ITEC 1001 Essential Computer Concepts. Course Objectives 1.The components of a computer system 2.The different types of computers 3.Personal computer.

ITEC 1001Essential Computer Concepts

Course Objectives

1. The components of a computer system2. The different types of computers3. Personal computer hardware and its

functions4. Data representation and the ASCII code5. Peripheral devices6. Hardware and software used to establish

a network connection7. Internet, e-mail, and World Wide Web8. System software9. Popular application software10.Data sharing among different application

software

At the end of the course, you will understand:

What is a Computer?

A computer is a device that:

• Accepts input• Processes data• Stores data• Produces output

:

What is a Computer?

A Computer System is made up of:

• Hardware—the physical components

• Software—the programs or lists of instructions

• Peripherals—the additional components

:

What is a Computer? Architecture or configuration is

the design of the computer.

As in, what does the computer consist of?

Specification is the technical detail about each component.

As in, how big is the monitor?

How a Computer Works

The hardware, software, and you work together to complete tasks.

How a Computer Works

The data you type into the computer is called input.

The result of the computer processing your input is called output.

:

Types of Computers

The categories of computers are:

• Personal or microcomputers– Desktop– Notebook, Laptop, Table PC

• Hand-help or PDAs• Mainframes• Supercomputers

Types of Computers Personal computers are used for general computing tasks and fit the needs of most users.

Types of Computers

Hand-held computers fit in the palm of your hand and run on batteries.

Types of Computers

Mainframes are used by companies to provide centralized storage, processing, and management for large amounts of data.

Types of Computers Supercomputers are the largest and fastest of computers, and can process an enormous volume of data.

Computer Hardware

Computer hardware includes:

• Input devices• Output devices• Processing hardware• Storage devices and media

Computer Hardware

Some input devices are:•Keyboard•Mouse•Wireless pointer•Touch pad•Track point

Computer Hardware

Output devices are:Monitors and Printers are

common output devices.

CRT monitors and LCD (or flat panel display) monitors are two types of monitors.

Computer Hardware

Factors that influence a monitor’s quality are:•Screen Size

–Measurement in inches from one corner to the other

•Resolution–Maximum number of pixels that can be displayed

•Dot Pitch–Distance between pixels

Types of Printers include:

•Laser•Ink-jet•Dot Matrix•Thermal Wax

Computer Hardware

• Multimedia devices are peripheral devices that include text, graphics, sound, animation, and video.

• Speakers and sound cards are common multimedia output devices

Computer Hardware

• The most important computer function is data processing.

• Processing hardware is used to process data.

Processing Hardware

• Computers interpret every signal as “on” or “off.”

• 1 (“on”) and 0 (“off”) are referred to as bits.

• Eight bits is a byte. Each byte represents a unique character.– 1100 0001 = a

Data Representation

Storage and memory capacity is the amount of data the storage device can handle.

• Kilobyte (KB) is about one thousand bytes

• Megabyte (MB) is about one million bytes

• Gigabyte (GB) is about one billion bytes

Processing Hardware

• The two most important components of personal computers hardware are the microprocessor and memory.

• These two factors directly affect the computer’s price and performance.

The Microprocessor

• The microprocessor is a silicon chip designed to manipulate data.

• Its speed is determined by:– Clock speed

• peed at which a microprocessor executes instructions

– Word size• number of bits in a word • usually 16, 32, or 64

– Cache size• Temporary storage

Memory

Computer memory is a set of storage locations on the motherboard.

There are four types of memory:– Random access memory (RAM)– Virtual memory– Read-only memory– Complementary metal oxide

semiconductor memory (CMOS)

Memory

RAM is temporary memory that is constantly changing while the computer is on.

Virtual memory is extra memory that simulates RAM if more is needed.

Memory

Read-only memory (ROM) is the permanent storage location for a set of instructions the computer uses.

CMOS memory is semi-permanent information about where essential software is stored.

Memory

A storage device receives data from RAM and writes it on a storage medium. Later, it can be read and sent back to RAM.

Storage Devices

Data is stored as files.

Executable files tell computers how to perform specific tasks.

Data files are created by the user, usually with software.

Storage Devices

Files are kept on storage devices.

There are:Magnetic storage devices andOptical storage devices.

