FEDERAL UNIVERSITY BIRNIN KEBBI

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

WELCOME TO 2020/2021 ACADEMIC SESSION

October, 2021 1
CSC 101: Introduction to
Computer Science
PREPARED BY SY AUNA

October, 2021 2
COURSE POLICIES
• The class will be interactive
• The course has been splitted into 4 modules/
parts. one module will be taken by a lecturer
• Lecture Note will be given to you by your
lecturers for each module probably in
batches
• No Noise Making, Phone Calls E.T.C will not
be tolerated
• Attendance is compulsory
• Late Attendance will not be tolerated

October, 2021 3
COURSE POLICIES…
• You are adviced to be serious,
hardworking and of good behavior
• You may be given assignments or
exercises that may help you get a better
understanding of the course and for your
exams
• Feel free to ask reasonable questions

October, 2021
4
COURSE OUTLINE (Module 1)
• A brief introduction to Computers and
Computer Science
• History and generations of Computers
• Characteristics of computers
• Computer Hardware
• Functional components of computers
• Modern I/O Devices

Nov 2017 5
COURSE OUTLINE (Module 2)
• Software:
– Operating Systems
– Application Packages
• computer networks
– Definition
– Types of computer networks
– Applications of computer networks
• Introduction to OSI and TCP/IP models

Nov 2016 6
COURSE OUTLINE (Module 3)
• Introduction to databases
• Review of Database Management
Systems (DBMS)
• Applications of (DBMS)
• How to use Microsoft access DBMS
software to create databases and
establish relationship between the tables

Nov 2016 7
COURSE OUTLINE (Module 4)
• Introduction to problem solving
• Tools used for solving problems:
• Algorithm
• Definition, Xtics, sample problems
• Flowcharts
• Definition, Xtics, sample problems
• pseudo codes
• Definition, Xtics, sample problems

Nov 2016 8
COURSE GRADING SYSTEM
• Each Lecturer will conduct a CA Test at
the end of his/her section graded 10
marks. You will therefore have a total of 4
CAs each of 10 marks making 40%.
• Exams will be graded 60%
• CA + Exams = 100%

Nov 2017 9
Module 1

Nov 2016 10
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
• A computer is anelectronic machine that
takes input from theuser, processes the
given input and generates output in the
form of useful information.
• Computer.. Latin word.. compute
• Calculation Machine
• A computer system includes a computer,
peripheral devices, and software

Nov 2016 11
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
• Accepts input, processes data, stores data,
and produces output
• Input refers to whatever is sent to a
Computer system
• Data refers to the symbols that represent
facts, objects, and ideas
• Processing is the way that a computer
manipulates data
• A computer processes data in a device
called thecentral processing unit (CPU)

Nov 2016 12
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
• Input: data, programs, user reply
Data : the raw details that need to be
processed to generate some useful
information.
Programs : the set of instructions that can be
executed by the computer in sequential or
non-sequential manner.
User reply : the input provided by the user in
response to a question asked by the
computer.
Nov 2016 13
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
• A computer includes various devices:
 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
 Monitor
 Keyboard and Mouse

Nov 2016 14
WHAT IS COMPUTER SCIENCE?
• No general accepted definition of the field
however,
• Computer Science can be defined as the
study of computers and computational
systems.
• computer scientist deals mostly with
software and software systems; this
includes their theory, design, development,
and application.

15
WHAT IS COMPUTER SCIENCE?
• Computer Science is NOT just about
learning Technologies
• It is about building Technologies
• Computer science is about logic,
problem solving, and creativity

16
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
• Before the 1500s, in Europe, calculations
were made with an abacus
– Invented around 500BC, available in many
cultures (China, Mesopotamia, Japan,
Greece, Rome, etc.)

