icrosoft, HP, Dell and Lenovo are some o f the P C m anufacturers.
Notebook Computers or Laptop resemble a notebook. T hey are portable and have all the features
o f a desktop com puter. T he advantage o f the laptop is that it is small in size (can be p u t inside a
briefcase), can be carried anywhere, has a battery backup and has all the functionality o f the desk
top. Laptops can be placed on the lap while w orking (hence the name). Laptops are costlier than
the desktop machines.
Netbook These are smaller notebooks optim ized for low weight and low cost, and are designed for
accessing web-based applications. Starting w ith the earliest netbook in late 2007, they have gained
significant popularity now. N etbooks deliver the perform ance needed to enjoy popular activities
like stream ing videos or music, emailing, Web surfing or instant messaging. T h e w ord netbook was
created as a blend of Inter<?/ and n o t ebook.

Tablet Computer has features o f the notebook com puter but it can accept input from a stylus or
a pen instead o f the keyboard or mouse. It is a portable com puter. Tablet com puter are the new
kind o f PCs.

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Introduction to Computer
0

____

H andheld Computer or Personal D igital Assistant (PDA) is a small com puter that can be held on
the top o f the palm. It is small in size. Instead o f the keyboard. PD A uses a pen or a stylus for input.
PDAs do not have a disk drive. T hey have a lim ited m em ory and are less powerful. PDAs can be
connected to the Internet via a wireless connection. Casio and Apple are some o f the m anufacturers
o f PDA. O ver the last few years, PDAs have merged into mobile phones to create sm art phones.

Sm art Phones are cellular phones that function both as a phone and as a small PC. T hey may use
a stylus or a pen, or m ay have a small keyboard. T hey can be connected to the Internet wirelessly.
T hey are used to access the electronic-m ail, dow nload music, play games, etc. Blackberry, Apple,
H T C , Nokia and LG are some o f the m anufacturers o f sm art phones.

1.6.2 Minicomputers
M inicom puters (Figure 1.10) are digital com puters, generally used in
m ulti-user systems. T h ey have high processing speed a n d high stor
age capacity than the m icrocom puters. M inicom puters can support
4200 users simultaneously. T h e users can access the m inicom puter
through their PC s or term inal. T hey are used for real-tim e applica
tions in industries, research centers, etc. PD P 11. IBM (8000 series)
are some o f the widely used m inicom puters.
Figure 1.10

Minicomputer

1.6.3 Mainframe Computers


M ainfram e com puters (Figure l . l 1) are multi-user, m ulti-program m ing and high perform ance co m p u t
ers. T hey operate at a very high speed, have very large storage
capacity and can handle the workload o f m any users. M ain
m1 w
frame com puters are large and powerful systems generally used
/ \1
in centralized databases. T he user accesses the m ainfram e com
I
puter via a term inal that may be a dum b term inal, an intelli
gent term inal or a PC. A dumb terminal cannot store data or do
processing o f its own. It has the in p u t and o u tp u t device only.
An intelligent terminal has the input and o u tp u t device, can do
processing, but, cannot store data of its own. T h e dum b and &
the intelligent term inal use the processing power and the stor
ja , j 1
age facility o f the m ainfram e com puter. M ainfram e com puters
are used in organizations like banks or com panies, where m any
people require frequent access to the same data. Some examples
o f m ainfram es are C D C 6600 and IBM ES000 series.

1.6.4 Supercomputers
S u p erco m p u ters (Figure 1.12) are the fastest a n d the m ost
expensive m achines. T h e y have high processing speed co m
pared to o th er co m puters. T h e speed o f a su p erco m p u ter is
generally m easured in FLO PS (F L oating p o in t O p e ratio n s
Per Second). Som e o f the faster su p erco m p u ters can perform
trillio n s o f calculations per second. S upercom puters are b u ilt
by in te rc o n n e c tin g thousands o f processors th a t can w ork in
parallel.

Figure 1.11? M ainframe com puter

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Introduction to Computer

11

Hardware consists o f the mechanical parts that make up the com puter as a m achine. T h e hardware con
sists o f physical devices o f the com puter. T h e devices are required for input, o u tp u t, storage and processing
o f the data. Keyboard, m onitor, hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, printer, processor and m otherboard are
some o f the hardware devices.

Ucraof? OfficePokuM
2007

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2007

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( Adobe A actot 6.0


Professorial

Software

Hardware

Figure 1.13

Parts of computer system

Software is a set o f instructions that tells the com puter about the tasks to be perform ed and how these
tasks are to be perform ed. Program is a set of instructions, w ritten in a language understood by the
com puter, to perform a specific task. A set o f program s and docum ents are collectively called software.
The hardware o f the com puter system cannot perform any task on its own. T h e hardware needs to be
instructed about the task to be perform ed. Software instructs the com puter about the task to be per
form ed. T h e hardware carries o u t these tasks. Different software can be loaded on the same hardware to
perform different kinds o f tasks.
D ata are isolated values or raw facts, which by themselves have no m uch significance. For example, the
data like 29, January, and 1994 just represent values. T h e data is provided as in p u t to the com puter, which
is processed to generate some m eaningful inform ation. For example, 29, January and 1994 are processed
by the com puter to give the date o f birth o f a person.
Users are people who w rite com puter program s or interact w ith the com puter. T hey are also known as
skinware, liveware, humanware orpeopleware. Programmers, data entry operators, system analyst and com
puter hardware engineers fall into this category.

1.7.1 The Input-Process-Output Concept


A com puter is an electronic device that (1) accepts data,
(2) processes data, (3) generates output, and (4) stores data.
T he concept o f generating output information from the input
data is also referred to as input-process-output concept.

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Introduction to Computer

15

relatives via Internet, for paying bills, for education and learning, etc. M icroprocessors are em bed
ded in house hold utilities like, washing machines, TV s, food processors, hom e theatres, security
devices, etc.
T h e list o f applications o f com puters is so long that it is not possible to discuss all o f them here. In
addition to the applications o f the com puters discussed above, com puters have also proliferated into areas
like banks, investm ents, stock trading, accounting, ticket reservation, m ilitary operations, meteorological
predictions, social netw orking, business organizations, police departm ent, video conferencing, telepres
ence. book publishing, web newspapers, and inform ation sharing.

SUMMARY____________________________________
0

Computer is an electronic device which


accepts data as input, perform s processing
on the data, and gives the desired outp u t. A
com puter may be analog or digital computer.

tenance than the first generation co m p u t


ers. T h e com putation tim e was in m icro
seconds.

Speed, accuracy, diligence, storage capabil


ity and versatility are the m ain characteristics

by the use o f IC. They consumed less power


and required low maintenance compared to
their predecessors. High-level languages were
used for programming. T he com putation
time was in nanoseconds. These computers
were produced commercially.

o f computer.
0

T h e computing devices have evolved from


sim ple mechanical machines, like ABACUS,
N apiers bones, Slide Rule, Pascals Adding
and Subtraction M achine, Leibnizs M ulti
plication and Dividing M achine, Jacquard
Punched Card System, Babbages Analytical
Engine and H olleriths Tabulating M achine,
to the first electronic com puter.

Charles Babbage is called the father of


com puter.

T h e evolution o f com puters to their present


state is divided into five generations o f com
puters,, based on the hardw are and software
they use, their physical appearance and their
com puting characteristics.

Fourth generation computers used m icro


processors which were designed using the
LSI and VLSI technology. T h e com puters
became small, portable, reliable and cheap.
T h e com putation time is in picoseconds.
T hey became available both to the hom e
user and for com m ercial use.

