A computer is an electronic device that follows our instructions. It is a machine capable of storing, retrieving, and arranging information, performing calculations, and controlling other machines.
💡 Invented by: Charles Babbage
- C – Common
- O – Operating
- M – Machine
- P – Particularly
- U – Used
- T – Technology
- E – Education
- R – Research
- 🖥️ Digital Computer – Devices with a display (e.g., Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Mobile Phone, Calculator)
- 📡 Analog Computer – Devices without a display (e.g., Radar, Satellite, Set-top box)
- 🔄 Hybrid Computer – A mix of digital and analog (e.g., ATM, Supercomputer, Industrial Computer)
A computer designed for use by one person at a time. Examples:
- 💻 Desktop
- 🖥️ Laptop
- 📱 Palmtop
- 📟 Tablet
A monitor is the display unit of a PC. Types:
- 🟩 CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
- 📺 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
- 💡 LED (Light Emitting Diode)
A pointing device to operate a pointer. Types:
- 🔌 Wired Mouse
- 📡 Wireless Mouse
- 🔵 Left Click – Open a file
- 🔴 Right Click – Open options (Open, Delete, Rename, Properties)
- 🔃 Scroll – Zoom in/out, Page up/down, Change icon size, Adjust volume
A device that keeps a computer running for a short time when the main power is lost and protects against power surges.
Temporary memory used for quick access to data.
A rigid non-removable magnetic disk with a large storage capacity.
An optical disk drive that reads and writes CDs and DVDs. Types:
- 📀 CD (Compact Disk) – 700 MB
- 🎥 DVD (Digital Video Disk) – 4.7 GB
- 🔵 BRD (Blue Ray Disk) – 25 GB
The main printed circuit board (PCB) of a computer.
Used to connect hardware components.
Used to connect Mouse & Keyboard.
Main functions of S.M.P.S. are: - I. Converts A.C. to D.C 2.Different wire contains different volts 3. Different switch supply power to Different places.
We can't change any information from ROM. We can just read it. Ex. When we ON our mobile Phone it shows the name of Company. (Samsung, Nokia, Airtel ..etc.
The "brain" of the computer where most calculations take place. Modern CPUs:
- 🧠 Dual Core
- 🚀 Core 2 Duo
- ⚡ Core i3, i5, i7, i9
Computer hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computer system, such as the motherboard, CPU, memory, storage, keyboard, monitor, etc. These parts work together to process and store data.
A software refers to the set of programs and instructions that run on computer hardware, enabling the hardware to perform specific tasks, such as operating systems, applications, games, etc.
- 🛠️ System Software – Essential for running the computer (e.g., Operating Systems)
- 📊 Application Software Such software which is used for specific use is called application software. Ex:- Tally (Accounting Software), PageMaker (Page Designing Software), MSWord (Document Creating Software) VLC (HD Videos Playing Software), etc.
- 📅 1985 – Windows 1.0
- 📅 1995 – Windows 95
- 📅 2001 – Windows XP
- 📅 2009 – Windows 7
- 📅 2015 – Windows 10
- 📅 2021 – Windows 11
Examples: Keyboard, Mouse, Touchpad, Barcode Scanner, Webcam, Joystick
Examples: Monitor, Speaker, Headphone, Printer
Multi means many and media means way to express one medium to another medium. Some of the medias are :-mage, Audio, Video, Animation or Text are combined to form a multimedia.
- 📸 JPEG/JPG – Joint Photographic Experts Group
- 🎨 GIF – Graphics Interchange Format
- 🌈 PNG – Portable Network Graphics
- 🎧 MP3 – Compressed audio
- 🎙️ AMR – Adaptive Multi-Rate
- 🎼 MIDI – Musical Instrument Digital Interface
- 🎥 MP4 – Standard video format
- 🎬 AVI – Audio Video Interleave
- 📱 3GP – 3rd Generation Protocol (low resolution)
Converter is an application software through which we can convert any Multimedia format to another format. Ex:- We can Convert any Video to audio, HD Video to low resolution video (3GP).... ETC.
🎶 It is the software through which we can play media files. Ex:- VLC Media Player increase volume up to 400% and able to play all types of formats, whereas system software like Window media player is unable for such features.
