computer hardware and software

Overview and Characteristics of Computers Overview As the twenty-first century ushers in the Information Age , we will experience new ways of living and working. The only way we can take advantage of and manage the vast amounts of available information is through the understanding of how computers work and through the ability to use computers. Most people believe that knowing how to use a computer is a basic skill necessary to succeed in the work world and to function effectively in society. This overview module will help you join the Information Age by learning the definition and characteristics of computers. Even if you do not have a home computer or use a computer at work, you have been using computers for some time. When you use an ATM , when you use a bank debit card , or when you order merchandise by phone; you are using a computer. You have also been exposed to many computer advertisements. The goal of this study guide...

Computers , as the term suggests, were originally developed for computing and calculations . However, present day computers are more commonly used for non-numeric purposes like graphics, music, and word processing than for numeric calculations. Computer is an electronic device which can receive, store, and process data according to a set of instructions (known as computer program) stored in it to generate the output. The data could be almost any thing, like The Names, Register numbers and Marks of students in a class, or it could be a Song, a Picture, or a Document or it could be the Temperature and Pressure on different parts of a Space-craft or the Blood pressure, E.C.G and other vital parameters of a patient in the critical care unit of a hospital or the Photo, Finger print and other details of a suspected criminal. Whatever is the data, the computer stores and handles all of them as just numbers or digits. Hence such computers are known as Digital Computers . Almost all computers ...