chapter 1 basics of computer application

8/3/2019 Chapter 1 Basics of Computer Application

1/19

B. K. Mody Government

Pharmacy College, Rajkot (212)

Sunny R. Shah

Lecturer

Chapter 1: Computer Fundamentals

Basic Computer Applications (210002)


2/19

CONTENTS

Definition

History

Terminology

Classification

Peripherals

Binary conversions

Application in Pharmacy


3/19

DEFINITION & CHARACTERISTICS

Compute + Operator

A computer is (operator)device that computes.

Especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores,correlates, or otherwise processes information.

The basic parts of a computer includes computer hardware and computer software.

It consists of an Input Device, a processor and an output device.

TYPE ATTRIBUTE EXAMPLE

Input Dev ice Carries the message from the outer world to the computer Keyboard,Mouse, Joystick, Barcode readers, Scanners etc,

C.P.U It is the central processing unit, the primary attribute is to computefunctions as dictated by the user. It converts the data from inputdevice to a computer compatible language. The speed is measuredin hertz, Megahertz, Gigahertz etc.

Various types of processors are available with differentspeeds and capacity. For e.g., AMD, Intel etc.,

OutputDevice The output device carries the information from the C.P.U to the userin an user friendlylanguage

Monitor (CRT, LCD, LED, HD), Printers etc.


4/19

HISTORY

As observed generally the computer have also evolved from a simple calculating tool to a complex machine able to perform numeroustasks within a fractionof a second.

The history of computer dates back to 3000 BCE in form of abacus. After that there were sequential changes with the time and accordingly the computer could be classified based on generations in which

they were derived.

They are categorized historically as


5/19

GENERATION PIONEERS ATTRIBUTES

Mechanical Devices1. Charles Babbage2. Ada Byron3. HermanHollerith

1. With john herschel and george peacock, produced a translation of lacroixs calculustext.

2. Translated menebreas paper into english, myth is of worlds first programmer3. Evolution of electronic accounting machines

1st Generationcomputers

1. John Mauchly2. J. Presper Eckert3. John von Neumann4. MauriceWilkes5. Alan Turing

1. First large scale electronicdigital computer2. In 1943 Mauchly and Eckert prepare a proposal for the US Army to build an

Electronic Numerical Integrator (ENIAC),3. construction of ENIAC and accumulators started4. ENIAC gives way to Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EVDAC) as

proposed by Neumann5. Prepares Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, EDSAC operational May,

19496. Prepares Automatic Computing Engine (ACE)7. After that Univac were prepared with mercury delay l ines and metal oxide tapes

having average access time of 222 second and 4 accumalators8. IBM 701 (Defense Calculator) having memory stored using william tubes and

secondary memory consisting of memory tapes and drums.

2nd Generation Computers(1958-1964)

1. John Bardeen2. Will iam Shockley3. Walter Brittain4. Grace Murray

Hopper

1. 1958 Philco introducesTRANSAC S-2000 first transistorized commercial machine2. FORTRAN, ALGOL, and COBOLare firststandardized programming languages

3rd Generation Computers

(1964-1971)

1. Robert Noyce

2. Jack S. Kilby

1. Solid logic technology (integratedcircuits) familyof compatible computers

2. BASIC

4th GenerationComputers(1971- )

1. Marcian Hoff2. StephenWozniak3. SteveJobs

1. Large scale integrated circuits (MSI, LSI)2. Large databases3. PASCAL,


6/19

TERMINOLOGY

The parts of computer could be broadly classified as of two types

1. Computer hardware

2. Computer sof tware

The computer hardware are those parts of the computer which as the name suggests are hard in nature in sense they are the parts of computerwhich could be touched and sensed.

Various physical parts constitute the computer

Device Characteristics

Monitor The monitor resembles a television set, and is where the computer displays information. Nowadays ithas been replaced by various sophisticated technologies producing LED and LCD as well as HighDefinition pictures

Keyboard The keyboard is the thing you type on to tell your computer what to do. It consists of alphabets A-Z,number 0-9, and various other function keys

Mouse Unlike the keyboard, the mouse is another input device that you use to communicate with yourcomputer. It improves the communication ability as compared to keyboards.

Speakers Most computers can make sounds, just like a stereo system. In fact, you can even listen to audioCDs on most computers or watch DVDs. A prerequisite is a sound card.

Printer A printer is where a computer writes down information or output, onto paper, or a hardcopy.


7/19

TERMINOLOGY

Computer software

Software is a part of the computer you cannot touch.

Software consist of computer programs and procedures that perform some tasks on your computer.

