Introduction to

Computers
Lesson 1
Computer Organization

2nd Semester
School Year 2024-2025
FREDELINA F. DE LEON, MAEd.
Faculty, B.S. Computer Engineering Program
gmail: [email protected]
 Introduction to Computers
1
Lesson ▪ What computers consist of
Computer
Organization ▪ How computers work
▪ How they are organized internally
▪ What are the design tradeoffs
▪ How design affects programming and
applications
 Objective:
The topics will help students to explain basic
information technology concepts and
concepts of programming languages
What is a computer?
● A programmable machine
● A machine that accepts input (raw
data), processes that input, and
produces output (information).
What is a network?
● Two or more computers connected
together using communications
equipment.
Then along came …
● Being “online” – using a computer to access information
from another computer through the use of a network.
● The Internet
● World Wide Web
● E-mail
● Information technology (“infotech”):
○ IT - Technology that helps in the production, processing,
storing, communication and dissemination of information.
● The E-World (E-business, E-commerce, E-
government, E-learning, E-pinions, E-tailing, E-waste)
The Internet, the World Wide Web, & the
“Plumbing of Cyberspace”
● Cyberspace
▪ encompasses the whole wired and wireless world of
communications.
▪ Term created by William Gibson – author
▪ Internet
▪ A global network of networks (tangible)
▪ www

▪ World Wide Web

▪ Most common use of the Internet
▪ Encompasses information that can be viewed through a
web browser (web pages).
▪ Do not confuse with the Internet.
The “All-Purpose Machine”: The Varieties of
Computers

1. Supercomputers
2. Mainframes
3. Workstations
4. Microcomputers
5. Microcontrollers
Supercomputers
● Fastest computer
● Consists of thousands of
processors and can carry out
several trillion calculations per
second.
● Used for computer simulations
○ tracking hurricanes,
biological contamination, or
understanding ocean
currents.
● Processing power is the main
difference between
supercomputers and general-
purpose computer systems
Mainframes
● Mainframes are data
servers designed to
process up to 1 trillion
web transactions daily
with the highest levels of
security and reliability.
● Used in large
organizations – banks,
airlines, insurance
companies, colleges.
Workstations
● workstation, a high-
performance computer system that is
basically designed for a single user and
has advanced graphics capabilities, large
storage capacity, and a powerful central
processing unit.
● A workstation is more capable than
a personal computer (PC) but is less
advanced than a server (which can
manage a large network of peripheral PCs
or workstations and handle immense
data-processing and reporting tasks).
● usually used for complex scientific,
mathematical, and engineering
calculations and for computer-aided
design
Microcomputer

● Personal Computer (PC)

○ Tower PC
○ Desktop PC
○ Laptop / Notebook
○ Personal digital assistants
(PDAs), also called handheld
computers or palmtops
● Mac
○ While a Mac is a PC, most
people relate the term, PC,
with systems that run the
Windows operating system.
Microcontrollers

● tiny, specialized
microprocessors
installed in “smart”
appliances and
automobiles
● also called
embedded
computers
How Computers Work
● The purpose of a computer is to process data into information.
● Data (Input)
○ The raw facts and figures that are processed
into information
● Information (Output)
○ Data that has been summarized or otherwise
manipulated for use in decision making
Computers consist of hardware
and software.
● Hardware
○ All the machinery and equipment in a computer system
○ Tangible
● Software
○ All the instructions that tell the computer how to perform a task
○ Intangible
All computers follow the same
five basic operations
1. Input

2. Processing

3. Storage

4. Output

5. Communications
Input

Keyboard

Mouse
 Processing
- Manipulating data into information
● Case or system cabinet
○ the box that houses
■ the processor chip
(CPU – Central Processing Unit)
■ memory chips (RAM)
■ motherboard with power supply
■ secondary storage devices
■ video card
■ Etc. …..
 Motherboard
● Motherboard - the main
circuit board in the computer.
● Everything else attaches to
the motherboard through
connections called ports.
● Expansion slots - “plugs” on
the motherboard for
expanding the PC’s
capabilities via additional
circuit boards.
Processing

Front Back

● Processor chip
● A tiny piece of silicon that contains millions of
miniature electronic circuits.
Storage

● Primary Storage
○ Computer circuitry that temporarily holds data waiting to be
processed and after it has been processed
○ Also called:
■ Memory or primary memory
■ RAM – Random Access Memory
■ Temporary storage
RAM