• In 1642, Blaise Pascal (French

mathematician, physicist, philosopher)
invented a mechanical calculator called
the Pascaline

• In 1671, Gottfried von Leibniz (German

mathematician, philosopher) extended
the Pascaline to do multiplications,
divisions, square roots: the Stepped
Reckoner

• None of these machines had memory,

and they required human intervention at
each
Nov 2016step 17
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
• In 1822 Charles Babbage (English
mathematician, philosopher),
sometimes called the “father of
computing” built the Difference
Engine

• Machine designed to automate the

computation (tabulation) of
polynomial functions (which are
known to be good approximations of
many useful functions)
– Based on the “method of finite
difference”
– Implements some storage

• In 1833 Babbage designed the

Analytical Engine, but he died before
he could build it
– It was built after his death, powered by
steam
Nov 2016 18
GENERATION OF COMPUTERS
• Generation 0: Mechanical Calculators
• Generation 1: Vacuum Tube Computers
• Generation 2: Transistor Computers
• Generation 3: Integrated Circuits
• Generation 4: Microprocessors

Nov 2016 19
FIRST GENERATION COMPUTERS

• Employed during the

period 1940-1956
• Used the vacuum
tubes technology for
calculation and
control as well as
magnetic drum for
storage purpose.

Nov 2016 20
FIRST GENERATION COMPUTERS

• Advantages:
(1) Fastest computing devices of their time;
(2) These computers were able to execute
complex mathematical problems in an
efficient manner

Nov 2016 21
FIRST GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Disadvantages:
(1) The functioning of these computers depends
on the machine language.
(2) They were generally designed as special-
purpose computers.
(3) The use of vacuum tube technology make
these computers very large and bulky.
(4) They were not easily transferable from one
place to another due to their huge size and also
required to be placed in cool places.
(5) They were single tasking because they could
execute only one program at a time.
(6) They generate huge amount of heat and
hence were prone to hardware faults.
Nov 2016 22
FIRST GENERATION COMPUTERS

o Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer
(ENIAC)
o By Presper Eckert and John
Mauchly
o 18,000 vacuum tubes.
o Occupied a 30 by 50 foot
room
o Programming by plugging
wires into a patch panel.
Very difficult to do, because
this style of programming
requires intimate knowledge
of the computer.

Nov 2016 23
SECOND GENERATION
• COMPUTERS
Employed during
the period
1956-1963

• Use transistors in
place of vacuum
tubes in building
the basic logic
circuits.

Nov 2016 24
SECOND GENERATION
COMPUTERS
• Advantages:
• (1) Fastest computing devices of their time;
• (2) Easy to program because of the use
assembly language;
• (3) Could be transferred from one place to
other very easily because they were small and
light;
• (4) Require very less power in carrying out
their operations;
• (5) More reliable, did not require
maintenance at regular intervals of time.
Nov 2016 25
SECOND GENERATION
COMPUTERS
•Disadvantages:
(1)The input and output media were not
improved to a considerable extent
(2) Required to be placed in air-conditioned
places
(3) The cost of these computers was very high
and they were beyond the reach of home users
(4) Special-purpose computers and could
execute only specific applications

Nov 2016 26
SECOND GENERATION
COMPUTERS
• Transistors replaced
vacuum tubes for
circuitry and magnetic
drum by magnetic core
for memory.
• Smaller, faster and
more reliable.
• Used assembly
language. COBOL and
FORTRAN were
developed at this time
too.
• Second generation
computers still relied on
punched cards for
inputs and printouts for
outputs.
• IBM 7094, CDC 3600
computers are
examples of second
generation
Nov 2016 computers. 27
THIRD GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Employed during
the period
1964-1975
• Use of Integrated
Circuits

Nov 2016 28
THIRD GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Advantages:
• (1) Fastest computing devices at that time
• (2) Very productive
• (3) Easily transportable from one place to
another because of their small size
• (4) Use high-level languages
• (5) Could be installed very easily and
required less space
• (6) Can execute any type of application.
• (7) More reliable and require less frequent
maintenance schedules.
Nov 2016 29
THIRD GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Disadvantages:
(1)The storage capacity of these computers
was still very small;
(2) The performance of these computers
degraded while executing large applications,
involving complex computations because of
the small storage capacity;
(3) The cost of these computers was very
high;
(4) They were still required to be placed in air-
conditioned places.

Nov 2016 30
THIRD GENERATION COMPUTERS

Nov 2016 31
FOURTH GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Employed during
1975-1989
• Use of Large Scale
Integration (LSI)
technology and Very
Large Scale
Integration (VLSI)
technology
• The term Personal
Computer (PC)
became known to the
people during this era.

Nov 2016 32
FOURTH GENERATION COMPUTERS
Advantages:
(1) Very powerful in terms of their processing speed
and access time;
(2) Storage capacity was very large and faster;
(3) Highly reliable and required very less maintenance;
(4) User-friendly environment;
(5) Programs written on these computers were highly
portable;
(6) Versatile and suitable for every type of applications;
(7) Require very less power to operate.

