Information Technology For CSEC® Examinations - Nodrm

Howard Campbell 2nd Edition
Information
Technology
for CSEC® Examinations
Online student resources

Log on to the Macmillan Caribbean website (www.macmillan-caribbean.com/mee) to
access additional online student resources that support this Information Technology for
CSEC® Examinations textbook. Resources include interactive questions, audio-based
activities, game-based vocabulary builders and a mark book to track your progress.
Access code:
CSIT2172858534973
Teacher resources
Teachers can log on to www.macmillan-caribbean.com/resources to find and utilise
ExamView® test banks, a valuable database of questions to create electronic and
paper based tests for use online and in the classroom to help build students’
confidence in preparation for the exams.
Information
Technology
for CSEC® Examinations 2nd Edition
Howard Campbell
CSEC® is a registered trade mark of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY for CSEC® EXAMINATIONS SECOND EDITION is an
independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved
by CXC.
Macmillan Education The author has asserted his rights to be identified as the author of
Macmillan Education The author has asserted his rights to be identified as the author of
Macmillan Education this work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents
4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW this work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents
4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW this work in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents
4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW Act 1988.
A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Act 1988.
A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited Act 1988.
A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
First published 2010
Companies and representatives throughout the world. First published 2010
First published 2010
Companies and representatives throughout the world. This edition published 2014
This edition published 2014
Companies and representatives throughout the world. This edition published 2014
www.macmillan-caribbean.com All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced,

www.macmillan-caribbean.com
www.macmillan-caribbean.com All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced,
ISBN 978-0-230-48336-1 AER All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced,
ISBN: 978-0-230-42694-8 AER stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or
Text © Howard Campbell 2014
otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
Design and illustration © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014
Design and illustration © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014
Design and illustration © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014 The Typeset by E Clicks Enterprise, Malaysia
author has asserted his rights to be identified as the author of Typeset by E Clicks Enterprise, Malaysia
Typeset by E Clicks Enterprise, Malaysia
Designed by Macmillan Education Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p41(b), Alamy/Pashkov Andrey
Designed by Macmillan Education
Designed by Macmillan Education Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p41(b), Alamy/Pashkov Andrey
Illustrated by TechType Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p41(b), Alamy/Pashkov Andrey
Illustrated by TechType p22(br), Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p23, Alamy/Ted Foxx
Illustrated by TechType p22(br), Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p23, Alamy/Ted Foxx
Cover design by Clare Webber p22(br), Alamy/Art Directors & TRIP p23, Alamy/Ted Foxx
Cover design by Clare Webber p39(a), Alamy/David Hancock p115(tcl), Alamy/Jiri Hera p8,
Cover design by Clare Webber p39(a), Alamy/David Hancock p115(tcl), Alamy/Jiri Hera p8,
Cover image by Corbis/JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images and p39(a), Alamy/David Hancock p115(tcl), Alamy/Jiri Hera p8,
Cover image by Corbis/JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images and Alamy/ D. Hurst p116(cl), Alamy/Brian Jackson p116(cr), Alamy/
Alamy/ D. Hurst p116(cl), Alamy/Brian Jackson p116(cr), Alamy/
Cover image by Corbis/JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images and Alamy/ D. Hurst p116(cl), Alamy/Brian Jackson p116(cr), Alamy/
Devon Shaw Konstantin Iliev p49(l), Alamy/ Image Source p116(tl), Alamy/
Picture research by Catherine Dunn Indigo Photo Agency p31(brc), Alamy/Christopher King p27(i),
Alamy/ Christopher King p17, Alamy/Marek Kosmal p31(blc),
The author and publishers would like to thank the following Alamy/ Christopher King p17, Alamy/Marek Kosmal p31(blc),
Alamy/ Christopher King p17, Alamy/Marek Kosmal p31(blc),
The author and publishers would like to thank the following Alamy/ Ilene MacDonald p115(tl), Alamy/ Oleksiy Maksymenko
Alamy/ Ilene MacDonald p115(tl), Alamy/ Oleksiy Maksymenko
The author and publishers would like to thank the following Alamy/ Ilene MacDonald p115(tl), Alamy/ Oleksiy Maksymenko
consultants and education professionals for their contribution to p38, Alamy/Nenov Brothers Photography p50(bc), Alamy/
consultants and education professionals for their contribution to p38, Alamy/Nenov Brothers Photography p50(bc), Alamy/
consultants and education professionals for their contribution to p38, Alamy/Nenov Brothers Photography p50(bc), Alamy/ Niels
this edition: Poulsen p39(c), Alamy/NUAGE p50(a), Alamy/Guy Primo
this edition: Niels Poulsen p39(c), Alamy/NUAGE p50(a), Alamy/Guy Primo
this edition: Niels Poulsen p39(c), Alamy/NUAGE p50(a), Alamy/Guy Primo
Consultants: Keith Burkette (St. Mary’s College, Trinidad and p115(bc), Alamy/Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert p115(tcr), Alamy/
Consultants: Keith Burkette (St. Mary’s College, Trinidad and p115(bc), Alamy/Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert p115(tcr), Alamy/
p115(bc), Alamy/Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert p115(tcr), Alamy/
Consultants: Keith Burkette (St. Mary’s College, Trinidad and Aleksandr Ugorenkov p31(bll), Alamy/Finnbarr Webster p22(bl),
Tobago), Gareth Byrne (UK) and Alan Wood (UK) Aleksandr Ugorenkov p31(bll), Alamy/Finnbarr Webster p22(bl),
Tobago), Gareth Byrne (UK) and Alan Wood (UK) Aleksandr Ugorenkov p31(bll), Alamy/Finnbarr Webster p22(bl),
Tobago), Gareth Byrne (UK) and Alan Wood (UK) Alamy/Westend61 GmbH p27(iv), Alamy/Shaun Wilkinson
Teachers: Jamaica: Huntley Anderson, Shawnette Dewar, Alamy/Westend61 GmbH p27(iv), Alamy/Shaun Wilkinson
Alamy/Westend61 GmbH p27(iv), Alamy/Shaun Wilkinson p49(r),
Kesha Teachers: Jamaica: Huntley Anderson, Shawnette Alamy/ ZUMA Press, Inc. p37(bl); Art Directors/Helene
p49(r), Alamy/ ZUMA Press, Inc. p37(bl); Art Directors/Helene
Dewar, Kesha p49(r), Alamy/ ZUMA Press, Inc. p37(bl); Art Directors/Helene
Teachers: Jamaica: Huntley Anderson, Shawnette Dewar, Kesha Rogers p129(bl); Howard Campbell p30(a); Corbis/Chris
Fraser, Meleseia Hawthorne, Janice Jones, Haidie Morant, Aggrie Rogers p129(bl); Howard Campbell p30(a); Corbis/Chris
Fraser, Meleseia Hawthorne, Janice Jones, Haidie Morant, Aggrie Rogers p129(bl); Howard Campbell p30(a); Corbis/Chris
Fraser, Meleseia Hawthorne, Janice Jones, Haidie Morant, Aggrie Collins p3(desktop), Corbis/ JLP/Jose L. Pelaez p232(c),
Osbourne; St. Vincent: Sherricea Burgin, Soyini Clarke-Palmer, Corbis/
Osbourne; St. Vincent: Sherricea Burgin, Soyini Clarke-Palmer, Collins p3(desktop), Corbis/ JLP/Jose L. Pelaez p232(c), Corbis/
Osbourne; St. Vincent: Sherricea Burgin, Soyini Clarke-Palmer, Collins p3(desktop), Corbis/ JLP/Jose L. Pelaez p232(c), Corbis/
Sheddie Conliff, Veneisha Daniel, Suzanna Leigertwood Ollivierre, Ocean p46(fig1), Corbis/Edward Rozzo p37(cl), Corbis/ Gonçalo
Michael Scott Silva/Demotix p41(c), Corbis/ Wavebreak Media LTD p35;
Special thanks to Channyatt Bullock-Ramsamooj, Ministry of Getty Images pp86, 232(b), Getty/AtomA p3(phone), Getty/
Getty Images pp86, 232(b), Getty/AtomA p3(phone), Getty/
Special thanks to Channyatt Bullock-Ramsamooj, Ministry of Getty Images pp86, 232(b), Getty/AtomA p3(phone), Getty/
Pawea Bartkowski p32(tl), Getty/Michael Bodmann p20, Getty/
Special thanks to Channyatt Bullock-Ramsamooj, Ministry of Pawea Bartkowski p32(tl), Getty/Michael Bodmann p20, Getty/
Education, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for facilitating a team Pawea Bartkowski p32(tl), Getty/Michael Bodmann p20, Getty/
Education, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for facilitating a team Keith Brofsky p116(c), Getty/Peter Dazeley pp34(blt), Getty/
Education, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, for facilitating a team Keith Brofsky p116(c), Getty/Peter Dazeley pp34(blt), Getty/
review. Keith Brofsky p116(c), Getty/Peter Dazeley pp34(blt), Getty/
review. Felbert+Eickenberg/STOCK4B p115(br), Getty/Maciej Frolow
review. Felbert+Eickenberg/STOCK4B p115(br), Getty/Maciej Frolow
The author and publishers would like to thank the following for Felbert+Eickenberg/STOCK4B p115(br), Getty/Maciej Frolow
The author and publishers would like to thank the following for p3(tablet), Getty/Halfdark p33(bl), Getty/Jetta Productions
p3(tablet), Getty/Halfdark p33(bl), Getty/Jetta Productions
The author and publishers would like to thank the following for p3(tablet), Getty/Halfdark p33(bl), Getty/Jetta Productions
permission to reproduce their photographs: p33(tl), Getty/Howard Kingsnorth p3(laptop), Getty/Stephen
permission to reproduce their photographs: p33(tl), Getty/Howard Kingsnorth p3(laptop), Getty/Stephen
permission to reproduce their photographs: p33(tl), Getty/Howard Kingsnorth p3(laptop), Getty/Stephen Krow
p27(ii), Getty/Ryan McVay p31(bl), Getty/Edgaras Marozas secondary storage differ? 14 How is storage capacity
Krow p27(ii), Getty/Ryan McVay p31(bl), Getty/Edgaras Marozas
measured? 14 Types of primary storage devices 16
Krow p27(ii), Getty/Ryan McVay p31(bl), Getty/Edgaras Marozas
pp32(b), 46(fig 2), Getty/Marek Mnich p31(lc), Getty/Greg Secondary storage media 18 Comparing secondary
pp32(b), 46(fig 2), Getty/Marek Mnich p31(lc), Getty/Greg storage media 23
pp32(b), 46(fig 2), Getty/Marek Mnich p31(lc), Getty/Greg
Nicholas p39(b), Getty/Neustockimages p130(tl), Getty/nullplus 3 Input and output devices 28 Data collection basics 29 Input,
Nicholas p39(b), Getty/Neustockimages p130(tl), Getty/nullplus
input devices and input media 29 Input devices in the
Nicholas p39(b), Getty/Neustockimages p130(tl), Getty/nullplus
p34(blb), Getty/Oktaydegirmenci p33(b), Getty/George Pchemyan home 31 Input devices in the retail trade 32 Output
p34(blb), Getty/Oktaydegirmenci p33(b), Getty/George Pchemyan devices 37
p34(blb), Getty/Oktaydegirmenci p33(b), Getty/George Pchemyan
p27(iii), Getty/Chris Pritchard p95, Getty/Rouzes p39(t), Getty/ 4 The Internet and communications technology 47 Data
p27(iii), Getty/Chris Pritchard p95, Getty/Rouzes p39(t), Getty/
communication and networks 48 The World Wide Web
p27(iii), Getty/Chris Pritchard p95, Getty/Rouzes p39(t), Getty/
Baris Simsek p48, Getty/Thinkstock Images p115(tr), Getty/Tsuji (WWW) 55 Communicating globally using network-based
Baris Simsek p48, Getty/Thinkstock Images p115(tr), Getty/Tsuji tools 57
Baris Simsek p48, Getty/Thinkstock Images p115(tr), Getty/Tsuji
p31(br); Macmillan Education pp36(t), p115 (bl); NPG- a 5 Data storage and manipulation 62 Number systems 63
p31(br); Macmillan Education pp36(t), p115 (bl); NPG- a
Binary addition 67 Binary subtraction 69 Representing
p31(br); Macmillan Education pp36(t), p115 (bl); NPG- a
division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd p58(cr); Science Photo integers 69 Storing text data 73
division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd p58(cr); Science Photo
division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd p58(cr); Science Photo
6 System programs and application programs 77 The
Library p51, Science Photo Library/CHASSENET p37(blt), difference between system programs and
Library p51, Science Photo Library/CHASSENET p37(blt),
applications programs 78 System software 78 Functions
Library p51, Science Photo Library/CHASSENET p37(blt),
Science Photo Library/DAVID PARKER p129, Science of an operating system 79 Processing modes 83
Photo Application programs 84
Science Photo Library/DAVID PARKER p129, Science Photo
Science Photo Library/DAVID PARKER p129, Science Photo 7 Information processing 91 Data, information and information
Library/MARTIN RIEDL p232(a); Superstock/Corbis p36(bl),
processing 92 Data: Sources, verification and validation
Library/MARTIN RIEDL p232(a); Superstock/Corbis p36(bl),
Library/MARTIN RIEDL p232(a); Superstock/Corbis p36(bl), 95 File organisation and access 100
SuperStock/Cusp pp33(a), 46(fig3), 128(tl); Thinkstock p108;
Theyummytruth.com – a great combination of eye-grabbing
imagery and easy-to-navigate functionality p58(cl).
These materials may contain links for third party websites. We 8 Data security 107 Introduction to data security 107 Common
vulnerabilities and threats 109 Data misuse 111 Protecting
These materials may contain links for third party websites. We
your computer system 114 Operational procedures 118
These materials may contain links for third party websites. We
have no control over, and are not responsible for, the contents of 9 The impact of ICT on jobs, skills and careers 124 The impact
have no control over, and are not responsible for, the contents of
have no control over, and are not responsible for, the contents of of Information Technology on jobs 124 Computer-related
such third party websites. Please use care when accessing them. professions 125 Career opportunities for hardware
such third party websites. Please use care when accessing
support
them.such third party websites. Please use care when professionals 125 Career opportunities related to the
accessing them. Internet 127 Career opportunities in IT-related industries
127 Computer applications in business and industry 127
Contents Computer-aided design 128 Computers in science and

technology 129 Computers in education 130 Computer
applications in recreation and
entertainment 131 Telework – telecommuting and
Page Finder v About this book vi Part 1: telemarketing 131
Theory
1 The computer system 2 What is a computer? 3 Categories of Part 2: Problem-solving and
computer systems 4 Components of a typical computer programming
system 6 Interpreting computer specifications 8 10 Problem-solving and program design 135 Introduction to
2 Primary and secondary storage 13 How do primary and problem-solving 136 BVI Boat Hire 137 Problem
partitioning (Creating an I-P-O chart) 137 Constants and languages 169 Levels of programming languages 170
variables 138 Data types 140 The concept of an algorithm Implementing a program: The five steps 171 Writing
140 Ways of representing algorithms 141 Developing programs in Pascal 173 Testing and debugging
algorithms to solve simple problems 145 techniques 183 Arrays 185
11 Program implementation 168 Generations of programming
iii
Part 3: Productivity tools 17 Information integration 336 Using data from Microsoft
Access in Microsoft Excel 336 Using data from Microsoft
12 Mastering word processing 195 Introduction to word
Excel in Microsoft
processing 196 Creating a document 199 Columns and
PowerPoint 338 Perform a mail merge using an external
tables 203 Working with graphics 206 Document editing
data source 338
208 Formatting 216
13 Mastering presentations 231 Presentations 232 Creating a
The School-Based Assessment
presentation 235
18 Mastering the School-Based Assessment 345
14 Mastering web page design 243 Introduction to web page
Requirements of the School-Based Assessment 345 Mark
design 244 Creating simple web pages 244 Creating and
allocation 346 Some tips to help you master the SBA 346
hosting your own website 248
Practice your way to a high SBA score 346 Key skills and
15 Mastering spreadsheets 250 Introduction to spreadsheets mark allocation 353
251 Features of spreadsheets 252 Creating and setting up
your workbook 254 Data extraction 279 Answers to multiple-choice questions 356
16 Mastering database management 292 Introduction to
databases 293 Creating and populating a database 295
Glossary 357 Index 363
iv
Page finder
nder gives you Syllabus sections
mber for all f

g
m
d n
, t
e
es from
o e s
g
n n o
a e
i i e a
a
on in the
s r g
t
v n b
l n h
l a i
g s s
®
Information
a a
a
e o
o
s t
n d
t i m
s
syllabus at
o p t
r
o r s a
t a
-
a n r i
n e n
ps.
o
t e
a
g f r D
e T b
P
m c
t a e
w i n p
e
C :
t s I
: c S
e o
m
n 8
f I
l r m
i :
e 3 g :
w
a e
o l e
b 7
5 p
d f n
s n
d n p g
i d
o m n
o
o
s d
n r o p a
n o
e n
d i
m i
i s r
P s t
u l
a t
o n
n t A
a e o
c c
F p n i
: a
a c
r c e
:
t n e
2 e o
W S
: g c S
m 4 m
i o o
e S
i
o e :
1 t r i
r n
a t
r S
n p 6
a o
n c
p a
i o
o i t
w i
t n
i l
n
d t
t c n
d
p o
e c e
r
n i
c
e g
a S t
a m
e s
S i
i
S
h c
s
e
e
r
e
S
p
d
s Objective 1 3 137 170 48 92 196 251 293

n
Objective 2 6 138 169 53 93 208 252 293

o
Objective 3 16 139 171 53 95 216 267 293

c
e
e
v
s
i
Objective 4 15 140 184 107 97 221 270 295
s
t
Objective 5 23 140 173 109 99 201 261 295

c
u
e
b
j
b
a
l
Objective 6 18 141 174 127 100 210 262 298
l
o
y
Objective 7 29 145 175 128 100 203 266 319
c
s
fi
e
Objective 8 37 157 180 126 216 267 302
i
Objective 9 63 159 185 125 215 259 313

h
t
e
i
Objective 10 8 183 338 262 313
S
i
Objective 11 78 172 213 274 321
w
(
Objective 12 80 201 279
Objective 13 83 232 276
Objective 14 84 233 282
Objective 15 80 235 282
Objective 16 236
Objective 17 236
Objective 18 236
Objective 19 239
Objective 20 237
Objective 21 237
Objective 22 239
Objective 23 239
Objective 24 244
Objective 25 244
Objective 26 246
Objective 27 247
Objective 28 247
v
About this book
This book isn’t just words on a page.
This book contains a range of different features to introduce, teach and highlight key
information throughout the course. These pages explain how to use them. The larger column
contains the main text and diagrams; you can read straight down it without interruption.
The smaller column contains other useful facts, so make sure you use it to check your
understanding. You should remember to spend time studying the fi gures and diagrams as well as
the text.
A list of objectives at the beginning of

more meaningfully and enhance your
knowledge integration. You can use
them
By the end of this chapter you should be able to:
each chapter tells you what topics you will defi ne what a computer is
be covering. They will help you to plan describe a general-purpose computer system
and measure your learning.
identify the major components that make up a typical
Concept map
computer system explain the function of the central
processing unit General-purpose
Computer Systems
explain the function of memory
explain the function of storage
explain the function of input and output devices
The concept maps represent knowledge interpret the hardware specifi cations of a computer system.
organisation visually to help you learn
as tools to help connect prior knowledge
with new information.
perform major
functions examples
include major components
disk
flash drives
storage CPU:
control unit
ALU
input/output devices
output
processing
input secondary storage:

CD-ROM
DVD
hard such as
general-purpose:
desktops
memory
cards
you to extend
laptops
notebooks
netbooks
smartphones
primary memory: ROM
output devices: printers
monitors input devices: keyboard
RAM speakers mouse
PROM multimedia projectors microphone
scanner
The expanded IT bar code readers
Portfolio now provides IT portfolio

more opportunities for
a Check out the computer lab at school (make sure to get permission from your teacher before
you do so); ask the following questions:
i Are the computers networked?
ii What types of cabling are used?
iii Is there a server?
iv Is the central connecting device a hub, switch or router?
and reinforce the v Is there Internet access?
knowledge and skills introduced throughout the chapter. Most of b Record your findings in your portfolio.
2 In this activity you will explore concepts related to Wi Fi and the Internet Conduct research (read
the activities involve fi eld or web-based investigations. books use search
Group activities
1 This is a small-group activity for 3–4 people.
a Each group member should collect at least TWO source documents generated in each of the
A wide assortment of following scenarios: • a classroom environment
game-based and • a home
• a micro or small business (ask the Principles of Business teacher at your school what this is)
real-world problems • a meeting of a sports team or co-curricular activity (Cadet, Key Club, etc.)
is presented for b Compare the documents collected from each area. Note their similarities and differences. c
small groups to complete. You and your classmates can improve Classify all the documents as either human-readable or machine- readable.
d Suggest which device(s) are ideal for reading the documents categorised as
on ideas as you share in fi nding solutions in an environment machine-readable. e Paste the documents in your portfolio and record your findings next to
where the group evaluates its own success. each of them.
1 This activity will explore the concepts related to data communications and networking.
(B) Storage
(C) Input
(D) O
currently being executed is:
This is the style of question you may come (A) arithmetic logic unit
across in your exam. Your teacher will (B) floppy diskette
(C) main memory
suggest how you can use them, but (D) secondary storage
they will measure what you have learnt
Examination-style questions Multiple-choice and help to identify any gaps in your 8 Which of the rows in the following table does NOT
contain the correct information?
questions knowledge so you can revisit the relevant
Computer Hardware
TEST BANK
sections of the book. specificatio component
Instructions: Each of the following questions has n
four suggested responses labelled (A), (B), (C) or
7 The component that stores the program and data
(D). Read each question carefully then select the
most suitable response.
1 ____________ is an area of a computer that
temporarily holds data that is waiting to be
processed, stored, or output. I lk d
(A) Memory
vi
There are a wide an important new word appears in the text, it is
variety highlighted at the side. Sometimes a short defi
of activities to nition is given in the main text. An in-depth
complete so explanation is provided in the glossary at the
that you can reinforce back of the book.
and
extend your knowledge
and
skills that are covered in
each chapter. 8 • Data security
8 • Data security
The fi rst time

be supplied to access a resource. Passwords and usernames can be
used so that only authorised users can log on to the system. In a
secure system each individual user or group of users will be
allocated privilege to access only the files and resources they need to
perform their jobs.
Operational procedures Summary

