MODULE 1

Basic Concepts

A. Introduction:
This module will give the learner the knowledge on the basic concept of computer they
will also be familiarized and understand the basic computer terms. With this module, learners
will appreciate the evolution of computing and appreciate the importance of computing.

B. Objectives:

In this lesson, you are tasked to do the following:

1. define a computer;
2. know the origin and evolution of computer;
3. understand the capabilities and limitations of computer;
4. identify characteristics of computer;
5. appreciate the evolution of computer through five generations;
6. differentiate the types of computer.

C. Learning Contents:

1. Information Technology
2. Computer
3. History of Computer
4. Generation of Computer
5. Characteristics, Capabilities and Limitations of Computer
6. Types of Computer

D. Pre-Test:

1. What do you know about computer?

2. What do you like to learn more about computer?
3. Are you familiar with the generation of computer?

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E. Learning Activities:

Understanding the Basic Concepts of IT

An Information Technology (IT) system concerns the processing, storage and/or transfer
of information. Information can take many different forms such as words, numbers, pictures,
sounds or video. An IT system can consist of computers, the telecommunications network and
other programmable electronic devices.
IT is often seen as a very daunting subject because it involves many different specialist
areas. However, the basic principle of IT is to simply help us to improve the way we deal with
information in all areas of our lives.
IT is used in business, industry, government, education, health care and in everyday
home/social life. Computers enable us to process information and perform specific tasks much
more quickly that we can often do ourselves.
IT systems are usually very flexible and can be made to perform a wide variety of different
tasks. IT networks allow us to distribute and share information very quickly (a prime example is
the Internet).

Information Society

We live in an “Information Society” where the effective use of information is regarded

as the defining element of the 20th – 21st centuries.

Computer: Definition

• Is a 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.
• It is an electronic device designed to manipulate data so that useful information can be
generated.
• A machine capable of following instructions to alter data in a desirable way and perform
at least some of these operations without human intervention.
• An electronic device that is capable of storing, manipulating, and processing data to come
up with the required output.

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 A computer has four functions:

a. accepts data - Input

b. processes data - Processing
c. produces output - Output
d. stores results - Storage

HISTORY OF COMPUTER

History of computer could be traced back to the effort of man to count large numbers. This
process of counting of large system of numeration, Roman system of numeration and Indian
system of numeration. Out of these the Indian system of numeration has been accepted universally.
It is the basis of modern decimal system of numeration (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Later you will
know how the computer solves all calculations based on decimal system. But you will be surprised
to know that the computer does not understand the decimal system and uses binary system of
numeration for processing.

Quipa (15th and 16th centuries) At the height of their empire, the
Incas used complex chains of knotted twine to represent a variety
of data, including tribute payments, lists of arms and troops, and
notable dates in the kingdom’s chronicles.
The quipa, or quipu, or quipo was in use before the
Spanish conquistadores destroyed the Inca and Astec culture in the central america's. It served to
convey messages to other persons. Description (1) quipa: configuration with different length of
ropes and knots.

Abacus (4000 years ago to 1975) Used by merchants throughout

the ancient world. Beads represent figures (data); by moving the
beads according to rules, the user can add, subtract, multiply, or
divide. The abacus remained in use until a worldwide deluge of
cheap pocket calculators put the abacus out of work, after being
used for thousands of years.

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Napier’s logs and bones

John Napier, a Scottish mathematician invented logarithms. The use of logarithms enabled
him to transform multiplications and division problems of addition and
subtractions. In the beginning he called logarithms as artificial numbers.
But later he named them logarithms.
Napier also invented a computing device consisting of sticks with
numbers carved on them. These sticks are called bones as they were
made of bones. These bones helped a lot in multiplication involving large numbers.

Calculating machines and Pascal’s calculator:

A French mathematician, Blaise Pascal invented a machine based on
gear wheels. He was the son of tax collector who had to do lot of
calculations as part of his job. Blaise Pascal wanted to make his job
easier by inventing a calculator. You might be familiar with gear
wheels in use in your bicycle which meshes with a driving chain.

Leibniz’s calculator (1674) German philosopher

Gottfried Leibniz invents the first mechanical
calculator capable of multiplication.

Jacquard's loom (1804) French weaver Joseph-Marie Jacquard

creates an automatic, programmable weaving machine that creates
fabrics with richly detailed patterns. It is controlled by means of
punched cards.

