Documento Ingles 1 3

UMSS – TECHNICAL ENGLISH PROGRAM – ENGLISH ONE –2023
UNIVERSIDAD MAYOR DE SAN SIMÓN

FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS Y TECNOLOGÍA
CARRERA DE LICENCIATURA EN INFORMÁTICA Y LICENCIATURA EN INGENIERÍA EN
SISTEMAS
UMSS
MATERIA: Inglés I (1803001)

DOCENTE: Lic. Ma. Benita Céspedes Guizada
2023
ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

Sources: https://www.tutorialspoint.com (edited February 27th, 2023 with minor style changes)
Computer is an advanced electronic device that takes raw data as an input from the user and processes
it under the control of a set of instructions (called program), produces a result (output), and saves it for
future use. This tutorial explains the foundational concepts of computer hardware, software, operating
systems, peripherals, etc. along with how to get the most value and impact from computer technology.
Today’s world is an information-rich world and it has become a necessity for everyone to know about
computers. A computer is an electronic data processing device, which accepts and stores data input,
processes the data input, and generates the output in a required format.
The purpose of this tutorial is to introduce you to Computers and its fundamentals.
Functionalities of a Computer
If we look at it in a very broad sense, any digital computer carries out the following five functions −
Step 1 − Takes data as input.
Step 2 − Stores the data/instructions in its memory and uses them as required.
Step 3 − Processes the data and converts it into useful information.
Step 4 − Generates the output.
Step 5 − Controls all the above four steps.
Advantages of Computers
Following are certain advantages of computers.
High Speed
 Computer is a very fast device.
 It is capable of performing calculation of very large amount of data.
 The computer has units of speed in microsecond, nanosecond, and even the picosecond.
 It can perform millions of calculations in a few seconds as compared to man who will spend many
months to perform the same task.
Accuracy
 In addition to being very fast, computers are very accurate.
 The calculations are 100% error free.
 Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy provided that the input is correct.
Storage Capability
 Memory is a very important characteristic of computers.
 A computer has much more storage capacity than human beings.
 It can store large amount of data.
 It can store any type of data such as images, videos, text, audio, etc.
Diligence
 Unlike human beings, a computer is free from monotony, tiredness, and lack of concentration.
 It can work continuously without any error and boredom.
 It can perform repeated tasks with the same speed and accuracy.
Versatility
 A computer is a very versatile machine.
 A computer is very flexible in performing the jobs to be done.
 This machine can be used to solve the problems related to various fields.
 At one instance, it may be solving a complex scientific problem and the very next moment it may
be playing a card game.
Reliability
 A computer is a reliable machine.
 Modern electronic components have long lives.
 Computers are designed to make maintenance easy.
Automation
 Computer is an automatic machine.
 Automation is the ability to perform a given task automatically. Once the computer receives a
program i.e., the program is stored in the computer memory, then the program and instruction
can control the program execution without human interaction.
Reduction in Paper Work and Cost

 The use of computers for data processing in an organization leads to reduction in paper work and
results in speeding up the process.
 As data in electronic files can be retrieved as and when required, the problem of maintenance of
large number of paper files gets reduced.
 Though the initial investment for installing a computer is high, it substantially reduces the cost of
each of its transaction.
Disadvantages of Computers
Following are certain disadvantages of computers.
No I.Q.
 A computer is a machine that has no intelligence to perform any task.
 Each instruction has to be given to the computer.
 A computer cannot take any decision on its own.
Dependency
 It functions as per the user’s instruction, thus it is fully dependent on humans.
Environment
 The operating environment of the computer should be dust free and suitable.
No Feeling
 Computers have no feelings or emotions.
 It cannot make judgment based on feeling, taste, experience, and knowledge unlike humans.
Computer - Types
Computers can be broadly classified by their speed and computing power.
S.No. Type Specifications
PC (Personal It is a single user computer system having moderately powerful

1
Computer) microprocessor.
It is also a single user computer system, similar to personal computer

2 Workstation
however has a more powerful microprocessor.
3 Mini Computer It is a multi-user computer system, capable of supporting hundreds of

users simultaneously.

