Question & Answer 1. What are the salient features of the computer?
Ans: Computer has become an inseparable part of our lives today because of following characteristics: Speed: A remarkable quality of computers is their ability to process data and instructions at a very high speed. A typical high-speed computer can perform about 3-4 mips (million instructions per second). Note that this is different from the speed with which information can be sent to and from a computer, which is normally measured in baud. Versatility: is the ability of a computer to do a variety of jobs with ease. One moment you can type a letter using any of the available word processing packages, and the other moment you can use the same machine to do calculations yielding the salaries of employees of an organization. Accuracy: Not only does the machine perform varied jobs with high speed, but also does them with high precision and accuracy. Note that the errors that one may see in output produced by the computer is not because of the machine, but because of either wrong entry of data or wrong instructions given to compute. In computer terminology, this phenomena is often referred to as GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) Diligence: Another noteworthy feature of computers is its ability to perform the same task repeatedly over and over again without getting bored! For example a task of adding 1000 numbers repeatedly for 10000 times if given to a computer, it would be able to do the task with the same accuracy every time without complaining that it is being asked to do this job over and over again!!! Memory: One of the notable features of a computer is its memory. However, the computer’s main memory is volatile, i.e., it is lost when we switch off the computer. Therefore, computers are provided another form of memory that does not fade away when it is switched off. It is called secondary memory and is available in the form of floppy disks, pen drives, portable hard disks. Storage: Huge amounts of data and information can be stored in a computer for future retrieval. The human memory is limited and fades away with time, which is not true for a computer. Intelligence: In the early days, although computers possessed striking characteristics yet a prominent drawback was that they are merely dumb machines which were programmed to perform certain tasks. With the advent of artificial intelligence techniques, we now have machines which can drive a car without a human driver or play chess against the best players. Thus to summarize, this electronic device is capable of storing, processing huge amounts of data and/or instructions with accuracy, diligence and high speed in an untiring manner. Having seen the characteristics of a computer, now let us understand the way a computer works. 2. What is cache memory?
Ans: Cache Memory is a very high speed memory which is used to cope-up with the high speed of CPU. It is generally placed between CPU and Primary memory and acts as a buffer. It reduces the average access time to data from the main memory and is comparatively expensive. All the inputs, the intermediate results of computation carried out, and the final result are stored in the memory of the computer. The computer also has another form of memory called secondary memory. The programs and data not currently required are stored in secondary memory. It comes in the forms such as a hard disk, pen drive, and CDROM. When required, for processing, these can be retrieved and transferred to the main memory of the computer, Processing: The inputs provided by the user are processed by the central processing unit as per the specified instructions. The result of the processing is then either directed to the output devices or to a memory location for storage.
3. What are the different parts of the computer? Explain with diagram.
Ans: Input: To initiate the process, the computer needs to be told of the problem to be solved. For this purpose, a set of instructions and data is provided through the input devices such as keyboard and mouse. A set of instructions provided to the computer for doing a task is called a program. Storage: There are basically two types of computer storage devices: Primary Memory : Data stored in Primary Memory is directly accessible by the CPU. The inputs received in the above steps are stored in the computer memory, called random access memory (RAM). This storage is relatively fast and expensive as compared to the secondary storage. Primary memory is directly connected to the CPU. It is also called main memory, primary memory, or working memory of the machine. Primary memory is of two types : RAM ( Random Access Memory) : It is a primary volatile memory i.e. its data gets lost once the power supply is stopped. RAM is of two types : DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and SRAM ( Static Random Access Memory. ROM ( Read Only Memory) : It is generally used in startup operations of computer. It is a non-volatile primary memory. Further it may be classified as : ROM, PROM(Programmable read only memory), EPROM ( Erasable Programmable read only memory), EEPROM ( ElectricallyErasable Programmable read only memory) Secondary Storage: The memory which is external to the computer system forms the secondary storage, for example, the magnetic tapes, compact disks, pen drives are all examples of the secondary storage. These are not directly connected to the CPU. Control Unit: is responsible for coordination between the different units of a computer. It controls the input, processing and output operations. For example, it coordinates with the peripheral devices to accept the input or display the output. It is like a manager of all operations. The manner in which the program is to be executed is managed by the control unit of the computer. This entails deciding the address from which the instructions to be executed is to be picked up, the memory location where the data or intermediate result is to be stored, etc. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): is responsible for actual processing of data. It retrieves the data from the storage unit and performs the arithmetic calculations and/or comparisons on them and the processed data is then sent back to the storage. Output: The result of processing carried out by the computer is often directed to the display device such as the monitor or printer. Other forms of devices are not uncommon, for example, the computer may output music or video. We have seen above that the input unit receives data, which is stored in the main memory, from where it gets transferred to the Central Processing Unit and subsequently to the output device. The Central Processing Unit has two modules; the Arithmetic Logic Unit and the Control Unit. It also coordinates between memory and ALU by issuing timely signals. As mentioned above, the storage unit has primary storage and secondary storage. Multiple Choice Questions 1. 2 GB = ___________KB a) 2048 b) 2^30 c) 2^20 d) 4096
2. ___________ is the software that acts as an interface between user and the hardware. a) OS b) Linker c) Loader d) None of these 3. NTFS stands for a) New Technology Fragmented Software b) Non Transferable Fast Software c) New Technology File System d) None of these 4. Communication management is a function of a) CPU b) Mother Board c) OS d) Application Software 5. Projector is an __________ device a) Input b) Output c) Storage d) None of them SHORT ANSWERS 1. What are the troubleshooting options for an application running slow?
2. Distinguish between DRAM and SRAM.
3. Write short notes on CPU.
4. How many types of ROM are there?
5. Describe the function of ALU and CU in short Solved CBQ 1. Rahul has a desktop computer. When he turns on the computer, it does not start. Only a long beep sound is coming out. What can be the issues here?
Ans: it is probable that the RAM is not correctly installed or maybe it is malfunctioning.
Unsolved CBQs
1. The computer in the school's Audio Visual Lab is turned on and it is running but the monitor is not starting up. What are the options you can suggest to have the output?
2. You find network connectivity issue in your home computer. What are the options you explore to reconnect the internet?