Activity 8.4 Log on to FirstCaribbean International bank’s website Grandfather, father and son.
at www.cibcfcib.com, then search for ‘Improving your own security’. Read Grandfather: backup of the system from 2 weeks ago
some of the important steps that Father: last week’s backup
you can take to protect yourself online. Son: this week’s backup.
Next week all the backups are older so the father becomes the grandfather,
the son becomes the father, and a new son backup is created.
archive ❯
Archiving data
Sign in to Online Banking
An archive comprises the files created or received by an institution or
User ID: organisation during the course of routine business that are stored because of
Password: their value.
Sign In >
Depending on the nature of the data, some companies may archive data
Figure 8.12 Passwords are a sequence monthly, others quarterly or annually. These files are usually stored on
of letters, numbers and special removable media such as DVDs or magnetic tapes and kept in a secure
characters that must location. Files in an archive will be kept for a period of time and then
destroyed. practice to copy data to another storage device or media. internal consistency of the data stored in a database.
Adopting a regular backup system such as the Grandfather-Father-Son • Physical access restrictions can prevent unauthorised personnel from
System means that if disaster should strike the organisation can recover damaging the computer hardware. • Access to IT systems can be restricted
almost all of its data quickly and business can continue as usual. It is by requiring all legitimate users to input a valid username and password
important to keep each generation of backup separate from the rest. The before being able to gain access to the system.
Figure 8.11 Windows Firewall is implemented as a software-only file son can be kept in the computer room, the father in a fireproof cabinet and
• A firewall acts as a barrier between a computer system and an external
security mechanism and is a component of the operating system. the grandfather in another building. For a fast-moving business backups network.
may be taken every day rather than every week. If a hard disk drive fails the
• Encryption, overwrite protection, password, and making a file read-only
ITQ15 most recent backup, the son, can be used to restore the data. In the event of
access are mechanisms that may be used to help maintain file integrity.
List THREE potential threats to a backup media? a fire in the computer room destroying the son backup and the computer
system, the father backup can be used to restore the company data. In the • Individual files can be protected using encryption techniques that require
worst case, a whole building may be flooded but the grandfather backup can the reader to have a correct password to decrypt the file.
still be used to restore the data. • Viruses, Trojans and worms are malicious program that may infect and do
A backup is a safety copy of files that can be used to recover data in case of an event harm to a computer system and its data; up-to-date antivirus software can
that causes data damage or loss.
• Data security is all about identifying and assessing computer security
risks. protect computer systems from virus attacks.
Backing up data
• A computer security risk is any event, action or situation – intentional or • Computer fraud involves the use of computers to illegally obtain money,
It is unwise to rely on a single storage device for storing important data. The not – that could lead to the loss of computer systems and the data they goods or services. There are many types of computer fraud including
device and the data it contains may fall prey to one of the accidental or contain. identity theft, credit card fraud, electronic eavesdropping and surveillance.
deliberate actions or events mentioned earlier. To safeguard data, it is good
• Data integrity is concerned with ensuring the accuracy, completeness and
accidental deletion or computer fraud whereas an archive comprises the files created, received and accumulated
(a) (b)
• Backups are copies of files that can be restored in the event that the original files are lost through hardware failure, over time and retained for historical use.
failure caused by intermittent power
outages causes partial data loss; (b)
hard disk failure caused by a power
surge causes total data loss; (c) laptop
containing the data is stolen from a
parked motor vehicle; (d) the file with
the data is copied by an unauthorised
person without the knowledge of the
owner; (e) an employee copies data
from the file for his/her personal use.
ITQ2 (a) The file containing the credit card details OR the file containing the
student’s assignment. (b) The file with credit card details may have been
accidentally selected and copied to the USB drive; the file with the assignment
Figure 8.13 (a) The may have been intentionally copied to the USB flash drive by the accounting
Backup or Restore tool is one of the Windows operating system accessories. (b) clerk. (c) Any reasonable explanation consistent with the answer in (b).
A user may choose what to back up and also what device to store the data on.
118 119
Answers to ITQs
ITQ1 The following are SOME possible situations: (a) hard disk
the ITQ, you should help with cross referencing.

refresh your Suggested
knowledge by answers to
The re-reading the the In-Text
relevant Questions
paragraphs in the will allow
main text. you to
Answers to the assess yourself.
smaller column can ITQs are found at
contain key facts. It is the end of each
good practice to spend Where you see this icon, you will chapter.
time reading this column ITQ1
as well as the main text so fi nd an In-Text Question (ITQ). Each image
Summaries of the key facts from
that you don’t miss any has a
These are spread throughout each each module will help you check
important information. caption and
chapter and will help you to check your understanding.
a fi gure
your progress. If you can’t answer
number to
vii
1 The
computer
system
computer system.
By the end of this chapter you

should be able to:
defi ne what a computer is
describe a general-purpose computer

system
identify the major components that make up
a typical computer system explain the

function of the central processing unit
Concept map
explain the function of memory
explain the function of storage General-purpose

Computer Systems
explain the function of input and output
devices
interpret the hardware specifi cations of a
perform
major
functions include major components
examples
CPU: control unit ALU
storage
input/output devices
secondary storage:
CD-ROM
output DVD
processing
hard disk
flash
drives such as
input
general-purpose:
memory cards
desktops
ROM printers
RAM monitors
PROM
laptops
notebooks
netbooks input devices:
smartphones keyboard
speakers mouse
multimedia microphone
projectors scanner
bar code readers
primary memory: output devices:
2
1 • The computer system
What is a computer?
The computer has become an indispensable tool in the world of work and play.
Organisations depend on them for communication, document preparation,
record keeping, and a host of other tasks. Whether at school, home or the library,
students use laptops, netbooks and tablets to access interactive content online,
play educational games and conduct research. Computers are also widely used for
leisure activities such as reading, playing games, watching movies and engaging
with friends on different social media platforms (such as Facebook and Twitter).
Figure 1.1 As computer technology has advanced, larger cumbersome machines have made way for lightweight
desktop and laptop computers and today we see a wide range of handheld computers in the form of Kindles, tablets
and smartphones.
Activity 1.1 1 Copy the following table to your notebook.
Application How is it used
area
Business
Education
Leisure
2 Visit the website of Apple Inc. (www.apple.com) and browse through the
product offerings.
3 In your notebook, complete the table by making a list of one product from each
category that is of interest to you.
Figure 1.2 QR Code for Apple Inc. website.
• A student studying in Scotland uses her
computer ❯ magicJack phone service to call her relatives
A computer is a machine capable of in the Caribbean.
executing instructions on data. Consider the • A parent receives an SMS (text) message
following ways in which computers are now from her child’s school advising that the
used to communicate on an everyday basis. child’s Easter term report is available for
• A homeowner directs his web browser to his viewing online. • One smartphone user sends
home security provider’s website and makes a WhatsApp message to three of her friends to
changes to the settings of his home security confirm the details of their movie date.
system whilst travelling overseas.
3
• An international business traveller gets a text message from the car rental
company the minute he steps off the airplane to advise him of the location
of his assigned car.
These days, most computing devices are connected to the Internet and
common household appliances such as television sets and refrigerators are
web-enabled. Computers are all around us and are an indispensable part of
modern life.
Activity 1.2 Describe ONE scenario in which computers may be used by EACH of the
following people for record keeping or document preparation.
organisation’s front desk
1 A form 5/grade 11 student
5 A FedEx package delivery
preparing an SBA (School-based
person 6 A dentist
assessment) 2 A primary school
teacher 7 A world-famous
entertainer 8 A
3 A school principal
professional athlete
4 The receptionist at an
A computer system may be categorised as either a
general-purpose or a special purpose computer based
on the extent of its capabilities.
A general-purpose computer consists of hardware
and software suitable for undertaking a wide range of
tasks.
A special-purpose computer is one which performs a
small range of tasks and contains features uniquely
designed for use in a particular industry or application.
Industry experts further classify computing devices into
categories such as those listed in Table 1.1. These
categories tend to change over time. For example, we
computer system ❯ have excluded minicomputers as these are no longer in
use. A computer categorised in one category today
may have to be placed in a new category 10 years
later. A computer’s size, speed, processing power and
price determine the category it best fits into.
Special-purpose Gene
general-purpose computer ❯ special-purpose computer ❯ computers
When we browse the web, play games or update our

Facebook status, do we give any thought to what this
• Embedded computers
wonderful machine is, or how it works? Computers have
• Game consoles
been programmed to carry out a series of logical and
• E-readers
mathematical operations. The way in which they carry out
these operations has changed over time, but, ITQ1
fundamentally, the computer always accepts input from Which ONE of the categories listed in
you (the user), does something and then shows you the Table 1.1 has the (a) LEAST processing
results. So, if you input www.facebook.com into a web • Mobile devices
browser’s address bar, the computer processes this • Mobile computers (laptops, netbooks,
information by locating and retrieving the home page of ultrabooks and tablets) • Desktop-based
that website and outputting the results to the screen when personal computers
it opens the page. Input, process, output – simple! • Servers
A computer system is a complete computer • Mainframes
installation including hardware, software, users, • Supercomputers
procedure and data.
Categories of computer systems

general-purpose computers.
power and (b) MOST processing power?
Table 1.1 Special-purpose and
4
Activity 1.3 1 Revisit the website of Apple Inc.

devices that you identified in Activity 1.1. Place the
images in your portfolio.
3 Copy and complete the following table.
Product Ge
description (G)
Spe
(S)
ITQ2
ITQ1
List TWO OTHER consumer devices that are likely to
contain an embedded computer.
2 Download and save the images of EACH of the four
Regardless of size, speed and processing power, all
general-purpose computer systems solve problems by
getting some input, doing some processing and producing
some output. These four functions are explained in
Table1.2 and is also summarised in the block diagram
shown in Figure 1.4.
General-purpose computer systems
Figure 1.3 A typical desktop computer

system.
later use.
Output Data and information are retrieved from memory
and/or storage and presented to the end user via one or
more output devices (such as a monitor or printer).
Table 1.2 Major functions of general-purpose computer

systems.
Figure 1.4 Block diagram showing relationship amongst

functions of a computer system.
Input Designated components (input devices) accept
input (from a human user or another device) and convert data information
INPUT PROCESSING OUTPUT
it in a form (digital) suitable for processing.
Processing The microprocessor (CPU) performs one or data/information data/information
more designated operations (such as a multiplication) on
the digital data, and in the process making it more STORAGE
meaningful for the use intended.
Storage Data and the information produced are saved for
5
Activity 1.4 1 Locate an unlabelled, full-colour picture of a general-purpose computer system.

2 If the picture is in a magazine, cut it out; if it is in a digital format, make
a printout.
3 Paste the picture in your notebook in the centre of a new page; we will label it later.
Special-purpose computer systems

Game consoles, embedded computers and e-readers are three of the more
common types of special-purpose computer systems. The Nintendo Wii and
Sony PlayStation 3 are two of the more popular games consoles. Embedded
computers are included in devices such as automated teller machines,
microwave ovens and home security systems. Amazon’s Kindle and the Nook
by Barnes and Noble are two popular e-book readers.
Components of a typical computer system

A typical computer system includes four major hardware components, all
included in a case, the box that holds all the parts of a computer. These are
listed alongside their functions in Table 1.3.
All the components listed in the table are known as hardware components.
The control unit fetches, decodes and
executes instructions stored in
Central processing
memory after which the arithmetic
unit (CPU) (also known as processor
logic unit performs calculations on the
or
data in memory.
microprocessor)
Stores data, instructions and the
Main memory (also known as
results being processed by the CPU.
immediate access storage)
Consists of the control unit and ALU.
Secondary storage Stores data, instructions and the results of processing
on a permanent basis. Examples include flash
drives, memory cards,
DVDs and hard drives.
Input and output devices Accepts input from and gives output to the user.
Examples of input devices are the keyboard,
mouse and scanner. Examples of
output devices are flat panel displays, speakers and printers.
Table 1.3 Functions of major hardware components of general-purpose
computer systems.PROCESSOR
CONTROL data
UNIT information
ARITHMETIC
LOGIC UNIT
(ALU)
instructions
MEMORY OUTPUT
INPUT
storage devices are temporary storage information
data
in constant location whilst the
communication with computer is in information
STORAGE
Figure 1.5 The CPU, each other; memory operation. DEVICES
instructions
input, output and serves as a DEVICES DEVICES
data
6
A peripheral device is any hardware component
that is connected to and controlled by a computer,
hardware ❯ but is external to its CPU.
We will now explore each of the four major
peripheral device ❯
components in a little more detail. DVD drive
Hardware are the physical parts of the computer

system and include peripherals and core
architecture components such as the CD-ROM drive
motherboard, power supply, processor and
memory.
power supply
monitor
motherboar
mouse
d floppy disk
keyboard
hard disk drive
ITQ4
ITQ1
State TWO functions of EACH of the components of the
CPU.
Figure 1.6 The primary input device is a keyboard and the
primary output device is a monitor. The system unit
contains the CPU, main memory and secondary storage
devices (CD-ROM, DVD and hard disk drives). The CPU
central processing unit (CPU) ❯ processor ❯ and main memory are both attached to the motherboard
which is enclosed in the system unit and so are not
usually visible from the outside.
ITQ3
ITQ1
In some ways a person is like a computer, with the brain
being the CPU. (a) What parts of the body act as input The central processing unit
devices and output devices? (b) List TWO other hardware
The central processing unit (CPU), also called the
components that are likely to be attached to a computer
processor, interprets and carries out the basic instructions
system used in a school.
that operate a computer. A processor contains a control
unit and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), both of which work
Arithmetic logic unit •P
to perform processing. The processor is usually housed on
e
a chip (as pictured in Figure 1.7). In personal computers,
a
mobile devices and gaming devices the CPU is popularly
•
referred to as a microprocessor because of its small size.
ch
Component
Control unit
Table 1.4 Functions of a CPU.
7
1 • The computer system ITQ1
Suggest ONE non-visual format by which an output device
may provide output or feedback to an end user.
Figure 1.7 The underside of a pinless microchip that

houses a CPU unit has hundreds of tiny contacts that
electrically contact with the pins on the motherboard.
main memory ❯
Main memory
immediate access storage ❯ Like humans, computers are equipped with both short- and
long-term memory.
ITQ5 Main memory is the space within a computer where data
ITQ1 and information is stored while being actively worked on.
State THREE specific functions of main memory. Main memory is also known as immediate access
storage and is installed in computers as RAM (random
secondary storage❯ access memory). We discuss main memory in more detail
in the next chapter. Main memory has two main functions:
1 it stores data;
2 it stores program instructions.
ITQ6 Secondary storage

ITQ1 The long-term storage needs of computers are met by
In addition to program instructions, list TWO OTHER secondary storage, also known as backing storage,
categories of items that may be stored in secondary mass storage or storage.
storage. Secondary storage has two main functions:
1 it holds data, instructions and information permanently;
2 it serves as a storage area for data and instructions that
may be needed by the processor during a current
ITQ7 processing activity.
For example, a USB flash drive (secondary storage) may components that accept data for processing. Output
store a photograph (data) as well as a photo-editing devices such as speakers and printers provide users with
program (instructions). While the photograph is being the information produced by a computer system.
edited, the computer, acting under instructions from the
control unit, may store a temporary work file on the flash Interpreting computer specifications
drive. When the photo-editing activity is complete, the
Computer systems vary in many different ways. It is
edited photograph (information) will be saved to the flash
important to understand what the various acronyms such
drive and may be kept for a very long time.
as DDR, HDD and RPM mean. Also, you need to
Input/Output (I/O) devices understand what the numbers mean – a bigger number
does not always mean your computer system will perform
Data originates in many forms (text, pictures and sounds) better! Table 1.5 will help to explain some common
but can only be processed and stored in a form that makes specifications.
sense to a digital computer. Input devices such as
keyboards, microphones and scanners are hardware
8
NGS Platinum What the specifications mean
Performance Series
PPS – 1504
Notebook Computer
CPU Intel® Pentium® • Intel® – Manufacturer

type and Dual Core T4200 • Pentium® – CPU type
speed (2.0 GHz/800 MHz • Dual Core – CPU has two processors on one microchip
FSB/1 MB cache) • T4200 – CPU model number
• 2.0 GHz – clock speed of processor (2,048 GHz)
• 800 MHz – speed or frequency at which the data on the motherboard
moves; determines how fast the memory and CPU run
• 1 MB cache – very fast on-processor memory; improves performance of
CPU as it interfaces with memory (that, at a speed of 800 MHz, is 2½
times slower than the processor)
Memory 2 GB Shared Dual • 2 GB – memory capacity

capacity Channel DDR2 at • Shared – video/display system uses some of this memory
, type 800 MHz • Dual Channel DDR2 – memory type
and • 800 MHz – memory speed
speed
Hard 500 GB SATA • 500 GB – hard drive capacity

drive Hard Drive (5400 • SATA – device interface
capacity RPM) • 5400 RPM – speed at which the disk platters rotate; the bigger the number
, the faster the access time
speed
Table 1.5 Interpreting computer specifications.
Summary
• A computer may be either general-purpose or special-purpose.
• All general-purpose computers usually comprise four major components: CPU, main memory,
secondary storage and input/output devices.
• Computer systems carry out four major functions: input, processing, output and storage.
• The central processing unit (CPU) interprets and carries out the basic instructions that operate
a computer; it contains a control unit and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), both of which work
together to perform processing. • The control unit directs and coordinates the operations in the
computer; the ALU performs arithmetic, comparison and other operations.
• Computers operate on the machine (fetch–execute) cycle. They fetch the instructions of a
program and execute each instruction in turn.
• Main memory stores data being processed by the CPU, data being retrieved from secondary
storage and data being transferred in and out of the computer via I/O devices.
• Secondary storage holds data, instructions and information that are not currently being
processed by the CPU. • Input devices facilitate the entry of data and instructions whereas output
devices produce the results of processing.
speaker.
ITQ4 Control unit: (a) fetches
Answers to ITQs ITQ1 (a) mobile devices; (b) instructions from main memory;
supercomputers. (b) decodes instructions fetched from main memory. ALU:
ITQ2 (a) DVD player, digital photo (a) performs arithmetic operations (b) performs
frame; (b) microwave, home security comparison-type operations. ITQ5 (a) store operating
system. system programs (b) store program
instructions (c) store data being processed by the CPU.
ITQ3 (a) The eye, ear and skin
act as input whereas the mouth act ITQ6 (a) data; (b) results of processing (information).
as output; (b) Mouse, microphone, ITQ7 Audible output (sound).
9
IT portfolio
1 Sketch a picture of a desktop computer system you frequently use at home or school or the one you researched in
Activity 1.4. Correctly label the system unit and all attached peripherals. Place the completed sketch in your portfolio.
2 Visit an office, perhaps the school office, and find out about the ways computers are used there. Record the results in
your portfolio.
3 Think about solving a jigsaw problem. Record the inputs, the outputs and the processing in your portfolio.
4 Get hold of a calculator and try the example 5 + 8. Think carefully about what keys you press and what the processor
does in response to your input. Try
5 + 8 – 2. Do you think the processor remembered all three numbers or did it work out the answer to the addition
before going on to the subtraction? Record your thoughts in your portfolio.
5 Interview family and friends and find out the clock speed of their computers. Record the details in your portfolio under
the headings Computer Model, Clock Speed. Hint: if you are using a Windows-based computer, go to Start, All
Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information to view this information.
Group activities
1 This activity is for groups of 4–5 students. Each group member is to interview at least three other group members to find
out how they use their computer systems for entertainment. Record these answers in your portfolio. Do any of the
responses surprise you? If so, explain why in your portfolio.
2 This activity is for groups of 3–4 students. Each member of the group is to roll a die (or pair of dice) and the member with
the highest score is to be the group leader. Conduct research and create a list of areas in which robots are used in
life-threatening situations. The group leader is to assign each member a topic at random. (Hint: place the topics on slips
of paper in a box.) Conduct further research and prepare a 3-minute presentation for the rest of the group. Make sure
that you show pictures or videos of the robot in action!
3 This is a group activity for up to six people. This game is called What Am I?
a All members: compare birthdays and select as group leader the member whose birthday is farthest away. b
Group leader: On different slips of paper, write each of the six types of general-purpose computers discussed
earlier.
c Each member: Select one slip of paper and write three clues describing the identity of that particular general
purpose computer.
d Group leader: Determine the order of the players.
e Each member: When instructed by the leader, read your first clue and field answers from the other group
members. If no correct response is received, give the next clue. Continue this process until a group member
answers correctly or until all three clues are read.
4 This group activity will allow students to demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative
products and processes using technology.
Research how the local police service in your country as well as their counterparts in North America, Europe and
Asia currently access information whilst in the field. Summarise the state of knowledge about a challenge related to
that topic. Analyse existing knowledge and develop an innovative method of accessing information in the field
using tablets and wireless technology. Discuss the feasibility of implementing this method of information access in
your country.
10
1 • The computer system (D) ATA
6 What is a computer’s main internal backing store?
Examination-style questions (A) CD-ROM
TEST BANK (B) ROM
(C) hard disk
Multiple-choice questions (D) processor
Instructions: Each of the following questions has four 7 The component that stores the program and data
suggested responses labelled (A), (B), (C) or (D). currently being executed is:
Read each question carefully then select the most (A) arithmetic logic unit
suitable response. (B) floppy diskette
1 ____________ is an area of a computer that temporarily (C) main memory
holds data that is waiting to be processed, stored, or (D) secondary storage
output.
8 Which of the rows in the following table does NOT
(A) Memory contain the correct information?
(B) Storage
(C) Input Computer Hardware component
(D) Output specification
2 The microprocessor’s ____________ unit fetches each I 2.4 GHz Clock speed
instruction.
(A) instruction II 2 GB DDR Memory speed and
(B) integrated type
(C) circuit
(D) control 500 GB Hard drive capacity
3 Which of the following is likely to have the LEAST III
processing power?
5,400 RPM Hard drive speed
(A) game consoles
I
(B) mobile computers
V
(C) mobile devices
(D) servers
4 In what order do ICT systems deal with data?
(A) process, input, output (A) I and II
(B) input, output, process (B) II ONLY
(C) input, process, output (C) II and III
(D) input, process, save. (D) IV ONLY
5 The ____________ is dedicated to perform arithmetic 9 Specialised computer hardware can be used for home
operations, such as addition and subtraction. (A) entertainment. Which one of the following is NOT
CPU specialised gaming hardware?
(B) CU (A) Wii
(C) ALU (C) Xbox
(B) PlayStation
(D) Super Mario Cart Computers only store small amounts of
information whereas books store a large amount
10 Carefully consider the following statements about
of information.
printed books and netbook-type computers. Which of
(A) I and III ONLY
these statements are UNTRUE?
(B) II and III ONLY
I A computer and a netbook both store (C) II and IV ONLY
information. (D) I, II and IV ONLY
II Books are portable, netbooks are not. III
Computers are programmable, books are not. IV
11
Structured questions
1 The diagram in the following fi gure illustrates the b For EACH place identifi ed in part 4a, describe
major hardware components of a computer system. TWO tasks that a computer system might be used
for in that environment. [8] c State TWO other
industries or places where
Sends data to CPU B: within the next 2–3 years. [2] 5