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In 1822, Charles Babbage proposed and began developing
the Difference Engine, considered to be the first automatic computing
engine that was capable of computing several sets of numbers and
making a hard copies of the results.

Later, in 1837 Charles Babbage

proposed the first general mechanical
computer, the Analytical Engine. The
Analytical Engine contained an
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), basic flow control, and
integrated memory and is the first general-purpose computer
concept. Unfortunately, because of funding issues this computer
was also never built while Charles Babbage's was alive. In 1910,
Henry Babbage, Charles Babbage's youngest son was able to complete a portion of this machine
and was able to perform basic calculations.

Lady Ada Lovelace

Lovelace is the daughter of the famous English poet Lord
Byron. She was a mathematician. She studied the works of Babbage
and wrote about them. From her account only, we can see the close
resemblance of the modern day computers and Babbage’s work.
Lady Ada Lovelace’s contributions are very important. Since she
predicted that computers can be programmed, a language, Ada used
widely in America’s Department of Defence Computers was named
after her.
Hollerith’s tabulating machine (1890) Created to tally the results of the U.S. Census, this
machine uses punched cards as a data input mechanism. The successor to Hollerith’s company is
International Business Machines (IBM).

ABC Computer

In 1937, Dr. John Atanstoff with the help of his assistant

Berry designed the Atanstoff Berry Computer (ABC). The
machine laid the foundation for the development of
electronic digital computer. The ABC was an electrical

CC1 - Introduction to Computing/MRC pg. 5

computer that used vacuum tubes for digital computation including binary math and Boolean logic
and had no CPU.

Zuse’s Z1 (1938) German inventor Konrad Zuse creates a

programmable electronic calculator. An improved version, the
Z3 of 1941, was the world’s first calculator capable of
automatic operation.

Mark I (1943) In a partnership with Harvard

University, IBM creates a huge, programmable
electronic calculator that used electromechanical
relays as switching devices.

The ENIAC was invented by J. Presper Eckert and John

Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania and began
construction in 1943 and was not completed until 1946. It
occupied about 1,800 square feet and used about 18,000 vacuum
tubes, weighing almost 50 tons. Although the Judge ruled that the
ABC computer was the first digital computer, many still consider
the ENIAC to be the first digital computer because it was fully
functional.

The first stored program computer

The early British computer known as the EDSAC is considered to be the first stored
program electronic computer. The computer performed its first calculation on May 6, 1949 and
was the computer that ran the first graphical computer game, nicknamed "Baby".

The first computer company

The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company and was founded
in 1949 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the same individuals who helped create the ENIAC

CC1 - Introduction to Computing/MRC pg. 6

computer. The company was later renamed to EMCC or Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation
and released a series of mainframe computers under the UNIVAC name.

First stored program computer

First delivered to the United States Government in 1950, the UNIVAC 1101 or ERA
1101 is considered to be the first computer that was capable of storing and running a program from
memory.

First commercial computer

In 1942, Konrad Zuse begin working on the Z4, which later became the first commercial
computer after being sold to Eduard Stiefel a mathematician of the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology Zurich on July 12, 1950.

The first PC (IBM compatible) computer

On April 7, 1953 IBM publicly introduced the 701, its first electric computer and first mass
produced computer. Later IBM introduced its first personal computer called the IBM PC in 1981.
The computer was code named and still sometimes referred to as the Acorn and had a 8088
processor, 16 KB of memory, which was expandable to 256 and utilizing MS-DOS.

The first computer with RAM

MIT introduces the Whirlwind machine on March 8, 1955, a revolutionary computer that
was the first digital computer with magnetic core RAM and real-time graphics.

The first transistor computer

The TX-O (Transistorized Experimental computer) is the first

transistorized computer to be demonstrated at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology in 1956.

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The first minicomputer

In 1960, Digital Equipment Corporation released its first of many PDP computers the PDP-
1.

The first mass-market PC

In 1968, Hewlett Packard began marketing the first mass-marketed PC, the HP 9100A.

The first workstation

Although it was never sold, the first workstation is considered to be the Xerox Alto,
introduced in 1974. The computer was revolutionary for its time and included a fully functional
computer, display, and mouse. The computer operated like many computers today
utilizing windows, menus and icons as an interface to its operating system.

The first microprocessor

Intel introduces the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004 on November 15, 1971.