Nov 2016 33
FOURTH GENERATION COMPUTERS
Disadvantages:
(1) The soldering of LSI and VLSI chips on
the wiring board was not an easy task and
required complicated technologies to bind
these chips on the wiring board;
(2) The working of these computers is still
dependent on the instructions given by the
programmer.

Nov 2016 34
FOURTH GENERATION COMPUTERS

Nov 2016 35
FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTERS
• Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond)
• The different types of modern digital computers come
under this category.
• Uses Ultra Large Scale Integration technology that
allows almost ten million electronic components to be
fabricated on one small chip.
• Fifth generation computing devices are based on
artificial intelligence and are still in development,
though there are some applications, such as voice
recognition, that are being used today. The use of
parallel processing and superconductors is helping to
make artificial intelligence a reality.
• Quantum computation and molecular and
nanotechnology will radically change the face of
computers in years to come.
• The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop
devices that respond to natural language input and are
capable of learning and self-organization.
Nov 2016 36
FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTERS

Advantages:
(1) Fastest and powerful computers till date;
(2) Being able to execute a large number of applications
at the same time and that too at a very high speed;
(3) Decreasing the size of these computers to a large
extent;
(4)The users of these computers find it very comfortable
to use them because of the several additional multimedia
features;
(5) They are versatile for communications and resource
sharing.

Nov 2016 37
FIFTH GENERATION COMPUTERS

Nov 2016 38
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

• We can classify the computers according

to the following three criteria:
(1) Based on operating principles
(2) Based on applications
(3) Based on size and capability

Nov 2016 39
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS
(1) Based on operating principles:
Analog computers: represent data in the form of continuous
electrical signals having a specific magnitude
Digital computers: store and process data in the digital form.
Hybrid computers: a combination of analog computer and
digital computer because it encompasses the best features
of both.
However, Hybrid computers are computers that exhibit
features of analog computers and digital computers. The
digital component normally serves as the controller and
provides logical and numerical operations, while the analog
component often serves as a solver of differential equations
and other mathematically complex equations.

Nov 2016 40
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

(2) Based on applications:

General purpose computers: can work in all
environments.

Special purpose computers: can perform

only a specified task.

Nov 2016 41
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS
(3) Based on size and capability
Microcomputers: Designed to be used by individuals also
known as Personal Computers. e.g. laptops, tablet PCs,
pocket calculators e.t.c.
Mini Computers: Can handle more data and more input and
output than micro computers e.g. IBM System/3,
Honeywell 200, TI-990 e.t.c.
Mainframe Computers: Very large computers in size,
memory, power and very expensive e.g. IBM zSeries,
System z9, System z10 Servers e.t.c.
Super Computers: The fastest type of computer that can
perform complex operations at a very high speed e.g. IBM
Roadrunner, Trinity by Cray Inc., IBM Sequoia e.t.c.
Nov 2016 42
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• The unique capabilities and
characteristics of a computer:
 Speed
 Storage capacity
 Accuracy
 Reliability
 Versatility
 Diligence

Nov 2016 43
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• SPEED
– Computers operate at extremely high speeds

– Their speed is measured in millions of

instructions per second (MIPS).

Nov 2016 44
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• ACCURACY
– The computer’s accuracy is consistently high.
– Almost without exception, the errors in
computing are due to human rather than
technological weakness i.e. due to vague
thinking by the programmer, inaccurate data,
user instructions or hardware problems.

Nov 2016 45
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• AUTOMATIC (SPONTANEOUS)
– The computers are automatic. They do not
need any supervision in order to perform
programs when instructed or execute the work
assigned.

Nov 2016 46
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• DILIGENCE (ENDURANCE)
– Computers have the ability to perform the
same task over for long time without getting
tired. This is because a computer is a
machine, and so does not have human
behaviors of tiredness and lack of
concentration

Nov 2016 47
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• versatility
– Modern Computers can perform different kind
of tasks simultaneously (doing many tasks at
the same time). For example you can play
music while typing a document at the same
time. This is also known as multi-tasking.

