COMPUTER APPLICATION

A computer is like any other system that is it is made up of elements or sub-system. Each and every element and sub-system is designed to perform a specific task and contribute to the overall system objectives. The basic elements that make up a computer system are as follows: Input Storage Control Processing Output.
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An input device is any device that is used to supply information to a computer (as data or for the selection of commands/menus/icons etc). Keyboard: This is used to input/enter data into a computer. With a keyboard, you can enter commands, select menu options and enter data/values into applications (software).

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Alphabet keys Number keys Special character keys Function keys Cursor keys Action keys

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Mouse: The mouse is used to point and click on items/icons/menus on the screen. When you move the mouse, a pointer on the screen also moves. If you press the mouse button while the pointer is on certain icons or buttons, you can activate commands or program options. Clicking The Mouse Double Clicking The Mouse Dragging the mouse Drop

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Light pen: A special pen that lets you draw directly onto the screen, or click on buttons and menus. Touch screen: Similar to an ordinary TV screen. Has a thin, transparent layer of plastic covering that is touch-sensitive. When you touch a part of the screen, it has the same effect as if you clicked on that area with a mouse.

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Joystick: A hand-held stick that can be moved around in any direction. Used mainly for playing games (i.e, flight simulators etc). Touchpad: Often used on laptops. With a touchpad, you can move the mouse cursor on the screen by touching the pad and moving your finger around. The two buttons, on the touch pad, simulate the use of the left and right buttons on a mouse.

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 Trackerball:

The trackerball generally provides the same functionality as a mouse, however, you do not have to move the unit up/down/left/right etc to move the mouse pointer. Instead, you can use your thumb on the roller-ball to move the cursor on the screen. Graphics Pad: This is a square piece of material that you can use to draw pictures (as a mouse is not always practical for drawing complicated lines and shapes).

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Scanner: Used to scan/ read quickly images/documents into a computer. Can be flatbed or hand-held. Also used for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and to scan microfilm/transparencies and negatives.

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The screen/monitor/visual display unit is the part of the computer that displays the current process or application. There are several types of VDU such as the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and Flat Screen/LCD style. CRTs are cheaper but take up more desktop space whereas Flat Screen/LCD styles take up less room, often display a much sharper screen but are generally much more expensive.

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Printers are used to transfer information from the computer onto paper. There are many different types of printers : Laser: These are large, expensive printers that work like a photocopier. They usually have very high quality printouts and can print very fast. Inkjet and Bubble-Jet: These are smaller, cheaper printers that use a little cartridge to spray a jet of ink onto the paper. They are fairly quiet and of good quality, but are not as fast or produce such high quality output as a laser printer
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Dot matrix/impact: An older type of printer that uses a ribbon and a print head, like a typewriter. They are very loud and extremely slow. However, they are very much cheaper. Plotter: This is a special type of printer that draws pictures based on commands from a computer. They are used by engineers and designers who need to draw complicated diagrams (in conjunction with CAD Computer Aided Design software).

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PC processes the data in streams of bits (the smallest component of computer data).

Bits are combined in sets of eight to form a byte. Bytes are used to represent data such as characters for example, 01000001 is the character A in binary code. Binary codes are also used for instructions. Further units used to measure data are called kilobytes, megabytes and gigabytes.

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A kilobyte (KB) is 1024 bytes. The size of files stored on your computer is often measured in kilobytes. A megabyte (MB) is 1,048,576 bytes (1024 kilobytes). MBs are often used to measure the storage capacity of a disk or the amount of main memory in a computer system. As an example, 1MB is approximately 5000 pages of double-spaced text. A gigabyte (GB) is 1,024 megabytes. Devices such as hard drives are often measured in gigabytes.

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Memory holds data, instruction or results temporarily. Volatile: This type of memory loses all its data when the PC is turned off. RAM is volatile memory. Non-volatile: This type of memory keeps the data it contains even when the PC is switched off. Depending upon the nature and behavior of memory, computer memories could be categorized into following categories: 1. Primary Memory 2. secondary
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That memory, which is utilized by the computer for its internal functioning, is called primary memory. Since it plays an important role in internal functioning of computer hence it is often referred to as internal memory. Primary memory is further categorized into two categories: 1. Read Only Memory (ROM) 2. Random Access Memory (RAM)

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(Read Only Memory): This is a special type of memory

which contains all the information the computer needs to switch itself on, check that all its systems are working and to tell the PC what things are plugged into it. It cannot be changed or overwritten by you, and stays the same even when the PC is switched off. An example of ROM on a PC is the BIOS software (Basic Input Output System) that enables the computer to start up and allows components to communicate with each other.