Fifth generation computers are capable o f learn


ing and self organization. These com puters
use SLSl chips and have large m em ory
requirements. T hey use parallel processing
and are based on AI. T h e fifth generation
com puters are still being developed.

First generation computers were vacuum


tubes based machines. These were large in
size, expensive to operate and instructions
were w ritten in m achine language. T h eir
com putation tim e was in milliseconds.

Second generation computers were transis

to r based machines. T h ey used the stored


program concept. Programs were w ritten
in assembly language. T h ey were sm aller in
size, less expensive and required less m ain

Third generation computers were characterized

Computers are broadly classified as m icro


com puters, m inicom puters, m ainfram e
com puters, and supercom puters, based on
their sizes and types.

Microcomputers are small, low-cost stand


alone machines. M icrocom puters include
desktop com puters, notebook com puters
or laptop, netbooks, tablet com puter, h an d
held com puter and sm art phones.

Copyrighted material

6____ |

Basics of Computer

Minicomputers are high processing speed


m achines having m ore storage capacity than
the m icrocom puters. M inicom puters can
support 4-200 users simultaneously.
Mainframe computers are m ulti-user, m u lti
program m ing an d high perform ance com
puters. T h e y have very high speed, very
large storage capacity a n d can handle large
w orkloads. M ainfram e com puters are gen
erally used in centralized databases.
Supercomputers are the m ost expen
sive machines, having high processing
speed capable o f perform ing trillions o f
calculations per second. T h e speed o f a
supercom puter is measured in FLOPS.
Supercom puters find applications in com
puting-intensive tasks.

Computer is an electronic device based on


the input-process-output concept. In p u t/

O u tp u t U nit, C P U and M em ory unit are


the three m ain components o f computer.
Input/Output Unit consists of the In p u t
u n it w hich accepts data from the user and
the O u tp u t u n it that provides the processed
data. CPU processes the in p u t data, and,
controls, coordinates and supervises the
operations o f the com puter. C P U consists o f
ALU, C U and Registers. T h e m em ory unit
stores programs, data and o u tp u t, tem po
rarily, during the processing. Additionally,
storage unit o r secondary m em ory is used
for the storing o f programs, data and o u t
p u t permanently.
C om puters are used in various areas o f
our life. Education, entertainm ent, sports,
advertising, m edicine, science and engineer
ing, governm ent, office and hom e are some
o f the application areas o f the computers.

KEYWORDS
ABACUS 3
Analog computer 2
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) 13
Assembly language 5
Babbages Analytical Engine 4
Central Processing Unit
(CPU) 6
Computer 2
Control Unit (CU) 13
Data 11
Desktop computer 8
Digital computer 2
Dumb terminal 9
Fifth Generation Computer 6
First Generation Computer 4
Floating point Operations
Per Second (FLOPS) 9
Fourth Generation Computer 6
Hardware 4
Holleriths tabulator 4
Input 11

Input/Output Unit 12
Integrated Circuit (IC) 5
Intelligent terminal 9
Jacquard s punch card 3
Large Scale Integration (LSI)
Leibnizs Machine 3
Machine language 4
Mainframe computers 9
Memory 13
Microcomputers 7
Microprocessor 6
Minicomputers 9
Napiers bones 3
Netbook 8
Notebook computer 8
Output 12
Parallel processing 7
Pascals Machine 3
Personal Computer (PC) 8
Personal Digital Assistant
(PDA) 9

Process 12
Program 11
Punched cards 4
Second Generation
Computer 5
Slide Rule 3
Smart phones 9
Software 11
Storage unit 6
Supercomputer 9
Super Large Scale Integrated
(SLSI) chips 6
Tablet computer 8
Third Generation
Computer 5
Transistors 5
Users 11
Vacuum Tubes 4
Very Large Scale Integration
(VLSI) 6

Copyrighted material

Introduction to Computer

17

QUESTIONS__________________________________
Section 1.2
1. D e fin e

a n a n a lo g c o m p u te r a n d a d ig ita l c o m p u te r .

2. Give an example each of analog computer and digi


tal computer.

20. Describe the third generation computer based on


the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Computing char
acteristics (d) Physical appearance, and (c) Their
applications.
21. Give two examples of third generation computers.

Section 1.3

22. List the drawbacks of the third generation computers.

3. List the main characteristics of the computer.

Section 1.5.4

4. Describe the characteristics of the computer.


5. List three significant limitations of the computer.

23. The

fourth

generation
for circuitry.

computers

used

6. Explain briefly the developments in computer tech


nology starting from a simple calculating machine
to the first computer.

24. Describe the fourth generation computer based


on the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Computing
characteristics (d) Physical appearance and (e) Their
applications.

7. What is a calculating machine?

25. Give two examples of fourth generation computers.

8. What is the key feature of the Jacquards punch


card?

26. List the drawbacks of the fourth generation com


puters.

9. Name the first calculating device for the counting


of large numbers.

Section 1.5.5

Section 1.4

10. Who is called the Father of Computer?


Section 1.5.1
11. The first generation computers used____________
for circuitry.
12. Describe the first generation computer based on
the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Computing char
acteristics (d) Physical appearance, and (e) Their
applications.
13. Give two examples of first generation computers.
14. List the drawbacks of the first generation comput
ers.

second

generation
for circuitry.

computers

used

16 . O c M jrib c t h e .s e c o n d g e n e r a t i o n c o m p u t e r b a s e d

on the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Compuring


characteristics (d) Physical appearance and (e) Their
applications.
17. Give two examples of second generation computers.
18.

28. Describe the fifth generation computer based


on the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Computing
characteristics (d) Physical appearance and (c) Their
applications.
29. Give two examples of fifth generation computers.
30. Compare in detail the five generations o f computers
based on the (a) Hardware (b) Software (c) Com
puting characteristics (d) Physical appearance and
(e) Their applications. Also give at least one exam
ple of each generation of computer.

Section 1.6.1

Section 1.5.2
15. The

27. The fifth generation computers used____________


for circuitry.

List the drawbacks of the second generation com


puters.

32. Give two examples of microcomputer.


33. List three categories of microcomputers.
S e c tio n

1.6.2

34. Define minicomputers.


35. Give two examples of minicomputer.

Section 1.6.3
36. Define mainframe computer.
37. Give two examples of mainframe computer.

Section 1.5.3
19. The
third
generation
____________ for circuitry.

31. Define microcomputer.

computers

used

38. Define a dumb terminal.


39. Define an intelligent terminal.

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THE COMPUTER SYSTEM


HARDWARE
c

x:
w
i\y
./
K
Y

Central Processing Unit (CPU)


Arithmetic logic unit
Registers
Control Unit (CU)
Memory unit
Cache memory
Primary memory
Secondary memory
Instruction format
Instruction set
Instruction cycle Fetching,
executing, storing

Why this chapter?

Microprocessor CISC, RISC


Interconnecting the units of a computer
System bus, expansion bus, external ports
Performance of a computer Registers,
RAM, system clock, bus, cache memory
Inside a computer cabinet Motherboard,
ports and interfaces, expansion slots,
ribbon cables, memory chips, storage
devices, processor

decoding,

fir

The com puter as a m achine consists of different com ponents that interact with each other
to provide the desired functionality of the computer. As a user of the computer, w e need
to be aw are of the m ain com ponents of the computer, their functions and the intercon
&
nection betw een the different com ponents of the computer. This chapter describes the
different hardware com ponents of the computer.