A:
General-purpose computer systems are
computers are likely to be used becoming
Receives data from CPU
increasingly popular in homes. At the same time, more
Fetches and for future use

decodes F:
instructions
Performs
C:
calculations
Stores D:
programs
currently in use G:
E: people are opting to work from home.
State TWO ways that a home PC might
be used to:
Stores data/instructions
a do offi ce-related tasks; [2] b do
school-related tasks; [2] c 6 Computers are binary devices, the are binary devices’. [2] b Expand the
communicate with the outside world. ‘brain’ of which is a CPU. acronym CPU. [1] c Name the TWO
[2] components of the CPU. [2]
a Explain the statement ‘computers
in part 6c. [4] e Briefl y describe the relationship
a Name EACH component labelled A–G in the between the components named in part 6c. [3] 7 The
above fi gure. [6] b State TWO examples of the type of execution of a program by a computer involves a number
device that may be used at EACH of the locations of components and processes.
labelled: i A [1] ii B [1] iii F [1] c State whether data,
a Briefl y describe the machine cycle (also known
information or instructions fl ow from the component G
as the instruction cycle or fetch and execute
to E. Justify your answer. [2] 2 A general-purpose
cycle). [2]
computer system is said to have four major functions.
b Explain the role of EACH of the following
a Describe what a general-purpose computer components in the machine cycle.
system is. [1] b List the FOUR major functions of a i secondary storage [2] ii main memory [2] iii
general purpose computer system. [4] input/output devices [2]
3 Computers are made up of different components and 8 Consider the following specifi cations for a computer
the names of the components are often written as system:
acronyms. Write the meaning of EACH of the following
Line1: 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5-2467M
computer acronyms and state ONE function that is
processor (1.60 GHz)
performed by the component identifi ed.
Line 2: 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 1333MHz
a ALU [1] b CPU [1] c CU [1] d RAM [1] Line 3: 128GB Solid State Drive
4 General-purpose computers are used in a number of Line 4: Silver Anodized Aluminium and 13.3’ HD
(720p) Truelife WLED Display
places to accomplish a wide variety of tasks. a List
Line 5: 1.3MP HD Webcam
FOUR places where a general-purpose
a Which line number refers to EACH of the
computer system is likely to be utilised on a day
following components
to-day basis. [4]
i Secondary storage [1] ii RAM [1] iii CPU [1]
b What is the size of the display? [1] c What is the
speed of the processor? [1] d What is the speed of
the memory? [1]
12
d State TWO functions of EACH component named
2 Primary
and
secondary storage
megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes outline the
functions of primary storage devices such as
By the end of this chapter you should bistables, ROM, RAM, PROM and EPROM
be able to:
outline the uses of primary storage devices
defi ne what primary and secondary storage are
correctly use terms that are associated with
differentiate between primary and secondary
storage devices such as read/ write head, tracks,
storage sectors, buffers, cylinders, access time, device
interface and direct access
manipulate units of storage: bits, bytes, kilobytes,
Concept
identify common secondary storage media such
as magnetic tape, diskette, hard disk, optical
map
disks, fl ash drive and fl ash memory cards Storage
compare common secondary storage media with

respect to portability, speed and capacity.
may be differ
in terms of
primary memory: bistable
devices ROM
RAM
types has is
measured in include
PROM
EPROM
secondary storage method of access

speed capacity portability
flash memory: optical media: CD storage: bit

specifications random
flash drives byte
DVD SATA
memory megabyte
interfaces: IDE SCSI direct sequential
cards units of
speed
magnetic media:
gigabyte
capacity
magnetic tape read/written
floppy disk
hard disks
using
data
terabyte
laser
is read using is organised using
read/write head
tracks cylinders sectors

may be
fixed moving
2 • Primary and secondary storage
In Chapter 1 we discussed how CPU and main memory work together to

execute instructions, aided by storage. There are several different types of
storage in a computer system. We will explain the purpose of each type and
outline their function and use in the smooth operation of your computer.
Understanding the functions and uses of storage will help you in the selection
of the most appropriate media to meet a particular storage requirement. Using
suitable storage will help to reduce the possibility of losing your precious data.
How do primary and secondary storage differ?

ITQ1
Explain why a computer system needs both primary and
secondary storage. storage device ❯
storage medium ❯
primary storage ❯
retains the stored information (such as the magnetic
material on the surface of a hard drive). Primary and
secondary storage differ in a number of ways, as described
in Table 2.1.
Characteristic Primary Secondary

Capacity Relatively
(generally
Cost Relatively
Function Stores da
instructio
processe
Portability Not port
Speed Fast in re
processo
Read/Write Some de
capability limited w
Table 2.1 The differences between primary and secondary

storage devices.
We will discuss primary and secondary storage devices in

more detail later. In the next section we will explore the
bit ❯ units used to measure storage capacity and how to
byte ❯ manipulate these units.
Computers depend on two types of storage to meet their
data storage needs. To meet these needs, computers are
equipped with: How is storage capacity measured?
• (short-term) primary storage devices such as RAM, ROM Digital data is stored and transferred from one hardware
and EPROM; and • (long-term) secondary storage devices component to another during its transformation. We
such as flash drives, DVDs and hard drives. therefore need to have standard and reliable ways to
measure data storage and transfer.
Primary storage is the computer’s main memory that
consists of the random access memory (RAM) and Digital data is stored as binary values – zeros and ones –
read-only memory (ROM), both of which are directly and the capacity of data storage containers is measured in
accessible by the CPU. In addition to ROM and RAM, there bytes and its multiples. A bit is a binary digit, taking a value
are other primary storage devices. of either 0 or 1.
A byte is a collection of eight bits that is referenced as a
A storage device is any optical, magnetic or memory-style
device capable of information storage functions in a single unit. One byte of data is required to store a
computer system. character such as A, x or $.
A storage medium is the material in a storage device that
14
location and manipulated by the processor in one
instruction cycle.
word ❯ The word size is the number of bits that make up a word.
For example, the AMD Turion™ 64 processor manipulates
word size ❯ an 8-byte word and, as such, has a word size of 64.
Megabyte and gigabyte are popular units used to measure
storage capacities
ITQ2 Briefly explain the relationship between a byte and a word.
ITQ1
A word is a group of two or more bytes that is stored in one

Table 2.2 Large units for measuring storage capacities.
Manipulating units of storage

Example 2.1 A storage device is capable of holding
ITQ3 1,048,576 bytes of data. How many 0.5 MB pictures can
ITQ1 such a device hold?
An old 30-pin memory module was capable of providing Since 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes
one byte at a time to the CPU. A 32-bit machine would Therefore 0.5 MB = 1,048,576 × 0.5
require four of these to work together as a single ‘bank’. = 524,288 bytes
Explain why this is so. # pictures = capacity of device / size of picture
nowadays. Both of these are used to describe the storage = 1,048,576 bytes / 524,288 bytes
capacities of primary storage devices as well as secondary = 2
storage media. The device can hold two pictures of size 0.5 MB each.
Table 2.2 shows the relationship among the various
measurement units. Example 2.2 Nutcracker Gadget Store has some files
stored on thousands of a particular type of magnetic
device, DEVICE A. They plan to transfer the contents from
Name (Symbol) Binary Number of bytes the batch of DEVICE A to a single DEVICE B for
safekeeping. The capacity of each DEVICE A is 1.44 MB.
m
The capacity of DEVICE B is 4.0 GB. Assuming that each
DEVICE A is full to capacity, determine approximately how
many of these devices can be processed for transfer to
kiloby KB DEVICE B. Since 1 GB = 1,024 MB Capacity of DEVICE B
te in megabytes = 4.0 × 1,024
= 4,096 MB
# of DEVICE A that may be transferred = 4,096 MB / 1.28
mega MB MB = 3,200
byte
Example 2.3 A student has written an essay for a history
gigab GB school-based assessment (SBA). The word count feature
yte of the word processor reports that the document contains
8,192 characters (including spaces). Determine whether
terab TB the document can be saved on a newly formatted diskette.
yte Amount of storage required for 1 character = 1 byte
Storage required for 8,192 characters = 8,192 bytes
Disk capacity in bytes = no. of bytes in 1 MB × capacity of
petab PB disk in MB = 1,048,576 × 1.44
yte = 1,509,949 bytes
Since disk capacity > file size, the document can be
saved.
15
Activity 2.1 Manipulate the units in the scenario below to solve the problem outlined.
Alexia is shopping online for a 2 MB storage device. She has
identified two
devices from the same manufacturer with the following description, capacities and
prices and needs your help to determine which device is the most economical to
purchase.
Description Price
each
Device A RocketSpeed 2 MB magnetic storage $50

media
Device B RocketSpeed 4096 KB magnetic storage $75

media
1 Determine what the price per megabyte is for EACH of the devices.
2 Suggest which device Alexia should purchase.
Types of primary storage devices

A range of primary storage devices are available to meet the needs of
computing devices as well as their users. All primary storage devices are made
up of bistables.
bistable ❯ EPROM Erasable programmab
memory
Table 2.3 Types of primary storage devices.
RAM
RAM (random access memory) is the main memory
in a computer that stores instructions that are being
executed by the CPU as well as the data needed for
the current operations. RAM is also called immediate
access storage. Whilst a computer is in operation,
the CPU can read and write to RAM. However, all of
RAM’s contents are lost when the computer is shut
down. RAM is thus said to be volatile. Computing
devices are now sold with varying amounts of RAM.
random access memory ❯
Some devices are sold with as little as 2 GB installed
A bistable is an electronic circuit that has two stable
memory whereas others are supplied with as much
states. These states are 0 and 1, making it suitable
as 12 GB installed. Most devices are upgradable so a
for storing a binary digit. The power button on a
user may purchase additional memory and install it
computing device is an example of a bistable device.
as the need arises.
A group of eight bistables may be used to store one
byte of data.
ROM, PROM and EPROM
Table 2.3 lists the four common primary storage
devices. There are four basic ROM types:
1 ROM
Device Description 2 PROM
RAM Random acc3 EPROM
4 EEPROM (used to develop flash memory)
ROM Read-only m
PROM Programma
16
Activity 2.2 Exploring installed memory capacities

1 Copy the following table to your notebook.
Type of Manufacturer and Installed
computer model memory
Desktop
Laptop
Tablet
Ultrabook
2 Visit an online computer retailer at www.staples.com, www.officedepot.com or

www.officemax.com.
3 Browse the products for sale in each of the three categories listed in the table
and select ONE device from each category.
of memory with two things in common:
(a) (b)
• data stored in these chips is non-volatile – it is not lost
Figure 2.1 The back (a) and front (b) of a RAM chip. when power is removed; and
• data stored in these chips is either unchangeable or
requires a special operation to change (unlike RAM, which
can be changed as easily as it is read).
This means that removing the power source from the chip
will not cause it to lose any data.
Read-only memory (ROM) is a primary storage device that
stores data and programs that cannot be changed. In
ROM, the data and instructions are written permanently
into the memory during its manufacture. The contents are
not lost when the power is switched off and the data can
Figure 2.2 Learn ‘How ROM Works’. read-only memory ❯ never be changed. ROM is used to form a computer’s
permanent store of vital data and programs that must be
readily available but protected from accidental or deliberate
change by a user. ROM is like a textbook, it is already
written when you buy it. You cannot reprogram or rewrite a
standard ROM chip.
Creating ROM chips from scratch is time consuming and
very expensive in small quantities. For this reason, mainly,
developers created a type of ROM known as
programmable read-only memory (PROM). Blank PROM
programmable read-only memory ❯ chips
can be bought inexpensively and coded by anyone with a
special tool. Once programmed, a PROM memory chip
behaves like ROM. PROM is used by small-scale
manufacturers of electronic equipment who need to write
their own data and instructions into read-only memory.
erasable programmable PROM is like a ruled notebook; you can write on each line
read-only memory ❯
only once.
ITQ4 Even though PROM chips are inexpensive to produce, the
ITQ1 cost can add up over time. Erasable programmable
read-only memory (EPROM) addresses this issue.
State ONE difference between EACH of the following pairs
EPROM chips can be rewritten many times. EPROM can
of devices:
be programmed and reprogrammed with a special
(a) ROM and PROM
electronic device. EPROM chips are packaged in a clear
(b) PROM and EPROM.
plastic case so that the contents can be erased using
4 Complete the table by writing the manufacturer, model
special ultraviolet light. EPROM is like a blackboard; you
and memory size (amount of installed RAM) for each
can rub out with a special eraser and start again, but
device selected.
without the special eraser the data cannot be deleted.
Each type has unique characteristics but they are all types
17
Type of memory Can be written to by user? Erasable? User programmable?
RAM yes no no
ROM no no no
PROM yes no yes
EPROM yes yes yes
Table 2.4 Summary of read/write properties of primary storage devices.
Device Function Example of use

Bistable • Stores digital data To make RAM and ROM chips: 8 bistable devices combine
• Provides the building block to create one byte of memory on a memory chip.
for creating primary storage
devices
RAM Large capacity, volatile storage Primary memory in electronic devices. Smartphones,
device. washing machines, motor vehicles and computers all have
some form of primary memory.
ROM Storage device for BIOS chip which contains basic information about your computer,
permanently storing binary such as the types of input/output devices attached; also stores
data and programs. bootstrapping program (the first program to run when a computer
is switched on).
PROM A blank ROM microchip for Used in various design operations for prototyping (testing) the
storing data and programs. data for a ROM before committing to the costly ROM
Once written the data and fabrication process.
programs CANNOT be
changed.
EPROM A blank ROM microchip for EPROM is used in equipment such as satellite receivers
storing data and programs. that needs scheduled reprogramming.
The data and programs can be Variants of EPROM are used to manufacture flash memory cards
erased so the chip can be and flash drives.
reused.
Table 2.5 Summary of functions and uses of primary storage devices.
Activity 2.3 Common uses of primary storage devices

Devic Use #1 Use #2
e
RAM
ROM
PRO
M
EPRO
M
2 Conduct research to determine some of the more common uses of the primary
storage devices listed in Table 2.5.
3 Record your responses.
Secondary storage media

Secondary storage is non-volatile, which means that it will retain its contents
permanently, even when the device or media is disconnected from the
computing device.
Secondary storage uses different technology and three of these will be
discussed.
18
Magnetic Optical Flash memory

Fixed-head hard CD-ROM Flash drive
disk DVD (internal & USB)
Moving-head Flash memory
hard disk Tape Compact fl ash cards
Diskette (Floppy
disk)
Table 2.6 Classifi cation of storage media.
Magnetic storage media

The hard drive is easily the most popular secondary storage device in existence
today. Originally, these were internal, however, over the past decade, external
hard drives have become increasingly popular. Magnetic tapes have managed
to hold their own as they are used by medium-sized and large organisations to
store data for both backup and archival purposes. Diskettes have been around
since the 1960s and have seen a rapid decline in their use since the mid-2000s.
(a) (c)
(d)
(b)
medium of choice for transferring fi les.
Media organisation
Magnetic media needs to be formatted before
use. Some magnetic media are sold
pre-formatted, whereas others are sold
unformatted and as such need to be formatted
by the user.
Formatting is a process, facilitated by the
operating system, during which a storage
medium is prepared for data storage. A
formatted disk has an arrangement of tracks
and sectors.
formatting ❯ A track is one of the many concentric rings that
are encoded on the disk during formatting and
that defi ne distinct areas of data storage on the
a track ❯ disk. A sector is one of the segments of the
concentric tracks encoded on a diskette or
sector ❯ hard disk during formatting.
A cylinder is a unit of storage in a disk system
cylinder ❯ consisting of the set of tracks that occupy the
Figure 2.3 The external hard drive (a), DVD (b), same position on opposite sides of each platter
CD-ROM (c) and fl ash drive (d) are four of the (disk surface).
most common storage units in use today. USB
fl ash drives have replaced fl oppy disks as the
19
Figure 2.4 A disk platter is divided into tracks (brown) and
tracks are divided into sectors (yellow).
ITQ5
ITQ1
With reference to a hard disk ITQ6
arrangement, state the relationship between a track and a ITQ1
cylinder. Explain how seek time and latency time affect the
performance of a hard disk drive.
direct access ❯ Figure 2.5 Inside a hard disk drive, showing the platters
and moving read/write heads. This disk has four platters,
each made of a core of glass or aluminium, covered with a
sequential access ❯ thin layer of magnetic material.
A disk stores data in units called sectors. A fixed number of

these sectors are placed in a concentric circle on the
surface of a disk, called a track. The surface of a disk
contains many tracks. To increase the capacity of the disk
drive, several platters can be stacked one above the other.
When the read/write heads remain still the tracks on each
platter are accessed and this is known as a cylinder.
Access methods
Data held on storage media may be accessed using either
a direct access or a sequential access mechanism,
access time ❯ depending on the actual physical format of the media. A
magnetic tape is linear and is accessed sequentially. Both
diskettes and hard disk drives are circular and are referred
to as direct-access devices.
Direct access is an information storage and retrieval
technique in which a storage device allows data to be read
from or written to the actual area of the data storage media
without having to interact with any other areas.
Sequential access is an information storage and retrieval
technique in which the computer must move through a
sequence of stored data items to reach the desired one.
Direct access media are usually disc-like in appearance, rotational delay + Transfer time
that is, circular and flat. These storage components of a
computer system may have their data read/ written using Variable Description
either magnetic or optical technology. Sequentially Seek time The time n
accessed media is usually linear, such as cassette tapes, correct tra
and access is much slower than hard disks. These devices
are useful in situations where the entire contents of a disk Rotational The time fo
need to be copied to some other media for storage. This delay rotate und
copy operation is ideal for sequentially accessed devices,
hence the popularity of magnetic tape for backup and Transfer time The time fo
restore operations. head and
memory.
Access time
Access time is the time interval between the moment the
command is given to transfer data from the disk to main
memory and the moment this transfer is completed. Table 2.7 Components of the access time formula.
Average disk access time = Average seek time + Average
20
defragmentation ❯
device interface ❯
Figure 2.6 The rear view of a typical desktop computer

showing a wide range of ports and device interfaces.
buffer ❯
In an attempt to improve the access time of their disks,

some manufactures tried to build disk drives with one fixed
read/write head for each track, thereby eliminating the
seek time. These fixed-head hard disk drives never became
popular because they were more expensive than
moving-head hard disk drives.
Defragmentation
During normal operations, the files on a hard disk
eventually become fragmented as parts of a file are written
over multiple spaces on the drive. This slows retrieval
Technology
operations because an increase in latency leads to an
Attachment
increased access time. Defragmentation improves access
time as it tends to reduce latency. SCSI Small Comput
Defragmentation is a procedure in which all the files on a Interfa
hard drive are erased and rewritten on the disk so that all
parts of each file are written to neighbouring sectors.
Windows 8 includes a tool named Optimize Drives (called USB Universal Seri
Disk Defragmenter in earlier versions of Windows) that
may be used to defragment disks.
Device interfaces
A device interface is a connection between two systems
through which information is exchanged.
Considering that storage devices are peripherals, they need
Table 2.8 Common device interfaces.
a means of communicating with the CPU. Various device
interfaces exist that allow secondary storage to
communicate with the CPU via the motherboard. The Buffers
motherboard is the main circuit board of the computer and Storage devices are slow when compared with the speed of
is home to the CPU and RAM. These are fitted directly a modern processor. In order to prevent the processor from
onto the motherboard via special-purpose slots. Secondary continually waiting for the storage devices, a buffer is used.
storage devices such as hard disks, CD-ROM, DVD and The CPU writes data to the buffer very quickly; it is then
tape drives are each equipped with an interface. One end free to perform other tasks.
of a cable is plugged onto this device interface and the A buffer is a portion of main memory given the task of
other end onto the motherboard. holding information temporarily, especially while waiting for
slower components to catch up. The disk drive reads the
data from the buffer and writes it onto the platters,
Acronym Interface name Comments
depending on the speed of the disk drive. Buffers are useful
IDE Integrain many areas of life where there is a transfer between a
Electronfast device and a slower device. A rainwater tank is a
buffer, it fills up very quickly in a short rainstorm but it
empties slowly as water is used throughout the following
SATA Serial Adays.
21
Magnetic hard disks

