Essential Computer Concepts

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Essential Computer Concepts

• Tutorial 1

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Describe the components of a computer system

• A computer system consists of much more than just
  a computer it also includes peripheral devices
  and software.
• The computer's physical components (such as the
  main circuit board and the motherboard) are
  referred to as hardware.
• The peripheral devices are additional components
  that are needed to accomplish input, output, and
  storage functions.
• Software refers to the intangible components of
  the computer system, such as the programs that
  the computer needs to perform specific tasks.

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A typical computer with input and output devices
This figure shows a typical computer system
configuration with some potential input and
output devices.
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Data is input, processed, stored, and output
This figure shows a typical processing cycle of
data. The user enters data via the keyboard, it
is processed by the CPU, it may be sent to
another workstation or to a printer, and it is
usually saved on a storage device.
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Compare the types of computers

• There are four basic types of computers
• Microcomputers
• Minicomputers
• Mainframes
• Supercomputers
• These classifications are based on size, speed,
  and cost.

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Which type of computer is used for what type of
processing?

• Microcomputers, or personal computers (PCs), come
  in several forms
• Desktop
• Tower
• Notebook
• Personal digital assistants (PDA)
• Minicomputers are larger than microcomputers, and
  have the capability of processing tasks for many
  users.
• A mainframe computer is larger and more powerful
  than a minicomputer and can handle many more
  users.
• Typically used for centralized storage,
  processing, and data management
• The supercomputer is the largest and fastest of
  all the computers and is used for high-volume
  computing tasks.

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Typical microcomputer types
This figure shows the various types of
microcomputers available today.
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Define microcomputer hardware in terms of input
and output devices

• Many components can make up the hardware for a
  microcomputer. Each type of component performs a
  different function.
• Input devices provide a method for inputting data
  and commands.
• Typical input devices include a keyboard, a
  mouse, or another pointing device.
• Output devices enable you to view the results of
  your work and the processing work of the
  computer.
• Typical output devices are monitors and printers.

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Typical input devices
This figure shows several devices used for
inputting data to the computer.
Keyboards Mouse Other pointing devices
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Define microcomputer hardware in terms of
processing and storage

• Processing hardware is the most critical
  component of a computer system.
• It includes the microprocessor (a silicon chip
  designed to manipulate data) and the memory that
  stores data and instructions.
• All of the data that is generated through your
  input or the computer's processing needs to be
  stored in a fashion that can later be retrieved.
• This is done through storage devices and media,
  such as magnetic storage devices (floppy disks
  and hard disk drives), tape drives, and optical
  storage devices (CD-ROM and DVD drives).

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Storage devices and RAM storage
Data is frequently transferred from a storage
device to RAM for processing, and transferred
back to the storage device after processing.
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Store data on a magnetic disk
This figure shows how data is stored on a
magnetic disk, be it a hard drive or a floppy
drive.
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An optical storage device
This figure shows the basic way in which data is
stored on an optical storage device.
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Examine data representation and the ASCII code

• A computer does not understand the characters
  that are used in human languages.
• A computer must represent every signal as either
  on (with a 1) or off (with a 0).
• These numbers are called binary digits or bits.
• A series of 8 digits is called a byte.

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How numbers appear in binary form
This table shows how various decimal numbers
would be represented in binary form.
Note that each number requires 8 bits, which
makes up one byte.
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Learn about ASCII code

• In ASCII code, which is commonly used by
  microcomputers, each byte represents a unique
  character (such as a letter, a number, or a
  typographical symbol).
• The storage capacity of the processor or storage
  hardware is represented as the number of bytes
  that the device can handle.
• These capacities are expressed in kilobytes (KB),
  megabytes (MB), or gigabytes (GB).

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How letters and symbols appear in ASCII code
format
This figure shows how several letters and symbols
would appear inside the computer when converted
into ASCII format.
Note that each character still requires one byte
(8 bits) of storage.
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Describe how peripheral devices are connected to
a microcomputer

• In order for peripheral devices to be useful,
  they must have a way of communicating data with
  the microprocessor.
• Each device has a port and a cable that connects
  into the computer (either externally or
  internally).
• These ports connect to a controller card that
  provides the electrical connection to the main
  computer board.