Nov 2016 48
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• Adaptability
– Modern Computers can comply with different
settings. For example, they can be used as
personal computers, for home use, banking,
communication, entertainment, weather
forecasting, space explorations, teaching,
railways, medicine etc.

Nov 2016 49
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• Artificial intelligence
– Computers are artificially intelligent. i.e.
They can be programmed to assume
capabilities such as learning, reasoning,
adaptation, and self-correction. For
example computers can respond as if they
were thinking by playing chess, recognize
handwriting and speech. However, the
computers themselves cannot think. The
artificial intelligence is only supported by
the power of the programs installed in
them.
Nov 2016 50
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• storage
– For a computer to be able to work, it must
have some form of work space where data is
stored before being processed. All
information is stored on a hard disk or in the
memory, for example on a RAM.

Nov 2016 51
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• Need user Input
– Computers cannot initiate themselves and
make the decisions. They need instructions
from users to enhance the process. After all, a
computer is only a machine.

Nov 2016 52
LIMITATIONS OF A COMPUTER
 Garbage-In, Garbage-Out
 Dumb machine

Nov 2016 53
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• People

Nov 2016 54
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

Nov 2016 55
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
• Hardware
– the physical, tangible parts of a computer
– keyboard, monitor, disks, wires, chips, etc.

• Software
– programs and data
– a program is a series of instructions that tells the
computer to perform a specific task

• A computer requires both hardware and software

• Each is essentially useless without the other

Nov 2016 1-56

COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND
ARCHITECTURE
• Computer architecture: the definition of basic
attributes of hardware components and their
interconnections, in order to achieve certain
specified goals in terms of functions and
performance.

• Computer organisation: the design and physical

arrangement of various hardware units to work in
tandem, in an orderly manner, in order to achieve
the goals specified in the architecture.

Nov 2016 57
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT(CPU)
•The main operations of the CPU include four
phases:
(1) Fetching instructions from the memory
(2) Decoding the instructions to decide what
operations to be performed
(3) Executing the instructions
(4) Storing the results back in the memory

Nov 2016 58
THE CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
• A CPU is on a chip called amicroprocessor
• It continuously follows thefetch-decode-execute
cycle:
Retrieve an instruction from main memory

fetch

execute decode

Carry out the Determine what the

instruction instruction is

Nov 2016 1-59

Sample of CPUs

Nov 2016 60
COMPONENTS OF A CPU
• Registers
• Arithmetic Unit
• Logic Unit
• Control Unit

Nov 2016 61
COMPONENTS OF A CPU
• The CPU contains:

Performs
Arithmetic / Logic Unit calculations and
makes decisions

Coordinates
Control Unit processing steps

Small storage
Registers areas

Nov 2016 1-62

ARITHMETIC UNIT
• Arithmetic Unit is the part of the CPU that
performs arithmetic operations on data.
The arithmetic operations can be addition,
subtraction, multiplication or division.

Nov 2016 63
LOGIC UNIT
• Logic Unit is the part of the CPU that
performs logical operations on the data.

Nov 2016 64
CONTROL UNIT
• Control Unit is an important component of
CPU that controls the flow of data and
information. It maintains the sequence of
operations being performed by the CPU.

Nov 2016 65
REGISTERS
• CPU contains a few special purpose,
temporary storage units known as
registers. They are high-speed memory
locations used for holding instructions,
data and intermediate results that are
currently being processed.

Nov 2016 66
REGISTERS (CONTINUED)
• The direct communication between the
processor and memory of the computer system
is implemented with the help of two registers:
(1) Memory Address Register
(2) Memory Buffer Register
The reading and writing operations performed by
the processor are calledmemory read and
memory write operations.

Nov 2016 67
PROCESSOR TO I/O DEVICES
COMMUNICATION
• The communication between I/O devices
and processor of the computer system is
implemented using an interface unit . The
interface unit acts as an intermediary
between the processor and the device
controllers of various peripheral devices in
the computer system.

Nov 2016 68
MACHINE CYCLE
• The cycle during which a machine
language instruction is executed by the
processor of the computer system is
known as machine cycle.

Nov 2016 69
INSTRUCTION CYCLE

• Fetching: The CPU retrieves the

instruction from the main memory of
the computer system.
• Decoding: Breaking down the
instruction into different parts, so that it
can be easily understood before being
processed by the CPU.