A hard disk is the most common secondary storage installed in computer
systems nowadays. There are two types of hard disks – internal and external
hard disks. All hard disks are direct access storage devices and require one of the
device interfaces discussed earlier in order to communicate with the computer.
Internal hard disks

fixed-head disk ❯
moving-head disk ❯
Both moving-head and fixed-head hard disks are installed in
a system unit’s drive bay. A drive bay is a rectangular
opening inside a system unit that holds a hard disk. Both of
these drives may be referred to as internal hard disks and
are connected to the CPU via a device interface (IDE, SATA
or SCSI).
External hard disks

An external hard disk provides extra storage capacity as well
as portability and comes in packages as small as a
smartphone. At the time of writing, these disks were
available in capacities up to 16 TB, using interfaces such as
USB, Firewire and SATA.
Figure 2.7 An external hard disk connected to a notebook
computer via a USB interface.
Figure 2.8 Diskettes

are still used in certain applications such as data logging.
Both DELL and HP stopped offering diskette drives as
standard peripherals in 2007.
diskette ❯
Diskettes
ITQ7 A diskette is a removable flexible magnetic disk on which
ITQ1 computer programs and data can be stored.
Perform the necessary computations to prove that the The alternative term, floppy disk, has gone out of fashion
capacity of a diskette is 1.4 megabytes. because present day diskettes have rigid shells, unlike the
A fixed-head disk is a disk storage device in which the 5¼-inch version which was flexible. The rigid shell houses a
read–write heads are fixed in position, one to a track, and single flexible, magnetisable platter. Both sides are usable
the arms to which they are attached are immovable. and when formatted, has 80 tracks per side. Each of these
A moving-head disk is a disk storage device in which one tracks is further divided into 18 sectors, each having a
or more read– write heads are attached to a movable arm capacity of 512 bytes (0.5 kilobytes). The capacity of a
that allows each head to cover many tracks of information. diskette is 1.4 megabytes (MB).
22
flash memory ❯
computer, yet the data stored in them is retained for an
indefinitely long time or until it is rewritten.
Their high capacity, fast data transfer rate, low cost and
extremely high portability are reasons for their popularity.
Flash memory cards come in different physical sizes so
you need a special reader to be able to access the data
stored on them. It is common to find flexible devices that
accept a variety of size of memory cards built into modern
computers or attached to the computer via USB
connection.
The memory card in your smartphone or the memory in
your 8GB or 16GB iPhone are both relevant examples of
flash memory.
Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape is a magnetically coated ribbon of plastic in a
small rectangular plastic housing that is capable of storing
Figure 2.9 Magnetic tape.
large amounts of data at a low cost. Tape is sequentially
accessed and is used by organisations primarily for backing
up and archiving data.
CD-ROM ❯ Optical disks

Optical disks are secondary storage media that use (laser)
ITQ8 light to read the data stored.
ITQ1 A CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory) is a
Name TWO secondary storage media whose data are read pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to,
using lasers. but not writable by, a computer. CD-ROMs are popularly
used to distribute computer software. A CD-R (compact
DVD ❯ disc recordable) is a variation of the CD-ROM that can be
written to on a computer using a CD writer. Reusable
ITQ9
CD-ROM disks (CD-RW) allow a user to erase the disk and
ITQ1
re-use it again.
Which of the following devices have the highest and A DVD (also known as ‘digital versatile disc’ or ‘digital video
lowest data transfer rates: CD-ROM, external hard disk, disc’) is a popular optical disc storage media format. Most
USB flash drive? DVDs have the same dimensions as compact discs (CDs)
but store more than six times as much data. It is mainly
used for video recording/playback and data storage.
Because of their large capacity, DVDs are also used to
back up data stored on hard disks.
portability ❯ Comparing secondary storage

media
speed ❯ Each storage technology has its advantages and
2 • Primary and secondary storage disadvantages. Computer users have a wide range of
storage needs and it is important to use objective criteria in
Flash memory cards and flash drives selecting your media. You can use criteria such as
versatility, reliability, cost portability, speed and capacity to
In recent years, flash memory devices have become very judge the suitability of storage. We will discuss portability,
popular for storing data. They have similarities to RAM as speed and capacity.
they are electronic devices, but they are also similar to Portability is a measure of the ease with which a storage
diskettes because they are removable and they store data media can function on different computer systems. This
even when the power is removed. This is because they are includes both the installation and removal of the media
made from a specific type of EPROM (erasable from a particular computer system.
programmable read-only memory). Flash memory is Speed is a measure of how quickly data is transferred from
called this because all the sections of the microchip are the storage media to the computer after a request is made.
erased at once (or flashed). Flash memory cards lose Speed is based on both access time and data transfer rate.
power when they are disconnected (removed) from the
23
2 • Primary and secondary storage storage capacity ❯ frequently created, access to one’s own storage is a
requirement. Quick access to all types of data is important
for users, whether it is a document, picture, movie or
Storage capacity is the maximum amount of data that can music. Users today will almost always prefer higher
be stored on a storage medium; it is measured in bytes
capacity, faster and highly portable storage. Table 2.9
and multiples of bytes such as megabytes, gigabytes and compares popular types of secondary storage media with
terabytes.
respect to portability, speed and capacity.
In today’s fast-paced environment where digital data is
Device Portability Speed Capacity (as at early 2014)

Portable Fast
er
Not portable when installed in

a system
More portable than external

hard disks
Extremely portable. Most

computers have USB
ports
As portable as a flash drive
Portable
As portable as optical media. Slow

New computers shipped er
after 2007 may not have
diskette drives
Hard disk (external)A couple of hundred gigabytes to a couple of terabytes
Hard disk (internal)A couple of hundred gigabytes to a couple of terabytes

DVD4.7 to 17 GB
CD-ROM 700 MB
Flash drive A few gigabytes to a few terabytes

Flash memory card 16–128 GB
Magnetic tapeA few megabytes to

a couple of hundred gigabytes
Diskette (floppy disk) 1.4 MB
Table 2.9 Comparison of characteristics for various types of secondary storage media.
Summary
• Computers store data and instructions on both primary and secondary
storage devices. • Primary storage is volatile, secondary storage is
non-volatile.
• Primary storage media are randomly accessed; secondary storage media are accessed
either directly or sequentially.
• RAM, ROM, PROM and EPROM are types of memory.
• RAM (also known as immediate access storage) is the computer’s main memory.
• Hard disk, CD-ROM, DVD, diskette and flash drives are examples of secondary storage media. •
Magnetic disks, optical disks (CD-ROM and DVD) and diskettes are direct access devices whereas
magnetic tape is sequential access storage.
• Units of storage are byte, kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte and terabyte.
• Magnetic hard disks may be internal or external. Internal hard disks are of two types: fixed-head
or moving-head. • Read/write heads in disk and tape drives transfer data and instructions from
storage media to a computer system’s memory and vice versa.
• IDE, SATA, SCSI and USB are device interfaces and allow secondary storage devices to
communicate with the computer.
• Secondary storage media can be compared with respect to portability, speed and capacity. •
Magnetic tape is a high-capacity, sequential storage device ideal for backup and archiving
applications. • Flash drives and flash memory cards are small, convenient, removable storage
devices with capacities ranging in the gigabytes.
24
1 In this activity you will create a storage media photo essay.
Answers to ITQs ITQ1 A computer needs fast, randomly
accessible read/write
ITQ4 (a) ROM is supplied with its data already ‘burnt in’
storage to support the processor as it
whereas PROM is supplied blank and its contents may be
executes programs. Primary storage
programmed by its user; (b) PROM may be programmed
fills this need. Computer users need
once whereas EPROM may be reprogrammed. ITQ5 A
long-term storage for programs, data
track is the area between two concentric circles on one
and documents which is provided by
disk surface only whereas a cylinder is all the tracks in the
secondary storage.
same position on all disk surfaces.
ITQ2 A byte is a group of 8 bits
ITQ6 An increase in seek time and/or latency increases a
and is the basic unit of measurement
disk’s access time thereby degrading its
for computer storage. A word is a
group of two or more bytes and is the performance, whereas a decrease in either seek time or
latency reduces access time, causing improved
basic unit of data manipulated by the
performance.
processor.
ITQ3 Since 8 bits = 1 byte, 30-pin ITQ7 Capacity in bytes = bytes per sector × sectors per
track × tracks per platter × no. of read/write heads; 512 ×
memory provides 8 bits at a time
18 × 80 × 2 = 1,474,560 bytes or 1.4 MB (since 1,024
to the CPU. Considering that a 32-
bytes = 1 kilobyte and 1,024 kilobytes = 1,024
bit machine has a word size of 32,
megabytes).
and that a word is the unit of data
manipulated by the CPU, this means ITQ8 CD-ROM and DVD.
that the CPU must be provided with ITQ9 Highest – hard disk, lowest – floppy disk.
all 32 bits of data at once. If we have
four memory modules working
together as a single bank, then we will
be able to provide the CPU with the
data needed.
IT portfolio
a Start off by creating a list of the different types of removable storage media available in your school.
b Locate (or take your own) photographs or images of each of the devices listed.
c Paste the pictures/images in your portfolio along with a brief (20 words or less) narrative about how this device is
used at your school.
2 In this activity you will explore two different access methods. You will need a CD player (as an example of a direct
access device) and an old cassette tape player (as an example of a serial access device).
a Time how long it takes to find and start playing track 2 on each device and make a note of the times.
b Determine which method is the faster one to find a particular track?
c Record the result in your portfolio.
3 In this activity you will explore the capacity of a common storage device – the flash drive. a Calculate the number of
characters on this page by counting the number of characters in a typical line and multiplying by the number
of lines.
b Since one byte can hold one character, determine how many pages of this book will fit on a 1GB USB flash
drive. Remember to manipulate your units correctly.
c Record the result in your portfolio.
25
Group activity
1 Work on this activity in pairs.
a Arrange with your teacher, computer technician, relatives or friends for you to have
access to secondary storage devices and media that are no longer in use. b Use the
necessary tools to dismantle the items.
c Use a digital camera to take photographs of EACH component.
d Upload the image to your computer and rename them (for example, change the
name 20130504_041.jpg to deviceInterface.jpg).
e Import the images into a new word-processing document; add suitable captions and
lines for labelling the various components. Print two copies of the document as
worksheets.
f With the help of your teacher, label each component. Paste the completed worksheet
in your portfolio.
(A) the operating system and other system
software (B) application programs that carry out
a specific task
Examination-style questions (C) the data being processed and the
resulting information
Multiple-choice questions (D) all of the above
TEST BANK 2 Ten megabytes (10 MB) is equivalent to:
(A) 1,024 kilobytes
(B) 0.1 gigabyte
6 A ____________ is a concentric circle on a disk or
(C) 0.1 terabyte
Instructions: Each of the following questions has (D) 0.01 gigabyte
3 A bistable is a:
most suitable response. (A) very small peripheral device
(B) unit of measurement similar to bytes
1 Memory stores:
(C) device that may be connected to a computer
(D) device that may exist in one of two stable states (D) SDI
4 ____________ is a primary storage device that may 8 Which of the following is LEAST likely to have
be programmed once by the user. multiple read/write heads, a buffer and an IDE
(A) RAM interface? (A) CD drive
(B) ROM (B) flash drive
(C) PROM (C) hard disk drive
(D) EPROM (D) magnetic tape drive
5 In relation to storage devices, the acronym IDE 9 A ____________ is the largest unit of storage of all
refers to: the items in the list below.
(A) device interface (A) kilobyte (KB)
(B) access mechanism (B) megabyte (MB)
(C) type of read/write head (C) terabyte (TB)
(D) arrangement of tracks and sectors (D) gigabyte (GB)
10 Three storage media – a magnetic tape, a hard disk
26 and a DVD – have capacities of 1 terabyte, 512
parallel path on a tape on which data is megabytes and 4.7 gigabytes respectively. Which
of the following statements are NOT true?
stored. (A) buffer
(A) the hard disk has the smallest capacity
(B) track
(B) the capacity of the magnetic tape is twice that
(C) sector
of the hard disk
(D) cylinder
(C) the capacity of the magnetic tape is 200
7 Which of the following device interfaces is MOST times that of the hard disk
likely to be found in a new desktop computer? (D) the capacity of the DVD is larger than the
(A) IDE hard disk but smaller than the magnetic tape
(B) SATA
(C) SCSI
explain ONE difference between magnetic tape and
1 Rhianna bought a notebook computer with the
CD-ROM as
following specifi cations:
media for storing data. [2] b A colleague from St
Intel® Core™ i3-2350M processor (2.30 GHz, 3 Luago is about to visit you and wants to bring a set
M cache,with Turbo BoostTechnology 2.0) of digital
photographs to show you. There are 300
15.6 inches HD (1,366x768) Anti-Glare photographs and each is 100 KB. He plans to
LED-backlit use a diskette. What advice would you give to
your friend as to the suitability of using a
2 GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1333 MHz diskette? [2]
c Suggest TWO alternative removable media
250 GB 5,400 rpm Moving-head SATA HDD
that might be more suitable.
Justify your recommendations. [4] 3 Hard disks are
8X DVD
the most popular secondary storage media.
Wireless 802.11g Mini Card a On a disk’s surface, what is the relationship
between a track and a sector? [1] b A hard disk
24 WHr Lithium-Ion Battery system has six disk surfaces, with one moving head
for EACH surface. A certain track has ten sectors
forming a ring, each sector carrying ½ KB. How
many KB are there in the entire cylinder? [2]
a Using the computer specifi cations listed above, c In reading data from a disk, what are the TWO
state the specifi cations of each of the following main components of access time? [2] d Explain how a
components: fi xed-head system on a hard disk unit can reduce the
i Capacity and speed of the hard drive [2] ii access time for a device. [2] 4 Computer systems are
Memory capacity [1] iii Type of optical drive [1] usually equipped with a range of secondary storage
b Indicate the type of interface used to connect the media.
hard disk drive. [1] c Explain why the access time for a a Name ONE direct-access secondary storage
moving head disk drive is GREATER than the access device. [1] b Explain why magnetic tape is a
time for a fi xed-head disk drive. [2] 2 Computer users sequential access medium. [2] c Name ONE
have a wide range of options from which to choose for storage device most suitable for use in EACH of the
their data storage needs. a In relation to capacity, following situations:
i transferring a small word-processing
document from one microcomputer to
another [1] ii storing a 2-hour digital quality a Identify EACH of the devices labelled (i)–(iv). [1] b
movie [1] iii recording a medley of songs for a Which is a primary storage device? [1] c Which of
dance the devices are non-volatile? [1] d Which device is
recital [1] iv backing up all the records in an likely to have the largest
accounting department [1] capacity? [1] 6 Your microcomputer has a 10 GB
5 Computers rely on a range of devices and media for hard disk of which only 100 MB is empty. You wish to
storing data and instructions. replace that drive with a 30 GB drive. You want to save all
the information stored on the hard drive on 3½″ fl oppy
disks while the conversion is made. Is this practical?
Explain your answer. [3]
(i) (ii)
(iii)
(iv)
27
3
Input and output
devices
copy, human readable and machine-readable
which are used to refer to output devices and
By the end of this chapter you should output media
be able to:
state the functions of specifi ed output devices.
defi ne the terms input, input device
and input media
explain the uses of various input devices and

media
defi ne the terms output and output device
classify output devices as visual display units,

printers, plotters and audio output devices
defi ne common terms such as hard copy, soft Concept map

Input & output devices
manipulate data in have various

used in environments include
human-readable:
homes
home
offices
bar schools
soft-copy: codes retail stores
audio restaurants display
lights factories
offices output devices:
visual displays functions earphones
headphones
impact printers
different formats data
non-impact printers
entry
plotters
data
speakers
marks visual display units
hard-copy: magnetic ink
printouts collection audio
output printing
such as
input devices:
keyboard
light-pen
mouse
pads
and
tablets
machine-readable: point
bar codes of sale
marks (POS)
magnetic ink
bar code reader pointing devices

biometric systems remote control
character readers (OCR, MICR) sensors
digital camera sound capture
document scanner touch terminals voice response
unit webcam
joystick
The typical computer system at school or in an offi ce is very useful, but by
adding extra components, it can be transformed into an amazing tool – a tool
that is more useful and more fl exible across a variety of industries. In this
chapter, we look at a broad range of input and output devices that can be
attached to a computer. We will also interpret the specifi cations of computer
systems so we can understand all the seemingly cryptic numbers and letters.
Users have the option of purchasing and attaching
additional input devices depending on the function for
which the computer system is intended.
Data collection basics

Humans interact with their environment using five senses:
sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. Most electronic
devices receive input by utilising three senses: sight,
hearing and touch.
Devices that see Devices that hear Devices that sense

touch
Biometric systems
Cameras (digital and web)
Character readers (OCR
and MICR) Light-pens
Remote controls
Scanners (document
scanners and barcode
readers)
Table 3.1 Computing devices that see, hear and sense

touch.
Input, input devices and input media

Before we explain the uses of the various input devices
mentioned above, we need to define three key terms:
input, input device and input media. Input is data entered
input ❯ into the computer via some form of input device such as a
keyboard, microphone, mouse, or scanner.
input device ❯ An input device is a hardware device designed to convey
data and instructions from a user into a computer system.
input media ❯ Input media refers to the material, means or mechanism
used to convey the data from its source into the computer
system.
ITQ1 Input may exist in a range of forms: textual (a password),
ITQ1 graphical (a profile picture) or sonic (a voice message).
3 Input and output devices
• Table 3.2 shows the relationship between some common
input devices and the medium used in each specific
Name ANY TWO input devices that are usually a
Recall from Chapter 1 that input devices are peripherals.
component of each of the following types of computer
These special purpose hardware devices serve one primary
system: (a) a home desktop PC
function: to get data and instructions into the computer
(b) a laptop or notebook computer.
system. Input devices depend on input media to take the
case to convey the actual input.
data and instructions from outside the computer to the
inside. Input devices connect to the system unit via device
interfaces such as a USB port. Computer systems are
usually sold with one or more devices to facilitate input.
Remote controlled
access
Application area Input device Input medium
Banking at an ATM
Data entry machine
Web browsing
Voice-controlled Table 3.2 Relationship between input device and input

computing medium.
Retail sales
29
3 • Input and output devices
Manual data entry vs. data capture

An input device may facilitate manual data entry or automated data capture
from a source document. Manual data entry is usually done from a human
readable document, whereas data capture is done from a machine-readable
document.
source document ❯ Name ONE human-readable document generated by each
of the following persons:
(a) a student in a classroom
human-readable document ❯ (b) a school Principal
(c) a person at home
(d) a police of ficer on traffic duty.
machine-readable document ❯ manual data entry ❯
automated data capture ❯

ITQ3
ITQ1
Which of the source documents shown in Figure 3.1(a)
and (b) are machine readable? Justify your response.
ITQ2
ITQ1
A source document is an original document that contains
input. An example of a source document is an attendance
register used by a homeroom teacher to record daily
attendance.
A human-readable document is one that may be read by
a human but is not in a form that a computer can
automatically accept as input. An example is a handwritten
list.
A machine-readable document is one that can be read
directly and understood by the computer.
Manual data entry is a process during which data is ITQ4
entered into a computer by a user. Devices such as a ITQ1
keyboard, mouse, joystick, light-pen and tablet are used in
Name ONE other device that is an automated data
this process.
capture device.
Automated data capture is a process during which data is
directly entered into a computer with little or no user
intervention. Microphones, barcode readers, document
scanners and sensors are examples of devices that
facilitate this process. Data capture usually increases the
speed and accuracy of the data collection exercise.
(a) (b)
devices. We have categorised the devices into four groups
based on where they are most likely to be used (Table
3.3). A device that is used in the home may also be used
in industry, but in different ways. Ensure that you
understand how input devices are actually used in the real
world.
Home Retail trade Industry Specialised applications

Keyboard Barcode re
Mouse Magnetic s
Web camera reader
Digital Touchscre
camera Point-of-sa
Microphone
Figure 3.1 Source Joystick
documents: (a) a handwritten list is a human-readable Document
source document; (b) a boarding pass issued by an airline scanner
contains both machine-readable and human-readable data
– the text may be read by humans and the barcode can
be scanned using a bar code reader.
Table 3.3 Input devices.
In the next section, we will look at the uses of various input
30
Home/Home office
Keyboard
Mouse
Web camera
Digital camera
Microphone
Joystick
Figure 3.3 A corded 2-button mechanical mouse.
Document scanner
Touchscreens
Table 3.4 Common input devices usually attached to a

home computer.
Figure 3.5 Joystick.

