What is a Computer?

What is a Computer?

Computer; According to the pre-loaded program, it carries various arithmetic and logical operations by storing various information-data in appropriate environments and bringing them back when required; is an electronic device that works very fast.

The electronic part of the computer is called hardware, and the program part is called software.

The following 4 elements have never changed in the development of the computer.

1. Input of Information (Input units: Keyboard, mouse, camera, scanner, fax-modem etc.)

2. Storage of information (Memory: Harddisk, floppy, cd-rom etc.)

3. Processing of information (Brain: Central processing unit-Central Processing Unit-CPU)

4. Output of the information (Output units: Monitor / screen, Printer / printer, plotter / plotter, modem)

Computer Hardware

Hardware is the name given to all kinds of physical parts that make up the computer. The hardware consists of a Central Processing Unit (CPU) and peripherals connected to this unit. Peripherals are also divided into two parts: input devices and output devices.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

It is the basic element in the computer. It is also called as microprocessor. It processes commands, performs calculations, controls and manages the flow of information inside the computer.

Each new generation of microprocessors is much more powerful than the previous one. Generations 286, 386 and 486 are now demo. Today, pentium and higher processors are valid.

Microprocessors; It is produced by companies such as Intel, IBM, AMD and Cyrix. Microprocessors of Intel are widely used.

Main Memory (RAM)

The main memory or random access memory (RAM) is where data and programs read from an input device or a secondary storage device, results from running programs, and outputs ready to be sent to a secondary storage device or an output device are kept. The term "random access" is used here to mean that the computer can go directly to any address in the memory and read or write the information. Data is temporarily held in the main memory; In other words, this data is deleted when the computer is turned off. In multi-user systems, when the computer finishes doing any work for a user, data and programs that need to be processed for other users are placed in the same part of the main memory. The main memory is slightly more expensive than other information storage tools.

The main tasks of main memory can be summarized as follows.

1. To keep the program statements of the currently running programs and the data needed by these programs.

2. Keeping operating system components that must remain in main memory continuously after the operating system is installed.

3. Keeping the results produced by the programs.

4. Keeping output information ready to be sent to hard disks or to an external device.

Each region in the main memory has an address so that you can access the data and programs residing in memory as needed.

The size of the main memory; it affects the number of programs that can run simultaneously and the speed at which programs run.

Cache Memory

It is a memory that functions between the main memory and the central processing unit and is much faster than the main memory. This memory unit; It is used as a "summer-board" for computer instructions and information that is kept temporarily during the process. Reduces CPU's time spent receiving data from main memory; this speeds up the computer. When the CPU needs to retrieve data from the main memory, it checks if that data is in the internal cache. The internal cache stores a copy of the CPU's most recent data. If the searched data cannot be found in the internal cache, the external cache is checked. Data that cannot be found in the external cache is taken from the main memory. This is a slower process than cache.

BİOS (Basic İnput Output System)

The BIOS chip contains a program that checks the parts and makes them ready for operation at the computer startup. It is a program recorded on ROM (Read Only Memory) type memory. Information in this type of memory is not deleted when you shut down the computer.

Note: The BIOS is registered on Flash ROM on most motherboards produced today. The contents of this type of memory are not erased when you turn off the computer, but can be modified by running a special program, so that errors contained in the BIOS can be eliminated.

The first task of the BIOS is to check the various parts such as memory during the boot-up of the computer and warn the user if there is a problem.

If you press a special key (usually the DEL key) during booting, the BIOS setup screen appears. If necessary on this screen, you can change various information and settings, such as the type of hard disk drives.

Motherboard

The bus is a system that carries information between different units in the computer.

It is the basic circuit board of a computer. All electrical components in the computer are connected to the motherboard.

Ports on the Back of the Computer Case:

Serial Port, also called “Male Connector”, has 9 or 25 pins (pins) on these ports. Mouse, mouse, modem, scanner (scanner) and sometimes printer are connected to serial ports. The computer sees each serial port with COM tag (COM1, COM2 ...)

Parallel Port, also known as “female connector”, these ports have 25 holes. Printer and tape units are attached to parallel ports. The computer sees each parallel port with the LPT tag.

Monitor Port to connect the monitor. Located on the video card

The keyboard port, keyboard, and mouse port connect the mouse to the computer.

USA (Universal Seril Boom) port, a new standard USA; it connects all devices chained from mouse to keyboard. With USA ports, up to 127 devices can be easily added to the computer.

The game port connects the joysticks to the computer. It is usually located on the sound card.

Hard Disk (Hard disk) and Floppy Disks

As mentioned above, the information is processed and evaluated in the computer's memory. If the computer was turned off or the power was cut off, the information in the memory was deleted. Information must be transferred to a magnetic medium to permanently store information temporarily stored in memory.

Hard disks and floppy disks are among the most used magnetic media. The floppy disks can be inserted and removed from the computer, while the hard disks remain in the computer. Floppy disks have both low capacities and the speed of reading and writing information from the diskette is extremely low compared to hard disks. In addition, hard disks are more durable and durable than floppy disks. That is, the hard disk drive is the most basic unit used by a computer to store information. The data is stored magnetically on a number of rotating discs (Recorded information becomes File).

Your computer may have multiple hard disk drives, or a hard disk can be divided into two or more partitions. The first hard drive is called the C drive. Then the installed hard disks take the letters D, E, F ... respectively.

Note: The letter D is usually used for the CD-ROM drive.

