ICT (Information and Communication Technology)

For All Academic Departments Affiliated With University of Chitral.

• BS Computer Science (1st semester)

• BS Physics (1st semester)
• BS Political Science (1st semester)

Edited by: Zia Ur Rehman

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 Computer
• A computer is an electronic device which accepts input data with
the help of input devices, processes that data, stores that data till
needed and produce output with the help of output devices.

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 Structure of Computer
Memory

INPUT
Central Processing
Unit (CPU) Output

All Computers Perform four basic operations.

1. Input operation: It is the process of accepting data or information from the

user using input devices.
2. Processing operation: It is the transformation process of converting the
input into output. CPU performs processing operation.
3. Storage operation: It is the process of storing data either temporarily or
permanently using storage devices.
4. Output operation: It is the process of displaying information to the user
with the help of output devices.
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 Secondary memory
Memory / Storage

Input Primary memory Output

Control Unit

CPU

Arithmetic and logic Unit

Detailed Structure of Computer

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 Data and Information
• Data:
– Data is the collection of raw facts and figures.

– Data is a collection of unorganized facts & figures and does not

provide any further information regarding patterns, context, etc.
Hence data means "unstructured facts and figures".
• Information:
– Processed form of data is called information.
Information is a structured data i.e. organized meaningful
and processed data.
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 Types of Data
• Alphabetic data/textual data

• Numeric data

• Alphanumeric data

• Audio data

• Video data

• Graphical data

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Information Communication Technologies

• Information and C ommunication Technologies (ICT) is defined

as a set of technological tools and resources used to create,
store, share or exchange information.

• These technological tools and resources include computers,

the Internet (websites, blogs and emails), live broadcasting
technologies (radio and television), telephony (fixed or mobile,
satellite, video-conferencing, etc.).

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 Applications of Computer
• Computers play an important role in every field of life. Here are
the list of uses or applications of computer.
1. Home
2. Medical field (Health)
3. Entertainment
4. Education
5. Government
6. Banking
7. Business
8. Science and engineering
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 Applications of Computer
• Home
– Computers are used at homes for several
purposes like online bill payment, watching
movies, home tutoring, social media access,
playing games, internet access, etc.
– They help to avail work from home facility for
employees.

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 Applications of Computer
• Medical Field

– Computers are used in hospitals to maintain a

database of patients’ history, diagnosis, X-rays, live
monitoring of patients, etc.

– Surgeons nowadays use robotic surgical devices to

perform operations, and conduct surgeries
remotely.

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 Applications of Computer

• Entertainment
– Computers help to watch movies, playing games,
listening to music etc.

– Different types of entertainment fields such as

multimedia, film making with animation, graphics,
audio and visual design are done with the help of
computer.
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 Applications of Computer
• Education
– Computers are used in education sector through
online classes, online examinations, online
tutoring, etc.

– Computer-based training (CBT) and Computer

Aided Design (CAD) is used to train their to train
students and employees, to save money and
improve performance.

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 Applications of Computer

• Government
– In government sectors, computers are used in data
processing, maintaining a database of citizens and
supporting a paperless environment.

– The country’s defense organizations have greatly

benefitted from computers in their use for missile
development, satellites, rocket launches, etc.

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 Applications of Computer
• Banking
– In the banking sector, computers are used to store details of
customers and conduct transactions, such as withdrawal and
deposit of money through ATMs.

• Business
– Computers are used in businesses. The main objective
of business is transaction processing of suppliers, employees
and customers. Computers can make these transactions easy and
accurate.

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 Applications of Computer

• Science and Engineering:

– Computers are used in the field of research and development.
Scientists use computers to plot and analyze data to have a better
understanding.

– In engineering, the construction layouts are designed beautifully on

system using different tools and softwares.

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 Types of Computers (Data Handling capability )

On the basis of Data Handling capability computers are three

types:

Computer

Digital Analog Hybrid

Computer Computer Computer

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 Digital Computers
• Digital computer operates on digital data and provides output
in digital form. It uses binary number system in which there are
only two digits 0 and 1. Each one is called a bit.

• Digital computers process data in the form of digits. All

operations take place at high speed and produce accurate and precise
results.
• It works on discrete values (not continuous)

• All modern computers like laptops, desktops including

smartphones that we use at home or office are digital computers.
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Examples of Digital Computers
 Analog Computers
• This computer accepts an analog input and convert these
information into another form to produce output.

• Analog Computers work on continuous range of values. An analog

computer is generally used for measurement.

• It generally deals with physical variables such as distance, length,

height, temperature, speed, etc.
• Mostly used in engineering and science fields.

