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BASIC COMPUTER
FUNDAMENTALS
Specially for BANKING EXAMS

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DEFINE COMPUTER

Computer simply can be defined as an electronic device- a flexible

machine that can manipulate data.
It accept and store the input data
Process the data input.
And output the processed data in required format

HISTORY

Charles Babbage is called as Father of Computer .He invented

difference engine and then analytical engine , which can store the
information on punch cards during 1800s
Alan Turing is regarded as the father of modern computer science .In
1936, Turing provide the concept algorithm and computation with the
Turing machine and blueprint for the electronic digital computer
.Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) is
considered to be the first purpose electronic digital computer.
Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC) was the worlds first
unprogrammable electronic digital computer.

COMPUTER GENERATIONS

First Generation (1946-1959)

Vacuum tubes were used for the basic component of memory and
circuitry for CPU.
Batch processing operating system, punched card, Paper Tape,
Magnetic Tape Input and Output device were used.
Machine codes and electric wired board languages were used.
Used for scientific; later simple business system.
Some computers of this generation were: ENIAC ; EDVAC; UNIVAC;
IBM-701 ; IBM-650

Second Generation (1959-1965)

Instead of Vacuum tubes Transistors were used.

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Magnetic cores were used as primary memory and magnetic tape
and magnetic disks as secondary storage devices. Main memory
was 100KB.
Assembly language and high-level programming language like
FORTRAN, COBOL were used.
Used for extensive business applications, engineering design
optimization scientific research.
Some computers of this generation were: IBM 1620; IBM 7094 ;
CDC 1604 ; CDC 3600 ; UNIVAC 1108

Third Generation (1965-1971)

Integrated circuits were used in place of transistors. A single IC
has many transistors, resistors and capacitors along with the
associated circuitry.
Remote processing, Time-sharing, Real-time, Multi-programming
Operating System were used.
High-level languages FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL
PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68, etc were used.
Used for Database management system and online systems.
Some computers of this generation were: IBM-360 series;
Honeywell-6000 series; PDP (Personal Data Processor); IBM370/168; TDC-316.

Fourth Generation(1971-1980)
Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits were used .These are
more powerful, compact, reliable and affordable which gave rise
to personal computers.
C, C++, DBASE etc, all these higher level languages were used in
this generation.
Concept of internet was introduced, computers became easily
available.
Some computers of this generation were: DEC 10; STAR 1000;
PDP 11; CRAY-1 (Super Computer); CRAY-X-MP (Super
Computer)

Fifth Generation(1980-till date)

VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration)
technology
In this generation AI(Artificial Intelligence) concept is introduced
which is an emerging branch of Computer Science that interprets

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means and methods of making computers think like human
beings.
Higher level languages like C, C++, Java, .Net are used.
Some computers types of this generation are: Desktop ; Laptop ;
NoteBook ; UltraBook ; ChromeBook

TYPES OF COMPUTER
1. PC (Personal Computer) or Micro Computer:

A PC can be defined as a small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for

an individual user. People frequently refer to a personal computer as a micro
computer, a computer that uses a microprocessor for its processing circuitry .
PCs are used in Businesses for word processing, a desktop publishing, and for
running spreadsheet and database management applications At home, the
most popular use for personal computers is for playing games and surfing the
Internet.
2. Mini Computer

It is a midsize computer. A minicomputer is a multi-processing system capable

of supporting from up to250 users simultaneously.

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3. Main Frame computer

Main Frame computers are large sized and expensive. By time sharing and
Multi tasking Techniques it is capable of supporting hundreds, or even
thousands, of users simultaneously.
4. Super Computer

Supercomputers are very powerful, expensive and one of the fastest computers
currently available. Supercomputers are employed for specialized applications
that require immense amounts of mathematical calculations (number
crunching). For example, weather forecasting, scientific simulations,
(animated)graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research,
electronic design, and analysis of geological data (e.g. in petrochemical
prospecting).

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COMPUTER LANGUAGE

Machine Language :
It is the computer language which can be only understood by the
computers Central Processing Unit. It is in the form of binary numbers,
an element of notations containing only a series of numbers consisting of
one and zero, to produce commands.