The first personal computer

In 1975, Ed Roberts coined the term "personal computer" when he introduced

the Altair 8800. Although the first personal computer is considered by many to be the Kenback-1,
which was first introduced for $750 in 1971. The computer relied on a series of switches for
inputting data and output data by turning on and off a series of lights.

The Micral is considered to be the first commercial non-assembly computer. The computer
used the Intel 8008 processor and sold for $1,750 in 1973.

The first laptop or portable computer

The IBM 5100 is the first portable computer, which was

released on September 1975. The computer weighed 55 pounds
and had a five inch CRT display, tape drive, 1.9MHz PALM
processor, and 64KB of RAM. The first truly portable computer
or laptop is considered to be the Osborne I, which was released on

CC1 - Introduction to Computing/MRC pg. 8

April 1981 and developed by Adam Osborne. The Osborne I was developed by Adam Osborne
and weighed 24.5 pounds, had a 5-inch display, 64 KB of memory, two 5 1/4" floppy drives, ran
the CP/M 2.2 operating system, included a modem, and cost US$179.

The first Apple computer

Steve Wozniak designed the first Apple known as the Apple I computer in 1976.

The first PC clone

The Compaq Portable is considered to be the first PC clone and was release in March 1983
by Compaq. The Compaq Portable was 100% compatible with IBM computers and was capable
of running any software developed for IBM computers.

The first multimedia computer

In 1992, Tandy Radio Shack becomes one of the first companies to release a computer
based on the MPC standard with its introduction of the M2500 XL/2 and M4020 SX computers.

Other major computer company firsts

Compaq - In March 1983, Compaq released its first computer and the first 100%
IBM compatible computer the "Compaq Portable."
Dell - In 1985, Dell introduced its first computer, the "Turbo PC."
Hewlett Packard - In 1966, Hewlett Packard released its first general computer, the "HP-
2115."
NEC - In 1958, NEC builds its first computer the "NEAC 1101."
Toshiba - In 1954, Toshiba introduces its first computer, the "TAC" digital computer.

COMPUTER GENERATIONS

You know that the evolution of computer started from 16th century and resulted in the form
that we see today. The present day computer, however, has also undergone rapid change during
the last fifty years. This period, during which the evolution of computer took place, can be divided

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into five distinct phases known as Generations of Computers. Each phase is distinguished from
others on the basis of the type of switching circuits used.

First Generation Computers

First generation computers used Thermion valves. These

computers were large in size and writing programs on them was
difficult. Some of the computers of this generation were:
ENIAC, EDVAC, EDSAC, and UNIVAC-1

Limitations of First Generation Computer

Followings are the major drawbacks of First generation computers.

1. The operating speed was quite slow.

2. Power consumption was very high.
3. It required large space for installation.
4. The programming capability was quite low.

Second Generation Computers

Around 1955 a device called Transistor replaced the bulky
electric tubes in the first generation computer. Transistors are
smaller than electric tubes and have higher operating speed. They
have no filament and require no heating. Manufacturing cost was
also very low. Thus the size of the computer got reduced
considerably.
It is in the second generation that the concept of Central
Processing Unit (CPU), memory, programming language and input and output units were
developed. The programming languages such as COBOL, FORTRAN were developed during this
period. Some of the computers of the Second Generation were
1. IBM 1620: Its size was smaller as compared to First Generation computers and mostly
used for scientific purpose.
2. IBM 1401: Its size was small to medium and used for business applications.
3. CDC 3600: Its size was large and is used for scientific purposes.

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Third Generation Computers

The third generation computers were introduced in 1964. They

used Integrated Circuits (ICs). These ICs are popularly known as
Chips. A single IC has many transistors, registers and capacitors
built on a single thin slice of silicon. So it is quite obvious that the
size of the computer got further reduced. Some of the computers
developed during this period were IBM-360, ICL-1900, IBM-370,
and VAX-750. Higher level language such as BASIC (Beginners
All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was developed during this period.
Computers of this generations were small in size, low cost, large memory and processing speed is
very high.

Fourth Generation Computers

The present day computers that you see today are the fourth
generation computers that started around 1975. It uses large
scale Integrated Circuits (LSIC) built on a single silicon chip
called microprocessors. Due to the development of
microprocessor it is possible to place computer’s central
processing unit (CPU) on single chip. These computers are
called microcomputers. Later very large scale Integrated
Circuits (VLSIC) replaced LSICs.
Thus the computer which was occupying a very large room in earlier days can now be placed on
a table. The personal computer (PC) that you see in your school is a Fourth Generation Computer.