.'J-J & A V fr . -a.I* ? *

2.1 INTRODUCTION
W h en we talk o f com puter hardware, the three related term s th at require introduction are com puter
architecture, com puter organization and com puter design. Computer architecture refers to the structure
and behavior o f the com puter. It includes the specifications o f the com ponents, for example, instruction
form at, instruction set and techniques for addressing memory, and how they connect to the other com po
nents. Given the com ponents, computer organization focuses o n the organizational structure. It deals with
how the hardware com ponents operate and the way they are connected to form the com puter. Given the
system specifications, computer design focuses on the hardw are to be used and the interconnection o f parts.
D ifferent kinds o f com puter, such as a P C or a m ainfram e com puter m ay have different organization;
however, basic organization o f the com puter rem ains the same.
A com puter consists o f three main com ponents (1) In p u t/O u tp u t (I/O ) Unit, (2) Central Processing
U nit (C PU ), and (3) M em ory Unit. T h e com puter user interacts w ith the com puter via the I/O unit. T h e
purpose o f I/O unit is to provide data and instructions as in p u t to the com puter and to present relevant

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The Computer System Hardware

P ro c e s s o r
L lc a c h e

Figure 2.3

L 2 cach e

M
N y

23

RAM

Illustration of cache memory

0 Cache m em ory is built into the processor, and may also be located next to it on a separate chip
between the C P U and RAM . Cache built into the C P U is faster than separate cache, run n in g at
the speed o f the microprocessor itself. However, separate cache is roughly twice as fast as RAM.

0 T h e C P U has a built-in Level 1 (L l) cache and Level2 (L2) cache, as shown in Figure 2.3. In addition
to the built-in Ll and L2 cachc, some CPU s have a separate cache chip on the m otherboard. This
cache on the m otherboard is called Level 3 (L3) cache. Nowadays, high-end processor comes with
built-in L3 cache, like in Intel core i7. T h e L l, L2 and L3 cache store the m ost recently run instruc
tions, the next ones and the possible ones, respectively. Typically, CPU s have cache size varying from
256KB (L l), 6 M B (L2), to 12MB (L3) cache.

01C ache m em ory is very expensive, so it is smaller in size. Generally, com puters have cache m em ory
o f sizes 256 KB to 2 MB.

2.3.2 Primary Memory


0 Prim ary m em ory is the m ain m em ory o f com puter. It is used to store data and instructions during
the processing o f data. Prim ary m em ory is sem iconductor memory.

0 Primary m em ory is o f two kinds Random Access M emory (RAM) and Read O nly M em ory (ROM ).
0 RAM is volatile. It stores data w hen the c o m p u te r is o n . T h e in fo rm atio n sto red in RAM
gets erased w hen the c o m p u ter is tu rn e d off. RAM provides temporary storage for d ata and
in stru ctio n s.

0 R O M is non-volatile memory, b u t is a read only memory. T h e storage in R O M is perm anent in


nature, and is used for storing standard processing program s that perm anently reside in the co m
puter. R O M comes program m ed by the m anufacturer.

0 RAM stores data and instructions during the execution o f instructions. T h e data and instructions that
require processing are brought into the RAM from the storage devices like hard disk. C P U accesses
the data and the instructions from RAM , as it can access it at a fast speed than the storage devices
connected to the in p u t and o u tp u t unit (Figure 2.4).

0 T h e in p u t data that is entered using the in p u t unit is stored in RAM , to be m ade available d u r
ing the processing o f data. Similarly, the o u tp u t data generated after processing is stored in RAM
before being sent to the o u tp u t device. Any interm ediate results generated during the processing
o f program are stored in RAM.

0 RAM provides a limited storage capacity, due to its high cost.


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26

Basics of Computer

i k
( )
Execute

Figure 2.8

Instruction cycle

Fetch instruction
from m em ory

I
P lace instruction
in IR

I
Increm ent PC

D ecode instruction
B reak into parts
using instruction set
architecture

E xecute instruction
T h e operation
im plied by instruction
is perform ed

Store
instruction
in co m p u ter
m em ory

F etch next instruction

Figure 2.9

Steps in instruction cycle

Instructions are o f different categories. Some categories o f instructions art


M em ory access or transfer o f data between registers.
A rithm etic operations like addition and subtraction.
Logic operations such as A N D , O R and N O T.
C o n tro l the sequence, conditional connections, etc.
Copyrighted

The Computer System Hardware

27

A C P U perform ance is measured by the num ber o f instructions it executes in a second, i.e., M IP S
(m illion instructions per second), or B IP S (billion instructions per second).

2.7 MICROPROCESSOR
A processors instruction set is a determ ining factor in its architecture. O n the basis o f the instruction set,
m icroprocessors are classified as Reduced Instruction Set C o m p u ter (RISC), and Com plex Instruction
Set C o m p u ter (CISC). T h e x86 instruction set o f the original Intel 8086 processor is o f the C ISC type.
T h e PCs are based on the x86 instruction set.

CISC architecture hardwires the processor with complex instructions, which are difficult to create
otherwise using basic instructions. CISC combines the different instructions into one single CPU .
C IS C has a large instruction set that includes simple and fast instructions for perform ing basic
tasks, as well as complex instructions that correspond to statem ents in the high level language.
An increased num ber o f instructions (200 to 300) results in a m uch more com plex processor,
requiring millions o f transistors.
Instructions are o f variable lengths, using 8, 16 or 32 bits for storage. T his results in the proces
sors tim e being spent in calculating where each instruction begins and ends.
W ith large num ber o f application software program s being w ritten for the processor, a new pro
cessor has to be backwards com patible to the older version o f processors.
A M D and Cyrix are based on C ISC .

RISC has simple, single-cycle instructions, which perform s only basic instructions. RISC archi
tecture does n o t have hardw ired advanced functions. All high-level language support is done in the
software.
RISC has fewer instructions and requires fewer transistors, which results in the reduced m anu
facturing cost o f processor.
T h e instruction size is fixed (32 bits). T h e processor need not spend tim e in finding o u t where
each instruction begins and ends.
RISC architecture has a reduced production cost com pared to C ISC processors.
T h e instructions, simple in nature, are executed in just one clock cycle, which speeds up the
program execution when com pared to C IS C processors.
RISC processors can handle m ultiple instructions sim ultaneously by processing them in parallel.
Apple M ac G 3 and PowerPC are based on RISC.
Processors like A thlon XP and Pentium IV use a hybrid o f both technologies.
P ip e lin in g improves instruction execution speed by putting the execution steps into parallel. A
C P U can receive a single instruction, begin executing it, and reccivc another instruction before it has
com pleted the first. T his allows for more instructions to be perform ed, about, one instruction per
clock cycle.
Parallel P rocessing is the sim ultaneous execution o f instructions from the same program on differ
ent processors. A program is divided into m ultiple processes that are handled in parallel in order to
reduce execution time.

2.8 INTERCONNECTING THE UNITS OF A COMPUTER


C P U sends data, instructions and inform ation to the com ponents inside the com puter as well as to the
peripherals and devices attached to it. Bits is a set o f electronic signal pathways that allows inform ation
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The Computer System Hardware

33

USB Ports to connect newer peripherals like cameras, scanners and printers to the com puter. It
uses a thin wire to connect to the devices, and m any devices can share that wire simultaneously.

Firewire is another bus, used today m ostly for video cameras and external hard drives.

RJ45 connector (called LAN or Ethernet port) is used to connect the com puter to a netw ork. It
corresponds to a netw ork card integrated into the m otherboard.

VGA connector for connecting a m onitor. T his connector interfaces with the built-in graphics card.

Audio plugs (line-in, line-out and m icrophone), for connecting sound speakers and the m icro
phone. T his connector interfaces w ith the built-in sound card.

PS/2 port to connect mouse and keyboard into PC.

