Introduction

to
Computing
Lesson 1
Content
 What is Computing?
 Computing is any goal-oriented activity which benefits from computers
 Computing is the study of how computers and computer systems work and how
they are constructed and programmed
 Computing includes
 designing and building hardware and software systems
 processing, structuring and managing various kinds of information
 doing scientific research on and with computers
 making computer systems behave intelligently
 creating and using communications and entertainment media etc.
 What is Computing?
 Its primary aspects of theory, systems and applications are drawn
from the disciplines of
 Technology
 Design
 Engineering
 Mathematics
 Physical Sciences and
 Social Sciences
 Subfields of Computing

Computer Software Computer Information Information

Science Engineering Engineering Systems Technology
 Subfields of Computing?
 Computer science (CS) or computing science
It is the scientific and practical approach to computation and its applications
 Software engineering (SE)
It is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the
design, development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the
study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software
 Computer engineering (CE)
It is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and
computer science required to develop computer systems
 Subfields of Computing?
 Information technology (IT)
It is the application of computers and telecommunications
equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data,
often in the context of a business or other enterprise
 Information systems (IS)
It is the study of complementary networks of hardware and
software that people and organizations use to collect, filter,
process, create, and distribute data
 History of Computing
 The history of computing is longer than the history of computing
hardware and modern computing technology
 It includes the history of methods intended for pen and paper or
for chalk and slate, with or without the aid of tables
 The earliest known tool for use in computation was the abacus
(invented in Babylon circa 2400 BC)
 Calculators were also a popular computation tool used in recent
centuries
 Modern Day Computing
 Modern day computing is usually performed with the help of
computers
 A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set
of instructions called a computer program
 A computer program provides instructions to the computer
hardware
 What is a Computer
 Computer is a Latin word which means to compute
 It is a calculation machine to perform computations and to make logical decisions
millions / billions times faster than human beings
 Computer is an electronic device used for information processing
 A computer is, at its most basic, a machine which can take instructions, and
perform computations based on those instructions and give results
 Computer is an electronic machine made with many subunits that enables the user
to access data easily
 A computation on a computer is performed on the basis of two main entities
 i.e. hardware and software
 What is Computer?
 A computer is a device that accepts information (in the form of
digitalized data) and manipulates it for some result based on a program,
software, or sequence of instructions on how the data is to be processed.
 Complex computers include the means for storing data (including the
program, which is also a form of data) for some necessary duration.
 A program may be invariable and built into the computer hardware (and
called logic circuitry as it is on microprocessors) or different programs
may be provided to the computer (loaded into its storage and then
started by an administrator or user). Today's computers have both kinds
of programming.
 What is Computer?
 A computer works by combining input, storage, processing, and
output.
 All the main parts of a computer system are involved in one of
these four processes.
 What is Computer?
 Input:
Your keyboard and mouse, for example, are just input units—ways of
getting information into your computer that it can process. If you use
a microphone and voice recognition software, that's another form of input.
 Memory/storage:
Your computer probably stores all your documents and files on a
hard drive: a huge magnetic memory. But smaller, computer-based
devices like digital cameras and cellphones use other kinds of storage
such as flash memory cards.
 What is Computer?
 Processing:
Your computer's processor (sometimes known as the central
processing unit) is a microchip buried deep inside. It works amazingly
hard and gets incredibly hot in the process. That's why your computer
has a little fan blowing away—to stop its brain from overheating!
 Output:
Your computer probably has an LCD screen capable of displaying high-
resolution (very detailed) graphics, and probably also stereo loudspeakers.
You may have an inkjet printer on your desk top to make a more permanent
form of output.
What is data and information?
 Data can be defined as a representation of facts, concepts, or
instructions in a formalized manner, which should be suitable for
communication, interpretation, or processing by human or
electronic machine.
 Data is represented with the help of characters such as alphabets
(A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9) or special characters (+, -, /, *, <, >, = etc.)
What is data and information?
 Information is organized or classified data, which has some
meaningful values for the receiver. Information is the processed
data on which decisions and actions are based.
 For the decision to be meaningful, the processed data must
qualify for the following characteristics −
 Timely − Information should be available when required.
 Accuracy − Information should be accurate.
 Completeness − Information should be complete.
 Computer Hardware
 Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that
comprise a computer system
 It encompasses the physical interconnections and devices required
to store and execute (or run) the software
 It refers to the physical parts or components of a computer such as
 monitor, keyboard, storage, hard drive disk, mouse, printers, CPU,
memory, motherboard, graphic card, sound card, and other chips
 It contains physical objects that can be actually touched
 Types of computers
 Analog computer - represents data by measurable quantities
 Types of computers
 Desktop computer - a personal computer that fits on a desk and is
often used for business or gaming
 Types of computers
 Digital computer - operates with numbers expressed as digits
 Types of computers
 Hybrid computer - combines features of both analog and digital
computers
 Types of computers
 Laptop (notebook) - an easily transported computer that is smaller
than a briefcase
 Types of computers
 Mainframe (big iron) computer - a centralized computer used for
large scale computing
 Types of computers
 Microcomputer - generally referred to as a PC (personal
computer). Uses a single integrated semiconductor chip
microprocessor.
 Types of computers
 Minicomputer - an antiquated term for a computer that is smaller
than a mainframe and larger than a microcomputer
 Types of computers
 Netbook - a smaller and less powerful version of a laptop
 Types of computers
 Personal computer (PC) - a digital computer designed to be used
by one person at a time
 Types of computers
 Smartphone - a cellular telephone designed with an integrated
computer
 Types of computers
 Supercomputer - a high performing computer that operates at
extremely high speeds
 Types of computers
 Tablet computer (tablet PC) - a wireless personal computer with a
touch screen
 Types of computers
 Workstation - equipment designed for a single user to complete a
specialized technical/scientific task
 What is Number System
 A number system is defined as a system of writing to express
numbers.
 It is the mathematical notation for representing numbers of a
given set by using digits or other symbols in a consistent manner.
 It provides a unique representation of every number and
represents the arithmetic and algebraic structure of the figures.
 It also allows us to operate arithmetic operations like addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division.
 What is Number System
 The value of any digit in a number can be determined by:
 The digit
 Its position in the number
 The base of the number system
 Before discussing the different types of number system
examples, first, let us discuss what is a number?
 What is Number System
 There are various types of number systems in mathematics. The
four most common number system types are:

 Decimal number system (Base- 10)

 Binary number system (Base- 2)
 Octal number system (Base-8)
 Hexadecimal number system (Base- 16)
 Decimal Number System
(Base 10 Number System)
 The decimal number system has a base of 10 because it uses ten
digits from 0 to 9.
 In the decimal number system, the positions successive to the left
of the decimal point represent units, tens, hundreds, thousands
and so on.
 This system is expressed in decimal numbers. Every position
shows a particular power of the base (10).
 Binary Number System
(Base 2 Number System)
 The base 2 number system is also known as the Binary number
system wherein, only two binary digits exist, i.e., 0 and 1.
 Specifically, the usual base-2 is a radix of 2. The figures described
under this system are known as binary numbers which are the
combination of 0 and 1.
 For example, 110101 is a binary number.
 We can convert any system into binary and vice versa.
 Octal Number System
(Base 8 Number System)
 In the octal number system, the base is 8 and it uses numbers
from 0 to 7 to represent numbers.
 Octal numbers are commonly used in computer applications.
 Converting an octal number to decimal is the same as decimal
conversion and is explained below using an example.
 Hexadecimal Number System
(Base 16 Number System)
 In the hexadecimal system, numbers are written or represented
with base 16.
 In the hexadecimal system, the numbers are first represented just
like in the decimal system, i.e. from 0 to 9.
 Then, the numbers are represented using the alphabet from A to F.
 The below-given table shows the representation of numbers in the
hexadecimal number system.
Hexadecim 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F
al

Decimal 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
 Number System Chart
 In the number system
chart, the base values
and the digits of
different number
systems can be
found.
 Below is the chart of
the numeral system.
 Number System Conversion
 Numbers can be represented in any of the number system
categories like binary, decimal, hexadecimal, etc.
 Also, any number which is represented in any of the number
system types can be easily converted to another.
 Check the detailed lesson on the conversions of number systems
to learn how to convert numbers in decimal to binary and vice
versa, hexadecimal to binary and vice versa, and octal to binary
and vice versa using various examples.