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Microcomputers use ports for input and output
operations

• There are several types of ports available with
  microcomputers
• USB
• Parallel
• Serial
• SCSI
• MIDI
• Each has different capabilities for data
  transmission, and each is designed to work with
  different peripheral devices.

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Identify microcomputer ports
This figure shows the various types of ports in
use on modern microcomputers. Notice that each
port requires a different connector format.
Sound Modem Video Card Ports Ports Port
Parallel Port Keyboard PS/2 Mouse USB Port DB-9
Serial Port Power cable DB-25 Serial Port
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Connect a printer to the computer
A printer must be connected to a computer port
before it can be used. It is connected via a
cable that has a connector on one end that fits
into the printer port. The other end has a
connector that fits into the computers port.
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Identify the hardware and software used to
establish a network connection

• A network enables you to share data and resources
  with others.
• A typical network configuration is a local area
  network (LAN), in which the computers and devices
  are located relatively close to each other.
• If a computer is connected to a network, it is
  referred to as a workstation.
• Each workstation requires a network interface
  card to create the communications channel between
  the network and the computer
• The computer workstation must also have network
  software to establish communications protocols
• Each device on the network is referred to as a
  node.

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A typical LAN configuration
This figure shows a typical network with several
workstations connected to a server, and a printer
connected to the network that can be accessed by
any workstation.
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Explain how Internet access, e-mail, and the
World Wide Web affectthe use of computers

• The Internet, which was originally developed for
  the government to connect researchers around the
  world who needed to share data, is the largest
  network in the world.
• It can be used to send messages from one user's
  computer to another - commonly called e-mail.
• It can also be used to access the World Wide Web
  - a huge database of information stored on
  network servers around the world.
• You can use a Web browser to search for and view
  the information available on any topic or to go
  to a specific location.

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A Web page on the World Wide Web
The variety of text, images, sounds, etc. that
can be displayed on the Internet, as well as the
format in which they appear, is virtually
limitless. This figure is an example of what one
page of one Web site looks like.
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Discuss the types of system software and their
functions

• The fundamental operations of your computer are
  managed by the system's software.
• There are four types of system software.
• Operating system software controls basic input
  and output, allocates system resources, manages
  storage space, maintains security, and detects
  equipment failure
• Utilities aid the operating system by taking over
  some of its responsibility for allocating
  hardware resources
• A device drive aids the computer in communicating
  with individual peripheral devices
• Computer programming languages are used by
  programmers to write computer instructions

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Software works with your hardware to perform
basic functions
Many of the components of the system software
work hand-in-hand with each other to assist you
in accomplishing your tasks. This figure shows
the operating system software working with the
word processing software in order to print a
document.
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Identify popular application software

• Application software (commonly referred to as a
  computer program) enables you to perform specific
  tasks with your computer.
• Some typical tasks are creating documents and
  spreadsheets, managing databases, and creating
  graphics and multimedia presentations.
• All of these applications have features and tools
  built into them that aid you in achieving the
  best results for the project on which you are
  working.

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Application software can be purchased and
installed
This figure shows a popular application software
product - Microsoft Office.
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A word processing application
This figure shows a typical window for a word
processing application program. In this case, the
red line underneath the word bigin indicates a
potential spelling error that was caught by the
program.
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A typical spreadsheet application
Spreadsheet application programs allow you to
organize data in a grid of rows and columns. The
data can be used in calculations and formulas.
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Use presentation software
Presentation software allows you to create slide
shows that can be shown via your computer.
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Describe how data is shared among different types
of application software

• The ability to use data created in one
  application in another application is one of the
  most powerful developments in the software
  industry.
• In the Windows environment, this is done through
  object linking and embedding (OLE).
• Embedding copies the source data from one
  application into a different application.
• The copy will remain in its new location
  regardless of what happens to the original
• Linking creates a continuous connection between
  original source data and the copied data.
• Whenever the source data is updated or changed,
  so too is the data in the linked application