Computer Systems

Definition

Is a collection of entities
(hardware,software and liveware) that
are designed to receive, process,
manage and present information in a
meaningful format.
 Components
 COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM

Computer hardware - Are physical parts/ intangible

parts of a computer. eg Input devices, output devices,
central processing unit and storage devices

Computer software - also known as programs or

applications. They are classified into two classes namely
- sytem software and application software

Liveware - is the computer user. Also kwon as

orgwareor the humanware. The user commands the
computer system to execute on instructions.
 Inside Computer & Parts of
Computer
 A computer is made up of different components like

the motherboard, processor, display, RAM, etc.

 Each component has to do its own set of jobs in

coordination with other components to make the

computer work correctly.

 Let’s see what are the internal components of a

computer.
 Mother Board:
 It is also called as system board / panel board
/ main board.
 It is a large printed circuit board (PCB) inside
a system unit.
 It holds the majority of crucial components of
the system providing connectors for other
peripherals.
Processor Chip:
 It is also called as Central Processing Unit (CPU). It carries

out the instructions of a computer program by performing the

basic arithmetical, logical, and input / output operations of the
system. All calculations and processing of computer is
executed using processor. The CPU plays a role of some what
analogous to the brain in the computer.
 Two typical components of a CPU are the Arithmetic Logic

Unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations,

and the Control Unit (CU), which extracts instructions from
memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU
when necessary.
 Eg: Intel Pentium 4, AMD Athlon
RAM (Random Access Memory):
 RAM is your system's short-term memory. Whenever your
computer performs calculations, it temporarily stores the data in the
RAM until it is needed.
 This short-term memory disappears when the computer is turned

off. If you're working on a document, spreadsheet, or other type of

file, you'll need to save it to avoid losing it. When you save a file, the
data is written to the hard drive, which acts as long-term storage.
 RAM is measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
The more RAM you have, the more things your computer can do at
the same time. If you don't have enough RAM, you may notice that
your computer is sluggish when you have several programs open.
Because of this, many people add extra RAM to their computers to
improve performance.
Hard Drive:

 The hard drive is where your software, documents,

and other files are stored. The hard drive is long-term

storage, which means the data is still saved even if you
turn the computer off or unplug it.
 When you run a program or open a file, the computer

copies some of the data from the hard drive onto

the RAM. When you save a file, the data is copied back
to the hard drive. The faster the hard drive, the faster
your computer can start up and load programs.
Power Supply Unit:

The power supply unit in a computer converts

the power from the wall outlet to the type of
power needed by the computer.
It sends power through cables to the
motherboard and other components.
Expansion cards
 Most computers have expansion slots on the
motherboard that allow you to add various types
of expansion cards. These are sometimes called PCI
(peripheral component interconnect) cards. You may
never need to add any PCI cards because most
motherboards have built-in video, sound, network, and
other capabilities.
 However, if you want to boost the performance of your

computer or update the capabilities of an older computer,

you can always add one or more cards. Below are some of
the most common types of expansion cards.
Video Card:
 The video card is responsible for what you see on the

monitor.
 Most computers have a GPU (graphics processing

unit) built into the motherboard instead of having a

separate video card.
 If you like playing graphics-intensive games, you can

add a faster video card to one of the expansion slots to

get better performance.
Sound card
 The sound card—also called an audio card—is
responsible for what you hear in the speakers or
headphones. Most motherboards have integrated
sound, but you can upgrade to a dedicated sound
card for higher-quality sound.
Network card
 The network card allows your computer to
communicate over a network and access the Internet. It
can either connect with an Ethernet cable or through
a wireless connection (often called Wi-Fi). Many
motherboards have built-in network connections, and a
network card can also be added to an expansion slot.
Bluetooth Card (Adapter):
 Bluetooth is a technology for wireless
communication over short distances. It's often used
in computers to communicate with
wireless keyboards, mice, and printers. It's
commonly built into the motherboard or included in
a wireless network card. For computers that don't
have Bluetooth, you can purchase a USB adapter,
often called a dongle.
 Information Processing Cycle
The sequence of events in processing information,
which includes (1) input, (2) processing, (3) storage and
(4) output.

These processes work together and repeat over

and over.
 Input – entering data into the computer.

 Processing – performing operations on the data.

 Storage – saving data, programs, or output for future use.

 Output – presenting the results.

 Hardware of Computer
Hardware represents the physical and
tangible components of a computer, i.e. the
components that can be seen and touched.
Examples of Hardware are the following −
Input devices − keyboard, mouse, etc.
Output devices − printer, monitor, etc.
Secondary storage devices − Hard disk, CD,
DVD, etc.
Internal components − CPU, motherboard,
RAM, etc.
 Software of Computer
Software is a set of programs, which is designed

to perform a well-defined function.

A program is a sequence of instructions written

to solve a particular problem.