Input devices in the home

ITQ5
ITQ1 There is a knock at your gate. Reluctantly, you press the ‘S’
key on the keyboard to suspend the computer game on the
Outline TWO technologically savvy ways that pictures screen. Peeping through the living room window, you
could be shared using the input devices mentioned in the observe a TTPost van parked outside and a deliveryman,
opening paragraph on this page. package in hand, standing at the gate. The game controller
and web camera have finally arrived. You head out the program instructions by pointing, selecting, dragging and
front door towards the gate, with wireless mouse still in clicking. These versatile input devices are available as
hand, squinting to escape the glare of Trinidad’s noonday different types: corded and cordless, optical and
sun. Quickly, you collect the items and head inside to install mechanical, radio and laser. The manuscript for this book
the new devices. You open the Instagram app on your was prepared using a battery-operated wireless optical
smartphone and upload an image of the new devices to laser mouse that communicated with the computer via a
Twitter to share with your friends. USB receiver.
Keyboard
The keyboard is the standard input device attached to
general-purpose computer systems. Some modern
keyboards have keys for launching Internet applications
and multimedia control.
main keyboard function keys cursor keys numeric keypad
Figure 3.4 From left to right, a corded

mouse with USB interface, a mini travel mouse with
retractable cord, a wireless mouse on a graphics pad and a
cordless optical mouse.
Joystick
A joystick is a point-and-click input device that moves the
pointer on the screen according to the movement of the
lever by the user. It is used mainly for games.
Figure 3.2 A typical keyboard.
Specialised Keyboard
Braille keyboards are used by computer users with visual
impairments. A standard keyboard would be useless, as
the labels on the keys would not be seen. These special
keyboards have raised dots on the key caps, allowing users
with visual impairment to enter data.
Mouse
A mouse is an input device used to manipulate data and
31
3 • Input and output devices camera to research for and prepare a History or Visual Arts
SBA.
ITQ6
ITQ1
Suggest TWO ways in which a student could use a web
memory cards. Cameras may be connected to the
computer directly via a USB connection. Memory cards can
be removed from the camera and the data transferred to
the computer using a card reader. This allows still images
and video to be captured or transferred. Webcams are
commonly used in Internet telephony (Skype, MSN and
Google Hangout) and teleconferencing.
Microphone
Figure 3.6 Digital camera.
A microphone (mic) is a device for inputting audio data into
the computer. A microphone may exist as a stand-alone
ITQ7 device or it may be integrated into another device such as
ITQ1 a webcam, monitor or headset. A stand-alone mic connects
to your computer via the ‘mic’ or ‘line in’ port on the
Suggest THREE ways in which a microphone may be used
computer system’s sound card or front panel of the system
in the home as an input device.
unit. Microphones are used for real-time person-to-person
conversations during online chats and teleconferencing.
They are also used in recording audio clips for webcasts,
broadcasting, advertising and filmmaking.
Document scanner
Document scanners are used to input text, diagrams and
pictures into the computer. Document scanners are often
used in conjunction with specialised software. For example,
a scanner combined with optical character recognition
(OCR) software makes an optical character reading system.
Scanners are available in many shapes, sizes and types
and range from small portable business card scanners to
larger desktop scanners with automatic document feeders.
Business travellers sometimes carry portable scanners that
ITQ8 enable them to scan source documents directly into their
ITQ1 laptop computers.
Suggest ONE way how a primary school Language Arts
teacher could use a scanner: Input devices in the retail trade
(a) to prepare for a lesson
(b) during a lesson Businesses like supermarkets, restaurants and bookstores
(c) after a lesson that sell goods and services to customers use devices such
as touchscreens, barcode readers and magnetic stripe
Retail business readers.
These input devices allow the business operators to
Touchscreen perform more efficiently since data can be captured
Barcode reader automatically from a product that has a barcode or
Electronic signature magnetic stripe.
capture device Magnetic
stripe reader
Specialised keyboard
Point-of-sale
Table 3.5 Common input devices likely to be found in retail

businesses such as bookstores, pharmacies and
supermarkets.
Digital and web cameras
Digital cameras allow digital photographs to be entered into
the computer. These include digital cameras, document
cameras and web cameras (webcams). Whereas all three
are capable of capturing still images and video, the webcam
is optimised for video and the document camera for still
images. Digital cameras store images and video on the
camera’s built-in memory or on removable (compact flash)
in Figure 3.1(a) was scanned using a flatbed scanner
similar to the one shown here.
Figure 3.7 A flatbed document scanner. The image
32
touchscreen ❯ ITQ9
Barcode reader
Touchscreen A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is a specialised
optical mark reader that ‘visually’ interprets barcodes. This
A touchscreen is a computer screen that is sensitive to
data capture device scans barcodes and, with specialised
touch, so that the user can point to things on it by touching
the screen itself, without using a mouse. Touchscreens are software, converts them into machine-readable data.
Barcodes are the black and white stripes found on many
used extensively in fast food restaurants, supermarkets
and cinemas. They are commonly integrated into products sold in retail. Barcode readers are now found in
many supermarkets as part of a point-of-sale (POS)
automated banking machines (ABMs) and in self-service
kiosks used in photo labs, phone credit vending system. Barcode readers allow customers’ purchases to be
processed quickly and because the barcode identifies the
State TWO ways in which a barcode can be used in a product, a receipt showing full details of the item can be
warehouse. produced.
Magnetic stripe card reader

barcode scanner ❯
Magnetic stripe card readers convert information from a
stripe of magnetic material attached to a plastic card.
Stripe card readers are attached to hotel and office doors,
parking meters, airport check-in kiosks among many other
devices and places. Banks, libraries and health insurance
companies issue plastic cards fitted with magnetic stripes
to their customers. The magnetic stripe encodes data such
as the customer’s account number, value (money or units
remaining to be spent/used) among other details. This
information is read when the card is swiped through the
magnetic stripe reader.
Figure 3.8 Products (a)
carry unique barcodes which can be interpreted by (a)
barcode readers.
ITQ10
Suggest TWO applications of magnetic stripe card
readers in a school setting.
Figure 3.10 A cashier using a specialised keyboard in a

retail store.
machines and airline check-in. Apple’s iPad and
Samsung’s Galaxy tablets both feature touchscreens.
Figure 3.9 (a) A magnetic stripe being read from a credit
card; (b) cards issued by banks, libraries, airlines and
hotels (room keys) all have magnetic stripes.
Specialised keyboards
Some applications require specialised keyboards with
pre-assigned function keys. Specialised keyboards
generally consist of a flat grid of unmarked buttons and
each key can be programmed with a wide range of different
functions. After the keyboard is programmed, a sheet,
called an overlay, is placed over the unmarked keys to
identify each key. The overlay can consist of any
combination of words, symbols, or even pictures.
Keyboards that are components of point-of-sale systems
(discussed later in this chapter) usually require specially
labelled keys for particular products. Data entry is quicker
for product codes or quantities without having to press
multiple keys. For example, a point-of-sale system used
for selling movie tickets at the
(b)
33
Olympus Theatre in Barbados would have keys for regular priced adult tickets,
discounted adult tickets and so on.
Specialised keyboards are used in retail establishments such as restaurants
as they reduce data entry time and errors. Specialised keyboards are used in
education, particularly in institutions offering special education.
Activity 3.1 Exploring the uses of specialised keyboards

Application How is it used
area
Business
Education
Leisure
ITQ11 facilitate the accepting of input on point-of-sale (POS)

State TWO sensory capabilities that are combined to systems.
at the point of sale. The point at which the transaction is
being carried out is usually in a retail environment such as
ITQ12 a supermarket, cinema or pharmacy.
Suggest ONE benefit to customers of having their POS systems often have a range of input and output
purchases processed using a point-of-sale system. peripherals connected to a system unit. The peripherals
may include any or all of the devices listed in Table 3.6.
Input/output device Purpose of device

Barcode reader
Digital scales
Electronic signature capture

device
Keypad
Figure 3.11 A customer using ‘chip-and pin’ point-of-sale Specialised keyboard

equipment to make a purchase using a credit card.
Magnetic stripe reader
Receipt printer
Touch terminal
Display monitor
Figure 3.12 A
traditional point-of-sale terminal requiring manual input of
data.
2 Direct your browser to www.overlaykeyboard.com Table 3.6 Components of a typical point-of-sale system in
3 Conduct research to determine how specialised
a supermarket. Input devices in industry
keyboards, using overlays, are used in each of the
application areas listed in the table above.
Nutcracker Gadget Store depends on package delivery
4 Write your findings in the table in the spaces provided. companies such as FedEx, UPS and DHL for delivery of
supplies from Taiwan. Its purchasing manager is able to
Point-of-sale (POS) systems track shipments using a voice response unit that
automatically provides him with status updates via
A point-of-sale system is a bundled hardware–software
telephone. Incoming shipments are received at the
solution that accepts transaction data from a variety of
warehouse at Warrens in Barbados. Each carton
sources and completes the processing of the transaction
34
Large business/industry
Voice response unit
Graphic pad
OCR
OMR
MICR
Table 3.7 Common input devices likely to be found in

special-purpose organisations such as banks and
advertising agencies.
voice response unit ❯

who dial 114 or 411. Package delivery companies also use
this technology to provide details of the status of packages
when customers call. American Airlines and other airlines
allow customers to conduct a wide range of transactions
via the telephone. To access the service, passengers dial a
toll-free number (free of charge to the customer) and
respond to questions asked by a computer-generated
voice. The computer system queries the database storing
passenger and flight data and completes the transaction
based on the continued passenger–computer
conversation.
Figure 3.14 A graphics

pad can be used with a pen (stylus) or mouse.
stylus ❯
is scanned on arrival using an optical mark reader (OMR) X-G-H

and the data is automatically transferred to the company’s T-U-B
stock control system. After all the cartons are scanned, the
Warehouse Manager signs for the shipment on the tablet
provided by the delivery courier. The package delivery
company uses OCR to convert data captured from
paper-based documents to text that can be edited in their
billing system. When the accountant receives a bill, he pays
it by cheque that he presents to the cashier at the package
delivery company. The cheque is fed through a magnetic
ink character reader (MICR) and within seconds, all the
cheque details appear on a screen.
Voice response unit (VRU)

A voice response unit (VRU) accepts the human voice as
machine-readable input and produces output using
synthesised speech. Figure 3.13 Using a voice response unit to get details on a
This data capture technology is useful in businesses that flight reservation. XGHTUB is the record locator used by
have to handle thousands of customer queries every hour. the airline to retrieve the passenger’s reservation.
Telecommunication providers use a VRU to handle
requests for directory assistance that are made by callers
provide a more natural way of inputting handwriting and
drawings. The surface of the pad has a thin membrane that
Graphic pads and tablets registers the pen’s movements.
Writing or drawing on the computer using the mouse is In advertising agencies and design companies, graphic
possible, but not as easy as using a pen on paper. A pad pads are a common way to produce artistic material.
and tablet fitted with a special pen (called a stylus) can
35
Activity 3.2 Exploring the uses of graphic pads

1 Copy the following table in your notebook.
Application area How is it used
Architectural
draughtsman
Newspaper cartoonist
Courier delivery person
Clothing and textile

student
2 Add a fifth application area of your choice to the list.

Figure 3.15 Modern OCR of the cheque are written in a special MICR font using
systems can convert handwritten text into an electronic magnetic ink.
document.
ITQ15
ITQ13 Describe ONE similarity and ONE difference between
Are pages of typewritten text: OCR and MlCR technology.
3 Conduct research to determine how graphic pads are
• machine-readable documents • human-readable
documents • both human-readable and machine used in each of the application areas listed in the table
readable? above.
Justify your response. 4 Write your findings in the table in the spaces provided.
ITQ14
Describe ONE similarity and ONE difference between Optical character reader (OCR)
OCR and OMR. Both OCR and OMR are data capture devices. In fact, an
OCR is really a specialised OMR. Instead of just reading
marks, it reads the shapes of the characters (letters,
numbers and special symbols) and tells the computer what
the characters and numbers are.
OCR can be used to scan whole pages of text into the
computer. Organisations with large amounts of typed
paper documents use OCR to convert paper documents
into electronic documents. In a school setting, an English
teacher is able to use OCR technology to scan and convert
a handwritten essay to editable text. As a learning activity,
the spelling and grammar feature of a word-processing
package can be used to correct errors in the document.
Optical mark reader (OMR)

Figure 3.16 Bank
cheques contain both human-readable and An optical mark reader (OMR) senses the position of marks
machine-readable data. The four sets of numbers at the made on a pre printed form and converts them into
bottom meaningful data. There is no keying-in of data.
Mark sensing has revolutionised the way in which data is data capture device commonly used in banks to examine
captured across a broad range of specialised fields data from cheques. A MICR is similar to an OCR in that
including education, banking, healthcare and air travel. In they both read and recognise characters. The source
education, multiple-choice tests are scored automatically document used is a cheque, which is both human readable
using OMR. At primary school level in many Caribbean and machine readable. Institutions that use MICR benefit
countries, grade six examinations use OMR forms. At from:
secondary level, CXC uses OMR forms for their • increased security because the magnetic ink makes it
multiple-choice examinations. The US-based Education difficult to fraudulently change data encoded on cheques
Testing Services also use this technology for scoring their
• improved speed with which transactions are completed
SAT college entrance tests.
• increased accuracy of transactions as data are read
Magnetic ink character reader (MICR) directly from cheques thereby eliminating data entry errors.
A magnetic ink character reader (MICR) is an automated
36
Specialised applications
Biometric systems
Light-pen
Remote control
Sensors
Figure 3.19 Learners in classrooms all over the world use

clickers like the one shown here. A USB sensor is
Table 3.8 Input devices used in highly specialised attached to the teacher’s computer and the signal sent by
applications. the clicker.
ITQ16
State ONE similarity and ONE difference in the way a Input devices in specialised applications
mouse and a light-pen operate.
Danny Travalott, the purchasing manager at Nutcracker
Gadget Store, travels to Miami twice a year to meet with
ITQ17 new suppliers. On arrival in Miami, his identity is confirmed
Suggest ONE reason why a light-pen may be preferred at Passport Control (Immigration) using biometric
over a mouse by many users. systems. Sensors work alongside remote control
systems to deliver his checked luggage which he presents
at the Customs checkpoint for inspection. Customs officers
use a modern device, equipped with a light-pen to check
the contents of his luggage.
Biometric systems
Biometric systems are specialist input devices that measure
physical characteristics of the human body and use this to
identify an individual for security purposes. Biometric
devices include fingerprint readers, eye retina scanners
Figure 3.17 An operator using a light-pen and monitor.
and facial recognition systems.
Biometric systems are heavily utilised at airports to screen
incoming passengers. Border control agents (immigration
officers) use fingerprint readers as an input device to
collect data about travellers entering their country. Some
laptops are now manufactured with built-in fingerprint
readers. A few years ago, the Miami International Airport
commenced testing of a new biometric system that
incorporated intelligent video analysis and other technology
to detect intruders at the perimeter.
Figure 3.18 A blood pressure measuring sensor.
Light-pen
A light-pen is in the form of a light-sensitive wand used in
conjunction with a computer monitor. It senses light when
placed near the surface of the monitor and its position is
calculated by the software. Because the user was required facilities.
to hold his or her arm in front of the screen for long
periods, the light-pen never became popular as an input Sensors
device. Since the current version of the game show Sensors are devices used to measure physical
Jeopardy! began in 1984, contestants have used a characteristics such as temperature, pressure or wind
light-pen to write down their wagers and responses for the speed. For example, a sensor connected to a computer
Final Jeopardy! round. could allow the temperature of a furnace to be automatically
monitored. In a hospital, a blood pressure sensor can be
Remote control linked via a wireless connection to a computer so that the
Computers can be used to control digital and analogue patient’s blood pressure can be continuously monitored
devices from a distance. Using a seamless mix of sensors, and alarms automatically sounded if the blood pressure
communication devices and communication media, a falls below a safe level.
computer can control devices remotely. Devices such as
cameras, traffic signals and complex equipment such as Output devices
robots can be controlled in this way.
In law enforcement, remote controlled equipment is useful Information produced by a computer must be presented in
in activities such as bomb detection and intelligent remote a useful form to be of value to the user. We will discuss
surveillance. Web cameras and microphones can be four types of output devices – visual display unit,
remotely controlled using private or public network printers, plotters and audio output devices.
37
Output is the information a computer generates as a result of its processing.

Computer output may be printed on paper/plastic (hard copy), displayed on a
monitor/screen, or stored on a secondary storage medium (soft copy).
output device ❯ environment.
(a) What is this substance?
hard copy ❯ (b) Outline how a CRT may be disposed of so that the
soft copy ❯ harmful substance it contains is not a threat to the
environment.
may be program output, error messages or data that is
being entered at the keyboard or input from some other
input device. Other common names for the VDU are
visual display unit❯ monitor and visual display terminal. When selecting a
ITQ18 VDU, the user should consider three factors: monitor
An output device is any device that displays, plays or type, monitor size and monitor resolution.
prints the results of processing operations or status
messages related to that processing. Hard copy is
permanent printed output from the computer. Soft copy is Types, sizes and resolution
a temporary form of output, as produced by a visual Monitor type refers to the technology that the device uses
display unit or audio output device. to produce and present the output. There are two common
types of visual display units: cathode ray tubes (CRT)
Visual display unit/monitor and liquid crystal displays (LCD). CRTs are bigger and
bulkier than LCDs, consume more power and are prone to
A visual display unit (VDU) is the hardware component of
screen flicker. LCDs are also called flat panels and are
a computer system that handles the display of information
more expensive compared with CRTs but require less
that users see. This information
space on the desk or work station.
Many visual display units are being marketed as being CRT monitors are no longer widely sold, however, they
‘green’ which means it is environmentally friendly. exist in sizes ranging from 10 to 22 inches. LCD displays
(a) What feature of a monitor allows the user to conserve are available in sizes ranging from 14 to 55 inches.
power? The resolution of a VDU is the quality of the image
(b) How is this feature accessed and activated? displayed. Resolution is measured in pixels. A pixel is one
(c) Do you think the annual savings may be substantial? of the individual dots that make up a graphical image. The
Justify. higher the resolution, the better the quality of the image
cathode ray tubes ❯ produced. High-resolution monitors are useful for very
liquid crystal displays ❯ detailed graphic work and gaming as they make 3D virtual
flat panels ❯ worlds come to life on screen, enriching the user’s gaming
experience.
ITQ19
Some CRTs contain a substance that is harmful to the
Figure 3.20 A CRT monitor and a modern LCD monitor.
38
Figure 3.21 Measuring the size of a laptop screen. The size is measured as the diagonal distance
of the viewable area. Some VDUs are now available in wide-screen versions.
Activity 3.3 Exploring screen resolution

1 Display your computer’s desktop.
2 If using a Windows computer, open the screen resolution dialogue.
3 Make a note of the current/recommended setting.
4 Experiment with the various resolutions that your attached display is capable of
supporting.
5 Record the highest and lowest resolutions that your display supports.
Printers
Nutcracker Gadget Store has four different types of printers installed at their
head office. Heather is responsible for public relations and marketing. She has
two printers connected to her desktop computer – a laser printer and an
inkjet printer. Both of these printers print vibrant colour documents that
illustrate objects very realistically. Tiffany is responsible for the accounting
department and uses a line printer to print thousands of invoices and
statements each month. Alexia in the customer service department has a very
noisy dot matrix printer attached to her PC.
Whilst all printers produce hard copy, they differ in the mechanisms used to
produce it. This forms the basis for classifying printers as impact or non-impact.
These are discussed in the sections that follow.
(a) (b) (c)

Figure 3.22 Three types of printer: (a) impact printer, (b) inkjet printer, (c) laser printer.
39
Impact printers
impact ❯
ITQ21
Suggest why a laser printer may be preferred for printing
legal documents.
dot matrix printer ❯
ITQ20 ITQ22
Impact printers produce output by employing a striking or
Which of EACH of the following pairs of print jobs prints
hammering mechanism. Because of this, they are noisy
faster and why? (a) a full page of text only or a half page
but are able to produce multiple identical copies at the
graphic
same time. Some impact printers produce their output a
(b) a colour printout or a black-and white printout.
character at a time whilst others do so a line at a time.
Most impact printers print on fan-fold paper (or continuous
forms). Dot matrix and chain printers are two types of
impact printers.
A dot matrix printer produces one character at a time. It ITQ23
does so by striking an inked ribbon on paper to create the Name a type of printer whose output is measured using
impression. These printers are relatively inexpensive to EACH of the following: (a) characters per second
purchase and operate, and very reliable. A dot matrix
(b) lines per minute
Suggest TWO types of commercial business that would
(c) pages per minute.
use dot matrix printers for producing multi-copy output.
printer is suitable for use in situations that require multiple
non-impact ❯ copies of the same document.
Non-impact printers
Non-impact printers create output on media (paper or
plastic) using a range of different technologies such as:
• laser: a technology used in photocopy machines that
utilises heat, light and photoconductivity
page-printers ❯ • inkjet: nozzle-like print heads spray ink onto paper to form
characters and images
inkjet printers ❯ • thermal transfer and dye sublimation: both beyond the
scope of this book. Most non-impact printers are
page-printers as they print on cut sheet paper. Lasers
and inkjets are two types of non-impact printers. Inkjet
printers are inexpensive to buy but expensive to operate
as the ink needs replacing regularly. These printers are
laser printers ❯
very versatile and can produce a range of documents
Resolut The sharpness o
including high-quality photographs, school projects and
ion printer’s resolutio
business presentations. Inkjet printers can produce colour
number of dots p
photographs (on glossy paper) of a quality similar to those
produced by a professional photo studio. Print measured in pag
Laser printers are flexible as they: speed or characters pe
• print both text and graphics
• are available in monochrome (black and white) or colour Memor Colour images a
models • can print on paper of varying sizes and plastic y more memory; so
improve printing
(transparencies). They produce high-quality output, are
very fast, and operate quietly. Whilst laser printers are Paper Sheet-feed printe
expensive to buy, they are usually less expensive to tray may hold 50–250
operate than inkjets. capac additional paper
ity you can do witho
Features of printers
Printers differ in resolution, print speed, memory and paper
capacity. Table 3.9 Description of printer features
Feature Description
40
Characteristics
Type How output Speed Max. resolution (dots per Print buffer memory
Mechanis produced inch) capacity
m
Dot Impact Character 1,066 cps/6 72–360 2–128 KB

matrix ppm
Chain Impact Line 1,200 lpm/20 600 16–256 KB

ppm
Inkjet Page 4–60 ppm 4,800 × 1,200 256 KB–512 MB

Non-imp
act
Laser Page 10–200 ppm 2,400 16 MB–2 GB

Non-imp
act
Table 3.10 Comparison of characteristics of printer types.
Plotters
plotter ❯
produces high-quality graphical output on different types of
materials, commonly paper and vinyl. A plotter may be
more suitable in some situations than a printer. As plotters
are able to handle output media the size of a large outdoor
billboard, they are invaluable to architects and designers
for the production of blueprints and architectural designs.
Figure 3.23 A large-scale industrial plotter.
Figure 3.24 Plans for a new building being output on a

plotter.
A plotter is a large format hard copy output device that
41
ITQ24
Differentiate between a plotter and a printer.
add-on card ❯
Summary
Audio output devices
Audio output devices include a range of peripherals that
enable the user to play and hear sounds. These include
speakers, earphones, headphones, and headsets. Most
computer systems come with a built-in speaker that is used Speakers are useful in situations where:
to provide system feedback. • the user has a disability and cannot depend on sight to
The output from an audio output device is temporary and receive information produced by a computer system
cannot be kept for later use, thus making the speaker a
• verbal output is used to provide emergency notices in
soft-copy output device. Audio output devices depend on a
hazardous environments (for example, an evacuation
device interface called a sound card to work. These sound
notice in a school in the event of a fire).
cards are either integrated with the motherboard or
installed as a separate add-on card. Computer systems • the sound output is essential to the application, such as
provide one or two different ports that allow users to plug computer gaming, Internet telephony and
in their speakers, earphones or headphones. videoconferencing.
• Input and output devices are peripherals.

