Components and Functions of a Computer

Summary:

This note introduces computers as an electronic device that processes data and generates information. It explains the functionalities of a computer, its components of a computer, and its various applications in education, e-learning, medical science, science and technology, marketing, banks, entertainment, communication, office automation, and government. It also discusses the advantages of computers such as speed, accuracy, reliability, storage, multitasking, and consistency, and disadvantages such as unemployment, wastage of time and energy, data security, computer crimes, privacy violation, health risks, and impact on the environment.

Excerpt:

Components and Functions of a Computer

Introduction to Computer and Applications (CS-1140)

Computer

• 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 the specified rules and produce information (output) and store the information for future use.

Functionalities of Computer

• Data  >  Processing  >  Information
  • Take data as input
  • Stores the data/Instructions in its memory and use them when required
  • Process the data and convert it into meaningful information
  • Generates the output
  • Control all the above steps

Components of Computer

• Hardware
  • Computer Hardware is the collection of physical elements “Tangible Objects”
  • That constitutes a computer system.
  • Machinery, wires, transistors, circuits
• Software
  • Computer program
  • Instructions

Applications of Computer

Education

• Getting the right kind of information is a major challenge as is getting information to make sense. College students spend an average of 5-6 hours a week on the internet. Students exposed to the internet say they think the web has helped them improve the quality of their academics.
• Online Examination
• CBE provides tools to learn.
• Compute is used for training purposes to give presentations.

E-learning

• The computer is used for E-learning, the trainers and the students both interacted with the computer both the students and trainers virtually see each other or the trainer has videos, and students learn from that videos after watching the videos students ask questions about the training.