Computer software is divided into three basic types.

Types of Software Description

System Software It is the Operating System and is the base program on a computer and is considered system

software. It tells the computer how to work or operate. The operating system also allows you to loadother programs that do specialized tasks on to your computer.Various operating system software havebeen made available for eg.Windows- Windows 98, WindowsXP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 etc.,Apart from windows certain other operating systems are also availablesuch as MAC from Apple, etc,

Applicationsoftware Application software allows you to accomplish one or more specific and tailor made tasks. For e.g.,Microsoft Officeand its sub parts, gaming software, Tally etc.,

Programming software This type of softwares assist the engineers to write and develop a specific software and designprogrammes. For e.g., C+, C++, Visual Basic etc.


8/19

INPUT DEVICES

The devices that input the information in computer are called input devices

Keyboard: The most primary input device is keyboard. The keyboard is the thing you type on to tell your computer what to do. It consistsof alphabets A-Z, number 0-9, and various other function keys

Mouse: Unlike the keyboard, the mouse is another input device that you use to communicate with your computer. It improves thecommunication ability as compared to keyboards. It consists of ball which locates the cursor on the screen and performs variousfunctions. Nowadays the balls have been replaced by LASER light. It has generally this options, right click, left click, double click , scrollclick and scrolling option.

Scanner: They are used to create a picture out of any given document such as word file, document etc., by converting the document into

a digital fileby scanning. They are categorizedbased on the resolution of the scanned picture such as 75 dot per inch, 150 dpi etc,. Digital Camera: The camera could also be used as an input deviceby connecting it to the computer.


9/19

OUTPUT DEVICES

The devicesthat output the information from the computer are called output devices. For e.g.,

Monitor: It resembles to a T.V., nowadays various sophisticated monitors are used which employ Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Lightemitting diode (LED), instead of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT).

Printer: Different types of printers are available such as dot matrix, DeskJet, Inkjet, LASER etc.,


10/19

STORAGE DEVICES

They are used to keep data when the power to the computeris turned off

The deviceswhich store the data on or outside the computer are called storage devices.

They are as follows:

Hard Disk: Usually mounted inside the computers system unit. Can store bi llions of characters of data. Stated in forms of bytes:Megabytes, Gigabytes or Terabytes

Magnetic Storage: Recording of data onto disks or tape by magnetizing particles of an oxide based surface coating. A fairly permanenttype of storage that can be modified. Used by mainframe or microcomputers

Floppy Drive: It is a floppy disc which could store data upto 1.44 Mb and is almost obsolete and superseded by faster, smaller and betterstorage devices.

Optical Discs: They consists of

Compact Disc (CD): It is a storage device which stores information up to 700Mbs. They are available in ready only, wri table andrewritable formats

Digital Versatile Disc (DVD): It is also called Digital Video Disk. They could store up to 4.5 Gb to 8 Gb of data. They are also available inthe form of ready only, writable and rewritable formats.

Blu Ray Technology: Highly advancedtechnology, which could store up to 30 Gb to 50 Gb of data.

Solid-State Storage: Theyconsists of

Flash memory cards

Widely used in notebook computers

Used to record MP3 music files

Key chain hard drives

Key chain flash memory devices

Connects to a USB port


11/19

LIST OF STORAGE DEVICES

Magnetic tape and disks

Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)

Write Once Read Many - (WORM)

Magneto-optical disks

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID)

Optical disks

Digital Video Disks

Memory cards

Flash memory

Removable storage


12/19

CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS

The computers are classified generally based on their content and the intent of the use.

They are classified as Supercomputers, Mainframe computers, Minicomputers, Networked computers, Microcomputers, Personalcomputers, Laptops, Notebooks, Netbooks, PDA etc

Computer Description

Supercomputer A supercomputer is the most powerful computer available at a given t ime.

Capacity: Gargantuan the largest in the world

Speed: Extremely fast the fastest supercomputer is the Earth Simulator, located at the Yokohama Institute forEarth Sciences in Japan.

Users: Only used by very large organizations that need their immense

calculating power weather forecasting and climate research are two of the most common uses of supercomputers

Mainframe A mainframe is a big, powerful, expensive computer that can support many users at the same time. Large systemssuch as these centralize data processing and storage.

Capacity: Enormous - the capacity of several hundred or even thousands of PCs

Speed: Very fast - much, much faster than a PC

Users: Only used by large businesses and organizations

Minicomputer Minicomputers are mid-sized, multi-user computers that are smaller and less powerful than mainframe computers.Minicomputers are commonly used as servers in a network.

