Computer Fundamentals For Beginners

1.Introduction

Nowadays computers are everywhere, using computer we get information easily at any part of the world within a second. The word “computer” comes from Latin word “computare” which means to calculate. The word “calculate” mean to find out the result of some operation. Moreover, the computer is defined in the oxford dictionary as “An atomic electronic apparatus of making calculations or controlling operations that are expressible in numerical or logical terms”.

Some other definitions

1.    An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program.

2.    In simple terms, computer is a machine which can be instructed to accept, process, store and output data. “Computer, machine that performs tasks, such as calculations or electronic communication, under the control of a set of instructions called a program.”

3.   A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules, produce information (output), and store the information for future use.

4.   A computer is an electronic device, which can perform computation as well as logical action at enormous speed.

Characteristics of Computer

1.    Speed:- Computers work at an incredible speed. A powerful computer is capable of performing about 3-4 million simple instructions per second.

Table 1.1:  Measuring units for processing speed in terms of frequency and time

Measuring Units in Frequency	Measuring Units in Time
1 Hz    (Hertz or 1× 100 Hz)	1 Second              (1× 100 sec)
1 KHz  (Kilo Hertz or 1×103 Hz)	1 milli second      (1×10-3 sec)
1 MHz (Mega Hertz or 1× 106 Hz)	1 micro second   (1×10-6 sec)
1 GHz (Giga Hertz or 1× 109 Hz)	1 nano second    (1×10-9 sec)
1 THz (Tera Hertz or 1× 1012 Hz)	1 pico second      (1×10-12 sec)
1 PHz (Peta Hertz or 1× 1015 Hz)	1 femto second   (1×10-15 sec)
1 EHz (Exa Hertz or 1× 1018 Hz)	1 atto second       (1×10-18 sec)
1 ZHz (Zetta Hertz or 1×1021 Hz)	1 zepto second     (1×10-21 sec)
1 YHz (Yotta Hertz or 1×1024 Hz)	1 yocto second     (1×10-24 sec)

Units for processing speed of computer are:

1.    MIPS: Millions of instructions per second are used for integer computation.

2.    MFLOPS: Millions of floating a point instruction per second is used for floating point computation.

3.    TPS: Transaction per second is used for online-processing application of computation.

4.    KLIPS: Kilo logical inferences per second, is used for knowledge-based computation of 5^th generation of computer.

2.    Accuracy:- In addition to being fast, computers are also accurate. Errors that may occur can almost always be attributed to human error (inaccurate data, poorly designed system or faulty instructions/programs written by the programmer)

3.    Word Length:- The number of bits that a computer can process at a time in parallel is called it’s word length. Commonly used word lengths are 8, 16, 32 or 64. Longer the word length, faster the computer is.

4.    Automation:- Computer performs all the tasks automatically i.e. it performs tasks without manual intervention.

5.    Diligence:- Unlike human beings, computers are highly consistent. They do not suffer from human traits of boredom and tiredness resulting in lack of concentration. Computers, therefore, are better than human beings in performing voluminous and repetitive jobs.

6.    Reliability:- A computer is reliable as it gives consistent result for similar set of data i.e., if we give same set of input any number of times, we will get the same result.

7.    Versatility:- Computers are versatile machines and are capable of performing any task as long as it can be broken down into a series of logical steps. The presence of computers can be seen in almost every sphere – Railway/Air reservation, Banks, Hotels, Weather forecasting and many more.

8.    Storage Capacity :-Today’s computers can store large volumes of data. A piece of information once recorded (or stored) in the computer, can never be forgotten and can be retrieved almost instantaneously

Table 1.2: Storage unit conversion table

Unit Abbreviation In Unit 1 Byte B 8 bits 1 Kilo Byte KB 1024 bytes 1 Mega Byte MB 1024 KB 1 Giga Byte GB 1024 MB 1 Tera Byte TB 1024 GB 1 Peta Byte PB 1024 TB 1 Exa Byte EB 1024 PB 1 Zetta Byte ZB 1024 EB 1 Yotta Byte YB 1024 ZB 1 Bronto Byte BB 1024  YB

Application of computer

1.  Education:- The computer helps in providing a lot of facilities in the education system.

·      The computer provides a tool in the education system known as CBE (Computer Based Education).