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It provides both, reading and writing facilities. Note that whatever data or instructions are given to the computer for processing, computer writes them in RAM. As and when required, it reads them from there and processes them to generate the resultThe data written in Random Access Memory remains there till the time computer power is on. As soon as the power goes off, data written in RAM gets erased. This is the reason why they are also called Temporary memory (volatile).
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BACKING STORAGE /AUXILIARY STORAGES. These are computer storages that supplement the main memory by providing data and program storage. e.g. Magnetic disks (hard disk, floppy disks) Magnetic tapes Magnetic drums Optical disks

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The magnetic disk is a storage medium that stores data programs and information on a magnetized surface. There are two types of magnetic disks: Hard disk Floppy disk

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Usually fixed inside the computer and capable of storing a lot of data, up to about 10-320 GB , which can be accessed and retrieved quickly. The hard disk is usually fixed within the computer system unit or cabinet, but there are some hard disks, which are removable Data access on a hard disk is usually faster than on a floppy disk due to the rigid nature it can be rotated at very high speed.

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A floppy disk drive is like a hard disk, but with removable disks called floppies, floppy disks or diskettes. Floppies can be used to transfer small files from one PC to another (up to 1.4MB).

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CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) drives read data from CDs that can hold up to 800MBs of data (standard sizes are 650MBs and 700MBs). DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk) drives can store up to17 gigabytes of data and are designed for video and multimedia applications. Modern PCs are often fitted with DVD-ROM drives as these drives can also read standard CDs.
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drives allow you to write (often referred to as burn) your own CDs or DVDs. Both CD-R and DVD-R disks are Read-Only after burning and can be read in almost any CD and DVD drive. CD-RW and DVD-RW disks allow you to delete and overwrite (ReWrite) data and re-use the disks (however, RW disks are more expensive).

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The performance of the PC depends on various factors. When you are buying a PC, consider the following -CPU speed: This is measured in megahertz (Mhz). The higher the number of megahertz, the faster your PC will run (but the more expensive the CPU).

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-RAM: This is temporary memory. The more RAM your computer has, the more applications you can run at the same time. Increased RAM also improves system performance.
-Hard Disk Space: Hard disk space is measured in bytes. The more bytes your hard disk has, the more data/software you can store.

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Computers are in common use today as they can be used to process large amounts of data in a short amount of time. Many areas of modern society take advantage of the power of computing.

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Some of the common uses for a home PC are: -Playing computer / video games. -Working from home (known as teleworking). -Managing your finances (spreadsheets), Internet banking etc. -Time management / personal organiser packages to store/arrange meetings, birthdays, arrangements etc. -Word processing (writing letters), doing homework (school, college, university) etc. -Emailing colleagues, friends and relatives. -Browsing for information or shopping on the Internet.

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Most companies use IT for administration, communication, to sell products (online), to develop software and support services.

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Libraries usually put barcodes on books to scan when a book is borrowed or returned. This allows librarians to keep an up-to-date database of all their stock and monitor which books are out on loan or overdue.

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It is very important to have some computer skills in today's working world. As well as storing student details, names, addresses, academic records and so on,. Students can also write reports using the computers and also use CBT (Computer Based Training) materials to study science, maths, languages etc. Often pupils make use of Encyclopaedias (from CD/DVD) to search and find useful information.

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In addition to business systems, further examples of industrial systems include photographic processing, washing machines, speed trap cameras, control manufacturing processes, etc. Government departments make use of the power of computing to keep track of the records such as population, tax records, and the voting register for example.

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Computers are used to record patient records, control diagnostic instruments and equipment, control ambulance scheduling/tracking, conduct medical research and provide online services.

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USING MOUSE Selecting an item - if you wish to move an icon on your Desktop you will first click on it once to select it and then use drag and drop techniques to move the icon. Left click once Left mouse button This is the normal button that is used. Thus to select something click on it with the left mouse button.

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 This means that you click once and then (as fast as you can) click a second time. Right mouse button Once you have selected something, you often find that right clicking on the selected item displays a popup menu that relates directly to the selected item.

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The term drag and drop means picking up an item with the mouse and dragging it to a new location. This could apply to moving an icon from one location on the screen to another position, or to physical files on your hard disk being dragged from one folder to another. To drag and drop an item you first have to click on it. This selects the item. You then press the mouse button again and while keeping it pressed move the mouse pointer on the screen to a new location. When you let go of the mouse button, whatever you are dragging will be moved to the new location.
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Some important items found on the Desktop are: Icons: Small pictures representing programs/files. Taskbar: a band at the bottom of the Desktop. Start: A button that lists the programs/tasks.

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To turn the computer on Ensure that all cables are plugged securely into the rear of the machine. Make sure that there is no floppy disk inserted in the floppy drive. Locate the power switch and turn the computer on. After a few seconds, you should see something on the screen. If not, ensure that the monitor is switched on. You may be asked to supply a logon ID and a password (your tutor should be able to give you details about these).

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Save any files you may have been working on. Close any open applications. Use the Turn Off Computer (accessed via the Start button) command to close down the system. Then select the Turn Off button. Wait for the computer to completely shutdown before switching off the computer. Many computers will automatically turn themselves off once the shutdown sequence is complete.

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END
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