Computer Fundamentals

Computer

• Hardware
• Software
• User: Users are of 3 types

1. Any user (who uses computer for their daily needs)
2. Developers( Software)
3. Hardware Engineers

Hardware: All touchable devices. 

Computer hardware is the collection of physical parts of a computer system. This includes the computer case, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. It also includes all the parts inside the computer case, such as the hard disk drive, motherboard, video card, and many others.

Hardware:

Input devices: keyboard, Mouse

Processing Devices: CPU, Processor, Sound card, Mother board, Video card, Primary Memory

Output devices: Monitor, Speaker, Printer, Projector, Plotter

Memory devices :

Primary Memory: Memory which is responsible for the working of computer.  

ROM (READ ONLY MEMORY)

RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY) Volatile Memory

Secondary Memory (Permanent Memory):

Hard disk

Floppy, CD, DVD, Pen drive (removable Disk Drive)

Keyboard: Standard Input Device:   

Mouse: Pointing Device: Imp for a GUI interface (Graphical User Interface)

7 TYPES OF COMPUTER HARDWARE 

1. The central processing unit (CPU) is responsible for processing most of the computer’s data, turning input into output. 
A CPU is a very small, thin silicon wafer that is encased in a ceramic chip and then mounted on a circuit board. CPU speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz). A hertz is a cycle per second; a gigahertz is 1 billion cycles per second.

2. Memory consists of computer chips that hold data. One type of memory, called Random Access Memory (RAM), forms the central pool of memory that a computer uses to operate. The more RAM a computer has, the more applications it can have open at once. RAM can also make some applications perform better in general. Memory capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB). Like the CPU, memory consists of small, thin silicon wafers, encased in ceramic chips and mounted on circuit boards. The circuit boards holding memory are called DIMMs, which stands for dual inline memory module.

3. A hard drive stores software. The operating system and your applications load from the hard drive into memory, where they run.

Hard-drive capacity is also measured in gigabytes (GB), like memory. A typical hard drive might be 500 GB or even 1 terabyte (1,000 GB) or more. Most hard drives sold today are the traditional mechanical type that use metal platters to store data with magnetic polarity, but a newer type, called a solid state hard drive (SSHD), uses a type of memory, resulting in a fast, quiet, and reliable (but expensive) storage alternative.

4. A computer may come with one or more input devices. Input devices include keyboards, mice, trackballs, and touchpads.

5. Each computer has some type of display screen. Depending on the type of computer, the display screen may be built-in, or may be a separate unit called a monitor with its own power cord. Some displays are touchscreen. Display quality is measured in resolution — that is, the number of pixels (individual colored dots) that comprise the display at its highest resolution. A typical resolution for a notebook PC is 1920 x 1080, for example. The first number is the horizontal resolution and the second one is the vertical resolution.

6. Optical drive: Optical drives get their name from the way data is written and read on the disc.

7. Network adapter to connect to the internet. That capability may be built into the computer, or it may be added to the computer via an expansion board or a device that plugs into a port. Internet connectivity can be either wired or wireless. A wired connection connects with a cable from the computer to the device that supplies Internet connection (such as a cable modem). That type of cable and connection is known as Ethernet. A wireless connection allows the computer to communicate with the Internet connection device through radio waves. The type of wireless connection used for Internet connectivity is called Wi-Fi, or wireless Ethernet. If high-speed Internet service is not available, use a dial-up modem to connect using your home telephone line.

Software: Set of interlinked programs

Programs: Set of instructions

Instruction: Any command which is used to execute a task.

Parts of computer:

Types of Computer

Desktop (PC)

Laptop

Tablate

Palmtop

Notebook

Computer Generation

The five computer generations are characterized by electrical current flowing through processing mechanisms listed below:

• The first within vacuum tubes 1940 – 1956:  
• The second within transistors 1956 – 1963:
• The third within integrated circuits  1964 – 1971:
• The fourth within microprocessor chips 1972 – 2010:
• The fifth unveiled smart devices capable of artificial intelligence.  2010-  : Fifth Generation

https://turbofuture.com/computers/Classification-of-Computers-by-Generation
https://www.gr8ambitionz.com/2015/08/complete-computer-knowledge-mcqs-19-pdf-downloads.html
http://cetking.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/501-must-do-Computer-awareness-questions-for-IBPS-SSC-other-exams.pdf
https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/k/keyboard.htm