·      CBE involves control, delivery, and evaluation of learning.

·      Computer education is rapidly increasing the graph of number of computer students.

·      There are a number of methods in which educational institutions can use a computer to educate the students.

·      It is used to prepare a database about performance of a student and analysis is carried out on this basis.

2.  Business:- A computer has high speed of calculation, diligence, accuracy, reliability, or versatility which has made it an integrated part in all business organizations.

Computer is used in business organizations for −

• Payroll calculations
• Budgeting
• Sales analysis
• Financial forecasting
• Managing employee database
• Maintenance of stocks, etc.

3.  Banking:- Today, banking is almost totally dependent on computers.

Banks provide the following facilities −

·      Online accounting facility, which includes checking current balance, making deposits and overdrafts, checking interest charges, shares, and trustee records.

·      ATM machines which are completely automated are making it even easier for customers to deal with banks.

4.  Insurance:- Insurance companies are keeping all records up-to-date with the help of computers. Insurance companies, finance houses, and stock broking firms are widely using computers for their concerns.

Insurance companies are maintaining a database of all clients with information showing −

• Procedure to continue with policies
• Starting date of the policies
• Next due installment of a policy
• Maturity date
• Interests due
• Survival benefits
• Bonus

5.  Marketing:- In marketing, uses of the computer are following –

·       Advertising − With computers, advertising professionals create art and graphics, write and revise copy, and print and disseminate ads with the goal of selling more products.

·       Home Shopping − Home shopping has been made possible through the use of computerized catalogues that provide access to product information and permit direct entry of orders to be filled by the customers.

6.  Health care:- Computers have become an important part in hospitals, labs, and dispensaries. They are being used in hospitals to keep the record of patients and medicines. It is also used in scanning and diagnosing different diseases. ECG, EEG, ultrasounds and CT scans, etc. are also done by computerized machines.

Following are some major fields of health care in which computers are used.

·       Diagnostic System − Computers are used to collect data and identify the cause of illness.

·       Lab-diagnostic System − All tests can be done and the reports are prepared by computer.

·       Patient Monitoring System − These are used to check the patient's signs for abnormality such as in Cardiac Arrest, ECG, etc.

·       Pharma Information System − Computer is used to check drug labels, expiry dates, harmful side effects, etc.

·       Surgery − Nowadays, computers are also used in performing surgery.

7.  Engineering Design:- Computers are widely used for Engineering purpose.

One of the major areas is CAD (Computer Aided Design) that provides creation and modification of images. Some of the fields are –

·      Structural Engineering − Requires stress and strain analysis for design of ships, buildings, budgets, airplanes, etc.

·      Industrial Engineering − Computers deal with design, implementation, and improvement of integrated systems of people, materials, and equipment.

·      Architectural Engineering − Computers help in planning towns, designing buildings, determining a range of buildings on a site using both 2D and 3D drawings.

8.  Military:- Computers are largely used in defence. Modern tanks, missiles, weapons, etc. Military also employs computerized control systems. Some military areas where a computer has been used are –

·       Missile Control

·       Military Communication

·       Military Operation and Planning

·       Smart Weapons

9.  Communication:- Communication is a way to convey a message, an idea, a picture, or speech that is received and understood clearly and correctly by the person for whom it is meant. Some main areas in this category are –

·       E-mail

·       Chatting

·       Usenet

·       FTP

·       Telnet

·       Video-conferencing

10.    Government:- Computers play an important role in government services. Some major fields in this category are −

·       Budgets

·       Sales tax department

·       Income tax department

·       Computation of male/female ratio

·       Computerization of voters lists

·       Computerization of PAN card

·       Weather forecasting