ALEX EKWUEME FEDERAL UNIVERSITY

NDUFU-ALIKE IKWO (AE-FUNAI)

ABAKALIKI

Faculty of Physical Sciences

Department of Computer Science/Informatics
Course code: AEFUNAI-CSC 101
Course Title: INTRODUCTION TO BASIC
COMPUTER SKILLS FOR BEGINNERS.

Contents of this Class Note:

• Introduction to computer
• Components and other computing devices
• Applications of computer
• Uses and Functions of Computer
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Computer
• Generations of Computer
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
• Define the concept of Computer;
• Describe the fundamental workings of the Computer;
• Explain the Basic components of the computer system;
• Know the different application areas and uses of
computer across various fields;
• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of the
computer system;
• Know the historical developmental stages and
technologies involved.

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
The word 'Computer' is derived from a Latin word
'Computare', which means 'to compute or to
calculate'.
Computer is defined as an electronic device which
can be programmed to perform operations by
accepting data as input, processing the data, stores
the data/information, and produces the desired
information through the output unit.
That is, computer accepts, stores, correlates,
manipulates and processes information in binary
format and displays the results in a human
understandable language. This is the basic functions
that are performed by computer irrespective of the
size or shape.
Functions of the Computer System
Based on the fundamental working of a computer
system, a computer mainly has four basic functions:
1. Input – entering raw data can be done manually,
automatically or both. Manual input is done
through peripherals like the keyboard, mouse
and stylus. Input can also be accomplished via
vocal dictation applications and body gesture
peripherals like biometric devices. Data input is
also done using secondary storage media and
networking interfaces. Automated applications
and robotics can also be used to intelligently
feed data into the computer on station or
remotely. As an example, tallying of an electoral
process can be accomplished remotely and
automatically.
2. Processing – this is the core function of a
computer. Processing involves the manipulation
of raw data before converting it into meaningful
information. Usually, data is in raw form and
will thus undergo processing before
dissemination for user consumption. The 'brain'
of the computer where data is processed is
referred to as the microprocessor or central
processing unit (CPU). One particular evolution
 is the merger of the microprocessor and graphics
processing unit (GPU) into what is now known
as the accelerated processing unit (APU). The
merger allows for the integration of powerful
graphics processing abilities inside the
traditional arithmetic and logical computations
of the processor. The Central Processing Unit
consists of three main components that are:-
• Control Unit – monitor all the operations
and activities of the computer.
• Arithmetic and Logical Unit – performs
the arithmetic and logical data operations.
• Memory Unit – act as a temporary storage
area in the CPU for storing the data received
through input devices from the users.
3. Output - When raw data has been manipulated
by the microprocessor, the outcome is meant to
be disseminated for useful purposes. The output
is thus referred to as information and is
beneficial to the computer user. Output devices
are monitors, speakers, printers, headphones,
plotters, etc.
4. Storage – Storing data and information is the
major function of a computer. A computer stores
data in the temporary memory which is known
as RAM (Random Access Memory). The data
stored in a temporary memory can be erased
during a sudden shutdown. Although, RAM,
ROM, SSD/HDD plays a major role in the
functioning of a computer system.
• RAM (Random Access Memory) – stores
data temporarily. It’s a volatile memory and
the data stored can be erased in case of
shutdown or power failures.
• ROM – (Read-Only Memory) - It’s a non-
volatile memory and the data stored in ROM
is in read-only format and can’t be modified.
• SSD/HDD – SSD stands for Solid State
Drive and HDD stands for Hard Disk Drive.
Both can be connected internally as well
externally. SSDs are faster in comparison to
HDDs.
Cloud Storage can also be used for storing data
and information. There are various examples
like Google Drive, MEGA, etc.
COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM
The basic components of the computer system
include the Motherboard, Input and Output devices,
CPU, RAM and Storage unit.
Motherboard or Main Board
A motherboard is a circuit board through which all
the different components of a computer
communicate and it keeps everything together. The
Memory, Central Pressing Unit, input and output
devices are plugged into the motherboard for
effective functioning of a computer.

Fig.1. diagram of a motherboard

Input Devices
The input devices are used in entering data,
information and instructions into the computer
system. The input devices are the only major way
through which users communicate, control and
command the computer system. Computer input
devices include the followings: Keyboard, Mouse,
Joystick, Digital or graphics tablet, Optical
Character Rader, Barcode Reader, Magnetic Ink
Character Reader (MICR), Touch Screen, Scanner,
Microphone, Light Pens, Webcams, etc.