Assembly Language
It is easier to programme because it allow the users to use names as
alternative to the numbers.

High Level Language

These are user friendly languages. With the help of translators a
program written in High-level language can be converted into machine
language.
A high level language is converted into machine language with these
programs:
Compiler:
A compiler converts any high level language of a program into machine
language that a computer processor uses. This process is called
compilation .It translate the entire document at once.
Interpreter
It performs the same function like compiler but its very slow in
comparison to compiler because it translates the source code line by
line. But it can be time consuming if the program is long.

BASIC COMPUTER OPERATIONS

Sr. Operation
No
1. Input

Description

2.

Storage

3.

Processing

Process of saving data and instructions

permanently
Performing arithmetic, logical operations on data
in order to convert them into useful information.

4.

Output

5.

Control

Process of entering the data and programs into

the computer system

Process of producing useful information or

results for the user, such as a printed report or
visual display.
Takes care of step by step processing of all the
operations performed inside the computer

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FUNCTIONAL UNITS
1. Arithmetic Logical Unit (ALU)
It basically used to perform arithmetic operations like Addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, logic and comparison.

2. Control Unit (CU)

This unit controls the operations of all parts of computer. It does not carry out
any actual data processing operations.
Functions of this unit are:
It is responsible for controlling the transfer of data and instructions
among other units of a computer.
It manages and coordinates all the units of the compute
It obtains the instructions from the memory, interprets them and directs
the operation of the computer.
It communicates with Input/output devices for transfer of data or results
from storage.
It does not process or store data.

3. Central Processing Unit

It is the part of the computer where the entire works get done.
It is also known as the brain of the computer
The ALU and the CU of a computer system are jointly known as the
Central Processing Unit.

INPUT Devices
Input devices are those through which we enter data into computer. It translates
the human being information into the form understandable by computer.

Keyboard

The keyboard is the most common and popular input device.

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Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now 104
keys or 108 keys keyboard is also available for Windows and
Internet.
Keys
Typing Keys: Includes letter A-Z and digits 0-9.
Numeric Keypad: It is used to enter numeric data or cursor
movement. Generally, it consists of a set of 17 keys that
are laid out in the same configuration used by most adding
machine and calculators.
Function Keys: Arranged in a row along the top of the
keyboard. Each function key has unique meaning and is
used for some specific purpose.
Control keys: Provide cursor and screen control. Includes
Home, End, Insert, Delete, Page Up, Page Down, Control
(Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), Escape (Esc).
Special Purpose Keys: These are Enter, Shift, Caps Lock,
Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print Screen.

Mouse

Most popular pointing device.

It has two buttons called left and right button scroll bar is present at
the mid. Mouse can be used to control the position of cursor on
screen, but it cannot be used to enter text into the computer.

Track Ball:

Used as an alternate to mouse

This is a ball, which is half inserted and by moving fingers
on ball, pointer can be moved.

Joystick
Used in Computer Aided Designs (CAD) and Playing games.

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It is a pointing device used to move cursor position on a monitor
screen.

Scanner
Use to covert an image into digital form.

Digital Camera
It can take the images and also records the videos. The images and
videos taken by the digital cameras are recorded in the file .These files
can get copied into the computer that can be further edited for many
purposes.

Microphone
It is used to input the sound .It can be used to enter text in any word
processing application with the voice recognition software in the
computer.

Touch Screen
Touch screen is used in many mobile phones .They are used in cash
machines and shopping centres.

Magnetic Ink Card Reader

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MICR input device is generally used in banks because of a large number
of cheques to be processed every day. The bank's code number and
cheque number are printed on the cheques with a special type of ink that
contains particles of magnetic material that are machine readable. This
reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR).
The main advantage of MICR is that it is fast and less error prone.

Optical Character Reader(OCR)

Used to read a printed text. OCR scans text optically character by
character,
Converts them into a machine readable code and stores the text on the
system memory.