• Example are automobile speedometer, weight machine, thermometer,

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Examples of Analog Computers

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 Hybrid Computers
• A hybrid computer combines the best features of both analog and
digital computers to solve a problem. Hybrid computers have the
speed of analog computers and accuracy of digital computers.
• Its input can be analog as well as digital.

• These computers are used in specialized applications like

flight radar system, national defense, digital petrol pumps etc.

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Example of Hybrid Computer

Blood pressure and ECG Machine

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 Input Devices
• Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer.

– Keyboard
– Mouse/mice
– Joy Stick
– Light pen
– Track Ball
– Scanner
– Microphone
– Digital cameras
– Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
– Optical Character Reader(OCR)
– Bar Code Reader
– Optical Mark Reader(OMR)
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 Keyboard
• Keyboard is the most common and very popular
input device which helps to input data to the
computer.

• The layout of the keyboard is like that of

traditional typewriter, although there are some
additional keys provided for performing
additional functions.

• Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102

keys, but now keyboards with 104 keys or
108 keys are also available for Windows and
Internet.
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 Keyboard keys
➢ Typing Keys
These keys include the letter keys (A-Z) and digit keys (0-9) which generally give
the same layout as that of typewriters.
➢ Numeric Keypad
It is used to enter the numeric data or cursor movement.
➢ Function Keys

The twelve function keys are present on the keyboard which are arranged in a row at the top of the keyboard.
Each function key has a unique meaning and is used for some specific purpose for example F1, F2, … , F12
➢ Control keys

These keys provide cursor and screen control. It includes four directional arrow keys. Control keys also
include Home, End, Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down, Control(Ctrl), Alternate(Alt), Escape(Esc).
➢ Special Purpose Keys

Keyboard also contains some special purpose keys such as Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Space bar,
Tab, and Print Screen.
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 Mouse/Mice
• Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a very
famous cursor- control device having a small palm size
box with a round ball at its base (laser light nowadays),
which senses the movement of the mouse and sends
corresponding signals to the CPU when the mouse
buttons are pressed.

• Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the right
button and a wheel is present between the buttons
(optional).
– Easy to use
– Not very expensive
– Moves the cursor faster than the arrow keys of the keyboard.
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 Joystick
• Joystick is also a pointing

device, which is used to move the cursor position on

a monitor screen. It is a stick having a spherical ball
at its both lower and upper ends. The lower spherical
ball moves in a socket. The joystick can be moved in all
four directions.

• The function of the joystick is similar to that of a

mouse. It is mainly used in Computer Aided
Designing (CAD) and playing computer games.

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 Light Pen
• Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It
is used to select a displayed menu item or draw
pictures on the monitor screen.

• It consists of a photocell and an optical system

placed in a small tube.

• When the tip of a light pen is moved over the

monitor screen and the pen button is pressed, its
photocell sensing element detects the screen
location and sends the corresponding signal to the
CPU.
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 Scanner
• Scanner is an input device,
which works more like a
photocopy machine. It is used
when some information is
available on paper and it is to
be transferred to the hard disk
of the computer for further
manipulation.
• Scanner captures images from
the source which are then
converted into a digital form
that can be stored on the disk.
These images can be edited
before they are printed.

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 Microphone
• Microphone is an input
device to input sound
that is then stored in a
digital form.
• The microphone is used
for various applications
such as adding sound to
a multimedia
presentation.

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 Digital cameras
• Digital cameras are also
computer input devices.
They range from high-
end DSLR(digital single
lens reflex) cameras to
digital video cameras to
inexpensive webcams.
Cameras are a fast way
to get a lot of graphic
information into a
computer at one time.

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 Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)
• MICR input device is generally
used in banks as there are
large number of cheques to be
processed every day. The
bank's code number and
cheque number are printed on
the cheques with a special
type of ink that contains
particles of magnetic material
that are machine readable.
• This reading process is called
Magnetic Ink Character
Recognition (MICR). The main
advantages of MICR is that it is
fast and less error prone.

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 Optical Character Reader (OCR)
• OCR is an input device
used to read a printed
text.
• OCR scans the text
optically, character by
character, converts
them into a machine
readable code, and
stores the text on the
system memory.
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 Bar Code Readers
• Bar Code Reader is a device
used for reading bar coded
data (data in the form of light
and dark lines). Bar coded data
is generally used in labeling
goods, numbering the books,
etc. It may be a handheld
scanner or may be embedded
in a stationary scanner.
• Bar Code Reader scans a bar
code image, converts it into an
alphanumeric value, which is
then fed to the computer that
the bar code reader is
connected to.