Memory chips
Secondary Storage

○ The area in the computer where data

or information is held permanently
○ Also simply called:
■ Storage
Storage capacity is measured in:
● 1 byte - 1 character is represented using 1
byte.
= 8 bits (a bit is a 0 or a 1)
● 1 kilobyte - 1,024 characters.
= 210 bytes (approx. 103 bytes)
● 1 megabyte - 1,048,576 characters.
= 220 bytes (approx. 106 bytes)
● 1 gigabyte - more than 1 billion characters.
= 230 bytes (approx. 109 bytes)
● 1 terabyte - more than 1 trillion characters.
= 240 bytes (approx. 1012 bytes)
Storage

Floppy disk

Zip disk
Storage

Hard-disk drive
Storage

CD drive
Storage

Flash Memory Sticks

Output

Speakers - Speakers - the devices that play sounds transmitted as

electrical signals from the sound card.
Speaker output requires a sound
card

Sound card
Sound card - enhances the computer’s sound-generating capabilities by allowing sound to be
output through speakers.
Output

Monitor - the display device that takes the electrical signals

from the video card and forms an image using
points of colored light on the screen.
A video card controls the video
display of your monitor
Output

Printer - Printer - an output device that produces text and

graphics on paper.
Communications

Modem - a device that sends and receives data over telephone lines to and
from computers.
Put all the hardware together
and…
You still need the software!
● System software

● Helps the computer

perform essential
operating tasks and
enables the
application software
to run
You still need the software!
● Application software

● Enables you to
perform specific
tasks--solve
problems, perform
work, or entertain
yourself
 Where Is Information Technology Headed?
Three Directions of Computer Development

● Miniaturization
○ Miniaturization deals with minimization of computers.( Smaller than
normal)
● Speed
○ Because of miniaturization, more between components are introduced
into computer, providing faster processing speeds and more data
storage capacity.
● Affordability Then (1946) Now

○ Todays microprocessors are affordable when compared to the cost of

processors 15 years ago
Three Directions of Communications Development

1. Connectivity-the ability to connect computers to one

another by communications line, so as to provide
online information
2. Interactivity-two-way communication in which a user
can respond to information he or she receives and
modify the process
3. Multimedia-technology that presents information in
more than one medium--such as text, pictures, video,
sound, and animation--in a single integrated
communication.
When Computers & Communications Combine:
Convergence, Portability, & Personalization
● Convergence
○ the combining of several industries through various devices
that exchange data in the format used by computers.
● Portability
○ the ability to be easily carried or moved.
● Personalization
○ the creation of information tailored to your preferences, such as
stock portfolio information kept on Yahoo.com’s Web site
Onward: Handling Information in the Era
of Pervasive Computing
● Learn to deal with information overload

● Have a strategy to memorize information:

reduce dependence on technology

● Learn how to make your “multitasking”

efficient
Onward: Handling Information in
the Era of Pervasive Computing
● Be aware that “smart mobs” could also be
dumb mobs: Know when technology is
being used against you.
Concept Check

● What are the two key components of

information technology?

● Computers and communications

Concept Check

● What are the two key aspects of cyberspace?

● The Internet and the World Wide Web

Concept Check

● What are the five sizes of computers from

largest to smallest?

● Supercomputer, mainframe, workstation,

microcomputer, microcontroller
Concept Check

● What is a LAN?

● A local area network is a connected group of

desktop PCs and other devices such as
printers, normally located in an office or
building.
Concept Check

● Which size of computer is also called an

“embedded computer?”

● Microcontroller
Concept Check

● What is the term for a computer used to hold

collections of data and programs for
connecting PCs, workstations, and other
devices?

● Server
Concept Check

● What are the five basic operations that

computers have in common?

● Input, processing, storage, output, and

communications
Concept Check

● Which type of storage is composed of

computer circuitry that temporarily holds data
waiting to be processed?

● Primary storage (memory)

Concept Check

● What computer device consists of electronic

circuitry that executes instructions to process
data?

● CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Concept Check

● Are RAM chips used for primary or secondary

storage?

● Primary - they’re also called memory chips.

Concept Check

● What is the name of the main circuit board in

the computer, to which everything else is
attached via connections called ports?

● Motherboard
Concept Check

● How many characters can be represented by

a byte? A kilobyte?

● A byte represents a single character; 1, 024

characters make a kilobyte
Concept Check

● What is the name for the unit of storage

capacity representing one billion characters?

● One gigabyte
Concept Check
● What is the name for any component or piece
of equipment that expands a computer’s
input, storage, and/or output capabilities? A
zip-disk drive is an example of this type of
component.
● Peripheral device
Concept Check

● What type of software includes the operating

system and the master control program that
runs the computer?

● System software