Capacity: Less than a mainframe computer, but greater then a microcomputer

Speed: Slower than a mainframe computer, faster than a microcomputer

Users: Only organizations that cannot afford or do not need the processing

power of a mainframe system

Microcomputer A microcomputer is a small, single-user computer with a microprocessor as its CPU. Desktop computers, laptopcomputers, tablet PCs, and many types of handheld devices are all types of microcomputers.


13/19

Computer Description

Networked Computer A network is a group of computers that are connected so that they can share equipment and information. Most peopleon a network use workstations, which are simply PCs that are connected to the network. A sewer is a centralcomputer where users on the network can save their files and information.

Capacity: (Workstation) Same as a PC, only needs a network card (Server) Greater than a PC, often more than 100GE

Speed: (Workstation) Same as a PC (Server) Generally faster than a PC, may use multipleCPUs

Users: (Workstation) People in a networked office or organization

(Server) Generally a network administrator or engineer

Personal computers A PC isa personal computer, original ly designed by IBM way back in1981.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 20GB to 80 GB

Speed:Fast. Averagespeed is from I GHz to 3 GHz

Users: Just about everyone uses a PC! Homes, offices, schools...

Developedby Apple,a Macintosh is a computer, but it is NOT a PC. Macs

have a different operating system and use their own software and hardware

Laptops, notebooks,netbooks

A laptop, or notebook, is a lighter and more portable version of a PC or Mac that can run on batteries.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 10 GB to 40 GB Speed: Fast, but slightly less than a PC. Average speed is from700 MHz to 2 GHz

Personal Data Assisstant(PDA)

A PDA, or Personal Data Assistant, is a handheld computer that is generally used to keep track of appointments andaddresses.

Capacity: Much smaller than a PC - 8MB to 64 MB of storage space

Speed:Much slower than a PC -8 MHz to 266 MHz

Cost: Expensive when compared to the capacities of a PC

Users: Business people and others who need to be organized


14/19

PERIPHERALS

Peripherals are those devices that are joined to the computer for ease of access and increase the utility of computers.

Some of the peripherals routinely used are

Printers: Different types of printers are available such as dot matrix, DeskJet, Inkjet, LASER etc.,

Web cams: They are used to view through computers using a camera which may or may not be inbuilt. Different types of webcamsare available depending upon the resolution such as VGA, Mega Pixels etc.

Scanners: They are used to create a picture out of any given document such as word file, document etc., by converting thedocument into a digital file by scanning.

Apart from these numerous various other devices could be plugged and use depending upon the requirements such as f ingerprintreader, barcode reader, etc,.


15/19

ASCII AND BINARY CONVERSIONS

ASCII stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

Computers can only understand their language and hence to convert human language in to a computer friendly language ASCII wasdeveloped.

Computer can only understand numbers and so an ASCII code is numerical representation of the input language.

For converting the normal language to a computer friendly language various conversions are required.

Various binary conversions convert the decimal number to 0 and 1 or their combination.


16/19

APPLICATION IN PHARMACY

Computers are omni present in pharmaceutical research and development laboratories, and nearly everyone has at least one used insome way to aid in his or her role

The scope of computer use to virtually all stages of pharmaceuticalresearch and development

The computer has a very wide range and extent of applicationsis pharmacy field.

The various areas where the computer couldbe appliedare but not limited to:

In day to day work of a pharmaceutical student in form of an excel spreadsheet to word

Performing variouscalculationswhich requires statistical inference

In data analysis and data management in preclinical and clinical studies.

Statisticalmodeling in pharmaceutical research

Cheminformatics

Computer aided drug designs

For predicting the metabolism of drug inside the body


17/19

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER VIRUS

A virus is a computer program that can copy itself and hence the name given so.

Generally the acronym virus stands for Vital Information Resource Under Seize. (Not Official) The work on automatic self reproducing was first coined by Jon Von Neuman in 1949.

Virus is a di fferent term with respect to adware, malware, which do not have reproducing ability.

They are also technically different from trojan horses and worms.


18/19

IMAGES OF COMPUTER PERIPHERALS


19/19

REFERENCES

Computer Application in Pharmaceutical Research and Development: Edited by Sean Ekins by John Wiley & Sons Publication.

Computer organization and design fundamentals by David Tarnoff

www.microsoft.com

www.computerhistory.org

Images were obtained from Google image search
http://www.microsoft.com/http://www.computerhistory.org/http://www.computerhistory.org/http://www.microsoft.com/

chapter 1 basics of computer application

Documents