Fig. 2. diagram of input devices

Output Devices
The computer output device delivers information to
users. The output devices include Printers, Monitor,
speakers, Earphones, Global Positioning System
(GPS), Projector, Braille Reader, Plotter, etc.
 Fig. diagram of output devices

The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The central processing unit (CPU) can be referred to
as the brain of the computer system. It is the
computer hardware which supervises the whole
computer operations by receiving instructions from
the hardware and the software installed in a
computer system. It carries and executes all the
instructions made by users. It controls all devices
attached to the computer. It is made up of memory,
arithmetic and control unit.
 Fig.4. diagram of a CPU

• Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU): Performs

arithmetic operations such as calculations (plus,
minus, multiplication and division) which
require comparing two numbers or items to
produce a result which is sent to the computer
memory while operations such as NOT, OR,
AND are the logical operations.
• Control Unit: This unit controls and manages
instructions or commands from different parts of
the computer including the input devices like
mouse, keyboard, scanner and output devices.
Every instruction and command given is
registered and prepared for its execution like
recording of information, storing data, and
printing of files or documents.
• Register Unit - Information entered through the
input devices is saved in the CPU’s memory and
 then passed on to the other parts. Similarly,
when the output is ready, it is saved in the
memory before the result is given to the user.
Random Access Memory (RAM)
The RAM is also known as the temporary memory
or volatile memory. Data and information are stored
temporarily in RAM, if the computer shuts down or
switches off, all the data in RAM will definitely be
wiped out. So, you use RAM for the temporary
storage of data, programs and applications in a
computer while the system is running.

Fig.5. Diagram of RAM

Storage Unit
Data is stored in the computer with Hard Disk Drive
(HDD) or a Solid State Drive (SDD), Flash Disk,
Compact Disk (CD) or Digital Versatile Disk
(DVD), etc. Hard disk drives are disks that store data
and this data is read by a mechanical arm. Solid
State Drives are like SIM cards in mobile phones.
They have no moving parts and are faster than hard
drives. There is no need for a mechanical arm to find
data on a physical location on the drive and therefore
this takes no time at all.

Fig.6. Diagram of Storage devices

APPLICATION AREAS OF COMPUTER

Computers have become an integral part of modern
and new generation society and have a wide range of
applications and uses across various fields. Some of
the common applications/uses in different fields are:
Education – computers are used in education for
interactive learning, online courses, research, and
accessing educational resources. They also play a
role in virtual classrooms and remote learning
environments.

Communication industry - The integration of

computers and telecommunication facilities has
made the transmission and reception of messages
very fast and efficient. They are used in telephone
exchanges to switch incoming & outgoing calls.

Transport industry - Computers control and

manage various transportation systems, including air
traffic control, railway networks, navigation systems
in vehicles, and autonomous vehicles.
Library services – computers are used to enable the
library personnel to easily access and keep updated
records of books and other library materials.
Searching of book titles is made easy instead of
using the manual card catalogue.

Business and Finance - Computers are essential for

managing business operations, maintaining records,
accounting, financial analysis, and online
transactions. They are also used for inventory
management, customer relationship management
(CRM), and electronic commerce (e-commerce).

Defense - Computers are largely used in defense.

Modern tanks, missiles, communication, operation
and planning, smart weapons etc. Military also
employs computerized control systems.

Law enforcement agencies - Computers are widely

used in fighting crime, keeping of databases,
fingerprints and biometrics analysis, scene
monitoring, face recognition, etc.

Government Institutions - Computers play an

important role in government for budgeting, tax,
drivers licensing system, national identification,
weather forecast, disaster monitoring, record
keeping and information recovery, voters lists, etc.

Offices - For receiving and sending of messages

through e-mails and fax, production of documents,
record keeping, etc.

Healthcare - Computers are used for patient records

management, medical imaging (such as X-rays and
MRI), drug research, and medical diagnosis. They
also enable tele medicine, allowing doctors to
remotely diagnose and treat patients.

Design and Engineering - Computers are essential

tools for architects, engineers, and designers to
create, simulate, and visualize designs. Computer-
aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering
(CAE) software are widely used in these fields.

Security and Surveillance - Computers play a role

in security systems, including surveillance cameras,
access control systems, and cybersecurity measures
to protect digital assets and information.

Weather Forecasting - Supercomputers are used for

weather modeling and forecasting, enabling accurate
predictions and warnings about natural disasters.

Agriculture - Computers assist in precision

agriculture by analyzing data from sensors, satellites,
and drones to optimize planting, irrigation, and
harvesting processes.
Space Exploration - Computers are vital for
controlling space missions, analyzing space data,
and managing satellite communication.

Banks/Insurance industries - Computers are used

by Banks and Insurance industries to manage
financial transactions, dispense cash, process
Cheques, prepare Payrolls, better record keeping and
processing of documents, provide electronic money
transfer facilities, etc.