It is a multi-user computer system, capable of supporting hundreds of

4 Main Frame users simultaneously. Software technology is different from
minicomputer.
It is an extremely fast computer, which can execute hundreds of millions

5 Supercomputer
of instructions per second.
Computer – Generations
Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology a computer is/was being used. Initially,
the generation term was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies. Nowadays,
generation includes both hardware and software, which together make up an entire computer system.
There are five computer generations known till date. Each generation has been discussed in detail along
with their time period and characteristics. In the following table, approximate dates against each
generation has been mentioned, which are normally accepted.
Following are the main five generations of computers.
First Generation
The period of first generation was from 1946-1959. The computers of first generation used vacuum tubes
as the basic components for memory and circuitry for CPU (Central Processing Unit). These tubes, like
electric bulbs, produced a lot of heat and the installations used to fuse frequently. Therefore, they were
very expensive and only large organizations were able to afford it.
In this generation, mainly batch processing operating system was used. Punch cards, paper tape, and
magnetic tape was used as input and output devices. The computers in this generation used machine
code as the programming language.
The main features of the first generation are −

 Vacuum tube technology  Unreliable
 Supported machine language only

 Very costly
 Generated a lot of heat
 Slow input and output devices
 Huge size
 Need of AC
 Non-portable
 Consumed a lot of electricity
Some computers of this generation were −

 ENIAC
 EDVAC
 UNIVAC
 IBM-701
 IBM-650
Second Generation
The period of second generation was from 1959-1965. In this generation, transistors were used that were
cheaper, consumed less power, more compact in size, more reliable and faster than the first generation
machines made of vacuum tubes. In this generation, magnetic cores were used as the primary memory
and magnetic tape and magnetic disks as secondary storage devices.
In this generation, assembly language and high-level programming languages like FORTRAN, COBOL
were used. The computers used batch processing and multiprogramming operating system.
The main features of second generation are −
 Use of transistors
 Reliable in comparison to first generation computers
 Smaller size as compared to first generation computers
 Generated less heat as compared to first generation computers
 Consumed less electricity as compared to first generation computers
 Faster than first generation computers

 Still very costly
 AC required
 Supported machine and assembly languages

 IBM 1620
 IBM 7094
 CDC 1604
 CDC 3600
 UNIVAC 1108
Third Generation
The period of third generation was from 1965-1971. The computers of third generation used Integrated
Circuits (ICs) in place of transistors. A single IC has many transistors, resistors, and capacitors along with
the associated circuitry.
The IC was invented by Jack Kilby. This development made computers smaller in size, reliable, and
efficient. In this generation remote processing, time-sharing, multiprogramming operating system were
used. High-level languages (FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68 etc.) were
used during this generation.
The main features of third generation are −

 IC used  AC required
 More reliable in comparison to previous  Consumed lesser electricity
two generations  Supported high-level language
 Smaller size
 Generated less heat
 Faster
 Lesser maintenance
 Costly

 IBM-360 series
 Honeywell-6000 series
 PDP (Personal Data Processor)
 IBM-370/168
 TDC-316
Fourth Generation
The period of fourth generation was from 1971-1980. Computers of fourth generation used Very Large
Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. VLSI circuits having about 5000 transistors and other circuit elements
with their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have microcomputers of fourth
generation.
Fourth generation computers became more powerful, compact, reliable, and affordable. As a result, it
gave rise to Personal Computer (PC) revolution. In this generation, time sharing, real time networks,
distributed operating system were used. All the high-level languages like C, C++, DBASE etc., were used
in this generation.
The main features of fourth generation are −

 VLSI technology used
 Very cheap
 Portable and reliable
 Use of PCs
 Very small size
 Pipeline processing
 No AC required
 Concept of internet was introduced
 Great developments in the fields of
networks
 Computers became easily available

 DEC 10
 STAR 1000
 PDP 11
 CRAY-1(Super Computer)
 CRAY-X-MP(Super Computer)
Fifth Generation
The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In the fifth generation, VLSI technology became ULSI
(Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology, resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten
million electronic components.
This generation is based on parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. AI is an
emerging branch in computer science, which interprets the means and method of making computers
think like human beings. All the high-level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net etc., are used in this
generation.
AI includes −
 Robotics
 Neural Networks
 Game Playing
 Development of expert systems to make decisions in real-life situations
 Natural language understanding and generation
The main features of fifth generation are −
 ULSI technology
 Development of true artificial intelligence

 Development of Natural language processing

 Advancement in Parallel Processing
 Advancement in Superconductor technology
 More user-friendly interfaces with multimedia features
 Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates

Some computer types of this generation are −

 Desktop
 Laptop
 NoteBook
 UltraBook
 ChromeBook

Computer - Hardware
Hardware represents the physical and tangible components of a computer, i.e. the components that can
be seen and touched.
Examples of Hardware are the following −
 Input devices − keyboard, mouse, etc.