Nov 2016 70
EXECUTION CYCLE

• Executing: The decoded instruction

is executed by the ALU of the CPU.
• Storing: The result computed in the
execution phase is either sent to the
memory or to an output device.

Nov 2016 71
THE BUS
• A bus is a set of wires that is used to connect the
different internal components of the computer system
for the purpose of transferring data as well addresses
amongst them.
• Data bus: used to transfer data amongst the different
internal components. Modern computer systems use 32-
bit data buses for data transfer.
• Address bus: transfers the memory addresses for read
and write memory operations.

Nov 2016 72
THE BUS

Nov 2016 73
MEMORY AND STORAGE SYSTEMS
• Primary Memory: Store the data that are
being currently handled by the CPU;
generally known as “memory” , main
memory or RAM;
• Secondary Memory: Store the results and
the data for future use; generally known as
“storage”;
• Internal Process Memory: Placed either
inside the CPU or near the CPU such as
Cache memory and Registers.
Nov 2016 74
MEMORY REPRESENTATION
• In the memory, values are represented by
sequences of binary digits, know as bits. Most
computers use a group of eight bits, known as a
byte, to represent a character.
• Memory is a “bunch” of bytes or cells into which
we can place data. Each cell, known as a data
item, is assigned a unique number known as
“address”. The CPU can identify each cell by its
address.

Nov 2016 75
MEMORY REPRESENTATION

9278
Main memory is divided
9279 into many memory
9280 cells )
locations (or
9281
9282
9283
9284 Each memory cell has a
numericaddress , which
9285 uniquely identifies it
9286

Nov 2016 1-76

MEMORY REPRESENTATION

9278 Each memory cell stores a

9279 10011010 set number of bits (usually
9280 byte )
8 bits, or one
9281
9282 Large values are
9283 stored in consecutive
9284 memory locations
9285
9286

Nov 2016 1-77

MEMORY REPRESENTATION
• The byte is defined as the “smallest addressable unit” of
memory. Most computers use groups of bytes, usually 2
or 4, known as “words” to represent information.
• Computer memories are often rated in terms of their
capacity to store information. Typically, capacities are
described using the unit of byte as follows:
(1) 1 KB (Kilobyte)=1,024 bytes
(2) 1 MB (Megabyte)=1,048,576 bytes
(3) 1 GB (Gigabyte)=1,073,741,824 bytes
(4) 1 TB (Terabyte)=1,099,511,627,776 bytes

Nov 2016 78
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY(RAM)
• Random Access Memory (RAM) is a volatile
memory and loses all its data when the power is
switched off.
• It is the main memory of the computer system
that stores the data temporarily and allows the
data to be accessed in any order.
• RAM can be categorised into two main types,
namely, Static RAM and Dynamic RAM.

Nov 2016 79
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY(RAM)
• Static RAM: is a type of RAM in which data is stored till
the power of the computer system is switched on. SRAM
uses a number of transistors to store a single bit of
digital information.
• Dynamic RAM: is the RAM in which data is stored in a
storage cell, consisting of a transistor and a capacitor.
The DRAM needs to be continuously refreshed with
power supply because the capacitor has the tendency to
get discharged. DRAM retains the data for a very short
span of time, even after the power supply is switched off.

Nov 2016 80
RAM

Nov 2016 81
READ ONLY MEMORY(ROM)
• ROM is the memory that stores the data
permanently.
• The data can be easily read from this type of
memory but cannot be changed.
• ROM is most commonly used in devices such as
calculators, laser printers, etc.
• ROM does not allow the random access of data,
and allows sequential access of data.

Nov 2016 82
READ ONLY MEMORY(ROM)
ROM is divided into four types:
(1) Programmable ROM: a memory chip on which the write
operation of data can be performed only once. PROM is reliable and
stores the data permanently without making any change in it. It is
mostly used in video games and electronic dictionaries.
(2) Erasable PROM: a type of ROM in which data can be erased or
destroyed using Ultraviolet Light.
(3) Electrically Erasable PROM: a type of ROM in which data can be
erased or destroyed by exposing it to an electric charge.
(4) Flash ROM: a type of EEPROM that stores the information using
floating-gate transistors, which can store electric charge for a
longer period of time as compared to the normal transistors. This
memory is mainly used in the memory cards of mobile phones,
digital cameras and iPods for storing data. Flash ROM has faster
speed of reading data, as compared to any other type of ROM.