Supermarkets and Retail Stores - use computers

for stock control, that is, to help them manage their
daily activities. The stock control system keeps
record of what is in store, what has been sold, and
what is out of stock. Also for calculating customer
goods, production of receipts, and use of barcode
reader to get stock prices.

Entertainment - Computers are used for gaming,

streaming movies and music, creating digital art, and
editing videos and photos. Virtual reality (VR) and
augmented reality (AR) technologies also rely on
computers to create immersive experiences.
Scientific Research - Computers are crucial for
complex simulations, data analysis, and modeling in
scientific research. They help scientists process large
datasets, run simulations, and conduct experiments
virtually.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF

COMPUTER
Advantages
Some of the advantages of computer include:

• Speed - computer offers great speed, helping us

to do our tasks within a matter of seconds. They
can perform about Trillions of instructions per
second.
• Accuracy - The fact that computers are
extremely accurate makes them quite reliable.
They can handle the most complex calculations
with ease and give error-free answers.
• Automation - A lot of tasks can be automated,
saving a lot of time. Computers that are fully
automated will need specific instructions only
once to get the work done.
 • Storage - The storage capacity of computers is
usually in Giga-Bytes (GBs) or more. We can
store videos, images, games, etc., on our
computers and access them easily after
downloading them.
• Multitasking - This means working on multiple
tasks simultaneously. Computers can perform
various tasks at the same time.
• Security - With so much information being
stored digitally, the data must remain secured
and out of reach from fraud. A computer
provides data security by encrypting the data or
key management through various applications
available online.

Disadvantages
Some of the disadvantages are:
• Cybercrimes - The Internet has now become a
place for conducting cybercrimes. Stealing
personal information, selling illegal products on
the dark web, and unauthorized access to the
bank accounts of people are some examples
where computers are proving to be a curse.
• Virus attacks and hacking - Viruses are
created by hackers to steal the personal
 information of the user. These viruses can be
found in pen drives, movie DVDs, or even mail.
Such viruses can also prove to be harmful to the
computer and can cause a breakdown.
• Creating dependency - With our lives being
dependent on computers, it becomes very
difficult to complete tasks without them. If a
computer breakdown or the internet server goes
down for even a day, all our work will come to a
halt.
• Health-Issues - Prolonged use of personal
computers results in many health-related issues.
Eye strain, headache, back pain, etc. are some of
them.

• Fake News - Computers enable a wide array of

data-sharing options. But, this becomes a
medium for the spread of spurious news. Many
cases are there when fake news is shared among
people using messaging apps.
• Spread of Pornography - As the computer
range has covered every single individual in
society, children and even grown-ups are prone
and get involved in pornographic content which
many websites offer these days.
GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER
Generations of Computer refers to the historical
development of computers. The various
developmental stages and technologies are what
differentiate the evolution of computers over the
years. The generations include:

First Generation of Computers - 1945 To 1956

The first generation of computers used Vacuum
tubes. These computers were large in size and
writing programs on them was difficult. The
computers were very slow, huge, programmed using
machine language, with limited memory capacity of
14KB and used punched cards and magnetic tape as
input devices. Because of their size, the first
generation of computers generates a lot of heat.

Second Generation of Computers - 1956 To 1963

Transistor replaced the vacuum tube in the first
generation thereby making the second generation
faster than the previous one and considerably
reduced the size of the computer. They are more
durable and easier to manufacture and had an
improved memory capacity of 432KB. In this
generation, the concept of Central Processing Unit
(memory, programming language and input and
output units were developed). The programming
languages such as COBOL, FORTRAN were
developed during this period.
Third Generation of Computers - 1964 To 1971
This generation introduced Integrated Circuits
(IC). ICs are popularly known as Chips. A single IC
has many transistors, resistors and capacitors. There
was a great reduction in size of the computer. They
were faster than the first and second generations. It
used a high-level programming language such as
BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic
Instruction Code). The memory increase was
between 512KB and 1MB.

Fourth Generation of Computers - 1971 To 1999

This generation uses Large Scale Integrated
Circuits (LSIC) called microprocessors and was
later replaced with Very Large Scale Integrated
Circuits (VLSIC). The computer, which was
occupying a very large room in earlier days, can now
be placed on a table (personal computer that you see
in your school). The CPU in this generation was a
microchip, which made the computer to be smaller
than the previous generations with versatile
applications. The memory size was up to 4MB.

Fifth Generation of Computers – 1999 till Present

This category represents the present-day computers
and the ones to be manufactured in the future. In this
generation, the computers were smaller, faster, with
sophistication in hardware technology and software
applications. Pentium processors are used as CPU
and there are vast improvements in both primary and
secondary storage capacity. The concept of Artificial
Intelligence has been introduced to allow the
computer to take its own.