 Output devices − printer, monitor, etc.
 Secondary storage devices − Hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.
 Internal components − CPU, motherboard, RAM, etc.
Relationship between Hardware and Software

 Hardware and software are mutually dependent on each other. Both of them must work together
to make a computer produce a useful output.
 Software cannot be utilized without supporting hardware.
 Hardware without a set of programs to operate upon cannot be utilized and is useless.

 To get a particular job done on the computer, relevant software should be loaded into the
hardware.
 Hardware is a one-time expense.
 Software development is very expensive and is a continuing expense.
 Different software applications can be loaded on a hardware to run different jobs.
 A software acts as an interface between the user and the hardware.
 If the hardware is the 'heart' of a computer system, then the software is its 'soul'. Both are
complementary to each other.
Computer - Software
Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined function. A program is a
sequence of instructions written to solve a particular problem.
There are two types of software −
 System Software
 Application Software
System Software
The system software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control, and extend the processing
capabilities of the computer itself. System software is generally prepared by the computer manufacturers.
These software products comprise of programs written in low-level languages, which interact with the
hardware at a very basic level. System software serves as the interface between the hardware and the
end users.
Some examples of system software are Operating System, Compilers, Interpreter, Assemblers, etc.
Here is a list of some of the most prominent features of a system software −

 Close to the system  Difficult to understand
 Fast in speed  Less interactive
 Difficult to design  Smaller in size
 Difficult to manipulate
 Generally written in low-level language
Application Software
Application software products are designed to satisfy a particular need of a particular environment. All
software applications prepared in the computer lab can come under the category of Application software.
Application software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft's notepad for writing and editing
a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of programs, often called a software package, which work
together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet package.
Examples of Application software are the following −

 Payroll Software
 Student Record Software
 Inventory Management Software
 Income Tax Software
 Railways Reservation Software
 Microsoft Office Suite Software
 Microsoft Word
 Microsoft Excel
 Microsoft PowerPoint
Features of application software are as follows −
 Close to the user

 Easy to design
 More interactive
 Slow in speed
 Generally written in high-level language
 Easy to understand
 Easy to manipulate and use
 Bigger in size and requires large storage space
Operating System

The Operating System is a program with the following features −

 An operating system is a program that acts as an interface between the software and the
computer hardware.
 It is an integrated set of specialized programs used to manage overall resources and operations of
the computer.
 It is a specialized software that controls and monitors the execution of all other programs that
reside in the computer, including application programs and other system software.
Objectives of Operating System
The objectives of the operating system are −
 To make the computer system convenient to use in an efficient manner.

 To hide the details of the hardware resources from the users.
 To provide users a convenient interface to use the computer system.
 To act as an intermediary between the hardware and its users, making it easier for the users to
access and use other resources.
 To manage the resources of a computer system.
 To keep track of who is using which resource, granting resource requests, and mediating
conflicting requests from different programs and users.
 To provide efficient and fair sharing of resources among users and programs.
Characteristics of Operating System
Here is a list of some of the most prominent characteristic features of Operating Systems −