SCSI port for connecting the hard disk drives and netw ork connectors.

2.10.3 Expansion Slots


T he expansion slots (Figure 2.17) are located on the motherboard. T he expansion cards are inserted in the expan
sion slots. These cards give the com puter new features or increased performance. There are several types o f slots:
ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) slot T o connect m odem and input devices.

PC I (Peripheral C om ponent In te rc o n n e c t) slot To connect audio, video and graphics. T hey are
m uch faster than ISA cards.

) A G P (Accelerated G raphic Port) slot A fast port for a graphics card.

PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express slot Faster bus architecture than AGP and PCI buses.

PC Card It is used in laptop computers. It includes Wi-Fi card, network card and external modem.

Figure 2.17

Expansion slots

2.10.4 Ribbon Cables


Ribbon cables (Figure 2.18) are flat, insulated and consist o f several tiny wires m oulded together that carry
data to different com ponents on the m otherboard. T here is a wire for each bit o f the word or byte and
additional wires to coordinate the activity o f moving inform ation. T hey also connect the floppy drives, disk
drives and C D -R O M drives to the connectors in the m otherboard. Nowadays, Serial Advanced Technol
ogy A ttachm ent (SATA) cables have replaced the ribbon cables to connect the drives to the m otherboard.

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Computer M em ory
H igh

H igh

41

Low

Figure 3.2

Memory hierarchy

T h e internal m em ory and external m em ory are the two broad categories o f m em ory used in the
com puter. T h e internal m em ory consists o f the C P U registers, cache m em ory and prim ary m emory.
T h e internal m em ory is used by the C P U to perform the com puting tasks. T h e external m em ory is also
called the secondary m emory. T h e secondary m em ory is used to store the large am o u n t of data and the
software.

In general, referring to the com puter m em ory usually means the internal memory.
V _____ __ -.......................................................................................................................................................... . - V
0

Internal Memory T h e key features o f internal m em ory are (1) lim ited storage capacity,
(2) tem porary storage, (3) fast access, and (4) high cost. Registers, cache memory, and primary'
m em ory constitute the internal memory. T h e prim ary m em ory is further o f two kinds RAM
and R O M . Registers are the fastest and the m ost expensive am ong all the m em ory types. T h e
registers are located inside the C P U , and are directly accessible by the C P U . T h e speed o f registers
is between 12 ns (nanosecond). T h e sum o f the size o f registers is about 200B. Cachc m em ory is
next in the hierarchy and is placed between the C P U and the main memory. T h e speed ol cache
is between 2 -1 0 ns. The cache size varies between 32 KB to 4M B. Any program or data that has
to be executed m ust be brought into RAM from the secondary memory. Prim ary m em ory is
relatively slower than the cache memory. T he speed o f RAM is around 60ns. T h e RAM size varies
from 512KB to 3GB.

Secondary M emory T he key features o f secondary m em ory storage devices are (1) very high
storage capacity, (2) perm anent storage (non-volatile), unless erased by user, (3) relatively slower
access, (4) stores data and instructions that are not currently being used by C P U b u t may be
required later for processing, and (5) cheapest am ong all memory. T h e storage devices consist
o f two parts drive and device. For example, m agnetic rape drive and m agnetic tape, m agnetic
disk drive and disk, and, optical disk drive and disk. T h e speed o f m agnetic disk is around 60m s.
C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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Computer M em ory

45

T h e R O M m em ory chip (Figure 3.5) stores the Basic Input Output System (BIOS). BIOS provides
the processor with the inform ation required to boot the system. It provides the system with the
settings and resources that are available on the system. BIOS is a perm anent p art o f the com puter.
It does n o t load from disk but instead is stored in a RO M m em ory chip. T h e program code in the
BIOS differs from ordinary software since it acts as an integral part o f the com puter. W hen the
com puter is turned on, the BIOS does the following things

CM OS

battery

ROM
BIO S

Figure 3.5

ROM BIOS and CMOS battery on a motherboard

Power On Self Test (POST) is a program that runs autom atically when the system is booted. BIOS
perform s the power-on self-test. It checks that the m ajor hardware com ponents are w orking
properly.
BIOS setup program , which is a built-in utility in BIOS, lets the user set the m any functions
that control how the com puter works. BIOS displays the system settings and finds the bootable
devices. It loads the interrupt handlers and device drivers. It also initializes the registers.
Bootstrap Loader is a program whose purpose is to start the com puter software for operation when
the power is turned on. It loads the operating system into RAM and launches it. It generally seeks
the operating system on the hard disk. T he bootstrap loader resides in the R O M . T h e BIOS initi
ates the bootstrap sequence.

R O M s are o f different kinds. T hey have evolved from the fixed read only m em ory to the ones that
can be program m ed and re-program m ed. T hey vary in the num ber o f re-writes and the m ethod
used for the re-writing. Program m able R O M (PR O M ), Erasable Program m able R O M (EPR O M )
and Electrically Erasable Program m able R O M (EEPR O M ) are some o f the RO M s. All the differ
en t kinds o f R O M retain their content w hen the power is turned off.

PROM can be program m ed w ith a special tool, b u t after it has been program m ed the contents
cannot be changed. PR O M m em ories have thousands o f fuses (or diodes). H igh voltage (12 V)
is applied to the fuses to be burnt. T h e b u rn t fuses correspond to 0 and the others to 1.
EPRO M can be program m ed in a sim ilar way as PR O M , b u t it can be erased by exposing it to
ultra violet light and re-program m ed. E PR O M chips have to be removed from the com puter
for re-writing.

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Computer M em ory

An.
49

Track
sector

sector

Figure 3.10

Tracks and sectors of a disk

M agnetic disk is inserted into a m agnetic disk drive for access. T h e drive consists o f a read/write
head that is attached to a disk arm, which moves the head. T h e disk arm can move inward and
outw ard on the disk.

D uring reading or w riting to disk, the m otor o f disk drive moves the disk at high speed (6 0 -1 5 0
times/sec.)

Accessing data o n the disk requires the following


T h e read/w rite head is positioned to the desired track where the data is to be read from or w rit
ten to. T h e tim e taken to move the read/write head to the desired track is called the seek time.
O nce the read/w rite head is at the right track, then the head waits for right sector to com e under
it (disk is m oving at high speed). T h e tim e taken for desired sector o f the track to com e under
read/w rite head is called the latency time.
O nce the read/w rite head is positioned at the right track and sector, the data has to be w ritten to
disk or read from disk. T h e rate at w hich data is w ritten to disk or read from disk is called data

transfer rate.
T h e sum o f seek tim e, latency tim e and tim e for data transfer is the access tim e o f the disk.
0

T h e storage capacity o f disk drive is m easured in gigabytes (GB).

Large disk storage is created by stacking together m ultiple disks. A set o f same tracks o n all disks
form s a cylinder. Each disk has its ow n read/w rite head which w ork in coordination.

A disk can also have tracks and sectors on both sides. Such a disk is called double-sided disk.
T h e features o f m agnetic disk are
C heap storage device
C an store a large am ount o f data
Easy to carry or transport
Suitable for frequently read/w rite data
Fast access device
M ore reliable storage device
To be prevented from dust, as the read/w rite head flies over the disk. Any dust particle in between
can corrupt the disk.