Storage Devices

Some common magnetic storage devices are:•Flash drives•Floppy disks•Hard disk drives•Tape drives•Zip drives

Storage Devices

Some common optical storage devices are:– CD-ROM drives– DVD drives– CD-R drives– CD-RW drives

Storage Devices

CD-ROMs are for “read-only” access.

CD-R drives allow you to record data on a CD-R disk.

CD-RW drives allow you to write data on a CD-RW disk and access and modify data.

Data Communications

Data Communications - the transmission of text, numeric, voice, or video data from one computer to another.

Data Communications

The four essential components of data communications are:– Sender– Channel– Receiver– Protocols

Data Communications

A sender is the computer that originates the message.

The message is sent over a channel, such as a telephone.

Data Communications

The receiver is the computer at the message’s destination.

Protocols are the rules that establish the transfer of data between sender and receiver.

Data Bus

The data bus is the communication between microprocessor, RAM, and the peripherals.

A bus is a common wire connecting various points in a circuit

Data Bus

An external peripheral device has a port or cable that connects it to the computer.

Each port connects to a controller card, which plugs into expansion slots.

The transmission protocol is handled by a device driver.

Data Bus

Microcomputers have several types of ports:– Parallel– Serial– Small computer system interface

(SCSI)– Musical instrument digital

interface (MIDI)– Universal serial bus (USB)

Data Bus

A parallel port transmits data eight bits at a time, and is often used to connect a nearby printer.

Data Bus

A serial port transmits data one bit at a time, and often connects a mouse, keyboard, or modem.

Data Bus

A SCSI (“scuzzy”) connection can allow many devices to use the same port, and are popular on Macs and notebooks.

MIDI (“middy”) cards are used to record and play back musical data.

Data Bus

USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports replace numerous connectors with one plug and port combination. The device you install must have a USB connector.

Networks

A network connects one computer to other computers and peripherals.

In a local area network (LAN), computers and peripherals are close to each other.

Networks

A client/server network is a network with a file server. A file server acts as the central storage location.

A network without a file server is a peer-to-peer network. All of the computers are equal.

Networks

Networks

Each computer that is part of the network must have a network interface card and network software.

Then, it becomes a workstation.

Any device connected to the network is called a node.

Telecommunications

Telecommunications iscommunicating over a telephone.

In the telecommunications process, the modem converts digital signals toanalog signals at the sending site and a second modem converts themback at the receiving site.

Telecommunications

The Internet

The Internet is the world’s largest network.

E-mail and the World Wide Web

are two benefits of the Internet.

The Internet

A hyperlink is a place on a Web page allowing you to connect to a particular file.

http://www.course.com/newperspectives

The Internet

A Web browser is the communications software that allows you to navigate the WWW.

Computer Software

Software is the instructions and data that direct the computer to accomplish the task.

It can refer to a single program

or a package.

System Software

System software helps the computer carry out it s basic operating tasks.

Application software helps the user carry out a variety of tasks.

System Software

The four types of system software are:– Operating systems– Utilities– Device drivers– Programming languages

System Software

The operating system controls the I/O or input/output, the flow of data from microprocessor to memory to peripherals.

The operating system makes multitasking possible.

System Software

Some types of system software include:

– Virus protection software– Utilities– Device drivers– Computer programming

languages

Application Software

Application software enables you to perform specific tasks. Application software includes:

– Document production software– Spreadsheet software– Database management software– Graphics and presentation

software

Application Software

Document production software includes word processing, desktop publishing, and Web authoring software that assist you in writing and formatting documents.

Application Software

It often has grammar and spell-checking, thesaurus, search and replace, and template features.

Application Software

With spreadsheet software, you can create formulas that perform calculations. Spreadsheet software creates worksheets with columns and rows. The intersection of a column and row is a cell.

Application Software

Database management software creates structured databases to contain information.

Graphics and presentation software allow you to create illustrations, diagrams, and charts to be presented or transmitted.

Application Software

Multimedia authoring software allows you to record digital sound files, video files, and animations that can be included in presentations and other documents.

Application Software

Object linking and embedding (OLE) is the ability to use data from another file, called the source.

This integration between applications has become an important skill in business.

EndITEC 1001

Essential Computer Concepts