 Memory Management − Keeps track of the primary memory, i.e. what part of it is in use by
whom, what part is not in use, etc. and allocates the memory when a process or program requests
it.
 Processor Management − Allocates the processor (CPU) to a process and deallocates the
processor when it is no longer required.
 Device Management − Keeps track of all the devices. This is also called I/O controller that
decides which process gets the device, when, and for how much time.
 File Management − Allocates and de-allocates the resources and decides who gets the
resources.
 Security − Prevents unauthorized access to programs and data by means of passwords and
other similar techniques.
 Job Accounting − Keeps track of time and resources used by various jobs and/or users.
 Control Over System Performance − Records delays between the request for a service and
from the system.
 Interaction with the Operators − Interaction may take place via the console of the computer in
the form of instructions. The Operating System acknowledges the same, does the corresponding
action, and informs the operation by a display screen.
 Error-detecting Aids − Production of dumps, traces, error messages, and other debugging and
error-detecting methods.
 Coordination Between Other Software and Users − Coordination and assignment of compilers,
interpreters, assemblers, and other software to the various users of the computer systems.
Computer - Components
All types of computers follow the same basic logical structure and perform the following five basic
operations for converting raw input data into information useful to their users.

Computer – CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Central Processing Unit (CPU) consists of the following features −
 CPU is considered as the brain of the computer.

 CPU performs all types of data processing operations.
 It stores data, intermediate results, and instructions (program).
 It controls the operation of all parts of the computer.
CPU itself has following three components.
 Memory or Storage Unit

 Control Unit
 ALU(Arithmetic Logic Unit)
Memory or Storage Unit

This unit can store instructions, data, and intermediate results. This unit supplies information to other
units of the computer when needed. It is also known as internal storage unit or the main memory or the
primary storage or Random Access Memory (RAM).
Its size affects speed, power, and capability. Primary memory and secondary memory are two types of
memories in the computer. Functions of the memory unit are −
 It stores all the data and the instructions required for processing.
 It stores intermediate results of processing.
 It stores the final results of processing before these results are released to an output device.
 All inputs and outputs are transmitted through the main memory.
Control Unit
This unit controls the operations of all parts of the computer but does not carry out any actual data
processing operations.
Functions of this unit are −

 It is responsible for controlling the transfer of data and instructions among other units of a
computer.
 It manages and coordinates all the units of the computer.
 It obtains the instructions from the memory, interprets them, and directs the operation of the
computer.
 It communicates with Input/Output devices for transfer of data or results from storage.
 It does not process or store data.

ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
This unit consists of two subsections namely,
 Arithmetic Section
 Logic Section
Arithmetic Section
Function of arithmetic section is to perform arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division. All complex operations are done by making repetitive use of the above operations.
Logic Section
Function of logic section is to perform logic operations such as comparing, selecting, matching, and
merging of data.
Computer - Input Devices
Following are some of the important input devices which are used in a computer −
 Keyboard
 Mouse
 Joy Stick
 Light pen
 Track Ball
 Scanner
 Graphic Tablet
 Microphone
 Magnetic Ink Card Reader(MICR)
 Optical Character Reader(OCR)
 Bar Code Reader
 Optical Mark Reader(OMR)
Keyboard
Keyboard is the most common and very popular input device which helps to input data to the computer.
The layout of the keyboard is like that of traditional typewriter, although there are some additional keys
provided for performing additional functions.

Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or 101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104 keys or 108 keys are
also available for Windows and Internet. The keys on the keyboard are as follows −
Mouse
Mouse is the most popular pointing device. It is a very famous cursor-control device having a small palm
size box with a round ball at its base, which senses the movement of the mouse and sends
corresponding signals to the CPU when the mouse buttons are pressed.
Generally, it has two buttons called the left and the right button and a wheel is present between the
buttons. A mouse can be used to control the position of the cursor on the screen, but it cannot be used
to enter text into the computer.
Advantages
 Easy to use
 Not very expensive
 Moves the cursor faster than the arrow keys of the keyboard.
Joystick
Joystick is also a pointing device, which is used to move the cursor position on a monitor screen. It is a
stick having a spherical ball at its both lower and upper ends. The lower spherical ball moves in a
socket. The joystick can be moved in all four directions.
The function of the joystick is similar to that of a mouse. It is mainly used in Computer Aided Designing
(CAD) and playing computer games.
Light Pen
Light pen is a pointing device similar to a pen. It is used to select a displayed menu item or draw
pictures on the monitor screen. It consists of a photocell and an optical system placed in a small tube.
When the tip of a light pen is moved over the monitor screen and the pen button is pressed, its photocell
sensing element detects the screen location and sends the corresponding signal to the CPU.
Track Ball
Track ball is an input device that is mostly used in notebook or laptop computer, instead of a mouse.
This is a ball which is half inserted and by moving fingers on the ball, the pointer can be moved.
Since the whole device is not moved, a track ball requires less space than a mouse. A track ball comes
in various shapes like a ball, a button, or a square.
Scanner
Scanner is an input device, which works more like a photocopy machine. It is used when some
information is available on paper and it is to be transferred to the hard disk of the computer for further
manipulation.
Scanner captures images from the source which are then converted into a digital form that can be
stored on the disk. These images can be edited before they are printed.
Digitizer
Digitizer is an input device which converts analog information into digital form. Digitizer can convert a
signal from the television or camera into a series of numbers that could be stored in a computer. They
can be used by the computer to create a picture of whatever the camera had been pointed at.
Digitizer is also known as Tablet or Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics and pictorial data into binary
inputs. A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for fine works of drawing and image manipulation
applications.