Fifth Generation Computer

The computers of 1990s are said to be Fifth Generation computers. The speed is extremely high in
fifth generation computer. Apart from this it can perform parallel processing. The concept of
Artificial intelligence has been introduced to allow the computer to take its own decision. It is still
in a developmental stage.

Characteristics of Computers

1. It is a machine.
2. It is electronic
3. It is automatic

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 4. It can manipulate data
5. It has memory
6. It has logic functions

Capabilities of Computers

1. Speed - computers have the ability to perform routine tasks at a greater speed than human
beings. They can perform millions of calculations in seconds.
2. Repetitiveness
3. Accuracy - computers are used to perform tasks in a way that ensures accuracy.
4. Store and Recall Information - computers can store large amount of information. Any
item of data or any instruction stored in the memory can be retrieved by the computer at
lightning speeds.
5. Self checking
6. Self Operating
7. Ability to locate errors
8. Versatility - Computers are flexible to perform both simple and complex tasks.
9. Cost effectiveness - computers reduce the amount of paper work and human effort, thereby
reducing costs.
10. Automation - computers can be instructed to perform complex tasks automatically ( which
increases the productivity).
11. Diligence - computers can perform the same task repeatedly & with the same accuracy
without getting tired.

Limitations of Computers

1. It can do only what is designed or programmed to do (a computer cannot generate

information on its own). If you ask the computer to get the total payroll for a certain period,
it will give you only the total payroll and not the net salary or gross salary of each
employee.
2. It cannot correct input data (a computer cannot correct wrong instructions). If you
mistakenly entered an hour rate of P50 per hour, the computer cannot respond to the actual
rate of P40 per hour.
3. It cannot think and cannot derive meaning from objects. The computer cannot interpret
your favorite poem or you present mood.

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 4. It can only process jobs expressed in a number of steps leading to a precisely defined goal.
5. It cannot completely avoid making errors due to power fluctuations, system malfunctions
and human disorders.
6. A computer cannot come out with an original “ decisions”.
7. A computer application must be quantified.

What you can do with Computers?

1. Speed
Computers allow you to perform many everyday tasks more quickly. For example,
if you mail a letter to a friend, he may receive it in a few days. However, if you e-
mail him, he receives your message in a few minutes. Similarly, if you manually
compose a newsletter, it may take you a week, whereas using a computer, it may
take just an afternoon.

2. Quality

The tools that come with a computer enable you to create high-quality documents
and drawings, even if you are not a typesetter or an artist. With just a few simple
techniques, you can create documents that look professional or are exactly suited
to your present task.

3. New Skills

Because we live in a computer age, you often require basic computer skills to
accomplish many daily tasks. Typing on a keyboard, using a mouse, and other
basic computer skills are useful in many different situations and are often
required by employers.

4. Create Documents

You can use your computer to create letters, resumes, memos, reports,
newsletters, brochures, business cards, menus, flyers, invitations, and
certificates. Anything that you use to communicate on paper, you can create
using your computer.

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5. Monitor Your Finances

You can use your computer to perform basic financial management. For
example, you can create a budget, record expenses, balance your checkbook,
calculate your taxes, and monitor your mortgage. If you run a small business,
then you can allocate income and expenses, create financial reports, and
calculate your profit and loss.

6. Perform Research

You can use your computer and the Internet to research almost any topic that
you can think of. For example, you can learn more about a vacation destination,
trace your family history, access back issues of newspapers and magazines, and
compare product features before you buy them.

7. Work with Numbers

You can use a spreadsheet program to work with numbers on your computer.
For example, you can create a mortgage amortization schedule, calculate how
much money you need to save for retirement, monitor an investment portfolio,
and create a business plan.

8. Store Data

You can use your computer, and the appropriate software, to store and work
with large amounts of data. You can track personal items such as CDs, recipes,
contact information for friends and relatives, and fitness activities. For
business, you can track clients and potential clients, inventory, products, and
orders.

9. Schedule Your Time

You can use your computer as an electronic daytimer to record upcoming

activities, birthdays, anniversaries, events, meetings, and appointments. You
can also set up some scheduling programs to remind you of approaching events
so that you do not forget them.

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10. Teach Your Children

You can use your computer to help educate your children. Many programs
available are designed to assist children with reading, drawing, learning math
and science, solving problems, and enhancing creativity.