The amount of information that a hard disk can store is measured in MB (Mega Byte) and GB (Giga Byte). The capacity of hard drives today is between 10-50 GB.

Note: Although 1 GB = 1024 MB, some hard disk manufacturers define it as 1 GB = 1000 MB.

Floppy disk is a portable tool that stores data in magnetic media. It is necessary to format (format) a disk (and hard disk) before using it for the first time. Formatting makes the disk ready for use by dividing it into tracks and sectors.

The floppy disks are divided into two according to their size: 3.5 ”and 5.25”. Two common standards are used for the data storage capacities of 3.5 ”floppy disks used today:

1.Double density (Double Density-DD): 720 KB

2.High density (High Density-HD): 1.44 MB

On computers, the floppy drive is called A (second drive B, if present).

CD-ROM Drive

The CD-ROM (Compact Disk - Read Only Memory) drive is the tool that reads numerical information on compact discs. Reading on CD-ROM drives is done by laser beam.

In CD-RWs, separate laser beam is used for separate writing for reading.

CD-ROMs are discs made of aluminum, covered with transparent polycarbonate material and a protective polish is applied on them. CDs are more reliable than other recording units. The information storage capacity of a CD is approximately 650-750 MB.

Monitor (Display)

The monitor (or display) is a device that converts the signals sent from the computer's microprocessor into an image that is visible to the eye. In other words, it is the environment where the information processed by the CPU is transmitted to the user; is an output unit. One of the most important features of the monitors is the clarity or resolution of the images on the screen.

The resolution (resulation) is measured horizontally and vertically by the number of dots on the screen. As the resolution increases, more information fits on the screen, but the images on the screen become smaller. Multisync monitors can work in different resolutions (such as 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024). Thus, we can expand and narrow the images on the screen according to the purpose.

Size: The size of the monitor is measured by the diagonal length of the screen. Standard monitors are 14 ”or 15” (inch) in size. In order to work comfortably at resolutions higher than 1024x768, a 17 ”or larger monitor should be selected.

Spot spacing: Image sharpness depends on the distance between the dots on the screen surface. The smaller the dot pitch, the clearer the image. On older monitors, this is 0.39 mm, while on current monitors it is usually 0.28 or smaller.

Screen refresh: The image on the screen should be refreshed at least 60 times per second. As the screen refresh frequency increases, a more stable image is obtained. The monitors called “non-interlaced” make the eyes less tired because they can scan the screen at once.

Units of Information on Computer

Bit (binary digit): It is the name of the smallest information consisting of 0's and 1's, which has a meaning in the computer.

Byte: It is a 1 character information formed by the combination of 8 bits.

Character: letters, numbers or symbols. Each character is called 1 character.

1 Byte = 1 Character = 8 Bit

1024 Byte = 1 Kilo Byte (KB), 1024 KB = 1 Mega Byte (MB), 1024 MB = 1 Giga Byte (GB)

Transactions with Computer

Transactions with a computer consist of three basic activities: Entry / exit transactions, transactions on data, and storage and transportation of data or information.

1. Input / output processes: A computer has the ability to receive data collected through various input and output devices and also to present the processed data.

2. Transactions on data: The following transactions can be performed on the data by the computer.

a. Classification: Classification is usually done through predetermined abbreviations or codes for data. Code types; It can be numerical (such as 111,112,113), alphabetical (such as A, B, C), or alphanumeric (as a mixture of numbers and letters such as A1, B1, C1).

b. Arithmetic and logical operations: Arithmetic operations are subject to operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The computer also has the ability to make logical comparisons. For example, when comparing two data units expressed as A and B, there are only three possible results. (1) A is less than B (AB). This ability to compare is an important feature of the computer. Because most complex problems can be solved by making comparisons.

c. Sorting: If the data is arranged in a logical order, it is easier to work with and analyze them. For example, numerical data can be arranged from small to large or large to small, and alphabetical data from A to Z or Z to A. This arrangement that the computer makes by making logical comparisons is called sequencing.

D. Summarizing (graphics): Reducing data stacks to shorter and available form is called summarizing. The fact that the computer extracts pie or column charts from the data with the help of various graphic programs is an example of summarizing.

3.Storage and transfer operations: Storage is the storage of data and information on a device such as a hard disk, floppy disk, CD-ROM or magnetic tape for later use. When requested, this data and information can be accessed and used quickly. Computers also have the ability to transfer data and information from one place to another. Communication can be done with any electronic communication tool.

Computer network (network)

A computer network can be defined as the system created by connecting two or more computers via a communication device (wired or wireless) together with all communication, software and hardware components. The computer network includes at least one server computer (server) and a client computer (terminals), modem or ethernet (network) card, communication protocol and similar communication tools. Users connected to such a network can share many software and hardware.

Network systems are examined under two main headings: close and remote connections.

Network systems in which computers at close distances are connected are called LAN (Local Area Network), and network systems in which computers at long distances are connected are called WAN (Wide Area Network).

Computer networks started with the aim of sharing computer resources and electronic object and turned into a communication, sharing, solidarity and collaboration environment. A user can use the resources on the network with the PC-terminal workstation at the desk. This provides the user with an interface independent of his computer. In an other saying; In order to use a specific program or database, it is not necessary to be at the computer where the program is installed, the program can use a program running on the user's own computer or the computer related to remote use (telnet, remote login) can also use the program and database.

The Internet, which is the largest and in a sense a total of computer networks, consists of millions of computers of all kinds, large and small, and allows electronic mail exchange with about 200 countries and online electronic objects with about 100 countries.

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