Computer Basic Fundamental Study

What is a Computer?
An electronic device that stores, retrieves and processes data, and can be programmed with instructions. A computer is composed of hardware and software, and can exist in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Types of Computers
Mini and Mainframe Computers: Very powerful, used by large organisations such as banks to control the entire business operation. Very expensive! Personal Computers: Cheap and easy to use. Often used as stand-alone computers or in a network. May be connected to large mainframe computers within big companies.

Hardware & Software

The term hardware refers to the physical components of your computer such as the system unit, mouse, keyboard, monitor etc. The software is the instructions that make the computer work. Software is held either on your computers hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD or on a diskette (floppy disk) and is loaded (i.e. copied) from the disk into the computers RAM (Random Access Memory), as and when required.

Diagram of a simple system:

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Computer Basic Fundamental Study

Input and Output Devices:

In computing, input/output or I/O is the communication between information processing system (such as a computer) and the outside world, possibly a human or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it. The term can also be used as part of an action; to "perform I/O" is to perform an input or output operation. I/O devices are used by a person (or other system) to communicate with a computer. For instance, a keyboard or a mouse may be an input device for a computer, while monitors and printers are considered output devices for a computer. In computer architecture, the combination of the CPU and main memory (i.e. memory that the CPU can read and write to directly, with individual instructions) is considered the brain of a computer, and from that point of view any transfer of information from or to that combination, for example to or from a disk drive, is considered I/O.

In order to use your computer effectively, you must interact with it using both the mouse and the keyboard. The following is a list of commonly used keys that have special functions: The Keyboard

1. Backspace: This key deletes letters backward. 2. Delete: This key deletes letters forward. 3. Shift: This key, when pressed WITH another key, will perform a secondary function. 4. Spacebar: This key enters a space between words or letters. 5. Tab: This key will indent what you type, or move the text to the right. The default indent distance is usually inch. 6. Caps Lock: Pressing this key will make every letter you type capitalized. 7. Control (Ctrl): This key, when pressed WITH another key, performs a shortcut. 8. Enter: This key either gives you a new line, or executes a command (pressed in a word processing program, it begins a new line). 9. Number Keypad: These are exactly the same as the numbers at the top of the keyboard; some people find them easier to use in this position. 10. Arrow Keys: Like the mouse, these keys are used to navigate through a document or page. The Mouse

While the keyboard is primarily used to insert/input and manipulate text and numbers on a computer, the mouse is used mostly for navigating around the screen. Mice come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some of the strangest-looking mice often look that way because they are designed to be more ergonomic than traditional mice.

Ritadrik Chowdhury

Computer Basic Fundamental Study

CPU and ALU:
CPU: A central processing unit (CPU), also referred to as a central processor unit, is the hardware within a computer that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The term has been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s. The form, design, and implementation of CPUs have changed over the course of their history, but their fundamental operation remains much the same. In older computers, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. With the invention of the microprocessor, a CPU could be contained within a single silicon chip. The first computers to use microprocessors were personal computers and small workstations. Since the 1970s the microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU implementations, to the extent that even mainframe computers use one or more microprocessors. Modern microprocessors are large scale integrated circuits in packages typically less than four centimetres square, with hundreds of connecting pins. ALU: In computing, an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit that performs arithmetic and logical operations. The ALU is a fundamental building block of the central processing unit of a computer, and even the simplest microprocessors contain one for purposes such as maintaining timers. The processors found inside modern CPUs and graphics processing units (GPUs) accommodate very powerful and very complex ALUs; a single component may contain a number of ALUs.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD):

A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information using rapidly rotating discs (platters) coated with magnetic material. An HDD retains its data even when powered off. Data is read in a random-access manner, meaning individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order rather than just sequentially. An HDD consists of one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly rotating discs (platters) with magnetic heads arranged on a moving actuator arm to read and write data to the surfaces.

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Computer Basic Fundamental Study

RAM:
Random-access memory (RAM) is a form of computer data storage. A random-access device allows stored data to be accessed in very nearly the same amount of time for any storage location, so data can be accessed quickly in any random order. In contrast, other data storage media such as hard disks, CDs, DVDs and magnetic tape, as well as early primary memory types such as drum memory, read and write data only in a predetermined order, consecutively, because of mechanical design limitations. Therefore the time to access a given data location varies significantly depending on its physical location.

ROM:
Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware (software that is very closely tied to specific hardware and unlikely to need frequent updates).

Differences between RAM and ROM: RAM

Definition Random Access Memory or RAM is a form of data storage that can be accessed randomly at any time, in any order and from any physical location, allowing quick access and manipulation. Random Access Memory RAM allows the computer to read data quickly to run applications. It allows reading and writing. RAM is volatile i.e. its contents are lost when the device is powered off. The two main types of RAM are static RAM and dynamic RAM.

ROM
Read-only memory or ROM is also a form of data storage that cannot be easily altered or reprogrammed. Stores instructions that are not necessary for rebooting up to make the computer operate when it is switched off. They are hardwired. Read Only Memory ROM stores the program required to initially boot the computer. It only allows reading. It is non-volatile i.e. its contents are retained even when the device is powered off. The types of ROM include PROM, EPROM and EEPROM.

Stands for Use

Volatility Types

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