Nov 2016 83
ROM

Nov 2016 84
Nov 2016 85
Nov 2016 86
SECONDARY STORAGE SYSTEMS
• Storage systems are the devices used for data
storage. The main objective of the storage
system is to permanently store data. The storage
systems can be classified as follows:
(1) Magnetic
(2) Optical
(3) Solid state
(4) Magneto Optical

Nov 2016 87
MAGNETIC STORAGE SYSTEMS
• Magnetic storage systems can be defined as the
storage systems that store the data on a
magnetised medium, with the help of
magnetised particles. Magnetic tapes, magnetic
disks, hard disks, floppy disks are examples of
magnetic storage systems.
• Can store any type of data, such as text, audio,
video, image

Nov 2016 88
MAGNETIC STORAGE SYSTEMS
• Magnetic tapes: The plastic tapes with magnetic coating
that are used for storing the data. They are similar to the
normal recording tapes. The data stored on the
magnetic tapes can be accessed using the sequential
access method.
• Magnetic Disks: A flat disk that is covered with magnetic
coating for holding information. It is used to store digital
information in the form of small and magnetized needles.
These needles help in encoding a single bit of
information by getting polarized in one direction
represented by 1, and opposite direction represented by
0. It allows the random access of data and provides the
facility of erasing and re-recording the data as many
times as required.

Nov 2016 89
Secondary Storage Samples

Nov 2016 90
OPTICAL STORAGE SYSTEMS
• The optical storage systems use the laser
light as the optical medium to retrieve as
well as record data.
• The optical storage devices are either
read-only or writable.

Nov 2016 91
SOLID-STATE STORAGE DEVICES
• Solid-state Storage Devices were developed in
1978 by Storage Tek Company.
• Do not use magnetic and optical medium to
store data. Instead, use the semiconductor
devices.
• Contains all the properties of hard disk drives to
store the data and use solid-state memory,
which has no moving parts.
• The examples of SSD are flash memory cards
and Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices.

Nov 2016 92
CACHE MEMORY
• Cache memory is a small, fast and
expensive memory that stores the copies
of data that needs to be accessed
frequently from the main memory.

Nov 2016 93
STORAGE EVALUATION CRITERIA
• Access Mode: random access mode, sequential access
mode, direct access mode
• Access Time: the time taken by the processor in
completing the requests made by the user for
performing the read and write operations.
• Storage Capacity: the size of the memory available for
storing the data, and measured in terms of bytes.
• Storage Type: Temporary and permanent memory.
• Cost: the cost of the storage device used in the
computer system for holding the data.

Nov 2016 94
INPUT DEVICES
• Input devices are electromechanical devices
that are used to provide data to a computer for
storing and further processing, if necessary.
• We can provide the input to a computer in two
ways: (1) Manually through devices such as
keyboard and mouse; (2) Directly from
documents using devices such as scanners.

Nov 2016 95
INPUT DEVICES
Depending upon the type or method of input, the
input device may belong to one of the following
categories:
(1) Keyboard
(2) Pointing devices
(3) Scanning devices
(4) Optical recognition devices
(5) Digital camera
(6) Voice recognition devices
(7) Media input devices

Nov 2016 96
INPUT DEVICES

Nov 2016 97
Keyboard
Keyboard is the most commonly used input device. We can use a
keyboard to type data and text and execute commands. A standard
keyboard consists of the following groups of keys:
(1) Alphanumeric keys: The alphanumeric keys include the number
keys and alphabet keys. These keys are arranged in the same style as
in the normal typewriters, popularly known as QWERTY layout;
(2) Function keys: Arranged in a row on the top of the keyboard. Help
perform specific tasks, such as searching a file or refreshing a web
page;
(3) Central keys: Used for controlling the movement of cursor and
screen display. Include arrow keys, modifier keys such as SHIFT, ALT,
CTRL;
(4) Numeric keypad: Located on the right side of the keyboard. This
looks like a calculator’s keypad;
(5) Special purpose keys: Escape, Insert, Delete, Print Screen, Pause,
Tab, Spacebar;

Nov 2016 98
Pointing Devices
Pointing devices are the input devices that are generally
used for moving the cursor to a particular location to point
an object on the screen. With the help of pointing devices,
we can easily select the icons, menus, windows, etc on the
Graphical User Interface. Some of the commonly used
pointing devices are:
(1) Mouse
(2) Trackball
(3) Light pen
(4) Joystick
(5) Touchscreen