Microphone
Microphone is an input device to input sound that is then stored in a digital form.
The microphone is used for various applications such as adding sound to a multimedia presentation or
for mixing music.
Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)
MICR input device is generally used in banks as there are large number of cheques to be processed
every day. The bank's code number and cheque number are printed on the cheques with a special type
of ink that contains particles of magnetic material that are machine readable.
This reading process is called Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR). The main advantages of
MICR is that it is fast and less error prone.
Optical Character Reader (OCR)
OCR is an input device used to read a printed text.
OCR scans the text optically, character by character, converts them into a machine readable code, and
stores the text on the system memory.
Bar Code Readers
Bar Code Reader is a device used for reading bar coded data (data in the form of light and dark lines).
Bar coded data is generally used in labelling goods, numbering the books, etc. It may be a handheld
scanner or may be embedded in a stationary scanner.

Bar Code Reader scans a bar code image, converts it into an alphanumeric value, which is then fed to
the computer that the bar code reader is connected to.
Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
OMR is a special type of optical scanner used to recognize the type of mark made by pen or pencil. It is
used where one out of a few alternatives is to be selected and marked.
It is specially used for checking the answer sheets of examinations having multiple choice questions.
Computer - Output Devices
Following are some of the important output devices used in a computer.
 Monitors
 Graphic Plotter
 Printer
Monitors
Monitors, commonly called as Visual Display Unit (VDU), are the main output device of a computer. It
forms images from tiny dots, called pixels that are arranged in a rectangular form. The sharpness of the
image depends upon the number of pixels.
There are two kinds of viewing screen used for monitors.
 Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT)

 Flat-Panel Display

UMSS – TECHNICAL ENGLISH PROGRAM – ENGLISH ONE – TERM II / 2021
Cathode-Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor

The CRT display is made up of small picture elements called pixels. The smaller the pixels, the better
the image clarity or resolution. It takes more than one illuminated pixel to form a whole character, such
as the letter ‘e’ in the word help.
A finite number of characters can be displayed on a screen at once. The screen can be divided into a
series of character boxes - fixed location on the screen where a standard character can be placed. Most
screens are capable of displaying 80 characters of data horizontally and 25 lines vertically.
There are some disadvantages of CRT −
 Large in Size
 High power consumption
Flat-Panel Display Monitor

The flat-panel display refers to a class of video devices that have reduced volume, weight and power
requirement in comparison to the CRT. You can hang them on walls or wear them on your wrists.
Current uses of flat-panel displays include calculators, video games, monitors, laptop computer, and
graphics display.
The flat-panel display is divided into two categories −

 Emissive Displays − Emissive displays are devices that convert electrical energy into light. For
example, plasma panel and LED (Light-Emitting Diodes).
 Non-Emissive Displays − Non-emissive displays use optical effects to convert sunlight or light
from some other source into graphics patterns. For example, LCD (Liquid-Crystal Device).
Printers
Printer is an output device, which is used to print information on paper. There are two types of printers −
 Impact Printers

Sources: https://www.tutorialspoint.com (edited March 17th, 2020 with minor style changes)
 Non-Impact Printers
Impact Printers
Impact printers print the characters by striking them on the ribbon, which is then pressed on the paper.
Characteristics of Impact Printers are the following −
 Very low consumable costs