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 Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
• OMR is a special type of
optical scanner used to
recognize the type of
mark made by pen or
pencil. It is used where
one out of a few
alternatives is to be
selected and marked.
• It is specially used for
checking the answer
sheets of examinations
having multiple choice
questions.

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 Output devices
• An output device is a piece of computer
hardware which is used to produce the
output either in soft form or hard form.
• An output device is any peripheral device that
receives data from a computer and produce
output.
• Following are some of the important output
devices used in a computer.

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 Monitors
• Monitors, commonly called as Visual Display
Unit (VDU), are the main output device of a
computer. It forms images from tiny dots, called
pixels that are arranged in a rectangular form.
The sharpness of the image depends upon the
number of pixels.
• There are two kinds of viewing screen used for
monitors.
• Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)
• Flat-Panel Display
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 Cathode ray tube
• The CRT display is made
up of small picture
elements called pixels.
The smaller the pixels, the
better the image clarity or
resolution. It takes more
than one illuminated pixel
to form a whole
character, such as the
letter ‘e’ in the word help.
• disadvantages of CRT:
– Large in Size
– High power consumption

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 Flat-Panel Display Monitor
• The flat-panel display
refers to a class of video
devices that have
reduced volume, weight
and power requirement
in comparison to the
CRT. You can hang them
on walls.
• Advantages:
– Small in size
– Less power required

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 Printers
• A printer is an external hardware output
device that takes the electronic data stored on
a computer or other device and generates
a hard copy.
• Printers are one of the most popular
computer peripherals and are commonly used
to print text and photos.

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 Printers
• There are different types of printers
• Character printers
– Print one character at a time.
• dot matrix printer
• Daisy wheel printer
• Line printers
– Print one line at a time
• Drum printer
• Chain printer
• Page printers
– Print one page at a time
• Laser printers
• Inkjet printers

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 Laser Printers
• These are non-impact page
printers.
• When a document is sent to
the printer, a laser beam
"draws" the document on a
drum using electrical
charges. After the drum is
charged, it is rolled in toner,
a dry powder type of ink.
The toner sticks to the
charged image on the drum.
The toner is transferred
onto a piece of paper.

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• Advantages
– Very high speed
– Very high quality output
– Good graphics quality
– Supports many fonts and different character size
• Disadvantages
– Expensive

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 Inkjet Printers
• Inkjet printers are non-impact character printers
based on a relatively new technology. They print
characters by spraying small drops of ink onto
paper. Inkjet printers produce high quality output
with presentable features.
• They make less noise because no hammering is
done and these have many styles of printing
modes available. Color printing is also possible.
Some models of Inkjet printers can produce
multiple copies of printing also.

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• Advantages
– High quality printing
– More reliable
• Disadvantages
– Expensive as the cost per
page is high
– Slow as compared to
laser printer

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 Plotters
• A plotter is a special output device used to
produce hard copies of large graphs and
designs on paper, such as construction maps,
engineering drawings, architectural plans and
business charts.
• The plotter is either a peripheral component
that you add to your computer system or a
standalone device with its own internal
processor.

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Plotters

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 Speakers
• Speakers – are attached
to computers for the
output of sound. Sound
cards are required in
the computer for
speakers to
function. Speakers
range from simple, two-
speaker output devices
to surround-sound
multi-channel units.

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 Headset
• Headset is a
combination of
speakers and
microphone. It is
mostly used by gamers
and is also great tool for
communicating with
family and friends over
the internet.

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 Projector
• Projector – is a
display device that
projects a computer-
created image.
The computer transmits
the image data to
its video card, which then
sends the video image to
the projector. It is usually
used for presentations or
for viewing videos.

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 Memory
• Computer memory is any physical device
capable of storing information temporarily or
permanently.
• A memory is just like a human brain. It is used
to store data and instructions. Computer
memory is the storage space in the computer,
where data is stored.

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 Units of memory
• The smallest unit of memory is bit
• 4 bits= 1 nibble
• 8 bits= 1 byte
• 1 kilo byte (KB)=1024 bytes
• 1 mega byte (MB)=1024 KB
• 1 giga byte (GB) = 1024 MB
• 1 tera byte (TB)=1024 GB
• 1 peta byte (PB)=1024 TB

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 Types of memory

Memory

Primary Secondary
memory Memory

Magnetic Optical Magnetic

RAM ROM
disks Disks tapes

Floppy
Hard disk CD DVD
disk

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 Primary memory
• Also called main memory and volatile memory
• Primary memory holds only those data and
instructions on which the computer is
currently working. It has a limited capacity
and data is lost when power is switched off
that’s why it is called volatile memory. It is
generally made up of semiconductor device.
• There are two types of primary memory
• RAM and ROM