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Mouse
A small hand-held pointing device that
basically controls the two-dimensional
movement of the cursor on the displayed
screen. The most commonly used types of
mouse are:
(1) Mechanical mouse
(2) Optical mouse

Nov 2016 100

Scanning Devices
• Scanning devices are the input devices that can
electronically capture text and images, and
convert them into computer readable form.
• The basic task of a scanning devices is to
convert an image or the textual data into digital
data, i.e., in the form of boxes, where each box
represents either zero or one. The resultant
matrix is known as bit map and is displayed on
the screen.

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Scanning Devices
• The scanning devices can be differentiated from each
other on the basis of the following characteristics:

• Resolution: the closeness of the pixels in the bit map,

and vary from 72 to 600 dots per inch (dpi);
• Size: the small sized scanning device can scan
approximately two to five inches of the document,
whereas the large sized one can scan approximately up
to forty inches of the document.

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Scanning Devices
• Scanning technology: Some use Charged Coupled
Device (CCD) arrays, whereas others use Photo
Multiplier Tubes (PMT) technology. The CCD consists of
a series of light receptors, which are sensitive to the
variation in the light frequency. As the frequency of light
changes, these scanning devices detect the change and
the output obtained after scanning also gets accordingly
changed. The PMT consists of a photocathode, which is
a photosensitive surface used for generating the
electrons. PMT is used for identifying the light emitted
by the weak signals.

Nov 2016 103

Scanning Devices
• On the basis of these characteristics, the scanning
devices can be categorized as follows:

• Hand-held scanners: are suitable for scanning small

images rather than the whole page of text or pictures,
and are generally used for identifying the bar-code label
of the products.
• Flat-bed scanners: consist of a flat surface composing
of glass pane on which the documents are kept for
scanning. Under this glass pane, there is xenon light and
a CCD, which consists of an array of red, green and blue
filters.

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Scanning Devices
• Drum scanners: consist of a large drum, which is used
for scanning the documents. These scanners make use
of the PMT technology, instead of the CCD technology.
The resolution image of these scanners is very high,
ranges form 8000 dpi to 11000 dpi.
• Slide scanners: are used for scanning slides as well as
film negatives. These scanners are also known as film
scanners as they can easily scan the original image of
the film. The dark areas appear light and the light areas
appear dark.

Nov 2016 105

Optical Recognition Devices
• Optical recognition devices are used for recognizing
the characters optically. The optical recognition
devices basically make use of optical scanner for
inputting data. Unlike keyboards, the optical
recognition devices do not enter the data by
pressing the keys. They help the users in saving a lot
of time. Commonly used optical recognition devices
are:

 Optical Character Recognition (OCR) devices: scan

a particular document by recognizing its individual
characters and converting it into the editable form.

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Optical Recognition Devices
• Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) devices: help in
obtaining the data from the marked fields. These
devices prove to be of great use in recognizing
characters in question sheets, enrolment forms,
registration forms, employee payroll, etc. Most popularly,
the OMR devices are used for scanning the documents
having multiple choices as in the question papers used
in schools, colleges, etc.

Nov 2016 107

Optical Recognition Devices
• Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) devices:
special devices used for recognizing the characters
written with magnetic ink consisting of iron oxide
particles. These devices were specially developed for
the banking operations. The details on the bank cheques,
such as cheque number, bank and branch code are
written with the magnetic ink.

Nov 2016 108

Digital Camera
• A digital camera is a handheld electronic device that is
used to capture the image of an object electronically.
The digital camera consists of a built-in computer, which
helps in recording the images electronically. The
following are the main features of the digital camera:

• Capturing and storing thousands of images on a single

memory chip
• Editing as well as deleting the images
• Recording the video clip with sound
• Showing the just recorded video clip on the camera
screen

Nov 2016 109

Digital Camera
• The image captured by a digital camera is in the digital
format and can be easily downloaded on a computer
system.
• The quality of the pictures captured by a digital camera
depends on the resolution factor. The more the
resolution of a digital camera, the better is the image
quality.