 Very noisy
 Useful for bulk printing due to low cost
 There is physical contact with the paper to produce an image
These printers are of two types −
 Character printers
 Line printers
Character Printers
Character printers are the printers which print one character at a time. These are further divided into two
types:
 Dot Matrix Printer(DMP)

 Daisy Wheel
Line Printers
Line printers are the printers which print one line at a time. These are of two types −
 Drum Printer
 Chain Printer
Non-impact Printers
Non-impact printers print the characters without using the ribbon. These printers print a complete page
at a time, thus they are also called as Page Printers. These printers are of two types −
 Laser Printers
 Inkjet Printers
Characteristics of Non-impact Printers

 Faster than impact printers
 They are not noisy
 High quality
 Supports many fonts and different character size
Laser Printers
These are non-impact page printers. They use laser lights to produce the dots needed to form the
characters to be printed on a page.
Advantages
 Very high speed

 Very high quality output
 Good graphics quality
 Supports many fonts and different character size
Disadvantages
 Expensive
 Cannot be used to produce multiple copies of a document in a single printing
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are non-impact character printers based on a relatively new technology. They print
characters by spraying small drops of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers produce high quality output with
presentable features.
They make less noise because no hammering is done and these have many styles of printing modes
available. Color printing is also possible. Some models of Inkjet printers can produce multiple copies of
printing also.
Computer - Memory
A memory is just like a human brain. It is used to store data and instructions. Computer memory is the
storage space in the computer, where data is to be processed and instructions required for processing
are stored. The memory is divided into large number of small parts called cells. Each location or cell has
a unique address, which varies from zero to memory size minus one. For example, if the computer has
64k words, then this memory unit has 64 * 1024 = 65536 memory locations. The address of these
locations varies from 0 to 65535. Memory is primarily of three types −
 Cache Memory
 Primary Memory/Main Memory

 Secondary Memory
Cache Memory
Cache memory is a very high speed semiconductor memory which can speed up the CPU. It acts as a
buffer between the CPU and the main memory. It is used to hold those parts of data and program which
are most frequently used by the CPU. The parts of data and programs are transferred from the disk to
cache memory by the operating system, from where the CPU can access them.
Primary Memory (Main Memory)
Primary memory holds only those data and instructions on which the computer is currently working. It
has a limited capacity and data is lost when power is switched off. It is generally made up of
semiconductor device. These memories are not as fast as registers. The data and instruction required to
be processed resides in the main memory. It is divided into two subcategories RAM and ROM.
Secondary Memory
This type of memory is also known as external memory or non-volatile. It is slower than the main
memory. These are used for storing data/information permanently. CPU directly does not access these
memories, instead they are accessed via input-output routines. The contents of secondary memories
are first transferred to the main memory, and then the CPU can access it. For example, disk, CD-ROM,
DVD, etc.
Random Access Memory

RAM (Random Access Memory) is the internal memory of the CPU for storing data, program, and
program result. It is a read/write memory which stores data until the machine is working. As soon as the
machine is switched off, data is erased.
Access time in RAM is independent of the address, that is, each storage location inside the memory is
as easy to reach as other locations and takes the same amount of time. Data in the RAM can be
accessed randomly but it is very expensive.
RAM is volatile, i.e. data stored in it is lost when we switch off the computer or if there is a power failure.
Hence, a backup Uninterruptible Power System (UPS) is often used with computers. RAM is small, both
in terms of its physical size and in the amount of data it can hold. RAM is of two types:
 Static RAM (SRAM)

 Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
Computer – Motherboard
The motherboard serves as a single platform to connect all of the parts of a computer together. It
connects the CPU, memory, hard drives, optical drives, video card, sound card, and other ports and
expansion cards directly or via cables. It can be considered as the backbone of a computer.
Features of Motherboard
A motherboard comes with following features −

 Motherboard varies greatly in supporting various types of components.

 Motherboard supports a single type of CPU and few types of memories.
 Video cards, hard disks, sound cards have to be compatible with the motherboard to function
properly.
 Motherboards, cases, and power supplies must be compatible to work properly together.
Popular Manufacturers
Following are the popular manufacturers of the motherboard.