• Input devices transfer input into a computer system. Input may be data or instructions in
textual, graphic or sonic form and are held on source documents.
• Source documents may contain input that is human-readable, machine-readable or both.
Machine-readable documents facilitate automated data collection/capture.
• Input media include keystrokes, mouse clicks, voice commands, light beams, barcodes,
magnetic stripes, paper and other mechanisms that store and convey input.
• Data capture increases the accuracy of input and reduces data collection time and cost. •
Character readers (OCR and MICR), light-pens, scanners (document and barcode) and cameras
(digital and web) all sense input based on sight whereas graphic pads and tablets, keyboards,
joysticks and mouse input data directly. • Sensors, remote controls and biometric systems are
highly specialised input devices.
• Information produced by a computer must be presented in a useful form to be of value to
the user. • Output is conveyed to the user via output media such as visual images, sound
and paper and maybe data, information or status messages such as beeps and flashing
lights.
• An output device displays, plays or prints the results of processing operations.
• Four types of output devices are visual display units, printers, plotters and
audio output devices. • Hard copy output is permanent whereas soft copy is
temporary.
• Resolution is a measure of the quality of output based on the number of dots per inch used to
make up the picture. • Devices that produce hard copy output include printers and plotters.
• Printers are of two types: impact and non-impact. Line and dot matrix printers are impact
printers, inkjet and laser printers are non-impact printers.
42
be read and recognised using OCR
technology, (b) Multiple-choice
Answers to ITQs ITQ1 (a)Any two of: keyboard, mouse, answer sheets – read using OMR
microphone, scanner, technology
webcam, joystick. (b) Any two of: ITQ4 MICR
keyboard, mouse, microphone, ITQ5 Any TWO of: (a) scan the
webcam, fingerprint reader. product boxes, attach and e-mail the
ITQ2 (a) an essay, (b) a speech, images (b) do a live video chat using
(c) a grocery list, (d) a traffic ticket. the microphone and web camera
ITQ3 (a) handwritten list – can (c) take pictures with the digital
camera, attach and e-mail the images ITQ12 Any ONE of the following: (a) more accurate billing
ITQ6 Any TWO of the following: as products are correctly identified (b) faster checkout
(a) conduct video interviews; means customer spend less time in line (c) improved
(b) record questions to send to customer service as a result of faster and more accurate
information providers; and checkout
(c) discussions with fellow classmates; ITQ13 They can be easily read and understood by both
(d) discussions with teacher. people and machines.
ITQ7 Any THREE of: (a) audio ITQ14 Both are devices that sense input using sight. OCR
recordings (b) Internet telephony recognises characters whereas OMR recognises marks.
(c) typing with voice recognition
ITQ15 Both sense input using character recognition. OCR
software (4) PC control
‘sees’ the input whereas MICR ‘feels’ the input. ITQ16
ITQ8 Any ONE from each of the Both are pointing devices. A light-pen uses sight
following: BEFORE (a) scan images technology, a mouse senses touch.
for inclusion in a print-based activity
1TQ17 Any ONE of: (a) faster than a mouse (b) picking up
(b) scan pictures for projection using
a light-pen and pointing it to where you want the cursor to
a multimedia system; (c) scan a map,
go is a more intuitive way to interact with the computer
reduce it, print note-sized versions of
it and paste in students’ book for easy ITQ18 (a) Automatic standby. (b) Accessed from the
reference; AFTER (a) Scan handwritten display properties, activated by checking a box.
student work for discussion; (b) Scan ITQ19 (a) Mercury or arsenic. (b) Follow guidelines issued
student work and keep in an electronic by solid waste agencies and health authorities. ITQ20
portfolio Hardware store, computer retailer
ITQ9 (a) to identify storage ITQ21 Print speed, quality of output ITQ22 (a) a full page of
locations such as shelves and bins text – text usually prints faster than graphics; (b)
(b) to identify specific items being black-and-white – prints faster than colour
warehoused
ITQ23 (a) dot matrix printer (b) chain printer (c) laser or
ITQ10 Any TWO of: (a) access inkjet printer
library services (b) lunch card ITQ24 A plotter produces large format output whereas a
(c) identification card that allows door printer does not.
access
ITQ11 Sight and touch
43
IT portfolio
1 In this activity you will explore printers.
a Interview at least five persons and find out the make and model of the printer they use. For example, if you
interviewed me, I would tell you I use a Samsung ML-2165W.
b Conduct research to get more details about each of the printers based on the make and model supplied. c
Copy the following table in your portfolio and complete it. Note that I have completed the first row based on
research done about my printer.
Make & Model Impact or Print Print Resolution
Non-Impact Typ Speed (dpi)
e
Samsung Non-Impact 21 PPM 1200

ML-2165W Las
er
d Paste a picture of each of the printers.
2 In this activity you will explore input and output devices.
a Visit the website of an online computer store (www.cdw.com, www.provantage.com or www.newegg.com). b
Download at least TWO pictures of EACH of the following devices.
i barcode reader iv optical mouse
ii electronic signature capture device v wireless keyboard
iii optical mark reader (OMR)
c Print all the images and paste them into your portfolio, complete with a brief description (make, model, price
and key features).
d Compare your pictures with at least two other people in your class. Note the similarities and differences.
Group activities
1 This is a small-group activity for 3–4 people.
a Each group member should collect at least TWO source documents generated in each of the following
scenarios: • a classroom environment
• a home
• a micro or small business (ask the Principles of Business teacher at your school what this
is) • a meeting of a sports team or co-curricular activity (Cadet, Key Club, etc.)
b Compare the documents collected from each area. Note their similarities and differences.
c Classify all the documents as either human-readable or machine-readable.
d Suggest which device(s) are ideal for reading the documents categorised as
machine-readable. e Paste the documents in your portfolio and record your findings next to each
of them.
2 Your local police station has just received a donation of a digital camera and US$800 to purchase a printer suitable for
printing crime-scene photos. The officer in charge of the station has sought your help to select a suitable printer. You
have to co-opt two of your classmates to undertake this task. You are required to:
a Assess the needs of the police station and make a list of the TWO types of printers that the group believe are
most suitable.
b For EACH type, identify TWO named printers available for sale at a local computer store or online retailer.
Complete the table below.
Type 1 Type 2
Printer 1 Printer 2 Printer 3 Printer 4
Brand
Model
Resolution
Print speed
Memory
capacity
Price
c Based on your findings, make a recommendation to the officer in charge.

Place a copy of the recommendation in your portfolio.
44
(A) light-pen and graphic pad
(B) web camera and fingerprint reader
Examination-style questions (C) digital camera and fingerprint reader
Multiple-choice questions (D) document scanner and barcode reader
with the information they need, serving as a
TEST BANK
bridge between people and computer databases.
(A) voice capture
(B) voice recognition
6 A ____________ system connects telephone users
(C) voice response
Instructions: Each of the following questions has
7 Banks utilise ____________ technology that
automatically verifies the identity of callers who wish
to access their accounts.
most suitable response.
(A) voice capture
1 All of the following are widely used input devices
(B) voice recognition
EXCEPT the:
(C) voice response
(A) keyboard and mouse (D) biometric
(B) microphone and scanner
8 Setting a monitor to display a higher resolution uses
(C) digital camera and web camera
(D) printer and monitor a: (A) smaller number of pixels and thus provides
a smoother image
2 A ____________ is an input device that converts
printed material to a form the computer can use. (B) smaller number of pixels and thus provides
a rougher image
(A) mouse
(C) greater number of pixels and thus provides
(B) keyboard
a smoother image
(C) light-pen
(D) greater number of pixels and thus provides
(D) scanner
a rougher image
3 ____________ is used almost exclusively by
9 An automated system used for sorting mail in a postal
the banking industry for check processing.
facility can use conveyors equipped with:
(A) OCR
(A) OMR
(B) OMR
(B) OCR
(C) MICR
(C) remote control
(D) POS
(D) biometric systems
4 Which of the following is NOT a likely component of a
10 In an airport, a system comprised of sensors, barcode
point-of-sale system?
readers and remote controls is MOST LIKELY used
(A) light-pen for ____________ activities.
(B) graphic pad
(C) MICR (A) aircraft boarding
(D) barcode reader (B) baggage handling
(C) border control
5 Which of the following pairs of devices are MOST (D) passenger check-in
LIKELY to be used by immigration personnel at
ports of entry to capture biometric data?
45
3 • Input and output devices The system has to keep a constant check on the operating
temperature and produce hard copy output showing the
changes in temperature over time. In the event of a
Structured questions problem, the operator has to be notified immediately. The
1 A small advertising agency in St Lucia has just system is equipped with a CRT, keyboard, mouse and
employed a visually impaired person to develop printer.
advertisements for poster, newspapers, radio and a Suggest TWO OTHER peripherals that may be
television. useful attachments for this system. [2] b For EACH
a Suggest ONE input and ONE output device that peripheral suggested, briefly
might help a visually impaired person use a describe how this would be utilised in the
computer system effectively. [2] situation given. [4] 4 The following advertisement for
b Identify THREE peripherals that might be found in a printer was published by a computer retailer:
an advertising agency that would not normally be PRINTY XJ – 1000 Laser Printer
found in a regular office. For each device, outline an USB Interface, 16 pages per minute (ppm)
example of how it might be used. [4] 2 The devices 600 dots per inch (DPI) Cartridge yields approx.
shown in Figures 1 to 3 are available for sale. 3,000 pages
Briefly explain why it is important to consider EACH of

the following:
a printer interface c dots per inch
b pages per minute d cartridge yield [4]
Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3
a The table lists two requirements of the St Luago
National Bank. In your book, copy and complete
the following table to show which device would
best meet EACH of the requirements in the table. 5 PriceSavers, a St Vincent based membership club,
[2] operates over 20 warehouse clubs in 11 Caribbean
countries. PriceSavers uses point-of-sale terminals to
Organisational Requirements Figure manage membership data and stock and to produce
receipts for customers at the checkout counter. a What
To make soft copies of hard copy
is a point-of-sale (POS) system? [2] b Name THREE
documents
input devices that are usually
To capture signatures components of a POS system. [3] c Briefly
describe how any TWO of the devices named in part b
function. [4] d Briefly describe how a product’s barcode
is processed by the computer at the checkout counter
b Write the general name given to the devices in leading to the production of a sales receipt. [3] e Is the
part (a). [1] 3 Mercury Metals uses a personal computer sales receipt regarded as hard copy, soft copy or
system for controlling a number of hazardous processes. neither? [1] 6 Give ONE situation when it would be better
to use a A laser printer instead of a dot matrix printer.
amusement park
State ONE reason to justify your answer. [2] b An
earphone instead of a speaker. State ONE reason to D A bank teller processing 4 Light Pen
justify your answer. [2] c A plotter instead of a printer. cheques
State ONE reason to justify your answer. [2] 7
Describe the use of biometric systems, stating clearly a E A teacher scoring a OCR
An example of a situation where it may be used [1] b Multiple-choice test 5
ONE type of data that is collected [1] c ONE
advantage of its use over a traditional data collection F A television reporter 6 OMR
researching a story
method. [1] 8 Write the letters A–G on separate lines in
your book. Using the information in the following table,
G An expert giving video MICR
match the letter for the person who use the device with
testimony in a court case 7
the number of the device, by writing the number next to
the correct letter in your book. You may use a device only
Scanner
once or not at all.
8
Person who uses the Device
device 9 Touch
Screen
A Cashier at a point-of-sale Bar Code
station 1 Reader 1 Web
0 Camera
B Player in a games arcade Digital
2 Camera
C A visitor at an Joystick [7]

information kiosk at an 3
46
4 The
Internet
and
communications
technology
By the end of this chapter you should be
able to:
Concept map
defi ne what data communication is
defi ne what a network is
describe the main types of networks: LAN, MAN and

WAN
Internet & Communications Technology
discuss options for connecting computers in a
network
outline common modes of communication such as

simplex, half-duplex and duplex
distinguish among Internet, intranet and extranet includes
explain concepts associated with the Internet.
facilitates features
network services: World

blogging local area network
bulletin board
downloads
e-commerce Wide Web
e-learning
contains metropolitan area communication
network modes: simplex

wide area half-duplex protocols: FTP
network HTTP
TCP/IP
duplex VOIP
types:
telnet
uploads
voice over Internet
private (intranet & extranet)
public (Internet)
ownership:
electronic mail (e-mail) written using

arranged on each has accessed using
hyper linked web pages HTML web browser

TRANSMISSION MEDIA wired:
coaxial
twisted-pair
fibre-optic
file transfers
wireless:
Internet relay chat (IRC) newsgroups
infra red
pod-casting
World Wide Web
microwave satellite
hosted
XHTML
on
unique URL
web server
website
In this chapter, we will explore how computers facilitate the exchange of data
in all its forms: text, images, sound and video. We will look at how computers
can be connected to transfer data from one point to another. Additionally, we
will explore a range of computer-based tools used by individuals to
communicate personally and professionally.
4 • The Internet and communications technology
Data communication and networks

Every day, billions of individuals utilise the facilities offered by at least one
communication network to trade, share data and generally keep in touch.
Phone companies, electronic media organisations (radio, television and cable),
families and friends all depend on private and public networks to transfer data
from one point to another. This data may be a simple text message sent via a
mobile phone, a live report from a journalist covering an event or images sent
back to Earth from the International Space Station.
data communication ❯ have a network. A network is a communications, data
exchange and resource-sharing system created by linking
two or more computers, using established standards or
protocols so that they can work together.
uploading ❯
downloading ❯
network ❯
Figure 4.1 A notebook connected wirelessly to a Wi-Fi

router.
Types of networks
ITQ1 The three main types of computer networks are local area
ITQ1 networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs) and
Data communication is the transfer of information from wide area networks (WANs).
one computer to another.
In data communications, one computer (the sender or Type Description
transmitter) transfers data to another computer (receiver)
LAN A network that uses
over a communication channel or communication link.
more computers in a
This channel or link may be wired or wireless. Where the
one building or a gro
receiving computer is located some distance away from the
sending computer, we say that the receiving computer ‘is MA Regional computer
remotely located’. Two common terms that are used in N covered by an avera
data communications to describe the action of transferring example of a MAN.
data are upload and download.
Transferring a file from one computer to another computer WA A data communicat
on a network using data communication links is known as N network) outside its
uploading. wirelessly, to link to
Transferring a copy of a file from a distant computer to a is an example of a W
disk in one’s local computer using data communication
links is known as downloading. When computers are
connected via communication channels so that users can
share hardware resources, data files and programs we
Answer the following telecommunications provider
questions. a What is WiMax? in the Caribbean that offers
b Name ONE WiMax service.
c Suggest TWO ways in which
WiMax service is
advantageous to specific user
groups.
Table 4.1 Types of networks.
48
Types of transmission media

Both cables and radio waves are used for linking computers
in a network. Cables are referred to as wired media and
include coaxial, twisted pair and fibre-optic cables. Radio
waves are referred to as wireless media or simply wireless
and include satellite, microwave and infrared. Bluetooth
and Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) are both trademarked names for
popular radiowave technologies used in data
communication. A Wi-Fi hotspot is an area covered by a
Wi-Fi antenna. Wi-Fi hotspots are often found in airports and
Internet cafes.
wired media, coaxial, twisted pair ❯ fibre-optic, wireless media
❯ wireless, satellite, microwave ❯ infrared, radiowave ❯
ITQ2
ITQ1
What is the difference between EACH of the following pairs
of devices:
(a) hub and switch
(b) switch and router.
Networking hardware
A range of hardware devices are used to connect computers
together to create networks. These include network cards,
hubs, switches and routers. Each network card has a socket
into which a special cable fits. A hub is just a device that
connects many cables together and transfers network
messages between those cables. Many homes are now
equipped with both a modem and a wireless router.
Figure 4.2 A four-computer local area network using a hub.
If trailing wires around the office are unsightly and dangerous

then a wireless network may be set up, eliminating the need
for cables. In this case, the hub would be replaced with a
wireless router (pictured in Figure 4.3).
Figure 4.3 Wi-Fi routers

are now commonly found in homes, offices, hotel corridors
and a long list of other places. Multiple antennas ensure
increased signal strength.
hub
49
ITQ3
(a)
ITQ1
Which of the cable types mentioned do
you believe
(a) has the greatest bandwidth;
(b) is the most costly to
purchase and
(b)
install;
(c) is the most common in
local area
networks?
(c)
Figure 4.4 (a) Twisted pair, (b) coaxial and

(c) fibre-optic cables.
(a) (b)
Figure 4.5 (a) Rear view of a wireless router showing connection ports; (b) twisted pair cables like
these are used to connect the modem to the wireless router.
Wireless technology Common usage Technical stuff

Microwave Used by mobile telecoms providers for • Used over distances (up to 70 km).
transmission of radio signals. • Must be a line of sight between the
transmitter and receiver.
Bluetooth • Communication between a computer and • Has a limited range of approximately 10

graphic pads, digital cameras and mobile meters (30 feet). • Uses a radio (broadcast)
phones. communications system; devices do not
• Linking mobile phone with car have to be in line of sight of each other.
stereo system. • Control of games • Does not penetrate walls; no
such as Nintendo Wii. interference with other devices in
adjoining rooms.
Infrared • Short-range communication among Less expensive than fibre-optic cable in

computer peripherals and personal digital some situations whilst providing very high
assistants. bandwidth.
• Communications links in urban areas,
providing bandwidth up to 4 GB.
Satellite • Long-distance telephony (calling Jamaica Has very long range:160–2,000 km

from Barbados, etc.). (100–1,240 miles).
• Satellite television and radio.
• Distance learning.
• Video conferencing.
• GPS navigation systems.
• Google maps, Google Earth.
Table 4.2 Wireless transmission media.
50
bandwidth ❯
narrowband, voiceband ❯
broadband ❯
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted via a given

communications channel in a given unit of time (generally 1 second).ITQ4
Bandwidth is measured in bits per second (bps).
ITQ1
Suggest ONE reason why a residential householder would Voiceba One of the freq
purchase a pricey 8 MB broadband Internet service. nd within part of t
of the narrowba
frequencies, tha
the transmissio
300 Hz to 3,400
Broadb The wide band

and characteristics
transmission m
Figure 4.6 Large international
ability to transp
organisations may use communications satellites. In 1987,
signals and traffi
Wal-Mart, the
types simultan
world’s largest retailer, used a satellite communication
transmission
network to connect its headquarters (in Arkansas, USA)
signals using
with its distribution centres and thousands of retail stores
greater than 12
worldwide.
kbits/s)
broadcast ❯ Table 4.3 Bandwidth description and uses.
point-to-point ❯
Bandwidth
Each transmission media has a characteristic that
determines the speed at which data is carried. This
characteristic is called bandwidth. A number of terms have
been coined to refer to bandwidth such as narrowband,
voiceband and broadband.
Description & Bandwidth Usage