______ 50

Basics of Computer

Finding data on a m agnetic disk is as follows


In order to use a disk, it has to be form atted. Form atting includes assigning addresses to various
locations on disk, assigning location o f root directory and checking for defects on the surface o f
disk.
D uring form atting, the tracks and sectors o f a disk are labeled, which provides an address to each
location o f the disk.
T here are different m ethods to form at a disk. File Allocation Table (FAT) is the com m only used
logical form at for disk form atting perform ed by W indows.
Four areas are created when a disk is form atted using FAT

Boot Sector

It contains the program that runs when the com puter is started. T h e program
checks if the disk has files required to run the operating system. It then transfers control to an
operating system program which continues the startup process. Boot sector also contains infor
m ation about the disk, like num ber o f bytes per sector and n u m ber o f sectors per track. This
inform ation is required by the operating system to access the data on the disk.
File Allocation Table It records the location o f each file and status o f each sector. W hile read
ing or w riting to disk, operating system checks the FAT to find free area o r locate where data is
stored on disk, respectively.
Root Directory T his is the m ain folder o f disk. It contains other folders in it, creating a hier
archical system o f folders. T h e root directory contains inform ation about all folders on the disk.
D ata Area T h e rem aining area o f the disk (after boot sector, FAT, root directory) is the data
area. It stores the program files and data files that are stored on the disk.
T he W indow s XP and the W indow s 2000 operating system use the N ew Technology File System
(N TFS) 5 file system. T h e N T F S 5 file system offers better security and increased perform ance.
It allows using o f filenames that are more than eight characters long.

Floppy disk, hard disk and zip disk are the different types o f m agnetic disks.

3.10.1 Floppy Disk


Floppy disk (FD) is a flat, round, single disk m ade o f M ylar plastic and enclosed in square plastic
jacket (Figure 3.11).
Floppy Disk Drive (F D D ) is the disk drive for floppy disk.
T h e floppy disk is inserted into the floppy disk drive to read or w rite data to it.
Floppy disk has a w rite-protcct slide tab that prevents a user from w riting to it.
A floppy disk may be single-sided or double-sided disk, i.e., data can be read and w ritten on one
and both sides o f floppy disk, respectively.
T hey are portable. T hey can be removed from the disk
drive, carried o r stored separately.
T h e y are small and inexpensive.
F lo p p y disks are slower to access than hard disk. They
have less storage capacity and are less expensive than
hard disk.
Figure 3 .11

Floppy disk

T h e y com e in two basic sizes 5 -lA inch and 3 -Vi


inch.
C o p y rig h te d m aterial

Computer M em ory

51

T h e 5 -V\ inch disk came around 1987. It can store 360 KB to 1.2 M B o f data.
T h e 3-Vz inch disk has capacity o f 400 KB to 1.44 M B. It usually contains 40 tracks a n d 18 sectors
per track and can store 512 bytes per sector.

3.10.2 Hard Disk


A hard disk (H D ) consists o f one or m ore platters divided into concentric tracks a n d sectors. It is
m o u n ted on a central spindle, like a stack. It can be read by a read/w rite head that pivots across
the rotating disks. T h e data is stored on the platters covered w ith m agnetic coating (Figure 3.12).

Spindle

arms

head

Figure 3.12

Parts of hard disk

H a rd disk is a fixed disk. T he disk is n o t removable from the drive, unlike floppy disk.
T h e hard disk and H ard D isk Drive (H D D ) is a single unit.
H ard disk can store m uch m ore data than floppy disk. T h e data in hard disk are packed m ore
closely (because fast spinning uses smaller m agnetic charges) and they have m ultiple platters, w ith
data being stored on b oth sides o f each platter. Large capacity hard disks m ay have 12 o r m ore
platters.

U nlike floppy disk, the read/w rite head o f hard disk does n o t touch the disk d u rin g accessing.

H ard disk can spin at the speed o f up to 10,000 revolutions per m inute a n d have an access tim e o f
9 -1 4 ms. It stores 512 bytes per sector b u t the num ber o f sectors are m ore per track (54 o r more)
than floppy disk.
S

Nowadays, hard disks are available that can store up to 500 G B o f data. Generally, PCs come with
160 GB hard disk.

H ard disk is the key secondary storage device o f com puter. T h e operating system is stored o n the
hard disk. T he perform ance o f com puter like speed o f com puter boot up, loading o f program s to

C o p y rig h te d m aterial

________ 52

| Basics o f Computer
prim ary m emory, loading o f large files like images, video, audio etc., is also dependent on the hard
disk.
0

Nowadays, portable external hard disk drive is available which can be attached to the USB drive o f
the com puter. T hey com e in the storage capacities o f 80 GB to 500 GB.

3.10.3 Zip Disk


0 T hey are high-capacity removable disk and drive.
0 T hey have the speed and capacity o f hard disk and portability o f

floppy disk.
0 Z ip disk are o f the same size as floppy disk, i.e., 3 -Vi inch b u t

have a m uch higher capacity than the floppy disk (Figure 3.13).
0 Z ip disk and drive were m ade by Iomega C orp. It comes as a

com plete unit disk, drive, connection cable, power cord and
operating system. It can be connected to the com puter system
externally using a parallel chord o r SCSI cable.
3.13

Zip disk

0 T h eir capacity ranges from 100 M B to 750 M B. T hey can be

used to store large files, audio and video data.

3.11 OPTICAL DISK


O ptical disk (Figure 3.14) is a flat and circular disk which is coated w ith reflective plastic m aterial that can
be altered by laser light. O ptical disk does n o t use m agnetism . T h e bits 1 and 0 are stored as spots that are
relatively bright and light, respectively.
0

An optical disk consists o f a single spiral track


that starts from the edge to the centre o f disk.
D ue to its spiral shape, it can access large am o u n t
o f data sequentially, for example m usic and video.
T he random access on optical disk is slower than
that o f m agnetic disk, due to its spiral shape.

T h e tracks o n optical disk are further divided


into sectors w hich are o f same length. T hus, the
sectors near the centre o f disk w rap around the
disk longer th an the sectors on the edges o f disk.
Reading the disk thus requires spinning the disk
foster w hen reading near the centre and slower
w hen reading near the edge o f disk. O ptical disks
are generally slower th an hard disks. Figure 3.15
shows the tracks and sectors in a m agnetic disk
and optical disk.

C o p y rig h te d m aterial

Computer Memory

Track
(concentric
circles)
Sector wider
at edge than
center
Magnetic disk

Spiral
track

1____ 5 3

Sectors
of same
width
Optical disk

figure 3>15 Sectors and track in magnetic disk and optical disk
O ptical disks can store large am o u n t o f data, up to 6 G B , in a small space. C om m only used optical
disks store 6 0 0 -7 0 0 M B o f data.
T h e access tim e for an optical disk ranges from 100 to 200 ms.
T here are tw o m ost com m on categories o f optical disks read-only optical disks and recordable
optical disks.

3.11.1 CD-ROM
Originally, C om pact D isk (C D ) was a popular m edium for storing music. Now, it is used in com
puters to store data and is called C om pact Disk-Read O n ly M em ory (C D -R O M ).
As the nam e suggests, C D -R O M (Figure 3.16) is an optical disk th at can only be read and n o t
w ritten on. C D -R O M is w ritten on by the m anufacturer o f the C D -R O M using the laser light.
A C D -R O M drive reads data from the com pact disk. D ata is stored as pits (depressions) and lands
(flat area) on C D -R O M disk. W hen the laser light is focused on the disk, the pits scatter the light
(interpreted as 0) and the lands reflect the light to a sensor (interpreted as 1).
As C D -R O M is read only, n o changes can be m ade into the data contained in it.
Since there is n o head touching the disk, b u t a laser light, C D -R O M does n o t get w orn o u t easily.
T h e storage density o f C D -R O M is very high and cost is low as compared to floppy disk and hard disk.
Access tim e o f C D -R O M is less. C D -R O M drives can read data at 150Kbps. T h ey com e in m ul
tiples o f this speed like 2x, 4x, 52x, 75x, etc.
It is a com m only used m edium for distributing software a n d large data.