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 i. Random Access Memory (RAM)
• A type of computer memory that can be accessed
randomly, that is, any byte of memory can be
accessed directly by the processor.
• The data stored in this part can be read, changed
and erased completely.
• RAM needs power to retain its data, when the
power is switched off data is washed out.
• When computer is power on, programs and data
are loaded into RAM.
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RAM(Random Access Memory)
 ii. Read Only Memory (ROM)
• The data stored in ROM is permanent and is not
lost due to light failure or switching off the
computer.
• Data stored in ROM cannot be changed or
removed or written to it. Thus referred to as non
volatile memory.
• Most personal computers contain a small amount
of ROM that stores critical programs such as the
program that boots the computer.

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ROM(Read Only Memory)
 Secondary memory
• Also known as auxiliary storage, external storage,
backup storage, long term storage, permanent storage.
• A secondary storage is a device in which data is stored
for long time. Data can also be erased. The purpose of
using this storage is:
– To provide long term storage for data which are not being
executed currently.
– To give additional memory space to computer.
– To speed up the accessing of data which is not possible in
the case of only using RAM.
– To provide permanent storage so that the electricity failure
or switching off the computer does not harm the data.

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 Secondary storage devices
• Floppy disk:

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 i. Floppy disk
• It is a flat circular plate, coated with a
magnetic material and then enclosed in a
plastic jacket.
• It is used as a storage device.
• These are of two types: one is 51/2 inch disk
capable of storing 1.2 MB of data and the
other is 31/2 inch disk capable of storing 1.44
MB data.

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ii. Hard disk

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 Hard disk
• Also called disk drive, hard drive, or hard disk drive.
• It is a circular metallic plate which is thick in size
• It is permanently enclosed in air tight jacket to exclude
dust.
• It can store large amount of data and has faster access
speed than floppy disks.
• The circular disk is divided into circular tracks.
• Tracks are divided into sectors.
• A read/write head is used to read data from hard disk
and to write / store data into hard disk.

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Hard disk

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 iii. compact disc (CD)
• A compact disc is a portable storage medium that can
be used to record, store and play audio, video and
other data in digital form.
• A standard compact disc measures 4.7 inches, or 120
millimeters (mm), 1.2 mm thick, weighs between
15 grams and 20 grams, and has a capacity of 80
minutes of audio, or 650 megabytes (MB) to 700 MB of
data.
• A CD works by focusing a laser onto a single track of
the disc. As the disc rotates, the laser beam measures
differences in the way light is reflected off converting it
to sound.

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CD

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 iv. DVD
• Short for digital versatile disc or digital video
disc, a DVD or DVD-ROM is a disc capable of
storing a significant amount more data than a
standard compact disc. DVDs are widely used
for storing and viewing movies and other data.
• Its working mechanism is same as that of CD.
• To read and play DVDs on a computer, you
must have a DVD-ROM drive and DVD player
software.

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DVD
 iv. Magnetic tapes

• Magnetic tape is a long and

narrow strip of plastic that
thin magnetic material is
coated on. Nearly all
recording tape is of this
type, whether used for
recording audio or video or
computer data storage.

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 Magnetic tapes
• Devices that record and playback audio and
video using magnetic tape are generally
called tape recorders.
• A device that stores computer data on
magnetic tape can be called a tape drive.
• It is a sequential access memory.
• Used for back up and archives.

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 Cache Memory
• Cache memory is high-speed static random
access memory (SRAM) that a processor can
access more quickly than it can access regular
random access memory (RAM).
• Cache memory is placed between main memory
and processor to speed up processing.
• Those instructions/data are stored in cache
memory which are used repeatedly by the CPU.

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 Levels of cache memory
• Level 1 (L1) cache (primary cache), is extremely
fast but relatively small in size and is usually
placed in the processor chip as CPU cache.
• Level 2 (L2) cache (secondary cache), is often
large in size than L1 but slower than L1. it is
placed at some distance from the CPU.
• Level 3 (L3) cache is specialized memory
developed to improve the performance of L1 and
L2. L1 or L2 can be significantly faster than L3,
though L3 is usually double the speed of RAM.

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Cache memory

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 Flash memory
• Flash memory is a non-
volatile memory chip
used for storage and for
transferring data between
a personal computer (PC)
and digital devices. It has
the ability to be
electronically
reprogrammed and
erased. It is often found in
USB flash drives, MP3
players, digital cameras
and mobile phones.

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