Bar Code Reader

Used for reading bar coded data (data in form of light and dark lines) Bar
Coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the books,
etc. It may be a hand-held scanner or may be embedded in a stationary
scanner.
Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an
alphanumeric value, which is then fed to the computer to which bar code
reader is connected.

Output Devices
Output devices translate the computer's output into the form understandable by
users.

Visual Display Unit(VDU) Or Monitor

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It is the main output device of the computer .It forms images from tiny
dots, called pixels that are arranged in a rectangular form. The
sharpness of the image depends upon the number of the pixels. There
are two kinds of viewing screen used for monitors:
Cathode-Ray Tube
Flat-Panel Display

Printers
Most common Input device which is used to print information on paper
There are two types of Printer:
Impact Printer
Non-impact Printer

Impact Printers
The printers that print the characters by striking against the ribbon and onto the
paper are called impact printers.
Characteristics of Impact Printers are the following:
Very low consumable costs
Impact printers are very noisy
Useful for bulk printing due to low cost
There is physical contact with the paper to produce an image

Types of Impact Printers

Dot Matrix Printer

Daisy Printer
Line Printer
Drum Printer
Chain Printer

Non-Impact Printer
The printers that print the characters without striking against the ribbon and
onto the paper are called Non-impact Printers. These printers print a complete
page at a time, also called as Page Printers.
Characteristics of Non-impact Printers:
Faster than impact printers.
They are not noisy.
High quality.
Support many fonts and different character size.

Types of Non- Impact Printers

Laser Printer
Ink-jet Printers

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COMPUTER MEMORY
The internal storage area of computer which holds the data and instruction
during processing is called the Computer Memory.
In computers memory both programs and data are stored in the binary form.
The memory is divided into large number of small parts. Each part is called cell.
Each location or cell has a unique address, which varies from zero to memory
size minus one.
For example, if computer has 64k words, then this memory unit has 64 *
1024=65536 memory location. The address of these locations varies from 0 to
65535.

Types of Memory

Primary Memory
Primary Memory holds the data and instruction on which
computer is currently working. When power is switched off it lost
all data this happens due to its limited capacity.
It is also known as main memory.
It is volatile memory.
It is faster than Secondary memory

The two basic kind of Primary Memory are:

RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)
All the active data and programs are stored in RAM so that they may
readily available and accessible by the CPU.
It is volatile which means it lost its data when the power is switched off.
RAM can hold only small amount of data.
RAM is of two types
Static RAM: In this the memory retains its contents as long as
power remains applied.
Dynamic RAM: It must be continually refreshed in order for it to
maintain the data.

ROM (READ ONLY MEMORY)

The data stored in ROM cannot be changes. The information is stored
permanently in such memories during manufacture.
It is non-volatile which means it can keep its contents even without a
power source.
A ROM store such instructions that are required to start computer when
electricity is first turned on, this operation is referred to as bootstrap.
ROM chip are not only used in the computer but also in other electronic
items like washing machine and microwave oven.
It is more reliable and cheaper than RAM.
Following are the various types of ROM:

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MROM(Masked ROM)
The very first ROMs were hard-wired devices that contained a preprogrammed set of data or instructions. These kinds of ROMs are known
as masked ROMs. It is inexpensive ROM.
PROM(PROGRAMMABLE ROM)
PROM is read-only memory that can be modified only once by a user.
The user buys a blank PROM and enters the desired contents using a
PROM programmer. It can be programmed only once and is not
erasable.
EPROM(ERASABLE AND PROGRAMMABLE ROM)
The EPROM can be erased by exposing it to ultra-violet light for duration
of up to 40 minutes.
EEPROM(ELECTRALLY ERASABLE AND PROGRAMMABLE ROM)
The EEPROM is programmed and erased electrically. It can be erased
and reprogrammed about ten thousand times.

Secondary Memory or Auxiliary Memory

Secondary Memory is used to store data and information
permanently .Data is stored permanently even if power is
switched off.
It is non-volatile memory.
It is used for storage of the data in computer.
It is not directly accessible to CPU .Information is moved from the
secondary memory to the primary memory first and then to the
CPU.
Common Examples of secondary Memory are:
Magnetic Tape: These are long plastic tape coated with magnetic material.
Floppy Disk: It is plastic disk coated with magnetic material. The
information stored on it can be directly accessible.
Hard Disk: A hard disk can store anywhere from 10 megabytes to several
gigabytes.