3.11.2 DVD-ROM
D igital Video Disk-Read O n ly M em ory (D V D -R O M ) is an optical storage device used to store
digital video or com puter data (Figure 3.17).

D V D s look like C D s, in shape a n d physical size.

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Com
p u te r M e m o ry
user, have slow access, store the data and instruc
tions that are not currently being used by C PU , and
are cheapest among all memory. M agnetic disk and
optical disk are storage devices.

Organization o f memory with respect to the C PU , is


as follows registers are placed inside C PU , cache
memory is placed inside C PU , prim ary m em ory is
placed next in the hierarchy, and secondary memory
is the farthest from CPU .

Registers are very high-speed storage areas located


inside the C PU . Registers are manipulated direcdy
by the control unit o f the C PU during instruction
execution.

Cache, the fast memory, is placed between the C P U


and the RAM. T he contents from the RAM are
stored in the cache.

RAM stores data and instructions during the


operation o f com puter. RAM is a random access
volatile m em ory having lim ited size due to its
high cost. RAM affects the speed and pow er o f
th e com puter.

Magnetic tapes are inexpensive, can store a large


amount of data, are easy to transport, are slow access
device, and are suitable for back-up storage.
Magnetic disks are cheap storage device, can store a
large amount of data, are easy to carry, are suitable
for frequently read/write data and are fast access
device. Access time o f disk is the sum o f seek time,
latency time and time for data transfer.
Floppy disk is a flat, round, single disk enclosed in a
jacket. It is portable, small, inexpensive and slower to
access than hard disk. It comes in two basic sizes
5-V4 inch and 3-V4 inch.
Hard disk is a fixed disk and can store much more
data than floppy disk. Hard disk is the key secondary
storage device of computer.
Zip disk have the speed and capacity of hard disk and
portability of floppy disk.

Optical disk consists of a single spiral track that starts


from the edge to the centre o f disk. It can store large
amount of data in small space.

CD-ROM is an optical disk that can only be read


and not written on. It has high-storage density and is
a low-cost device compared to floppy disk and hard
disk.

ROM is a non-volatile prim ary m em ory which stores

digital camera, mobile phone, printer, laptop com


puter, and MP3 players.

RAM memory chips are o f two types D RAM and


SRAM. DRAM is used as main m em ory as it is
small and cheap. SRAM chip is used in cache m em
ory due to its high speed.

57

the data needed for the start up o f the computer.


Instructions to initialize different devices attached
to com puter and the bootstrap loader are stored in
R O M . PRO M , EPRO M and EEPRO M are some
o f the ROM s.

DVD-ROM is a high-density optical storage device


which stores data on both sides o f the disk. It is used
to store a full-length movie.

Flash memory is a kind o f semiconductor-based non

volatile, rewritable com puter memory. It is used in

Recordable optical disks are CD-R, CD-RW and


DVD-R.

Computer uses its memory from the time you switch


on the computer till you switch it off.

KEYWORDS
Access time 40
Basic Input Output System
(BIOS) 45
Bit 40
Boot sector 50
Bootstrap loader 45
Byte 40
Cache Hit 42
Cache memory 42

Compact Disk - Read Only


Memory (CD-ROM) 53
Compact Disk-Recordable
(CD-R) 55
Compact Disk-ReWritable
(CD-RW) 55
Complementary Metal-Oxide
Semiconductor (CMOS) 45
Data Transfer Rate 49

(DVD-R) 55
Direct Access 46
Dual Inline Memory Module
(DIMM) 44
Dynamic RAM (DRAM) 43
Electrically Erasable Programmable
ROM (EEPROM) 45
Erasable Programmable ROM

Cache Miss 42
Compact Disk (CD)

Digital Video Disk-Read Only


Memory (DVD-ROM) 53

(EPROM) 45
File Allocation Table (FAT)

53

Digital Video Disk-Recordable

50

C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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INPUT A N D DUTPUT
DEVICES
0
0
0

& * * . '

5.

*::?>'?!

ihvrf '4
A:<V
^ : i j

Input-output unit Input unit, output unit


Input devices Human data entry devices,
source data entry devices *
Human data entry devices
Keyboard
Pointing devices Mouse, trackball,
joystick, digitizing tablet
Pick devices Light pen, touch screen
Source data entry devices
Audio input device (microphone, sound
card, speech recognition)
Video input device (video camera,
digital camera)
Optical input devices Scanner (hand
held, flat bed), OCR, MICR, OMR,
barcode reader

0
0

Output devices Hard copy devices, soft


copy devices
Hard copy devices
Printer Impact printers (dot matrix,
daisywheel, drum), non-impact printers
(ink-jet, laser)
Plotter Drum plotter, flatbed plotter
Computer
output
on
microfilm
(microfiche)
Soft copy devices Monitor, visual display
terminal, video output, audio response
(speakers, headphone)
I/O port Parallel port, serial port, USB
port, firewire port
Working of I/O system I/O devices,
device controller, device driver

rS .sjL -

W h a t is the use of the com puter for us? W e m ay w ant to process data, w rite project reI ports, listen to sound recordings, watch a m ovie and do m any m ore things. But to do any
:: of these things, w e should be able to p ro vid e the data to the com puter and also get the
outp ut from it. The in p ut devices and output devices are used this purpose. The aim of this
t chapter is to introduce the different kinds of in p ut and output devices.

l .-?j:

i i - '<:

.vs%'. c V -

4.1 INTRODUCTION
A com puter interacts w ith the external environm ent via the in p u t-o u tp u t (I/O ) devices attached to it.
In p u t device is used for providing data and instructions to the com puter. After processing the in p u t data,
com puter provides o u tp u t to the user via the o u tp u t device. T h e I/O devices that arc attached, externally,
to the com puter m achine are also called peripheral devices. D ifferent kinds o f in p u t and o u tp u t devices are
used for different kinds o f in p u t and o u tp u t requirem ents. In this chapter, we shall discuss different kinds
o f in p u t devices and o u tp u t devices.

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Input and O utp ut Devices

65

4.4.2 Pointing Devices


Pointing devices are used for providing the input to com puter by m oving the device to p o in t to a location
on com puter m onitor. T h e input data is not typed; instead, the data is entered by m oving the pointing
device. T h e cursor on the com puter m onitor moves with the m oving pointing device. O perations like
move, click and drag can be perform ed using the pointing devices. M ouse, trackball, joystick and digitiz
ing tablet are som e o f the com m on pointing devices.

4.4.2.7 Mouse
Features

It is the m ost com m on p o in tin g in p u t device. T h e data is entered by p o in tin g the m ouse
to a location on the com puter screen. T h e m ouse m ay also be used to position the cursor on screen,
m ove an object by dragging, or select an object by clicking. T h e key benefit o f using a m ouse is th at the
cursor moves w ith the m ouse. So, the cursor can be positioned at any location on the screen by sim ply
m oving the m ouse. M oreover, it provides an easy way to select and choose com m ands from m enus,
dialog boxes, icons, etc. M ouse is used extensively, w hile w orking w ith graphics elem ents such as line,
curve, shapes, etc.
Description M ouse is a small hand-held device having two or three buttons on its u pper side. In addi
tion to the buttons, m ouse also has a small wheel between the buttons. Figure 4.3 (i) shows a mouse.
T h e wheel o f the m ouse is used for the up and dow n m ovem ent, for example, scrolling a long docum ent.
A m ouse is classified as physical mouse or optical mouse.