11. Learn New Life Skills

You can use your computer to learn new life skills. Programs are available that
teach you how to speak a different language, play chess, cook, garden, design
a home, play a musical instrument, and design and make clothes.

12. Make New Friends

You can use your computer and the Internet to enhance your social life. You
can chat with other people by typing messages to them, join mailing lists,
find support groups, find clubs and organizations in your area, and find a
date.

13. Keep In Touch

You can use your computer to communicate with friends, family, colleagues,
and clients that you do not often see face-to-face. You can send e-mail
messages and instant messages, and you can even talk to another person
using a microphone and your computer’s speakers.

14. Buy and Sell

You can use your computer and the Internet to buy and sell things. Many
online stores enable you to purchase anything, from books to baby
accessories, and have it delivered to your door. There are also auction sites,
such as eBay, that enable you to sell items that you create or that you no
longer need.

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15. Create Items

You can use your computer to bring out your creative side. For example,
you can create your own greeting cards or wedding invitations, draw
pictures, manipulate digital photos, edit digital movies, record sounds, and
compose music.

16. Play Media

You can use your computer to play digital media, including music CDs, audio
files, video files, animations, DVDs, music, and movies that you have
downloaded from the Internet.

17. Play Games

You can use your computer to play many different types of games. You can
solve a puzzle, fly a plane, race a car, go on an adventure, play football or
hockey, battle aliens, plan a city, play backgammon or checkers, or deal
poker.

Types of Computers

Computer are classified according to:

• Purpose
• Types of Data Handled
• Capacity

Classification according to Purpose:

1. Special Purpose Computers

• Design to handle a specific problem or to perform specific tasks.
• Used for special purposes and usually expensive.
• Sophisticated but they are inflexible.
• Example: Computer to control LRT, Traffic Lights, ATM

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2. General Purpose Computers
• Are designed to handle a variety of different problems and to meet different needs.
• It is more popular as they are cheap and can perform a variety of work.
• Used for general purposes like entertainment.
• Strong in versatility but weak in speed and efficiency.
• Example: Payroll, Accounts receivable, Inventory control

Classification according to Type of Data Handled:

1. Analog Computer

• An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English) is a form of computer that uses
continuous physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities
to model the problem being solved.
• Deal with continuously changing physical data.
• It is computer that operates on data that are expressed as a continuously changing
representation of a physical data.
• It measures the quantity of something that changes continuously.
• These computers accept input and give output in the form of analog signals. The output
is measured on a scale.
• The primary advantage is the prompt response to the handling of data generated by an
ongoing physical process.
• Provide approximate result.
• These are used in industrial units to control various processes and also used in different
fields of engineering.

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2. Digital Computer
• A computer that performs calculations and logical operations with quantities
represented as digits, usually in the binary number system.
• The word digital means discrete.
• It refers to binary system which consists of only two digits 0 and 1.
• A computer that operates on data that are expressed in a discrete format.
• Everything they do is translated into a series of numerical or digits.
• A computer that accepts, performs computations on, represents data in digital form, as
discrete numbers composed of binary digits (1’s and 0’s)

Main features of Digital Computer are:

1. Give accurate result.

2. Having high speed of data processing.
3. Can store large amount of data.
4. Easy of program and are general purpose in use.
5. Consume low energy.

3. Hybrid Computer
• A combination of computers those are capable of inputting and outputting in both
digital and analog signals. A hybrid computer system setup offers a cost effective
method of performing complex simulations.
• These are very fast and accurate.
• These are used in scientific fields.

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Classification according to Capacity:

1. Microcomputer
• A small computer or system also called PC designed to be used by one person at a time.
• Meets the computer need of an individual.
• Provide access to a wide variety of computing applications such as word processing,
photo editing, e-mail and internet.

1. Hand-held Computers
• Also called PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
• A computer that fits into a pocket, runs on batteries, and is used
while holding the unit in your hand.
• Designed for a specific purpose such as meter reading or
inventory counting.

2. Palmtop Computers
• Are small enough to be held in the palm of the hand.
• Have many capabilities of a desktop computer.
• Have several built-in personal information mgt. function such as
a calendar to keep track of meetings and events an address and
phone file and a task list of things to do.
• Do not have disk storage devices and usually have a non-standard
keyboard.
3. Pen Computers
• Are specialized portable computers that use a pen-like device to
enter data.
• Pen systems have special software that allows the system to
recognize handwritten input.

