Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM

Computer :
A Computer is a General purpose machine, commonly consisting of digital circuitry, that accepts
(inputs), stores, manipulates, and generates (outputs) data as numbers, text, graphics, voice,
video files, or electrical signals, in accordance with instructions called a program.

 Father of the computer - Charles Babbage

 Father of the moderncomputer - Alan Turing

 Basic Architecture of Computer: John Von Neumann (1947-49)

 First Programmer: Lady Ada Lovelae (1880)

 First Electronic Computer: ENIAC (1946) - J.P. Eckert & J.W. Mauchly

 First computer for the home user introduced - IBM in 1981

Mains Parts of computer

Hardware - Computer hardware is what you can physically touch 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.

Input Devices - In computing, an input device is a peripheral (piece of computer hardware

equipment) used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system such as
a computer or information appliance.
Examples: keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras and joysticks.

Keyboard – A Keyboard is the most fundamental input device for any computer system. It helps
to enter data in computer.

Mouse - A mouse is used to input data by sending a signal to the computer, based on hovering
the cursor and selecting with the left mouse button. The left mouse acts as a 'enter' button. The
right mouse button can be selected and will often pop up a window of choices. The scrolling
wheel is used to move the view of the screen up or down. By moving your mouse to a location in
a document, on a digital photo or over a choice of music, you can click the left mouse button to
place the cursor.

Trackballs - A trackball is an input device used to enter motion data into computers or other
electronic devices. It serves the same purpose as a mouse, but is designed with a moveable ball
on the top, which can be rolled in any direction. Instead of moving the whole device, you simply
roll the moveable ball on top of the trackball unit with your hand to generate motion input.

Barcode reader - A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is an electronic device that can read and
output printed barcodes to a computer. Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source, a lens
and a light sensor translating optical impulses into electrical ones.

Digital camera - a camera which produces digital images that can be stored in a computer and
displayed on screen.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
Gamepad - a handheld controller for video games.

Joystick - a lever that can be moved in several directions to control the movement of an image on
a computer or similar display screen. It mainly used in playing games.

Microphone - an instrument for converting sound waves into electrical energy variations which
may then be amplified, transmitted, or recorded.

Scanner - a device that scans documents and converts them into digital data.

Webcam - a video camera connected to a computer, allowing its images to be seen by Internet
users.

Optical character recognition (OCR) - is the mechanical or electronic conversion of images of

typed, handwritten or printed text into machine-encoded text.

Digitizer - It converts analog information into digital form.

Optical Mark reading (OMR) - Optical Mark Readers reads pencil or pen marks made in pre-
defined positions on paper forms as responses to questions or tick list prompts.

Basic structure of CPU

CPU (Central processing unit)

A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer

that carries out the instructions of a computer program by performing the
basic arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified
by the instructions.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM

*CPU – Heart of the Computer

*CPU Process:
1.Fetch the Instruction
2.Interpret the Instruction
3.Fetch the Data
4.Process the Data
5.Write the data

Output devices

An output device is any device used to send data from a computer to another
device or user. Most computer data output that is meant for humans is in the
form of audio or video. Examples include monitors, projectors, speakers,
headphones and printers.

Monitors - A Monitor is a TV-like display attached to the computer on which

the output can be displayed and viewed. It can either be a monochrome
display or a colour display.

There are two kinds of monitors

1. CRT (Cathode ray tube) - The cathode ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube
containing one or more electron guns, and a phosphorescent screen used to
view images.

2. Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid-Crystal Display (TFT LCD) - A thin-film-transistor

liquid-crystal display (TFT LCD) is a variant of a liquid-crystal display (LCD) that
uses thin-film transistor technology to improve image qualities such as
addressability and contrast.

Printer - Printer is a output device for printing text or pictures.

1. Impact printer - An impact printer is a printer that strikes a print head

against an ink ribbon to mark the paper. Common examples include dot
matrix and daisy-wheel printers.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
2. Non-Impact printer - Non-impact printers print the characters without
using ribbon. Two common types of
non-impact printers include inkjet printers, which spray small drops of ink
onto each page, and laser printers, which roll ink onto the paper using a
cylindrical.

Memory

Primary Memory or Main Memory

Register:
Register is one of a small set of data holding places that are part of the computer processor. A
register may hold an instruction, a storage address, or any kind of data (such as a bit sequence or
individual characters). Some instructions specify registers as part of the instruction.

RAM (Random access memory) - Random Access Memory (RAM) is a type of data storage used in
computers that is generally located on the motherboard. This type of memory is volatile and all
information that was stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off.
There are two types of Random access memory

• Dynamic RAM - dynamic indicates that the memory must be constantly refreshed (reenergized)
or it will lose its contents.