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Voice Recognition System
• The voice recognition devices generally record the voice
of a person and transform it into electrical signals. The
electrical signals are then converted into the machine
readable code.
• The voice recognition system only recognises the voice
of the speaking person rather than what he speaks.
• The voice recognition devices are used for various
purposes such as dictation, training air-traffic controllers,
etc. These systems allow users to communicate with
computers directly without using a keyboard or mouse.

Nov 2016 111

Data Acquisition Sensors
• Sensors are the devices that are used for
detecting and measuring the physical quantities,
such as heat, temperature, and converting them
into electrical signals. The sensors are most
commonly used in data acquisition systems.
• The data acquisition system collects the
electrical signals from various devices and
converts them into the digital signals for further
assessment.

Nov 2016 112

Media Input Devices

• The input devices, which are generally used in

media for communicating with the mass
audiences, are known as media input devices.
The following are the most popularly used
media input devices:

• Microphone
• Webcam
• Graphics tablet

Nov 2016 113

OUTPUT DEVICES

• Output devices receive the processed data (information) from

the CPU and present it to the user in a desired form. They act as
an interface between the computer and the user. The main task
of an output device is to convert the machine readable
information into human-readable form which may be in the form
of text, graphics, audio or video. Depending upon the form of
output required, the output device may belong to one of the
following categories:
• Display monitors
• Printers
• Plotters
• Voice output systems
• Projectors
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OUTPUT DEVICES

Nov 2016 115

OUTPUT DEVICES
• While the printers and plotters provide the physical form
of output known ashard copy , the display monitors,
voice output systems and projectors provide temporary
output known assoft copy . Unlike hard copy, soft copy is
not a permanent form of output.

Nov 2016 116

Display Monitors
• Earlier, the display monitors were capable of displaying
the characters only in a single font and in a single color.
These characters were arranged in a rectangular grid on
the screen.
• The display screens, which are available today, support
many fonts and colors.
• Different types of display monitors use different
technology for displaying the data.

Nov 2016 117

Display Monitors
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor: contain an empty
glass tube with a phosphor coated fluorescent screen
and a source of electrons known as electron gun. A CRT
monitor has many advantages, such as a high contrast
ratio and color depth. It also provides a change in the
resolution without affecting the clarity of the picture. But
it is very bulky and occupies a lot of space on the desk. It
also consumes a lot of power and produces a large
amount heat.

Nov 2016 118

Display Monitors
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Monitor: Use liquid crystals
technology to display the images. An LCD monitor is
small in size and light in weight so it occupies less space
on the desk. Also, the power consumption by an LCD
monitor is very less. However, it has a weak color quality
as compared to a CRT monitor.
• Thin Film Transistor (TFT) Monitor: A TFT monitor is
similar to an LCD monitor except for one difference that
it uses thin film transistor technology along with liquid
crystal technology to improve the quality of the image.

Nov 2016 119

Printers

• A printer is a computer hardware that generates the hard

copy of the information processed by a computer system.
• Impact Printers: there exists a mechanical contact
between print head and paper. Print head is the part of the
printer that resembles a hammer and is responsible for
transferring the ink to the paper in the form of required
characters. Impact printer contains an individual print
head for each character.
• Non-Impact Printers: there exists no mechanical contact
between the print head and paper. These printers spray ink
on the paper with the help of a nozzle. The most popular
ones are ink-jet printers and laser printers.

Nov 2016 120

Plotters
• Plotter is a device used to print high quality graphics and
images. It uses one or more pens to produce a high
quality drawing. These pens change their positions and
draw continuous lines to produce an image. The plotters
were used as a substitute to the colored printers when
the printers were very expensive and were also not
capable of drawing bigger images such as graphs.

Nov 2016 121

Voice Output Systems
• Voice output systems record the simple messages in
human speech form and then combine all these simple
messages to form a single message. The voice response
system is of two types: (1) a reproduction of human
voice and other sounds; (2) speech synthesis.
• The basic application of a voice output system is in
Interactive Voice Response systems, which are used by
the customer care or customer support departments of
an organization, such as telecommunication companies,
etc.

Nov 2016 122

Projectors
• A projector is a device that is connected to a computer
or a video device for projecting an image from the
computer or video device onto the big white screen.
• A projector consists of an optic system, a light source
and displays, which contain the original images.
• Projectors were initially used for showing films but now
they are used on a large scale for displaying
presentations in various situations.

Nov 2016 123