- 🚀 Supercomputer – Used by scientists
- 🏢 Mainframe Computer – Used by corporations
✈️ Minicomputer – Used in airports and railways- 💻 Microcomputer – Used by individuals (e.g., Desktop, Laptop, Palmtop)
Named QWERTY after its first six letters.
- 🔡 Alphabets (A-Z) – 26 keys
- 🔢 Numbers (0-9) – 10 keys
- 🎭 Symbols – 32 keys
- 🎛️ Special Keys – 19 keys
- First generation (1945-1955)
- Second generation (1955-1964)
- Third generation (1964-1975)
- Fourth generation (1975-1989)
- Fifth generation ( 1989 to present)
- 🏛️ First Generation (1945-1955)
First Generation: The first generation of computers is considered to have started from 1945. During this generation, Vacuum Tube Technology was used.
Features of First FGeneration
1.Vacuum Tube Technology was used in this generation.
2.These computers performed calculations very fast according to that time.
3.They were very large in size.
4.They consumed a lot of electricity.
5.It was difficult to operate these computers.
6.Machine language was used in these computers.
7.Magnetic tape and punch cards were used as memory storage.
8.Maintenance of these computers was very difficult.
- 🔬 Second Generation (1955-1964)
Second Generation:-The second generation of computers is considered to have started from 1956 to 1964. In this generation, Transistor Technology was introduced. The transistor was invented by William Shockley in 1947.
Features of Second Generation:
1.Transistor Technology was used in these computers.
2.The working capacity of these computers was much higher than the first-generation computers.
3.The size of these computers became smaller due to the use of transistors.
4.Assembly language and high-level programming languages were used in these computers.
5.These computers generated less heat compared to the first-generation computers.6.They were easier to operate.
7.Magnetic tapes were used as memory storage.
- 🏗️ Third Generation (1964-1975)
The third generation of computers is considered to have started from 1964. During this generation, Integrated Circuit (IC) technology was introduced. The full form of IC is Integrated Circuit, and it was developed by Jack Kilby in 1958.
Features of Third Generation:
1.Integrated Circuit (IC) Technology was used in these computers.
2.The size of the computers was reduced significantly due to the use of ICs.
3.These computers became more reliable and efficient.
4.High-level programming languages were widely used in this generation.
5.These computers generated less heat compared to the previous generation.
6.Operating and maintaining these computers was much easier.
7.Input and output devices like keyboards and monitors were introduced.
8.These computers were used for commercial purposes.
- 🖥️ Fourth Generation (1975-1989)
The fourth generation of computers is considered to have started from 1976 to 1989. The technology used in this generation was VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integration).
Features of Fourth Generation:
1.VLSI (Very Large-scale Integration) Technology was used in these computers, allowing 10,000 to 20,000 elements to be placed on a single chip.
2.These computers were much faster than third-generation computers.
3.They were much smaller in size.
4.These computers were highly reliable.
5.High-level programming languages were widely used for programming purposes.
6.These computers were portable and could be easily moved from one place to another.
7.Magnetic disks were used as memory storage.
8.They consumed very little electricity.
9.Maintenance and operation of these computers were very easy.
- 🤖 Fifth Generation (1989-Present)
The fifth generation of computers is considered to have started from 1989 and continues to the present time. During this generation, advanced IC technologywas introduced, known as ULSI (Ultra Large-Scale Integration). This technology allowed more than 10 million components to be placed on a single chip, which drastically increased the speed and performance of computers compared to the fourth generation.
Features of Fifth Generation: 1.ULSI (Ultra Large-Scale Integration) Technology was used in these computers, where more than 10 million components were placed on a single chip.
2.These computers performed tasks at a much higher speed than fourth-generation computers.3.They became very small in size, making them portable and lightweight.
4.These computers were highly reliable and efficient.
5.High-level programming languages with Graphical User Interface (GUI) were used, making programming easier.
6.These computers could be easily carried from one place to another.
7.They required very low power consumption and generated minimal heat.
8.Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) concepts started evolving during this generation.
9.Touchscreen devices, voice recognition, and natural language processing were introduced.
💻 Author: Dharmendra Kumar 🛡️
📅 GitHub Repo: Computer Fundamentals