Introduction to Information Technology 2065

A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory, that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules (process), produce results (output), and store the results (storage) for future use.  

A typical digital computer system has three basic functional elements:

1.  Input/Output (I/O) Unit,

2.  Central Processing Unit (CPU), and

3.  Memory Unit.

The I/O unit consists of the input unit and the output unit. CPU performs calculations and processing on the input data, to generate the output. The memory unit is used to store the data, the instructions and the output information. The following figure illustrates the typical interaction among the different components of the computer.

Fig:: Interaction among the different components of computer

Input/Output Unit

The user interacts with the computer via the I/O unit. The Input unit accepts data from the user and the Output unit provides the processed data i.e. the information to the user. The Input unit converts the data that it accepts from the user, into a form that is understandable by the computer. Similarly, the Output unit provides the output in a form that is understandable by the user. The input is provided to the computer using input devices like keyboard, trackball and mouse. Some of the commonly used output devices are monitor and printer.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

CPU controls, coordinates and supervises the operations of the computer. It is responsible for processing of the input data. CPU consists of Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and Control Unit (CU).

•      ALU  performs all the arithmetic and logic operations on the input data.

•     CU controls the overall operations of the computer i.e. it checks the sequence of execution of instructions, and, controls and coordinates the overall functioning of the units of computer.

Additionally, CPU also has a set of registers for temporary storage of data, instructions, addresses and intermediate results of calculation.

Memory Unit

Memory unit stores the data, instructions, intermediate results and output, temporarily, during the processing of data. This memory is also called the main memory or primary memory of the computer. The input data that is to be processed is brought into the main memory before processing. The instructions required for processing of data and any intermediate results are also stored in the main memory. The output is stored in memory before being transferred to the output device. CPU can work with the information stored in the main memory. Another kind of storage unit is also referred to as the secondary memory of the computer. The data, the programs and the output are stored permanently in the storage unit of the computer. Magnetic disks, optical disks and magnetic tapes are examples of secondary memory.

The speed of a computer refers to how fast a computer can process information, also referred to as performance.  The most important components to consider with regard to a computer’s speed and computing power are the processor, memory and video card. Other factors and components can impact a computers performance but these are the main foundation for performance. 

The CPU, central processing unit is the brains of the computer and the speed is referred to as clock speed. The RAM is random access memory that is used while the computer is running, speed and size is important. The hard drive’s speed is more important than is it’s size. The video card’s chip type, speed and onboard video ram is also very important to the overall speed and performance of the computer.

A computer works with much higher speed and accuracy compared to humans while performing mathematical calculations. Computers can process millions (1,000,000) of instructions per second. The time taken by computers for their operations is microseconds and nanoseconds.