Communication modes
Narrowb A limite
When computers communicate, they can do so in one of
and transmi
two ways: broadcast or point-to-point. Broadcast means
channe
sending out a message to all the other computers on a
signals
network. Radio and television stations broadcast their
less tha
programs so that people with a device capable of receiving
the signal may do so if they want to. Point-to-point,
<64 kb
however, establishes a direct communication channel
300–3,4
between two computers on a network. When one person
devices
calls another on a mobile phone, a wireless path is created
between the two callers. Other people in the vicinity are
unable to receive the call even though they also have
mobile phones.
Data travels over a transmission medium in one of three
ways: simplex, half-duplex or full duplex.
51
Transmission mode Description System/device

Simplex Uni-directional • Car stereo systems
• Microwave transmitter
• Microwave receiver
• Pager
Half-duplex Bi-directional, but • Two-way radio
only in one direction (walkie-talkie) •
at a time Push-to-talk mobile
phone • Fax machine
• Web browser
Full duplex Bi-directional, both • Mobile phone

directions at the same • Wi-Fi router
time • LAN, WAN, MAN
Table 4.4 Examples of devices and the transmission modes utilised.
ONE WAY STREET
Simplex transmission is in one direction only.
Simplex transmission
Half-duplex transmission is in both directions, but

only one at a time (e.g. Walkie-talkie).
Half-duplex transmission
Full duplex transmission is in both directions,

simultaneously (e.g. mobile phone).
Full duplex transmission
52
Internet ❯
ITQ5
ITQ1
Suggest THREE ways in which an extranet may typically intranet ❯
be used by an organisation.
data.
An intranet is a private computer network designed to
meet the needs of a single organisation or company that is
extranet ❯ based on Internet (TCP/IP) technology. It is not necessarily
4 • The Internet and communications technology open to the external Internet and defi nitely not open to
outside users. It utilises familiar facilities such as web
The Internet, intranet and extranet pages and web browsers.
An extranet is an intranet that has been selectively opened
Some organisations rely on the Internet, intranet and an to specially selected individuals or organisations (including
extranet to meet their data communication needs. Whilst customers, suppliers, research associates). An online
all three have similarities, they all have features that make banking application is an example of an extranet.
them different.
The Internet is a public, global (wide area) network based
on the TCP/ IP protocol. The TCP/IP protocol assigns
Firefox
every connected computer a unique Internet address, also Mozilla Firefox Start Page Add-ons Manager
called an IP address, so that any two connected
computers can locate each other on the network and locate
Google
https://slb.slbnetbank.com/Login.asp
Sign in to Online Banking
User ID:
<PHOTO>[INSERT IMAGE 063]
Password:
Sign In >
Bank website please email us at: support@slbbank.com
© copyright 2011 St. Luago Bank
St. Luago SLB
If you are experiencing problems with St. Luago Bank Internet

Internet concepts
Data communication via the Internet, a
global wide area network, is based on the
TCP/IP protocol. Communication with the
World Wide Web is based on another
protocol: HTTP. Other popular protocols that
we may encounter in data communication
include FTP, VoIP, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
HTTP
Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a
protocol used to request and transmit fi les,
especially web pages and web page
HTTP ❯ FTP ❯ components, over the Internet or other
computer networks.
FTP
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a protocol
Figure 4.7 Online banking is a service
used to transfer fi les between FTP servers
facilitated by an extranet and provides
and clients. An FTP site is like a large fi ling
customers with around-the-clock access to
cabinet. With a
their accounts.
53
traditional filing cabinet, the person who does the filing has the option to
label and organise the files as well as deciding which files to keep in locked
drawers and which files remain available for public access. When using an FTP
A protocol is an agreed set of rules that specifies the format of
data as well as the rules to be followed to transmit it.
Figure 4.8 FTP client software allows users to manage a

website from their own computer. The left section of the
screen shows the files on the remote computer (web
server) whereas the section on the right shows the files
on the local machine. VoIP
Voice over IP (VoIP) is the use of Internet-based
technologies to transmit voice-grade data over the
VoIP ❯ Internet. As more people connect to the Internet with fast
client program, users are able to link with FTP sites (on broadband connections, it has become possible to use the
the Internet or other networks), and browse the remote Internet for voice communication. Instead of text-based
directories and files as if they were on a local hard disk. chat, two or more persons
are able to have voice chat facilitated by Internet
technologies. This is a very economical way to
communicate but is restricted to communication between service offered by telecommunication companies. Skype
Internet users. Companies are now using IP-based phone and Google Hangout all facilitate VoIP.
systems (by Cisco and Avaya) instead of the conventional
Activity 4.1 Exploring Skype

1 Visit the Skype website at www.skype.com
2 Click on the ‘learn’ link and explore the wide range of features that it offers.
Feature Brief description
Skype mobile
File sharing
Instant messaging
Multi-person video
conference
Multi-person voice
conference
Screen sharing
Other
4 Write brief notes about each of the features.
54
data over short distances from fixed and
mobile devices, using radio waves. Bluetooth
capability is enabled in a device by means of
an embedded Bluetooth chip and supporting
Bluetooth ❯ Wi-Fi ❯
software. The chip enables Bluetooth to be
built into a wide range of devices such as
cellular phones and PDAs. Some of the current
uses of the Bluetooth protocol include:
• wireless control of and communication
between a mobile phone and a handsfree
headset;
• wireless control of and communication
between a mobile phone and a Bluetooth
compatible car stereo system;
• wireless Bluetooth headset and intercom;
• wireless networking between PCs in a
confined space and where little bandwidth is
required;
• wireless communication with PC input and
output devices, the most common being the
mouse, keyboard and printer;
• transfer of files, contact details, calendar
4 The Internet and communications technology
• appointments, and reminders between
smartphones.
Bluetooth
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for exchanging
Wi-Fi is a marketing term created by the Wi-Fi Figure 4.9 A web page being viewed in a web
Alliance, a non-profit industry group that tests browser. Each of the items in the red box on
products to ensure that they comply with the left are hyperlinks to other pages on the
particular industry wireless standards. These Macmillan Caribbean website.
standards relate to a range of protocols
governing wireless LAN communications.
The World Wide Web (WWW)

At the heart of the World Wide Web (WWW) is
a huge collection of documents called web
pages. These web pages are grouped into
websites, stored on web servers,
downloaded, and displayed on a user’s
computer by a web browser.
55
web page ❯
web browser ❯
web site ❯
home page ❯
hyperlink ❯
web server ❯
A web server is special-purpose application software that
accepts requests for information, framed according to the
Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP), processes these
requests and sends the requested document.
A web browser is special-purpose application software that
runs on an Internet- connected computer and uses the
HTTP to connect with web servers. All web browsers can
decode web pages that have been written (marked) with
HTML. A web browser is needed for a web page to be
requested, downloaded,
decoded and displayed on a user’s local machine. The
most common web browsers are Internet Explorer, Firefox,
Chrome, Safari and Opera. A uniform resource locator
(URL) is a string of characters that uniquely identifi es an
Internet resource’s type and location. Consider the following
URL: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-Mini-Black-16GB/
• http:// – identifi es a World Wide Web protocol.
• www.amazon.com – www. indicates a resource on the
World Wide Web, amazon indicates the Internet domain
name and .com indicates the domain suffi x. •
Apple-iPad-Mini-Black-16GB/ – fully describes the directory
structure (where the document is stored) and includes the
document’s name and extension. Many companies use
their company name as part of their Internet domain name.
This makes it easier for users to fi nd the website using
search engines. A top-level domain name is the last part
of an Internet domain name, that is, the group of letters
that follow the fi nal dot of any Internet domain name, ‘com’
in our example above.
Figure 4.10 Firefox is a free, open-source web browser

from Mozilla. It is one of the most popular Internet
browsers today.
A web page is a document, written in Hyper Text Markup
Language (HTML), that may contain text, sound, images,
video clips, hyperlinks and other components.
A website is a group of web pages that belong together
and are linked to each other using hyperlinks.
Organisations want viewers to be able to fi nd documents
on their website easily so they arrange their website to
have a single entry point from which the rest of the website
is accessed; this is the organisation’s home page.
One of the main features of HTML is the ability to convert
an item of text into a hyperlink. This hyperlink serves as a
navigational scheme that allows users to browse from one
web page to another or from one website to the next. Each
hyperlink contains the full address of another web page so
clicking on the hyperlink has the same effect as typing the
full address in the web browser. When a hyperlink is
clicked, the web browser downloads and displays the new
web page. Hyperlinks are like shortcuts to other web pages.
A hyperlink is an icon, information object, underlined or
otherwise emphasised word or phrase that displays
another document (or resource) when clicked with the
mouse.
56
ITQ6
Give THREE other examples of top-level domain names.
smartphones and tablets, tweets, Facebook inbox
messages and instant messages are now much more
popular than e-mail. We will now discuss a range of tools
available for communicating today.
E-mail
Electronic mail (e-mail) applications allow users to send
an electronic message over a network to anyone with an
e-mail address and access to a computer system. An
e-mail address is always in the form
username@domain_name, for example,
electronic mail ❯ info@macmillan-caribbean.com.
Common desktop e-mail application programs include
Evolution Mail, Outlook and Outlook Express. Many users
have free web-based e-mail accounts with Gmail, Hotmail
and Yahoo Mail provided by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo
respectively.
An e-mail message is usually text-based but may include
images, sounds and video clips as attachments. Unlike
e-mail message ❯
regular surface mail (snail mail), we cannot send physical
objects using e-mail. E-mail applications have similar
functionality including the ability to read and store received
messages, create and send new messages. Messages
can be sent to one or more recipients. Facilities to maintain
an address book or contacts list are also usually provided.
This makes it quicker and easier to send e-mail to the
correct recipients. The delivery of e-mail usually takes a
matter of seconds, and, in the situation where delivery
fails, the sender is advised accordingly.
IRC ❯ Internet relay chat (IRC) and instant

messengers
IRC is a messaging system that allows users to ‘chat’ with
other people on the Internet using text messages.
Common IRC applications are Yahoo Messenger, Google
Talk, Kik and WhatsApp. These applications, when
installed on your smartphone or computer, allow you to
‘chat’ with other users of the system. Every user of the
system has a unique ID (identification) that enables you to
create a list of friends with whom you want to chat. IRC is
bulletin board ❯ usually text chat; you type your comments and read the
replies made by other people.
newsgroup ❯
Bulletin boards and newsgroups
The home page is automatically downloaded if no file is A bulletin board is an electronic forum that hosts posted
specified in the URL. For example, www.amazon.com messages and articles related to a common subject.
takes you to the Amazon Store home page where A newsgroup is an online discussion group or forum
hyperlinks may be clicked to take you to each of the web specifically focused on a particular area of interest.
pages made available by Amazon. Bulletin boards and newsgroups were popular before the
Internet and WWW were created. Users of the bulletin
board would dial into the computer that hosted the bulletin
Communicating globally using board where they could read or leave messages. They
have largely been replaced by discussion forums on the
network-based tools WWW which have the same functionality, allowing users to
With many users accessing the Internet using their post and reply to messages using a standard web browser.
57
Blogging
blog ❯
A podcast is an audio broadcast using the Internet that
can be played back on an iPod or similar device.
Podcasts have become very popular with radio
broadcasters, making their programs available online so
listeners can catch up with any programs they might have
missed. Podcasts have now expanded, with smaller
organisations producing their own podcasts only available
on the Internet.
podcast ❯
Figure 4.11 The

Yummy Truth is a blog maintained by April Jackson who
introduces her blog with the statement ‘I live 2 eat’.
Readers get a peek into her world through her taste buds.
Summary
A blog or web log is a diary maintained by its author on the
World Wide Web. It allows people to comment on the
posts.
Blogging has become very popular in recent years. People
who used to maintain a diary of their daily activities started
to make these entries, or posts, on their websites. You do
not have to have a website to maintain a blog as free blog Figure 4.12 Nature Publishing Group offers podcasts on a
hosting sites are available on the Internet. wide range of Science topics. The URL is
http://www.nature.com/podcast/index.html/
Podcasts
• Networks can be categorised as LAN (Local Area Network) for computers in close proximity,
MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) for computers connected within a town or city, WAN (Wide
Area Network) for computers geographically separated.
• Network cabling can be coaxial, twisted pair or fibre optic.
• Computers and computer devices can be connected using Wi-Fi, microwave, Bluetooth and
satellite technologies. • Broadband, voiceband and narrowband define the speed of network
connections.
• Broadcast communication is messages sent from one computer to many whereas point-to-point
communication is a one-to-one link.
• Modes of communication are simplex, half-duplex and duplex.
• The Internet facilitates a wide range of services including the World Wide Web, e-mail, IRC,
and bulletin boards. • E-mail (electronic mail) applications allow messages to be sent over a
network.
• Internet relay chat (IRC) is interactive text chat between people with access to computers
on a network. • Web browsers are programs for viewing web pages made available on the
World Wide Web. • Newsgroups and bulletin boards are older technologies that allow
viewers to post and read comments. The
interactive nature of newsgroups and bulletin boards has now largely been replaced by
online forums. • Blogging refers to maintaining an online diary. Blogging software allows
readers to comment on diary entries. • FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a method of uploading
files from a local computer to a remote computer and downloading files from a remote
computer to a local computer.
• Telemarketing and teleconferencing refer to using computer networks, particularly the
Internet, to market goods and services, and to hold meetings, respectively.
58
computer networks.
Answers to ITQs ITQ1 (a) A telecommunications
technology providing wireless data,
voice and video over long distances;
(b) Digicel; (c) (i) facilitates more
commercial activities as e-commerce
facilities can be made available in
places not served by wired telephone
IT portfolio
ITQ3 (a) Fibre optic; (b) fibre optic; (c) twisted pair.
service or wired network; (ii) provides
opportunities for the development of ITQ4 To download multimedia content such as music and
more innovative products/services. movies. ITQ5 Any THREE of: (a) to communicate using
electronic data interchange (b) to publish catalogues for
ITQ2 (a) A hub is a passive device,
wholesalers and trade partners (c) to share training
switch is intelligent; (b) switch
programmes (d) to provide team collaboration
forwards data packets between
environments.
computers on one network, router
forwards data packets between ITQ6 Any THREE of: .biz.com, .info, .net, .org, .pro
1 This activity will explore the concepts related to data communications and networking.
a Check out the computer lab at school (make sure to get permission from your teacher before you do so); ask the
following questions:
i Are the computers networked?
ii What types of cabling are used?
iii Is there a server?
iv Is the central connecting device a hub, switch or router?
v Is there Internet access?
b Record your findings in your portfolio.
2 In this activity you will explore concepts related to Wi-Fi and the Internet. Conduct research (read books, use search
engines on the Web and interview people) and record your findings in your portfolio:
a What is the name of the organisation that owns the Wi-Fi trademark?
b When was the term ‘Wi-Fi’ first used commercially?
c What wireless networking standard is used by Wi-Fi?
d Describe the THREE most recent variations of the Wi-Fi standard. Ensure that you make mention of distance
limitations.
e What does the logo look like? Have you ever seen the logo on a product or its packaging? Paste an image of the
logo in your portfolio.
f Visit your local Internet café and find out if they offer VoIP telephone calls. What hardware and software
components are required?
g Download Skype and make a VoIP telephone call. How does the cost and call quality compare with a call made
via a fixed line or mobile telephone?
59
Group activities
1 This activity should be done at the same time as three other classmates using Google’s Gmail. a Create an e-mail
account using your firstname and lastname as username: For example, danielle.sterling@ gmail.com.
b Use the address book to add contact details for at least three of your friends.
c Compose a new e-mail to the first person in your address book. Cc (carbon copy) the second person in your
address book. Bcc (blind carbon copy) the third person in your address book.
d In the body of the e-mail message, distinguish among Internet, intranet and extranet. Attach a text file
containing the definition of ‘data communication’.
e Send the e-mail to all three recipients.
f Retrieve and read the e-mail received from your friends. Observe the names in the To and Cc fields. Why is
there no mention of the person who was blind carbon copied?
g Print copies of all three e-mails and place them in your portfolio.
2 Help your teacher to organise a field trip to your local government (parish council) office. Ask your parent, guardian or a
relative to help, as they may know someone responsible for the network there.
a What type of network is installed there?
b Are the computers within the offices networked?
c Can any of the computers communicate with the regional or national government computers? What type of
network is this?
d Discuss with the staff the advantages of government sharing information and communicating using computers.
Record your findings in your portfolio.
(D) users to access and view web pages on the
Internet
Examination-style questions 3 A network that allows staff and customers to securely
access data is known as a
Multiple-choice questions
(A) extranet (C) outernet
TEST BANK (B) Internet (D) intranet
4 A blog is an example of
5 Which of the following Internet-based services is NOT (A) an online diary
(B) an audio broadcast on the Internet
Instructions: Each item in this test has four suggested (C) a text-based ‘chatting’ system
responses labelled (A), (B), (C) or (D). Read each
(D) a place online where you can post and read
question carefully then select the most suitable messages with people of similar interests
response. suited for text- based communication?
1 The process of sending a file from a local computer to a (A) bulletin board (C) FTP
remote computer is called (B) e-mail (D) podcasting 6 Which of the following is
(A) downloading (C) updating the most appropriate type of network for connecting
(B) uploading (D) inputting computers in a single building?
2 An e-mail program allows (A) CAN (C) MAN
(A) real-time exchange of messages or files with (B) LAN (D) WAN
another online user 7 Which of the following types of cable should be used
(B) geographically separated people to transfer for a very fast network?
audio and video (A) coaxial (C) copper
(C) transmission of messages and files via a network (B) twisted pair (D) fibre optic
such as the Internet
8 An international company needs to transfer large (A) broadband router
amounts of data around the countries where it has (B) hub
offices. Which communication technology is best (C) local area network
suited to this task? (D) coaxial router
(A) microwave (C) infra red 10 Which is NOT a mode of communication? (A)
(B) Bluetooth (D) satellite complex (C) full duplex (B) simplex (D)
9 The device that is used to connect many computers half-duplex
together is a
60
Explain ONE drawback or limitation of linking
1 Networks provide a range of facilities for data computers in a network via each of the following
communication.
media:
a What is a network? [1] b In what way does a blog i satellite [1] ii microwave [1] iii infrared [1] iv
differ from a bulletin board? [1] c What is telnet? [1] d fibre optic [1] v coaxial [1]
Describe the operation of the Internet Relay Chat
6 The following questions refer to the illustration below. a
facility. [2] 2 Businesses are expanding their activities to
Name the THREE types of cabling illustrated. [3] b
exploit opportunities made possible by Internet, intranet
and extranet technologies. Identify which cable is most likely used to connect a
modem to a wireless router. [1]
a Clearly distinguish between the Internet and an
intranet. [2] b Suggest TWO ways in which a company
may benefit from using an extranet. [2] c Suggest A
TWO drawbacks in using electronic mail as compared
with using normal mail for day-to-day business
communication. [2] 3 A network is a communications,
data exchange and resource-sharing system created by
linking two or more computers and establishing
standards, or protocols, so that they can work together. B
a What is meant by the word ‘protocol’? [1] b Name

THREE protocols commonly used in data
communication. [3] c List THREE resources that may
be shared by a network. [3] d List the THREE main
types of computer networks. [3] 4 E-commerce is
dependent on the seamless operation of web browsers, C
websites, web servers and web pages.
a What is a web browser? [1] b What is the
relationship between a web page and a website? [2]
7 Name EACH of the devices described below. a
c Explain how a web server facilitates
Modulates and demodulates communication signals
e-commerce. [2] d Discuss TWO advantages over a network. [1] b Determines the pathway that
gained by an communication signals take over a network. [1] c
individual or a company that sells products or Device installed in a computer system that
services via e-commerce. [4] facilitates wireless communication between the
5 Networks span the globe.
computer system and a network. [1]
a State TWO advantages and TWO
disadvantages of networking computers. [2] b
61
5
Data storage and
5 • Data storage and manipulation
manipulation
for representing integers describe the BCD
scheme for representing integers describe

the two’s complement scheme for
By the end of this chapter you should be
able to: representing integers describe the ASCII
describe the binary, octal and hexadecimalscheme for representing characters.
number systems convert numbers from