4. Notebook Computers
• Typically weight between 4-8 pounds.
• Considered general-purpose computer.
• Have standard keyboards.
• Usually have at least one disk drive for storage.

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 5. Subnotebook Computers
• Are similar to notebook computers.
• Weight less 4 pounds.

6. Laptop Computer
• Are larger version of notebook computers.
• Weight between 8-15 pounds.
• A portable computer complete with an integrated
screen and keyboard. It is generally smaller in size
than a desktop computer and larger than a notebook
computer.

7. Desktop Computer
• Designed to fit conveniently on the surface of a desk
workplace.

8. Tower Computer
• Are personal computer in an upright case.
• A computer tower is a metal chassis that holds all of the computer's components.
• Towers are vertically-oriented, and are generally placed on the floor, next to the
desk where you use your computer.
• Computer towers are available in an enormous variety of
sizes to suit every need.
• A tower will have enough room for a computer's
motherboard, which houses the CPU and any expansion
cards, a hard drive and optical or disk drive and a power
supply.
• Most towers, have enough room for more expansion, and may hold several hard
drives and more than one optical drive. Most computer cases are made from steel
or aluminum, and may have plastic internal parts to make it easier to install hard
drives and optical drives.

9. Network Computer
• Are low cost computers designed to work while connected to a network but not a
stand-alone computers.

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 • Have a limited processing capability and little, if any, storage because these tasks
are performed on the network server to which it is attached.
• Some network computers are designed to use a television monitor as their display
device.

2. Mini-Computer
• A midsize computer also called mini-computers or midrange computers.
• They are powerful and they are designed to be used by more than
one person at a time.
• A refrigerator sized machine.
• Is a multiprocessing system capable of supporting from 4 to about
200 users simultaneously.
• Originally developed to perform specific tasks such as engineering
calculations.
• Many business and organization use minicomputer to support their
information processing requirements.
• The most powerful minicomputer are called super minicomputer.

3. Mainframe Computer
• Are large, powerful, expensive and are ultimate in sophistication, flexibility and speed.
• In some ways, mainframes are more powerful than
supercomputers because they support more simultaneous
programs.
• But supercomputers can execute a single program faster
than a mainframe.
• Capable of great processing speeds and data storage.
• Require a specialized environment including separate air
conditioning, cooling, and electric power.

4. Super Computer

• The biggest, the largest, the most powerful and the most expensive computers.
• Are machine that can be carried out numerical computations at speeds of up to 50

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 million operations per second.
• Are employed for specialized applications that require
immense amounts of mathematical calculations.
• The difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe
is that a supercomputer channels all its power into executing
a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a mainframe
uses its power to execute many programs concurrently.

Uses of super computer are:

• animated graphics
• petroleum exploration
• nuclear energy research

5. Workstation

• It is a type of computer used for engineering applications (CAD/CAM), desktop

publishing, software development, and other types of applications that require a
moderate amount of computing power and relatively high quality graphics capabilities.
• Workstations generally come with a large, high-resolution graphics screen, at large
amount of RAM, built-in network support, and a graphical user interface.
• Most workstations also have a mass storage device such as a disk drive, but a special
type of workstation, called a diskless workstation, comes without a disk drive. The
most common operating systems for workstations are UNIX and Windows NT.
• Like personal computers, most workstations are single-user computers. However,
workstations are typically linked together to form a local-area network, although they
can also be used as stand-alone systems.

F. Assessment:

Identification. Write the correction answer on the space provided.

1. _____________ Is an electronic device capable of storing, manipulating and

processing data.
2. _____________ Developed the difference engine.
3. _____________ A generation of computer that uses integrated circuits or IC.

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 4. _____________ All called PC designed to be used by one person at a time.
5. _____________ Deal with quantities that are constantly changing.

True or False. Write True if the statement is correct otherwise write False. Write your
answer on the space provided.
1. __________ Joseph Marie Jacquard invented the automatic weaving loom.
2. __________ General purpose computer is designed to handle a specific problem or
to perform specific tasks.
3. __________ Lovelace is a mathematician and the daughter of the famous English
poet Lord Byron.
4. __________ Hand-held computers is also called PDA and is designed for a specific
purpose such as meter reading.
5. __________ Supercomputers can execute a single program faster than a mainframe.

G. References:

https://www.cs.cmu.edu/
https://www.britannica.com/
https://www.slideshare.net/
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/

CC1 - Introduction to Computing/MRC pg. 23