There are two types of software −

 System Software
 Application Software
System Software
 The system software is a collection of programs
designed to operate, control, and extend the
processing capabilities of the computer itself.
 System software is generally prepared by the
computer manufacturers. These software products
comprise of programs written in low-level
languages, which interact with the hardware at a
very basic level.
 System software serves as the interface between
the hardware and the end users.
 Some examples of system software are Operating
System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers, etc.
Application Software:
 Application software products are designed to satisfy a particular need
of a particular environment. All software applications prepared in the
computer lab can come under the category of Application software.
 Application software may consist of a single program, such as
Microsoft's notepad for writing and editing a simple text. It may also
consist of a collection of programs, often called a software package,
which work together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet
package.
 Examples of Application software are the following −
 Payroll Software

 Student Record Software

 Inventory Management Software

 Income Tax Software

 Railways Reservation Software

 Microsoft Office Suite Software

 Microsoft Word

 Microsoft Excel

 Microsoft PowerPoint
 Input Devices
In computing, an input device is a piece of

equipment used to provide data and control

signals to an information processing system such
as a computer or information appliance.
Examples of input devices include keyboards,

mouse, scanners, cameras, joysticks, and

microphones.
Following are some of the important input
devices which are used in a computer −
 Keyboard
 Mouse

 Joy Stick

 Light pen

 Track Ball

 Scanner

 Graphic Tablet

 Microphone

 Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)

 Optical Character Reader(OCR)

 Bar Code Reader

 Optical Mark Reader(OMR)

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.
Mouse
 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, 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. A mouse can be used to control the
position of the cursor on the screen, but it cannot
be used to enter text into the computer.
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.
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.
Track Ball
Track ball is an input device that is mostly
used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of
a mouse. This is a ball which is half inserted
and by moving fingers on the ball, the pointer
can be moved.
Since the whole device is not moved, a track
ball requires less space than a mouse. A track
ball comes in various shapes like a ball, a
button, or a square.
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.
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 or for mixing music.
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
labelling 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.
 Output Devices
An output device is any piece of computer

hardware equipment which converts information

into human-readable form.
It can be text, graphics, tactile, audio, and video.

Some of the output devices are Visual Display

Units i.e. a Monitor, Printer, Graphic Output

devices, Plotters, Speakers etc.
The different types of output devices are as
follows:-
 Monitor

 Printer

 Headphones

 Computer Speakers
 Projector

 GPS

 Sound card
 Video card

 Braille reader

 Speech – Generating device

 J plotter
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
Printers
Printer is an output device, which is used to
print information on paper.
There are two types of printers −
 Impact Printers -Impact printers print the
characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is
then pressed on the paper.
 Non-Impact Printers - Non-impact printers print

the characters without using the ribbon. These

printers print a complete page at a time, thus they
are also called as Page Printers.
Headphones
The headphones or called as earphones are
hardware output devices that are either
plugged in the computer or can be wireless.
We can listen to audio or watch the video
privately without disturbing others.
Headphones come in various shapes and sizes.
Computer Speakers
The computer speakers are the most common
output devices used with a computer. The
speakers receive audio as an input from the
computer or a sound card then this input may
be either in analog or digital form.
Projector
A projector is an output device that can take
images produced by a computer and project
them onto a screen or surface.
The projectors used nowadays are known as
video projectors. The projectors can produce
still images or moving images.
 Videos
Video is an electronic medium for the
recording, copying, playback,broadcasting and display
of moving visual media.
Video is an excellent tool for delivering multimedia.
Video was first developed for mechanical
television systems, which were quickly replaced
by cathode ray tube (CRT) systems which were later
replaced by flat panel displays of several types.
Video systems vary in display resolution, aspect
ratio, refresh rate, color capabilities and other
qualities.
 Sounds
A sound card (also known as an audio card) is an
internal expansion card that provides input and
output of audio signals to and from
a computer under control of computer programs.
The term sound card is also applied to external
audio interfaces used for professional
audio applications.
Sound functionality can also be integrated onto
the motherboard, using components similar to
those found on plug-in cards.
The integrated sound system is often still referred
to as a sound card.
 Printing & Devices
In computing, a printer is a peripheral machine which
makes a persistent representation of graphics or text,
usually on paper.
While most output is human-readable, bar code
printers are an example of an expanded use for
printers.
The different types of printers include 3D printer,
inkjet printer, laser printer, thermal printer, etc.
The first computer printer designed was a
mechanically driven apparatus by Charles Babbage for
his difference engine in the 19th century; however, his
mechanical printer design was not built until 2000.
 Contd.
The first electronic printer was the EP-101,
invented by Japanese company Epson and
released in 1968.
The introduction of the low-cost laser printer in
1984 with the first HP LaserJet, and the addition
of PostScript in next year's Apple LaserWriter, set
off a revolution in printing known as desktop
publishing.
Starting around 2010, 3D printing became an area
of intense interest, allowing the creation of
physical objects with the same sort of effort as an
early laser printer required to produce a
brochure.
 Types of Printers
Below is a list of all the different types of computer
printers. Today, the most common printers are
inkjet and laser printers.
 3D printer
 AIO (all-in-one) printer

 Dot matrix printer

 Inkjet printer

 Laser printer

 LED printer

 MFP (multifunction printer)

 Plotter

 Thermal printer