Computer is an electronic device which is used to store the data, as per given instructions it gives

results quickly and accurately.

 Data : Data is a raw material of information.

 Information : Proper collection of the data is called information.

Characteristics of Computer

 SPEED : In general, no human being can compete to solving the complex computation, faster than
computer.

 ACCURACY : Since Computer is programmed, so what ever input we give it gives result with accuratly.

 STORAGE : Computer can store mass storage of data with appropriate formate.

 DILIGENCE : Computer can work for hours without any break and creating error.

 VERSATILITY : We can use computer to perform completely different type of work at the same time.

 POWER OF REMEMBERING : It can remember data for us.

 NO IQ : Computer does not work without instruction.

 NO FEELING : Computer does not have emotions, knowledge, experience, feeling.

BIOS
It is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System and also known as the System BIOS, ROM
BIOS or PC BIOS).
It is non-volatile firmware used to perform hardware initialization during the booting process
(power-on startup), and to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs.

The BIOS is a computer chip on the motherboard like CMOS except that its purpose is to
communicate between the processor and other hardware components like the hard
drive, USB ports, sound card, video card, and more. A computer without a BIOS wouldn't
understand how these pieces of the computer work together.

When the computer first boots up, BIOS pulls information from the CMOS chip to understand
the hardware settings, time, and anything else that's stored in it.

Note: Firmware- is a specific class of computer software that provides the low-level control for the
device's specific hardware.
Runtime services for OS: Accesses the set of authorizations of a user, Gets information
about a file system, gets and sets date and time, power management;

 To find out how to access the BIOS please refer to your motherboard manual or
the manufacturer of your Computer.
  The system bios can usually be entered on boot, usually by pressing the F1, F2,
F8, F10 or DEL key. Make sure you save the settings before exiting

CMOS

CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) is the term usually used to describe the

small amount of memory on a computer motherboard that stores the BIOS settings.
It is battery powered. Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor, abbreviated as CMOS is a
technology for constructing integrated circuits
CMOS is sometimes referred to as Real-Time Clock (RTC), CMOS RAM, Non-Volatile RAM
(NVRAM), Non-Volatile BIOS memory, or complementary-symmetry metal-oxide-semiconductor
(COS-MOS)
It is a special kind of memory device that loses all its stored data almost instantly when voltage
is removed by battery removal.
Why semiconductors are used in computer?
electrons don't move as fast; recall that current is C/s, so slower carriers means you get less
current out per second.
Why silicon is used ?
Silicon is actually not the most optimal electronic material, but it is used instead of other
materials with better electronic properties because it is cheap and extremely abundant. In fact,
Si is the eighth most abundant element on earth.

transistor is a shortening of TRANSfer ResISTOR. A transistor is a

small, solid device capable of amplifying and switching electrical signals.

A transistor can perform a variety of useful electrical tasks because its

resistance (the ease with which an electrical current flows through it) can be
adjusted using a low-power control signal applied to one of a transistor's three
metallic terminals. The resulting change in resistance between the other two
terminals of the transistor—through one of which current enters the
transistor, leaving through the other—changes the current passed through the
transistor.
Mother board

A motherboard is one of the most essential parts of a computer system. It holds together
many of the crucial components of acomputer, including the central processing unit (CPU),
memory and connectors for input and output devices.
motherboards have a multilayer construction, which means they have more than twocopper
layers. The two dominant constituents of a printed circuit board are fibreglass – which provides
insulation – and copper, which forms the conductive pathways
PORT AND INTERFACES
In computer hardware, a port serves as an interface between the computer and other
computers or peripheral devices.
The port is where you plug in the physical cable connector. The interface is the software
representation of the physical port.

Port resides on layer 1 (physical layer) of the OSI model.

This layer defines the electrical and physical specifications for a device, such as copper or fiber media as well
as the voltages and the physical layout of pins for the connecting device such as twisted pairs, coaxial or
fiber cable.

The Interface resides at layer 2 of the OSI model, the Data Link layer. This layer defines the functional and
procedural method of transferring data between network devices.

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Expansion card
In computing, an expansion card is defined as a specific type of circuit board that is inserted into a
computer to provide extra features, facilities or memory. Expansion cards are inserted into an expansion
slot on the computer’s motherboard and create an electronic link between the two with edge connectors
so data can be communicated across.

Eg: Sound card,video card,modem

Sound card Also known as an audio card, this type of expansion card deals with everything to do with
sounds and audio signals within the computer that are under the control of programs on the computer.
This can include allowing applications on the computer to play music.

A video card is more often called a graphics card or display card, and is responsible for generating
images to a visual display such as a computer monitor or laptop screen.

Often called a Network Interface Card or LAN Adapter, a network card is an expansion card which allows
a computer to connect to a computer network such as a Local Area Network or Wide Area Network.

Ribbon cable
A ribbon cable (also known as multi-wire planar cable) is a cable with many conducting wires
running parallel to each other on the same flat plane. As a result the cable is wide and flat. Its name
comes from its resemblance to a piece of ribbon.[1]
Ribbon cables are usually seen for internal peripherals in computers, such as hard drives, CD
drives and floppy drives