Cache Memory
A cache is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed
data can be stored for rapid access. It acts as a buffer between
CPU and memory.
Cache memory is faster than main memory and consumes less
access time as compared to main memory.
In this data is stored for temporary use.
It has limited capacity and very expensive.

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MEMORY UNITS
It is the amount of data that can be stored in the storage unit.
The storage capacity is expressed in terms of Bytes.
Following are the main memory storage units:
Sr. Unit
Size
Description
No.
1.
Bit
One binary digit
A binary digit is logical 0 & 1 representing a
passive or an active state of a component
in an electric circuit.
2.
Nibble
4 bits
A group of 4 bits is called nibble
3.
Byte
8 bits
A group of 8 bits is called byte. A byte is
the smallest unit, which can represent a
data item or a character.
4.
Word
16 to 64 bits
The length of a computer word is called
word-size or word length and it may be as
small as 8 bits or may be as long as 96 bits
.A computer stores the information in the
form of the computer words.
5.
Kilobyte(KB)
1024Bytes
About one page of double-spaced text
6.
Megabyte(MB) 1024 KB
About one size of a short book
7.
Gigabyte(GB) 1024 MB
1000 short books
8.
Terabyte(TB)
1024 GB
An entire library
9.
Petabyte(PB) 1024 TB
Just about all the libraries in the U.S

MOTHERBOARD
The motherboard serves as a single platform to connect all of the parts of a
computer together. A motherboard connects CPU, memory, hard drives, optical
drives, video card, sound card and other ports and expansion cards directly or
via cables. It can be considered as the backbone of a computer.

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Motherboard contains ports to connect all of the internal components.
Port
A computer port is a physical docking point using which an external
device can be connected to the computer.
A computer port can also be programmatic docking point through which
information flows from a program to computer or over the internet
Following are the various types of important ports
Serial Port
Used for external modems and older computer mouse.
Parallel Port
Used for scanners and printers
Also called printer port.

PS/2 Port
Used for old computer keyboard and mouse
Also called mouse port.

Universal Serial Bus (or USB) Port

Can connect all kinds of external USB devices such as external
hard disk, printer, scanner, mouse, keyboard, etc.
Most of the computers provide two USB ports as minimum
USB compliant devices can get power from a USB port .
VGA Port
Connects monitor to a computer's video card.
Firewire Port
Transfer large amounts of data at very fast speed.
Connects camcorders and video equipments to the computer
Modem
Connects a PC's modem to the telephone network.
Ethernet Port
Connects to a network and high speed Internet.
Connects network cable to a computer.
Game Port
Connect a PC to a joystick.
Now replaced by USB.
Digital Video Interface, DVI port
Connects a Flat panel LCD monitor to the computer's high-end
video graphic cards.
Very popular among video card manufacturers.

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Sockets
Connect microphone, speakers to sound card of the computer

SOFTWARE
Software is a set of computer program that guides the hardware through its job.
There are two types of software: A. System Software
B. Application software
SYSTEM SOFTWARE:
System software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control and
extend the processing capabilities of the computer itself. Examples of system
software are Operating System, Compiler, and Interpreter etc.
APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Application software is the software that is designed to satisfy a particular need
of a particular environment.
Application software may consist of a single program, such as a Microsoft's
notepad for writing and editing simple text. It may also consist of a collection of
programs, often called a software package, which work together to accomplish
a task, such as a spreadsheet package.
Examples of Application software are: Microsoft word, Microsoft Excel, Railway
reservation software.

OPERATING SYSTEM

An operating system is a program that acts as an interface between the

software and the computer hardware.
It is an integration set of specialised programs that are used to manage
overall resources and operations of the computer.
It is specialised software that controls and monitors the execution of all
other programs that reside in the computer, including application
programs and other system software.
Common Operating System: Windows XP, Windows 7, UNIX, LINUX.

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