INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS The personal computer was far from reality in Computer users were limited to specially trained operators and engineers. No one ever anticipated that today every office worker must work with computers and most people use computers in their everyday lives – both at home and at school. It is important to learn about the parts of a computer, how a computer operates, and different tasks the computer can perform. It is equally important to learn how the computer you are using today has evolved and how it can give you access to one of the greatest sources of information - the internet.

BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPUTERS Early 1800’s _/___________________/______________/______________ Machines could be programmed. The operation was controlled by cards with holes punched in them. A punch card machine was developed that could be used with electricity IBM invented a 50-foot – long, 8-foot-high machine that was able to add, subtract, multiple, divide, and refer data tables using punched cards. ence/discoveries/news/200 8/08/dayintech_0807

BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPUTERS _/____________________/____________________/______ A machine was created for the US Army that could do calculations a thousand times faster than earlier devices. It weighed about 30 tons and covered about 1,000 sq. feet of floor space. A method for storing programs electronically was developed. Before this, computers were wired to perform only certain tasks. To change a task, the computer would have to be required. The first machine to be called a computer was completed.

BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPUTERS Today _/________________/________________________/________ _ The first commercial computer was completed. Eight of them were sold. 1.Steve Jobs started Apple Computer in his garage. 2.Bill Gates established Microsoft. Today’s computer is a direct result of Apple and IBM in hardware and software development. Today’s computers have thousands of times more the capability and are sold at a fraction of the cost than those of the much larger computer system years ago.

WHAT IS A COMPUTER? Inputa. accepts data The Information Processing Cycle Processingb. processes data Output c. produces output Storage d. stores results A computer is an electronic device that executes the instructions in a program. (An electronic device that does what it is told)

SOME BEGINNING TERMS 1.Hardware Physical parts of the computer. 2.Software`Programs (instructions) that tell the computer what to do. 3.Dataindividual facts, like first name, price, and quantity. 4.InformationData which has been massaged into a useful form, like a complete mailing address. 5.Default Original settings

Speed A computer can do billions of actions per second. Reliability Failures are usually due to human error, one way or another. (Blush for us all!) Storage A computer can keep huge amounts of data. What makes a computer powerful?

HOW A COMPUTER SYSTEM WORKS Data is entered into the computer The computer processes the data and displays the desired information. A software program – a detailed set od computer instructions that resides in the computer, tell the computer what to do. There are two types of software System program software – controls the way computer parts work together Application program software – Tells the computer to perform a specific task.

TYPES OF COMPUTERS Computers vary in type, size, speed and capability. PC (personal computer) – The most common type of computer. Found in homes, offices and schools.

TYPES OF COMPUTERS Supercomputer – The fastest type of computer. Used only by government agencies, education institutes and larger corporations. Mainframe – Less powerful than supercomputers but capable of storing and processing large amounts of data. Used by universities, medical institutions and banks. Smartphones, Tablets, Netbook,

COMPUTER MEMORY The memory of a computer is comprised of circuits that are contained in tiny computer chips. The number of memory locations is states in terms of bytes. Byte – a unit of storage capable of holding a single character. A byte is equal to 8 bits. Large amounts of memory are indicated in terms of kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), and gigabytes (GB). Every computer comes with certain amounts of physical memory, referred to as main memory of random access memory (RAM). Read only memory (ROM) is computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. This data can only be read, it cannot be deleted. ROM is different from RAM because it remains even when the computer is shut down. PCs contain ROM memory that stores critical programs, like those needed for system start-up.

PARTS OF A COMPUTER Hardware is made of four main units: input devices, output devices, processing unit, storage devices. Input Devices: Transports data into the computer. Keyboard, mouse, touch pad, scanner, digital camera, microphone. Output Devices: Allow the user to see or hear the information the computer compiles. Printer, monitor, speakers. A computer is made up of hardware and software

HARDWARE CONTINUED Processing Unit: CPU. Contains the computer chips and circuits that control and manipulate data to produce information. Storage devices: Allows the instructions and data to be saved. Hard drive – internal storage device Floppy Disk – CD-Rom – Flash Drive -

SOFTWARE Software is a set of instructions written by programmers in a machine language that tells the computer what to do, how to do it, and how to perform certain tasks based on input from the user. The words software, program and application are used interchangeably.