Figure 4.3

Physical M ouse

(i) Mouse, (ii) A user working with a mouse

has a rubber ball on the bottom side th at protrudes w hen the m ouse is moved. It
requires a sm ooth, dust free surface, such as a m ouse pad, on which it is rolled.
O ptical Mouse uses a Light E m itting D iode (LED) and a sensor to detect the m ovem ent o f mouse.
O ptical mouse requires an opaque flat surface underneath it. O ptical mouse was introduced by M icrosoft
in 1999. O ptical m ouse is better than physical m ouse as there is no moving part that can cause wear and
tear, and d irt cannot get inside it. A user is w orking w ith an optical m ouse in Figure 4.3 (ii).
W orking In a plrysical mouse, rollers and sensors are used to sense the direction and rate o f m ovem ent
o f m ouse. W h en the ball o f m ouse moves, the rollers sense th e horizontal and vertical m ovem ent and

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Input and O utp ut Devices

69

generally used in applications like A utom ated Teller M achine (ATM ), public inform ation com puters like
hospitals, airline reservation, railway reservation, superm arkets, etc. (Figure 4.8).
Description Touch scrccn consists o f a clear glass panel that is placed over the view area o f com puter
screen. In addition to the glass panel with sensors, it has a device driver, and a controller that translates the
inform ation captured by the glass panel sensors to a form that the com puter can understand.
W orking Touch screens have an infrared beam that criss-cross the surface o f screen. W hen a fingertip is
touched on the screen, the beam is broken, and the location is recorded. Some touch screens have ultra
sonic acoustic waves that cross the surface o f screen. W hen a fingertip is touched on the screen, the wave is
interrupted, and the location is recorded. T h e recorded location is sent to the com puter via the controller
o f touch screen, in a form that the com puter can understand.

4.5 SOURCE DATA ENTRY DEVICES


Source data entry devices are used for audio input, video input and to enter the source docum ent directly
to the com puter. Source data entry devices do not require data to be typed-in, keyed-in o r pointed to a
particular location.

4.5.1 Audio Input Device


A udio input can be provided to the com puter using hum an voice or speech. Audio in p u t to the com puter
can be used for different purposes. It can be used for m aking telephone calls, for audio and video confer
encing over Internet, to record voice, to create audio files and em bed these files to be sent over e-mail, or,
to translate spoken words into text, etc.
A udio in p u t devices like a microphone is used to input a persons voice into the com puter. A sound card
(Figure 4.9 (i)) translates analog audio signals from m icrophone into digital codes that the com puter can
store and process. Sound card also translates back the digital sound into analog signals that can be sent
to the speakers. Translating spoken words into text is
also known as speech recognition or voice recognition.
T h e audio in p u t along with the software for voice
recognition forms the speech recognition system or
voice recognition system.
Software for
T h e c o m p u te r can be operated using voice co m
S ound card
recording an d editing
m ands. T h e user can dictate the com m ands to the
sound
com p u ter, instead o f typing them . T h e co m p u ter
has to be trained to recognize the voice o f user
Figure 4.9 (i) Sound card, (ii) Audacity software
using the speech patterns and p ro n u n ciatio n o f
w o rd s. T h e s y s te m th u s a d a p ts to th e v o ic c o f user.

Speech recognition system s are costly and difficult to develop. T hey are generally used by people w ho
have difficulty in typing, people w ith disabilities or by corporate w orld for d ictatio n . A udio in p u t can
be recorded on an m p3 recorder and provided as an in p u t to com puter. O p en source softw are like
A udacity is used for recording and ed itin g of audio files (Figure 4 .9 (ii)).

4.5.2 Video Input Device


Video in p u t is provided to the com puter using video camera and digital camera (Figure 4.10). Video cam
era can capture full m otion video images. T h e images are digitized and can be compressed and stored in
the com puter disk. W ebcam is a com m on video camera device. It is placed on the com puter above the
screen to capture the images o f the user w ho is w orking on the com puter. A video capture card allows the
user to connect video devices like cam corders to the com puter.

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Input and O utp ut Devices

75

(sharpness and clarity o f print) o f the printer is determ ined by the resolution o f the printer. Resolution is
m easured in dots per inch (dpi). Printers with a high resolution (more dpi) provide better quality output.
D ifferent kinds o f printers are available for different types o f applications. Printers are classified into two
categories im pact printer and non-im pact printer.
Impact printers use the typew riter approach o f physically striking a typeface against the paper and inked
ribbon. Im pact printers can prin t a character or an entire line at a time. Im pact printers are low-cost p rin t
ers useful for bulk printing. D o t m atrix printers, daisy wheel printers and d ru m printers are examples o f
im pact printers.

D ot M atrix Printers (Figure 4.17) p rin t one


character at a tim e. T h e speed o f d o t m atrix
p rin ter lies between 200 and 600 characters
per second (cps) and their resolution ranges
from 72 to 360 dpi. D ot m atrix printers nor
mally com e in two sizes 80 colum n printer
and 132 colum n printer. D o t m atrix p rin t
ers can p rin t alphanum eric characters, special
characters, charts and graphs. T hey can prin t
only in black and w hite. Some d o t m atrix
printers can p rin t in both directions - left to
right and right to left. D o t m atrix printers are
com m only used for p rin tin g in applications
like payroll and accounting.

Daisy W heel Printers (Figure 4.18) print one


character at a time. T hey produce letter qual
ity d o cu m ent which is better than a docum ent
p rin ted by a d o t m atrix printer. T h e speed o f
daisy wheel printers is about 100 cps. T he
p rin t head o f the printer is like a daisy flower,
hence the name. These printers are slow, can
only p rin t text (not graphics), and arc costly
in com parison to dot matrix printers. Daisy
wheel printers are used where high quality
prin tin g is needed and no graphics is needed.

Figure 4.18

Daisy wheel for printers

D rum Printers are line printers. T hey are


expensive and faster than character printers b u t produce a low quality output. T hey can print
2 0 0 -2 5 0 0 lines per m inute. D rum printers arc generally used for volum inous p rin t outputs.

Non-Impact Printers do n o t hit o r im pact a ribbon to print. T hey use electro-static chemicals and ink-jet
technologies. N on-im pact printers are faster and quieter than im pact printers. T hey produce high quality
o u tp u t and can be used for printin g text and graphics both in black and w hite, and color. Ink-jet printers
and laser printers are non-im pact printers.

Ink-jet Printers spray ink drops directly on the paper like a jet (Figure 4.19 (i)). T h eir resolution
is m ore than 500 dpi. T hey produce high quality graphics and text. Ink-jet printers are com m only
found in hom es and offices.

Laser Printers (Figure 4.19 (ii)) provide highest quality o f text and graphics printing. I-aser
printers process and store the entire page before printing and are also know n as page printers.
T h e laser printer can prin t 5-24 pages o f text per m inute and their resolution ranges from 400 to

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Input and O utp ut Devices

Figure 4.23

Figure 4.24

79

LC D m o n ito r

A user viewing the output on a LCD monitor


C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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Input and O utp ut Devices


35. Name three optical scanncr devices.

62. Describe the three factors on which the clarity o f


image on the com puter scrccn depends.

36. Why is a scanncr used?


37. Describe
scanners.

hand-held

85

scanners

and

flat-bed

63. Name the three factors on which the clarity o f


image on the com puter screen depends.

64. Name some color adapters.

38. What is the purpose of OCR software in optical


character recognition?

65. W hat is a visual display terminal?

39. An application where MICR is commonly used is

66. W hy arc screen image projectors used?


6 7 . Describe how the audio response system works.