 Intel
 ASUS
 AOpen
 ABIT
 Biostar
 Gigabyte
 MSI
Description of Motherboard
The motherboard is mounted inside the case and is securely attached via small screws through pre-
drilled holes. Motherboard contains ports to connect all of the internal components. It provides a single
socket for CPU, whereas for memory, normally one or more slots are available. Motherboards provide
ports to attach the floppy drive, hard drive, and optical drives via ribbon cables. Motherboard carries fans
and a special port designed for power supply.
There is a peripheral card slot in front of the motherboard using which video cards, sound cards, and
other expansion cards can be connected to the motherboard.
On the left side, motherboards carry a number of ports to connect the monitor, printer, mouse, keyboard,
speaker, and network cables. Motherboards also provide USB ports, which allow compatible devices to
be connected in plug-in/plug-out fashion. For example, pen drive, digital cameras, etc.
Computer - Memory Units

Memory unit is the amount of data that can be stored in the storage unit. This storage capacity is
expressed in terms of Bytes.
The following table explains the main memory storage units −
S.No. Unit & Description

Bit (Binary Digit)
1 A binary digit is logical 0 and 1 representing a passive or an active state of a component in an

electric circuit.
Nibble
2
A group of 4 bits is called nibble.
Byte
3 A group of 8 bits is called byte. A byte is the smallest unit, which can represent a data item or a
character.
Word
A computer word, like a byte, is a group of fixed number of bits processed as a unit, which varies
from computer to computer but is fixed for each computer.
4
The length of a computer word is called word-size or word length. It may be as small as 8 bits or
may be as long as 96 bits. A computer stores the information in the form of computer words.
The following table lists some higher storage units –
S.No. Unit & Description
Kilobyte (KB)
1
1 KB = 1024 Bytes
Megabyte (MB)
2
1 MB = 1024 KB
GigaByte (GB)
3
1 GB = 1024 MB

TeraByte (TB)
4
1 TB = 1024 GB
PetaByte (PB)
5
1 PB = 1024 TB
Computer - Ports
A port is a physical docking point using which an external device can be connected to the computer. It
can also be programmatic docking point through which information flows from a program to the computer
or over the Internet.
Characteristics of Ports
A port has the following characteristics −
 External devices are connected to a computer using cables and ports.

 Ports are slots on the motherboard into which a cable of external device is plugged in.
 Examples of external devices attached via ports are the mouse, keyboard, monitor, microphone,
speakers, etc.


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UMSS – TECHNICAL ENGLISH PROGRAM – ENGLISH ONE –2023

UNIVERSIDAD MAYOR DE SAN SIMÓN

MATERIA: Inglés I (1803001)

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

 It is capable of performing calculation of very large amount of data.

Reduction in Paper Work and Cost

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

S.No. Type Specifications

PC (Personal It is a single user computer system having moderately powerful

It is also a single user computer system, similar to personal computer

3 Mini Computer It is a multi-user computer system, capable of supporting hundreds of

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

It is a multi-user computer system, capable of supporting hundreds of

It is an extremely fast computer, which can execute hundreds of millions

Following are the main five generations of computers.

The main features of the first generation are −

 Supported machine language only

Some computers of this generation were −

The main features of second generation are −

 Faster than first generation computers

The main features of third generation are −

Some computers of this generation were −

The main features of fourth generation are −

Some computers of this generation were −

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

 Development of Natural language processing

 Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates

Examples of Hardware are the following −

 Input devices − keyboard, mouse, etc.

Relationship between Hardware and Software

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

There are two types of software −

Here is a list of some of the most prominent features of a system software −

Features of application software are as follows −

 Close to the user

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

The Operating System is a program with the following features −

Objectives of Operating System

The objectives of the operating system are −

 To make the computer system convenient to use in an efficient manner.

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

Computer – CPU (Central Processing Unit)

 CPU is considered as the brain of the computer.

CPU itself has following three components.

 Memory or Storage Unit

Memory or Storage Unit

Functions of this unit are −

 It does not process or store data.

Computer - Input Devices

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

Magnetic Ink Card Reader (MICR)

Optical Character Reader (OCR)

OCR is an input device used to read a printed text.

Bar Code Readers

ENGLISH ONE Reading Text - 2023 bc/eg/ip/

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)