Concept
one number base to another perform map
binary addition Data
perform binary subtraction
describe the sign and magnitude scheme

stored internally represented externally
binary codes characters numbers
may be using include
floating point
subtracted using ASCII integers may be
added
two’s complement arithmetic negative positive
manipulated using
binary
including hexadecimal
decimal octal
representation schemes:
unsigned binary
sign and magnitude
Binary Coded Decimal
(LSD).
Consider the base 10 number 132.
We readily recognise this number as one hundred and
thirty-two since the first digit, the ‘1’ has a value of 100, the
‘3’ has a value of 30 and the ‘2’ has a value of 2.
The value of the LSD in the base 10 number 132 is two (2)
and the value of the MSD is one hundred (100).
We will now consider three other number systems. These
use the numbers 2, 8 and 16 as their base and are called
binary, octal and hexadecimal respectively.
decimal number system ❯ Binary

positional value ❯
The binary number system has only two digits, 0 and 1,
and the place values are 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, 16s, 32s and so
on. The first eight place values are shown in Table 5.1.
most significant digit ❯
least significant digit ❯
Hundre Tens Units
ds
1 3 2
binary ❯
Earlier we saw that a microprocessor is an electronic

device that operates on 1s and 0s. In this section you will
learn how to convert from human friendly decimal numbers
to computer-friendly binary numbers. We also see how
characters can be represented as binary numbers. After all,
we want the information output by the computer to be in a
form we humans can understand.
Number systems
Humans count in the base 10 using what is called the
decimal (or denary) system. The decimal number system
uses 10 digits: 0 through 9. The most important feature of
a number system is the concept of positional value – the
value of a digit in a number depends on its position or
place. Recall from mathematics that the leftmost digit in
any number is called the most significant digit (MSD)
and the rightmost digit is called the least significant digit
MSD LSD
Place values
27 26 25 20
letter ‘A’ or the word ‘Love’).
Conversion between binary and decimal

Example 5.1 Convert 10012 to decimal.
8-bit store ❯
bit string ❯ Step 1: Starting from the LSD and working left towards
the MSD, assign each digit in the bit string a positional
value; remember that the LSD has a value of 20.
ITQ1
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 MSD ← LSD Work from right to left
Table 5.1 Place values for an 8-bit binary store. 22 21 20
Unless otherwise stated, all examples in this chapter will
use a 1-byte word (which has a word size of 8). We will 4 2 1
refer to this 1-byte word as an 8-bit store. The term bit
string will also be used to refer to a group of ordered
binary digits such as ‘0001 1001’ which could represent:
23 Place values
• a number (for example, 37 or –25)
8These are the positional values
What is the value of the most significant digit in a 1-byte
store? 1 0 0 1 The bit string (binary number)
• a character or string of characters (for example, the
63
Step 2: Multiply each digit in the bit string by its place value, giving the value of each
column.
MSD ← LSD Work from right to left
23 22 21 20 Place values
8 4 2 1 These are the positional

values
1 0 0 1 The bit string (binary

number)
(1 × 8) (0 × (0 × (1 × The expanded products

4) 2) 1)
8 0 0 1 The value of each

column
Step 3: Sum the values obtained in step 2, giving the decimal value being sought.
23 22 21
8 4 2
1 0 0
(1 × 8) (0 × (0 ×
4) 2)
ITQ2 8 0 0
ITQ1
Convert 111 0012 to decimal.
8+0+0+1=9
ITQ3 Our conversion is now complete: 10012 = 910

ITQ1
Example 5.2 Convert 101 1012 to decimal (quick
Convert 100 1112 to decimal using the quick method. method). We will skip the table in this example but still
follow the steps.
10 11012 = (25 × 1) + (24 × 0) + (23 × 1) + (22 × 1) + (21
ITQ4 × 0) + (20 × 1) = 32 + 0 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 1
ITQ1 = 45
Convert 10 110 0112 to decimal using the really quick Our conversion is now complete: 101 1012 = 4510
method. Example 5.3 Convert 10 0112 to decimal (really quick
ON-bits ❯ method). 10 0112 = (1 × 16) + (1 × 2) + (1 × 1)
= 16 + 2 + 1
= 19
Our conversion is now complete: 10 0112 = 1910
Note that we processed only the 1-bits (also called the
ON-bits).
ITQ5
ITQ1 Example 5.4 Convert 1 110 1112 to decimal (really quick
Convert 1 101 1112 to decimal. method). 1 110 1112 = (1 × 64) + (1 × 32) + (1 × 16) + (1
× 4) + (1 x 2) + (1 × 1) = 64 + 32 + 16 + 4 + 2 + 1
MSD ← LSD
= 119
Our conversion is now complete: 1 110 1112 = 1910
Again, we processed only the ON-bits.
Activity 5.1 Visit khanacademy.org and watch the video ‘Understanding how numbers
are represented’.
1 Write the web page address (URL) of the YouTube video in your portfolio.
2 Complete the following statements in your portfolio:
a One new concept I learned was …
b It is important for us to understand how numbers are represented because …
64
Our conversion is now complete: 6710 = 1 000 0112
Example 5.6 Convert 6710 to binary (a different layout).
ITQ6
ITQ1
Convert 5910 to binary.
Example 5.5 Convert 6710 to binary.

This can be done by successive divisions by 2, recording
the remainder of each division, e.g.
This can be done by successive divisions by 2, recording

the remainder of each division, e.g.
6710 67 ÷ 2 = 33 remainder 1
33 ÷ 2 = 16 remainder 1
16 ÷ 2 = 8 remainder 0
Remainder
2 ÷ 2 = 1 remainder 0 2 67
1 ÷ 2 = 0 remainder 1 2 33 1
2 16 1
∴ 6710 = 1 0 0 0 0 1 12
40 2 20
Step 1
2 80 2 2 10 01 Step 3
Octal is a number system whose base is 8. It uses the
digits 0 through 7. The place values increase in powers of
8.
Example 5.7 Convert 6910 to octal.
octal ❯
6910 69 ÷ 8 = 8 remainder 5
ITQ7
ITQ1
Convert 7510 to octal.
Step 1: Perform successive divisions, each time recording ∴ 69 = 1 0 5
10 8
the remainder. Step 2: Stop after you perform the division
‘1 divided by 2 equals zero remainder one’. Our conversion is now complete: 6910 = 1058
Step 3: Your answer is the bit string read from bottom to
top. Our conversion is now complete: 6710 = 1 000 0112
Conversion between decimal and octal

65
Conversion between octal and decimal

Example 5.8 Convert 1238 to decimal.
64 + 16
Our conversion is now complete: 1238 = 8310

ITQ8
ITQ1 Conversion between octal and binary
Convert 1078 to decimal. The conversion table below is useful in the conversion
Place 8exercise.
values Octal 0 1
–6
Binary 0 1
Octal 1
number
Conversion (1 ×Table 5.2 Conversion between octal and binary.
Binary (from 111 110

ITQ10 table)
ITQ9 Convert 458 to binary.
ITQ1
Example 5.9 Convert 768 to binary.
Convert 678 to binary.
Octal 7 6
Our conversion is now complete: 768 =
111 1102 Binary (from 101 100
Example 5.10 Convert 548 to binary. table) Our conversion is now complete: 548 =
Octal 5 4 101 1002
group if necessary.
Grouped binary 001
digits
Binary (from table) 1
ITQ11
Convert 11 110 011 101 1012 to octal. Our conversion is now complete: 1 010 011 001 1002 = 12
Example 5.11 Convert 1 010 011 001 1002 to octal. 3148
Look at each group of three binary digits, working from
Example 5.12 Convert 5410 to binary via octal.
right to left. Add extra zeros to the left of the rightmost
6 ⎟ 8 = 0 remainder 6 Octal 6 6
∴ 5410 = 668
Binary (from 110 110
Figure 5.1 Conversions between table)
decimal and binary are often quicker
via octal.
ITQ12
Convert 12710 to binary via octal. Hexadecimal (hex) Our conversion is now complete: 5410 =
Step 1: Convert 5410 to octal. Step 2: Convert 668 to binary. 110 1102
5410 54 ⎟ 8 = 6 remainder 6
base 10) and the letters A–F (which are the
equivalent of 10–15 in decimal). The place
values increase in powers of 16. A group of
binary digits can represent any value between 0
hexadecimal ❯
and 15.
Hexadecimal is a number system whose base
is 16. The symbols used are the digits 0–9 (like
66
1 1 1
2 10 2
3 11 3
4 100 4
5 101 5
6 110 6
7 111 7
ITQ13
Convert 12710 to binary via octal. 8 1000 8
9 1001 9
ITQ14
Convert 7E16 to decimal. A 1010 10
Hex Binary Decimal B 1011 11

number equivale value
nt C 1100 12
0 0 0 D 1101 13
E 1110 14 0 + 128 +
F 1111 15
Our conversion is now complete: 8C16 = 14010
Table 5.3 Table of values for binary, decimal and

hexadecimal bases.
Conversion between hex and octal
A conversion between hex and octal is most easily done
via binary.
Example 5.15 Convert 9D16 to octal.

Step 1: Convert hex to binary with the aid of the conversion
table.
Hex number 9
ITQ15
Convert 7C16 to octal. Binary (from 1001
5 • Data storage and manipulation table)
Conversion between hex and decimal

These conversions follow the same pattern used for binary Our conversion is not yet complete. 9D16 = 10 011 10110
Step 2: Convert binary to octal.
and octal. Example 5.13 Convert 9110 to hexadecimal.
Binar 10 11
9110 91 ⎟ 16 = 5 remainder 11 y
5 ⎟ 16 = 0 remainder 5
Octal 2 3
Our conversion is now complete: 9D16 = 2358
Binary addition
Addition of binary numbers is similar to the addition of
decimal numbers. Consider how you would do the
∴ 9110 = 5B16 following decimal sum.
Our conversion is now complete: 9110 = 5B16 27

+ 188
Example 5.14 Convert 8C16 to decimal.
215
Place 16
We say to ourselves 7 + 8
values –2
over 1 then 2 + 8 + 1 = 11
Hex 0 then 1 + 1 = 2
Conversio (0
n 2
67
Four basic rules govern binary addition.

Rule What we add Result
1 0+0 0
2 1 + 0 or 0 + 1 1
3 1+1 0 carry
1
4 1+1+1 1 carry
1
Table 5.4 Rules for binary addition.
Example 5.16 Add together 11 0102 and 11 1002.

We will illustrate by performing the following computation:
11010
+1 1 1 0 0
Step 1: Apply rule 1 (0 + 0 = 0) 110 1 0

(carry) + 111 0 0
10
Step 4: Apply rule 3 (1 + 1 = 0 carry

1101 0
1)
+ 1110 0
(carry)
0
1
Step 3: Apply rule 2 again (0 + 1 = 1)

(carry)
1 1 010
+ 1 1 100
0110
11010
+ 11 1 0 0 Step 6: Bring down the 1 that was
110 carried over as there is nothing to
add to it.
Step 5: Apply rule 4 (1 + 1 + 1 = 1 (carry) 1 1
carry 1)
(carry) 1
1
11010
+ 11100
110110
1 1010
+ 1 1100 Our computation is now
complete: 11 0102 + 11 1002 =
10110
Step 2: Apply rule 2 (1 + 0 = 1) 110 1102
(carry)
Set out the sum, taking care to align the bits to the
ITQ16 right as shown in step 1. Step 1: Starting with the
Add together 11102 and 111 1002. rightmost

Example 5.17 Add together 11102 and 1102.
column, add 0 and 0. Apply rule and carry 1 to the column to the
1: 0 + 0 = 0. Write the result in left.
the same column. (carry)
Step 2: Add the digits in the 2nd

column from the right: 1 and 1.
111 0
Apply rule 3: 1 + 1 = 0 carry 1.
Write the 0 in the same column + 11 0
0
1110
(carr 1
y) +110
00
68
column from the right: 1, 1 and 1.
Apply rule 4: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 carry 1. 1110
Write 1 in the same column and +110
carry 1 to the leftmost column. 100
Step 4: Add the digits in the leftmost (carr 1 1
column: 1 and 1. Apply rule 3: 1 + 1 y) 1
= 0 carry 1. Write 0 in the same
column and carry 1 to the leftmost
column.
1 110
ITQ17
Step 5: Bring down the 1 that was + 110
Add together the following pairs of carried over as there is nothing to 0100
binary numbers, giving the add
answers in 5 • Data storage and manipulation
(carr 1 1
y) 1
(carr 1
y) 1
Step 3: Add the digits in the 3rd
binary form.
(a) 11012 and 00112
(b) 10112 and 11102
(c) 11 1002 and 1112
(d) 110 0112 and 10 0012.
ITQ19
Express 63 as a binary-coded decimal.
to it.1110 + 110
ITQ18 10100
Using the rules for binary subtraction, subtract 10112 from
Our computation is now complete: 11102
11 1102.
+ 1102 = 10 1002
Binary subtraction
Binary subtraction has a set of rules that are more
complicated than addition.
Rul What we Re
integer ❯ e subtract
negative integer ❯
1 0 from 0 0
2 1 from 1 0
3 0 from 1 1
4 1 from 0 We can’t unless we borrow 10 from the next because we can’t perform binary addition on the numbers
column Table 5.5 Rules for binary subtraction. • sign and magnitude representation – developed to try to
overcome the limitations of BCD; works well for storing
Fortunately, computer systems have a simple method of negative numbers but it is not suitable for adding numbers
subtracting called complementation. We discuss • two’s complement – the method computers use to
complementation later in this chapter. After we learn how
to do complementation, we will perform binary subtraction. represent signed integers. We will work through each of
these schemes in turn.
Representing integers
Binary-coded decimal (BCD)
Recall that an integer is a whole number that is either
greater than zero, zero or less than zero. In the case BCD is the simplest way of storing data in a computer
where it is less than zero we call it a negative integer. We where each decimal digit from 0 to 9 is given a binary
code. This code is a representation of each digit’s own
will discuss three schemes for representing integers: •
binary sequence. BCD’s biggest selling point is that it
binary-coded decimal (BCD) – an early suggestion for
allows easy conversion to decimal digits for printing or
storing decimal display and faster decimal calculations.
numbers using the binary number system; not very useful
69
5 • Data storage and manipulation There are many binary-coded decimal schemes, however,
we will use BCD 8421, a scheme where a digit is usually
represented by four bits which, in general, represent the
Digit BCD values/digits/characters 0–9. The bit pattern ‘1010’ and
8421 ‘1011’ represent the ‘+’ and ‘–’ signs respectively. Even
though we have been given the code for ‘+’, it is not
00 common practice to use it.
11
2 10 Example 5.18 Express 37 as a binary-coded decimal.
Step 1: Retrieve the code for first digit in the number
3 11
Step 2: Write down this code followed by a space 0011
4 100
the digits in the number are 0011 0111BCD
5 101 6 110 processed 0011 0111
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all The process is now complete: 3710 =
Example 5.19 Express NEGATIVE 37 as a binary-coded

7 111 decimal.
8 1000 Step 1: Find the four-bit representation for each digit in the
9 1001 number: 310 = 0011BCD, 710 = 0111BCD
Step 2: Write out the sequence of BCD codes in the same
Table 5.6 Binary-coded order as the integers they represent.
decimals using the BCD 8421
scheme. 0011 0111
37
Step 3: Place the code for negative (1011) to the left of the
bit string. 1011 11 111
–37
The process is now complete.
ITQ20 The BCD representation of –3710 is therefore 1011 0011

0111.
What is the decimal equivalent of the binary-coded
decimal 1011 0101 0010?
Alternatively, the representation could be found as shown Sign and magnitude
in the next example.
In the decimal number system, a ‘+’ or ‘–’ sign indicates
whether the number is positive or negative. Sign and
magnitude uses a similar mechanism. We will work with a
one-byte word for simplicity; hence the word size is 8, one Example 5.20 Convert 3710 to its sign and magnitude
of which – the most significant bit – will be used for the representation. Step 1: Convert the integer to binary
sign bit. Conventionally, 0 is used to denote a positive 3710 = 100 1012
number, 1 a negative.
Step 2: Write the binary bit pattern,
starting with the least significant digit.
Sig Magnitude
Step 3: Pad the remaining bit
location(s) set aside for the
magnitude with zeros. 0 1 0 0 1 0 1
Sig Magnitude
n
1 0 0 1 0 1
70
Sig Magnitude
n
Step 4: Write either a 1 or a 0 to
indicate the sign of the number. 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1
ITQ21 The process is now complete.

Convert 7710 to its sign and magnitude representation. So to find how decimal –12 will be stored, reverse the
The sign and magnitude representation of 3710 is 0010 digits, turn 0s into 1s and 1s into 0s:
01012. 0000 1100 (original)
1111 0011 (1’s complement)
By convention, we underline the sign bit in the answer.
This is the one’s complement representation of 0000 1100.
Two’s complement Now we can add 1 using binary addition
Complements are used mainly for representing negative 1111 0011

numbers and for subtraction. It is a really clever system for + 1
storing numeric data so that numbers with different signs 1111 0100 (2’s complement)
can easily be added. For any binary number the negative This is the two’s complement representation of –12.
of that number is represented by reversing the bits (1’s The really clever thing about two’s complement is that it
complement) and adding 1 (2’s complement). makes maths easy for the computer because it only uses
Recall that 15 – 7 is equal to 15 + (–7). If we were to do binary addition.
this computation in binary, we would:
Here is an example.
1 Compute the binary equivalent of 15.
2 Compute the binary complement of 7. 7 – 3 is the same as 7 + ( –3)
3 Add the binary equivalent of 15 to the binary complement 0000 0111 is decimal 7
of 7. The procedure to find the binary complement of an 1111 1101 is decimal –3 (using 2’s complement)
integer is: 1 Ignoring the sign, convert the decimal value to Add them together and hey, presto! we get 0000 0100
its binary representation. 2 If necessary, extend the bit which is 4.
string to 8 bits. Example 5.22 Using 8-bit strings, compute the 2’s
3 Flip the bits (change all the zeros to ones and the ones to complement of NEGATIVE 7. Step 1: Ignoring the sign,
zeros) giving the one’s complement value.
convert 7 to its binary equivalent
4 Add one, giving the two’s complement value.
111
The best way to master this is by working through an
example. Step 2: Extend the bit string to 8 bits
0000 0111
Example 5.21 Compute the two’s complement of
NEGATIVE 12. Decimal 12 is 0000 1100
71
Step 3: Flip the bits
1111 1000
Step 4: Add one giving the two’s complement value.
11111000
+1
11111001
The 2’s complement of NEGATIVE 7 is 1111 10012

To prove that the above computations are correct, we can convert the 2’s
complement back to decimal. This computation will be based on positional
values once again. An important fact to remember is that the most significant
bit position in a 2’s complement storage has a negative value.
Value
–12
8
=–
ITQ22
Using 8-bit 2’s complement arithmetic, compute 11 1112 =–
MINUS 1510.
=–
Now that we have verified that the conversion was a

success, we can complete our subtraction computation. In
the next exercise, we will compute 15 MINUS 7.
Example 5.23 Binary subtraction (as an additional

operation using 2’s complement): Using 8-bit 2’s
complement arithmetic, compute 15 MINUS 7.
Step 1: Convert the subtraction problem to an addition

problem.
15 MINUS 7 is the same as 15 added to (complement of 7)
In binary, 00 001 111 – 0111 is equal to 00 001 111 + 11
111 001. Step 2: Set out the addition problem.
00001111
ITQ23
+1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
Using 4-bit 2’s complement arithmetic, compute 01112
MINUS 710. Step 3a: Perform the computation on the column with the
least significant digits. (carry) 1
0000111 1
+1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1
ITQ24
Using 8-bit 2’s complement arithmetic, compute 11 1112
MINUS 1510.
Positional values
Two’s complement
number
Step 3b: Perform the computations on the next six
columns.
(carry) 1 111111
0 000111 1
+ 1 111100 1
0001000
72

Information Technology For CSEC® Examinations - Nodrm

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Information Technology For CSEC® Examinations - Nodrm

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Information Technology For CSEC® Examinations - Nodrm

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Howard Campbell 2nd Edition

Online student resources

CSEC® is a registered trade mark of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC).

www.macmillan-caribbean.com All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced,

Contents Computer-aided design 128 Computers in science and

mber for all f

s Objective 1 3 137 170 48 92 196 251 293

Objective 2 6 138 169 53 93 208 252 293

Objective 3 16 139 171 53 95 216 267 293

Objective 5 23 140 173 109 99 201 261 295

Objective 9 63 159 185 125 215 259 313

Objective 13 83 232 276

Objective 14 84 233 282

Objective 15 80 235 282

A list of objectives at the beginning of

explain the function of storage

explain the function of input and output devices

include major components

input secondary storage:

Portfolio now provides IT portfolio

The fi rst time

Operational procedures Summary

the ITQ, you should help with cross referencing.

By the end of this chapter you

defi ne what a computer is

describe a general-purpose computer

identify the major components that make up

a typical computer system explain the

explain the function of storage General-purpose

interpret the hardware specifi cations of a

CPU: control unit ALU

primary memory: output devices:

When we browse the web, play games or update our

Categories of computer systems

Activity 1.3 1 Revisit the website of Apple Inc.

Figure 1.3 A typical desktop computer

Table 1.2 Major functions of general-purpose computer

Figure 1.4 Block diagram showing relationship amongst

Activity 1.4 1 Locate an unlabelled, full-colour picture of a general-purpose computer system.

Special-purpose computer systems

Components of a typical computer system

Table 1.3 Functions of major hardware components of general-purpose

Hardware are the physical parts of the computer

hard disk drive

Table 1.4 Functions of a CPU.

Figure 1.7 The underside of a pinless microchip that

ITQ6 Secondary storage

CPU Intel® Pentium® • Intel® – Manufacturer

Memory 2 GB Shared Dual • 2 GB – memory capacity

Hard 500 GB SATA • 500 GB – hard drive capacity

Table 1.5 Interpreting computer specifications.

Sends data to CPU B: within the next 2–3 years. [2] 5

increasingly popular in homes. At the same time, more

Fetches and for future use

compare common secondary storage media with

secondary storage method of access

flash memory: optical media: CD storage: bit

tracks cylinders sectors

In Chapter 1 we discussed how CPU and main memory work together to