40. Name an application of OMR.

68. Name two applications o f audio response system.

41. How docs optical character reader recognize char


acters?

Section 4.7-4.8

42. How docs magnetic ink charactcr reader recognize


the magnetic characters?
43. How docs optical mark reader recognize marks?
44. What is the use of barcode reader?

6 9 . Name the different types o f I/O ports.


7 0 . Nam e at least one device each that can be con
nected to the serial port, parallel port, USB port,
M ID I port and firewire.

7 1. Explain the working o f the I/O system.


72. W hat is the purpose o f ports, buses and controllers

Section 4.6-4.6.1.1
45. Dot Matrix printers come in two sizes _
column printer a n d ______ column printer.

in the I/O system?

73. W hat is a devicc driver?


74. W hat is the use o f the device driver?

46. The sharpness and clarity of print of the printer is


determined by th e _______ of printer.

75. Is device controller a hardware or software?

47. Resolution of printer is measured i n _______ .

76. Is device driver a hardware or software?

48. Describe a dot-matrix printer.


49. Describe a daisywheel printer.

Extra Questions

50. Dot matrix and daisy wheel printers are charactcr


printer but drum printer is a _______ printer and
laser printer is a _______ printer.

77 . Give full form o f the following abbreviations

51. Describe non-impact printers.

Section 4.6.1.24.6.2.4
52. What is the use of a plotter?
53. Plotters are of two kinds____

(i) I/O

(ii) LED

(iii) CAD

(iv) ATxM

(v) M IC R

(vi) O M R

(vii) O C R

(viii) dpi

(ix) cps

(x) CAM

(xi) C O M

(xii) C R T

(xiii) LCD

(xiv) V D T

(xv) USB

(xvi) M ID I

.plotter and

___________p lo tte r .

78. Write short notes on


(a) Input-iutput unit

(b) Input Unit

(c) O u tp u t unit

(d) Keyboard

(e) Mouse

(f) Trackball

(g) Joystick

(h) Digitizing tablet

57. Give a description of the monitor.

(i) Light pen

(j) Touch screen

58. Define the resolution of the screen.

(k) Input devices

(I) Audio input dcvice

59. Define the refresh rate of the scrccn.

(m) Video input device (n) Optical input deviccs

60. Define the dot pitch of the screcn.

(o) Scanner

(p) M IC R

61. The common resolution of computer screen is


a n d ________.

(q) OxMR

(r) O C R

(s) Printer

(t) Impact printers

54. Name two applications where plotters are used.


55. Define a microfilm.
56. When do we use a microfilm?

C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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Data Representation
0

89____

T h e position value and quantity o f a digit at different positions in a n u m ber are as follow*
Position:
Position Value:
Q uantity:

3
103
1000

2
102
100

1
10'
10

0
10
1

-2
10-2
1/100

-1
10-*
1/10

-3
10-3
1/1000

5.2.2 Binary Number System


0

T h e binary num ber system consists o f two digits 0 and 1.

All binary num bers are form ed using com bination o f 0 and 1. For example, 1001, 11000011 and
10110101 .

T h e position value and quantity o f a digit at different positions in a n u m b er are as follows


Position:
Position Value:
Q uantity:

3
23
8

2
22
4

V
2

0
2
1

-1
2 '1
1/2

-2
2"2
1/4

-3
23
1/8

5.2.3 O ctal Number System


0

T h e octal num ber system consists o f eight digits 0 to 1.

All octal num bers are represented using these eight digits. For example, 273, 103, 2375, etc.

T h e position value and quantity o f a digit at different positions in a n u m ber are as follows
Position:
Position Value:
Q uantity:

3
83
512

2
82
64

1
8'
8

0
8
1

-2
8~2
1/64

-1
8-'
1/8

-3
8-3
1/512

5.2.4 Hexadecimal Number System


0

T h e hexadecimal num ber system consists o f sixteen digits 0 to 9, A, B, C , D , E, F, where (A is for


10, B is for 11, 0 1 2 , D -13, E-14, F-15).

All hexadecim al num bers are represented using these 16 digits. For example, 3FA, 87B, 113, etc.

T h e position value and quantity o f a digit at different positions in a n u m b er are as follows


Position:
Position Value:
Q uantity:

3
163
4096

2
162
256

1
16 1
16

0
16
1

- 1
16~
1/16

2 - 3
16"2
16"3
1/256
1/4096

Table 5.1 summ arizes the base, digits and largest digit for the above discussed n u m ber systems. Table
5.2 shows the binary, octal a n d hexadecimal equivalents o f the decim al num bers 0 -1 6 .
Base

Digits

Decim al

10

0 -9

Binary

0,1

O ctal

0 -7

Hexadecim al

16

0 -9 , A, B, C, D, E, F

F (15)

Table 5.1

Largest D igit

Summary of number system


C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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Data Representation
(3)

Record the non-fractionaJ part o f the resulting num ber.

(4)

Repeat the above steps at least four times.

(5) W rite the digits in the non-fractional part starting from upwards to downwards.

C onvert 0.2345 from Base 10 to Base 2.


0.2345
x2
0.4690
.4690
___x_2
0.9380
.9380
____ * 2

1.8760
.8760
1.7520
.7520
___ x_2

1.5040
.5040
___ x .2

1.0080
T h e binary equivalent o f (0.2345),0 is (0.001 111),

Example 5a:

C onvert 0.865 from Base 10 to Base 2, 8 a n d 16

0.865

0.865

__*2

__JLS

1.730

6.920
_JL 8
7.360

_& 2
1.460
x2
0.920

___ X..8
2.880

____ x l

1.840
. x.2
1.680
___x_2
1.360
The binary equivalent of
(.865)l0 is (.110111)2

7.040
The octal equivalent of
(0.865)10 is (.6727)8

0.865
_x_j_6
5190
865 x
13.840
x 16
5040
_40x_
13.440
x 16
2640
-44.0 .x
7.040
The num ber 13 in hexadeci
mal is D.
The hexadecim al equivalent
of (O.865)10 is (.DD7),'16

C o p y rig h te d m aterial

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Computer
Fundamentals
A n ita G oel
Any undergraduate course, irrespective of the streams commerce, humanities, management, science or
engineering cannot be completed without a basic understanding of computers. This book has been written
keeping in mind the requirements of this vast audience. The language used in the book is lucid, simple and
reader-friendly so that a novice can easily comprehend underlying concepts in computing. Logical organization
of the chapters, step-by-step presentation of the concepts, illustrations, flow charts, photographs (both color
and black-and-white) and chapter-end exercises makes the book a perfect choice for an introductory course.

CONTEMPORARY IN COVERAGE

EXCLUSIVE AND EXHAUSTIVE CHAPTERS

Windows Vista and Windows 7

Information Systems

Flash, SIMM and DIMM Memory

Fundamentals of Databases

I Wireless Networking

Computer Security

MS Access and LaTeX

Network and Internet Connections

Notebook, Netbook and Smartphones

I Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP)


I

Digital Signature and Biometrics

PRACTICE WHILE YOU LEARN

SUPPLEMENTS FOR SUPPORT

I Assembling a PC

I
I

Lecture Slides
Solution Manual

I Working with MS Office 2007

mQuest

Creating MP3 Files from an Audio CD

Anita Goel is Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi. She
has teaching experience of over two decades. She is guiding several students for their doctoral studies, and has
several national and international research publications to her credit. She has been appointed as Fellow for
Computer Science, Institute of Life Long Learning (ILLL), at the University of Delhi.

T.illmQues
PEARSON

U n lin e resources a va i
www.pearsoned.co.in/anitagoel

Copyrighted material

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