Today’s world is an information-rich world and it has become a necessity for everyone to know about computers. This chapter covers the definition of a computer, development of computers, parts of a computer and safety precautions when handling computer components in the laboratory. It also provides a practical guide on how to use the keyboard and the mouse adequately in order to enhance your speed and accuracy while using a computer.
Definition of a computer
•Def 1:A computer is an electronic device capable of accepting data as input, process it and give out information as output. This is made possible by a set of instructions called programs in the computer.
•Def 2: A computer is an electronic device that processes data into information with the help of computer programs that provide the required instruction set for processing.
•Def 3: An electronic device that processes a user’s input usually referred to as data to desired output, also known as information.
The figure below shows a block diagram of input, process and output functionality of a computer
Data verses Information
Data can be defined as raw facts fed into the computer for processing. Data has no meaning to the user and may include numbers, letters, symbols.
Information on the other hand refers to the already processed data useful for decision making.
Processing is the act of converting from one form to another i.e. data (raw facts) to information (already processed data)
| Data |
Information |
|
Number of students in a class |
The total number of students in a class is 40, including 26 Girls and 14 Boys. The students are aged between 13 to 15 years. |
|
Number of computers in a school |
The total number of computers in the school is 40. Twenty-five of the machines are personal computers stored in the computer laboratory, while the remaining 15 are laptops that are distributed in the offices. All the 40 computers are networked. |
Process that data may undergo to translate it into information
|
Data |
Process |
Information |
|
Picture |
Edit |
An edited copy of a picture |
|
3+7 |
Addition |
3+7=10 |