• Static Memory - A computer memory that contains fixed information and retains its
programmed state as long as the power is on.

ROM (Read only memory) - Once data has been written onto a ROM chip, it cannot be removed
and can only be read. Unlike main memory (RAM), ROM retains its contents even when the
computer is turned off.ROM is referred to as being nonvolatile.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
There are three types of Read only memory (ROM)

• PROM - PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of ROM is initially
blank. The user or manufacturer can write data/program on it by using special devices. However,
once the program or data is written in PROM chip, it cannot be changed. If there is an error in
writing instructions or data in PROM, the error cannot be erased. PROM chip becomes unusable.

• EPROM - EPROM stands for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of ROM is
also initially blank. The user or manufacturer can write program or data on it by using special
devices. Unlike PROM, the data written in EPROM chip can be erased by using special devices and
ultraviolet rays. So program or data written in EPROM chip can be changed and new data can
also be added. When EPROM is in use, its contents can only be read.

• EEPROM - EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This kind
of ROM can be written or changed with the help of electrical devices. So data stored in this type
of ROM chip can be easily modified.

Cache:
A cache is a place to store something temporarily in a computing environment.Cache memory,
also called CPU memory, is random access memory (RAM)

RAM Vs ROM

Memory units
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
Secondary memory - Secondary memory is a type of computer memory that is not directly
accessed by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer and is usually available as non-
volatile memory. One of the most common forms of this memory is the hard drive of a computer,
which is used to store the operating system (OS) and other programs. Other forms of secondary
memory include disc drives for compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), as well as
removable flash memory.

• Hard Drive - a rigid non-removable magnetic disk with a large data storage capacity.

• Floppy disk - A floppy disk, also called a diskette or just disk, is a type of disk storage composed
of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier
lined with fabric that removes dust particles. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk
drive (FDD).

• Magnetic Tape – Magnetic tape used in recording sound, pictures, or computer data.

• Flash memory - a kind of memory that retains data in the absence of a power supply.

• Optical disk - an electronic data storage medium that can be written to and read using a low-
powered laser beam.

Mother board - A motherboard is the main circuit board inside a computer that connects the
different parts of a computer together. It has sockets for the CPU, RAM and expansion cards (e.g.
discrete graphics cards, sound cards,network cards, storage cards etc)... and it also hooks up to
hard drives, disc drives and front panel ports with cables and wires.Also known as mainboard,
system board. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive (FDD).

Development of computer
Abacus - Abacus is known to be the first mechanical calculating device. Which was used to be
performed addition and subtraction easily and speedily.Abacus is made up of wooden frame in
which rod where fitted across with rounds beads sliding on the rod.

Pascal Calculator - In the year 1642, Blaise Pascal a French scientist invented an adding machine
called Pascal’s calculator, which represents the position of digit with the help of gears in it.

Analytical Engine - a scientist form England knows to be Charles Babbage invented such a
machine.This device was called Analytical engine and it deemed the first mechanical computer. It
included such feature which is used in today’s computer language. For this great invention of the
computer, Sir Charles Babbage is also known as the father of the computer.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM

Types of Network

• Mesh topology - Mesh is a network topology in which devices are connected with many
redundant interconnections between network nodes.

• Star topology - Star topology is a network topology where each individual piece of a network is
attached to a central node.

• Ring topology - Ring topology refers to a specific kind of network setup in which devices are
connected in a ring and pass information to each other according to their adjacent in the ring
structure.

• Bus topology - Bus topology is a specific kind of network topology in which all of the various
devices in the network are connected to a single cable or line.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
• Tree toplogy – It is a combination characteristics of linear bus and star topologies.

Network Related Terms

Protocol - It is set of rules and standards which is used by computers to exchange data or
information with each other across a network.

Nodes - It is a connect point where either data transmission ends or redistribution of data starts.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - basic communication language or

protocol of the Internet.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer computer files
between a client and server on a computer network.

Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing and using
the Internet.

Network Service Provider (NSP) is a company that provides backbone services to an Internet
service provider (ISP).

Web server is a program that uses HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) to serve the files that form
Web pages to users, in response to their requests, which are forwarded by their computers' HTTP
clients.

Website is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified
with a common domain name

Web Page is a hypertext document connected to the World Wide Web.

Home page - the introductory page of a website

Hyperlink is a word, phrase, or image that you can click on to jump to a new document or a new
section within the current document.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application protocol for distributed, collaborative,

hypermedia information systems.

Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a technical standard for accessing information over a

mobile wireless network.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is a form of URI and is a standardized naming convention for
addressing documents accessible over the Internet and Intranet.
Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM
Some important file extensions

Short cut keys and Function keys

Computer Short Capsule For SSC EXAM