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Computer System

First term JSS 2

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Austin Agbason
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5 views

Computer System

First term JSS 2

Uploaded by

Austin Agbason
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic: Computer System

Definition of Computer System


· A computer system may be defined as a set of electronic devices that consist of functional hardware software
that can be operated by trained users.
Components of a Computer System
All the elements that go together to make a computer fall into one of three categories,
1. hardware,
2. software and
3. humanware.
1. Hardware: Hardware can be defined as all the parts of the computer that are tangible. I.e. they are the
parts of the computer you can see, touch, or handle.
Examples of Hardware
The following list represents a basic set of set of hardware found in most computers
a. PC case, g. Monitor (CRT and LCD),
b. Motherboard, h. Keyboard,
c. Hard Disk Drive i. Power supply,
(HDD),
d. Floppy Disk Drive j. Mouse,
(FDD),
e. Compact Disk Drive k. Cables and wires
(CDD),
f. Digital Video Disk
Drive (DVD),

Hardware can be broadly divided into two parts namely:


1. System unit and
2. Peripherals.
System Unit: A case that contains the electronic components of the computer used to process data.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the computer component that's responsible for interpreting and
executing most of the commands from the computer's other hardware and software.
Components of the CPU
The components of the CPU work together to achieve its functions. The three components are:
1. Arithmetic Logic Unit 4. Internal bus
2. Control Unit 5. Machine instructions
3. Registers

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)


· Executes all arithmetic operations such as ADD, SUBTRACT, DIVIDE etc.
· Executes logical operations (i.e. making comparison) such as AND, OR, XOR etc.
FunctControl Unit (CU)
· It directs the flow of data and information in the computer.
· It oversees the operation of the input and output (I/O) devices.
· Interprets instructions
Registers: Register are temporary storage location used to quickly accept, store, and transfer data and
instructions that are being used immediately by the CPU. They are special purpose memory which resides
within the CPU.
Internal bus: A bus is a common pathway through which information flows from one computer component
to another. This pathway is used for communication purposes and it is established between two or more
computer components.
Types of Internal bus
The three types of CPU buses
The address bus: The address bus, a one-way pathway that allows information to pass in one direction only,
carries information about where data is stored in memory.
The data bus: The data bus is a two-way pathway carrying the actual data (information) to and from the
main memory.
The control bus: The control bus holds the control and timing signals needed to coordinate all of the
computer’s activities.

Machine Instructions: Machine Instructions are commands or programs written in machine code of a
machine (computer) that it can recognize and execute.
Peripherals: Everything outside of and connected to the system unit are called peripherals. The term
peripherals refer to all hardware devices that are attached to the computer and are controlled by the
computer system.
Types of Peripheral Devices
There are many different peripheral devices, but they fall into three general categories:
1. Input devices, such as a mouse and a keyboard
2. Output devices, such as a monitor and a printer
3. Storage devices, such as a hard drive or flash drive
2. Software: software is defined as set of instructions and procedures passed to the computer to perform
certain activities or task. It can also be defined as a set of instructions that direct the activities of the
computer system in order to undertake a specific task. Unlike the hardware, software cannot be seen or
touched.
Examples of Software
The following list represents some software found in most computers.
a. MS windows, e. MS Access
b. MS word, f. MS Excel,
c. Norton anti-virus, g. CorelDraw, etc

Computer software is divided into two broad groups, these are:


1. System Software
2. Application software
1. System Software
These are software that control the way the different computer components communicate with one another.
It can also be defined as programs that helps run the computer hardware and software. E.g Operating System,
Translators and Utility programs.
2. Application Software
These are software that allows humans (the users) to accomplish one or more specific (non-computer) task.
E.g Word processing software, Spreadsheet software, Presentation software, Database packages, Graphics
packages, Etc.

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