Computer basics for beginners

Computer Basics for Beginners
TYPES OF COMPUTERS
By Abdul-rahaman

Objectives over view
Types of computer base on principle of
Operations
Analog
Digital
hybrid
Configurations
Super
Mainframe
Mini
micro

TYPE OF COMPUTERS
Computers can be classified based on their
principles of operation or on their configuration.
By configuration, we mean the size, speed of doing
computation and storage capacity of a computer.

Types of Computers based on
Principles of Operation
There are three different types of computers
according to the principles of operation.
Those three types of computers are
Analog Computers
Digital Computers
Hybrid Computers

Types of Computers based on Principles of
Operation

Analog Computers
Analog Computer is a computing device that works
on continuous range of values.
The results given by the analog computers will only
be approximate since they deal with quantities that
vary continuously.
It generally deals with physical variables such as
voltage, pressure, temperature, speed, etc.

Digital Computers
On the other hand a digital computer operates on digital data
such as numbers. It uses binary number system in which there
are only two digits 0 and 1. Each one is called a bit.
The digital computer is designed using digital circuits in which
there are two levels for an input or output signal. These two
levels are known as logic 0 and logic 1. Digital Computers can give
more accurate and faster results.
Digital computer is well suited for solving complex problems in
engineering and technology. Hence digital computers have an
increasing use in the field of design, research and data
processing.

Further classification of digital computers
Based on the purpose, Digital computers can be further classified
as,
General Purpose Computers
Special Purpose Computers
Special purpose computer is one that is built for a specific
application. General purpose computers are used for any type of
applications.
They can store different programs and do the jobs as per the
instructions specified on those programs. Most of the computers
that we see today, are general purpose computers.

Hybrid Computers
A hybrid computer combines the desirable features of
analog and digital computers. It is mostly used for
automatic operations of complicated physical processes
and machines.
Now-a-days analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog
converters are used for transforming the data into
suitable form for either type of computation.
For example, in hospital’s ICU, analog devices might
measure the patients temperature, blood pressure and
other vital signs.

CON’T
These measurements which are in analog might
then be converted into numbers and supplied to
digital components in the system.
These components are used to monitor the
patient’s vital sign and send signals if any abnormal
readings are detected.
Hybrid computers are mainly used for specialized
tasks.

Types of Computers based on Configuration
There are four different types of computers when we
classify them based on their performance and
capacity.
The four types are
Super Computers
Mainframe Computers
Mini Computers
Micro Computers

Super Computers
They are the best in terms of processing capacity and also the most
expensive ones.
These computers can process billions of instructions per second.
Normally, they will be used for applications which require intensive
numerical computations such as stock analysis, weather forecasting
etc.
Other uses of supercomputers are scientific simulations, (animated)
graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research,
electronic design, and analysis of geological data (e.g. in
petrochemical prospecting).

Con’ t
Perhaps the best known super computer
manufacturer is Cray Research. Some of
the "traditional" companies which produce super
computers are Cray, IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
As of July 2009, the IBM Roadrunner, located at Los
Alamos National Laboratory, is the fastest super
computer in the world.

Mainframe Computers
Mainframe computers can also process data at
very high speeds vi.e., hundreds of million
instructions per second and they are also quite
expensive.
Normally, they are used in banking, airlines and
railways etc for their applications.

Mini Computers
Mini computers are lower to mainframe computers in
terms of speed and storage capacity.
They are also less expensive than mainframe computers.
Some of the features of mainframes will not be available
in mini computers.
Hence, their performance also will be less than that of
mainframes.

Micro Computers
The invention of microprocessor (single chip CPU)
gave birth to the much cheaper micro computers.
They are further classified into:
Desktop Computers
Laptop Computers
Handheld Computers(PDAs)

Desktop Computers
Today the Desktop computers are the most popular
computer systems. These desktop computers are also
known as personal computers or simply PCs.
They are usually easier to use and more affordable.
They are normally intended for individual users for
their word processing and other small application
requirements.

Laptop Computers
Laptop computers are portable computers. They are
lightweight computers with a thin screen.
They are also called as notebook computers because of
their small size. They can operate on batteries and
hence are very popular with travelers.
The screen folds down onto the keyboard when not in
use.

Handheld Computers
Handheld computers or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are pen-
based and also battery-powered.
They are small and can be carried anywhere. They use a pen like
stylus and accept handwritten input directly on the screen.
They are not as powerful as desktops or laptops but they are used
for scheduling appointments, storing addresses and playing
games.
They have touch screens which we use with a finger or a stylus.

End of presentation
By Abdul-rahaman

Computer basics for beginners

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