Computer Applications In Business, would help you in revising the different concepts discussed in the book. It would help you in assessing the knowledge you get after reading this book. The quiz contains certain questions which you might come across during your examination. It would enable you to judge the concepts you learned from the book by adopting a logical approach. This quiz includes different types of questions, such as multiple choice questions, true-false, and fill in the blanks.

1. COURSE CODE :: BCOM
11 COURSE ::COMPUTER
APPLICATIONS IN
BUSINESS
Unit -1 :: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

2. INTRODUCTION


The term computer is derived from the word
compute, which means to calculate. In simple
words, a computer is an electronic device, which
takes input from the user in the form of data,
processes that data according to the instructions
given by the user, and displays the output on the
screen.
Computers are now used in almost all the
domains including business, academics, defense,
budgeting, research, engineering, medicine, and
space exploration. Apart from maintaining the dayto-day records of an organization, computer also
helps to perform various other tasks, such as
generating the revenue and comparing the annual
sales records of the organization.

3. OBJECTIVES

Learn about computer and its features

Explore the evolution of computer

Know about the basic parts of a computer

Learn about the different types of computers

Explore about computer hardware and software components

4. DEFINITION AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF
COMPUTER

A computer is a machine that accepts the input in form of data or
information, and processes it according to the instructions provided by the
user to produce the desired output.

A computer consists of software and hardware devices that interact with
each other to produce the desired output.

The following are some of the characteristics of a computer:

Speed: Refers to the rate at which a computer performs all its operations. A
computer processes all the computations in fractions of seconds.

Storage and reliability: Refers to the storage capacity of a computer, that is,
how much information can be stored in a computer. The reliability feature helps
the computer to generate the output at the location specified by a user.

Accuracy: Refers to the degree of accurate results generated by the computer.

Versatility: Allows you to use computers in almost every field or domain, such as
teaching, training, entertainment, accounting, and hospitality, to perform the
desired task.

5. EVOLUTION OF
COMPUTERS

Abacus
The term Abacus came from a calculating tool used in ancient days by
the merchants of Asian and African continents to perform arithmetic
calculations.

ENIAC and EDVAC
Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was the first
electronic computer introduced in February 19, 1946. It could perform
5,000 additions or subtraction and 360 multiplications in just one
second. Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC),
was based on a new concept of storing information in a large internal
memory

IBM Personal Computer
In late 1970s, IBM decided to provide computers to common people
and developed one in 1981 with considerable lesser size and cost than
its predecessors. IBM called it a PC.

6. GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER

First generation computers (1940-1956)
The first generation computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. The
computers of first generation relied on machine languages to perform operations and could solve only
one problem at a time.

Second generation computers (1956-1963)
In the second generation of computers, vacuum tubes of the first generation of computers were
replaced by transistors. The computers of second generation were small, fast, and precise in making
calculations, and consumed less electricity. In addition, the computers of second generation also
included printers, primary memory, and storage media to save documents and operating systems.

Third generation computers (1964-1971)
Integrated Circuit (IC) was developed in the third generation of computers. In this generation, users
interacted with computers with the help of keyboards, monitors, and Operating System (OS).

Fourth generation computers (1971-Present)
The major contribution of the fourth generation of computers came in 1971 when Intel, a major chip
manufacturer, came up with its own chip known as 4004. The 4004 chip of Intel was one step ahead
than IC, as it brought CPU, memory, and input and output controls under a single chip.

Fifth generation computers
The major contribution of the fifth generation computer is artificial intelligence.

7. CLASSIFICATION OF
COMPUTERS

Computer for Individuals
The computer that is meant for single accessibility, that is used by a single user, at a
point of time is known as the computer for individuals. The types of computers that are
meant for individual use are:


Handheld computer

Notebook computer

Tablets PCs


Desktop computer
Smart phones
Computers for Organizations
These computers are used by large enterprises and organizations, such as insurance
and banking, to perform multiple tasks simultaneously. Some examples of the computers
used by organizations are listed as follows:

Mainframe computers

Super computers

Minicomputers

Microcomputers

Self-destructing computers

8. PROCESSORS USED IN PCs

System Unit
The system unit is the most important part of a computer system. All devices,
such as keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, and speakers, are linked to the
system unit through cables, which are plugged into the back of the system
unit.

Basic Input Output System
BIOS is a built-in software, which keeps track of all devices, such as keyboard,
monitor, and disk drives attached to a computer and provides an
intercommunication channel between them.

Memory
The term memory stands for data storage that is in the form of chips, and the
term storage is used for memory that exists on tapes or disks.

Hard Disks
Hard disk is considered as the non-volatile, random access drive used to store
data in digital form.

9. COMPUTER SOFTWARES
Software is a set of computer programs and related
data that are used to provide instructions to a
computer to perform a specific task.
 System software
The system software consists of programs,
languages, and documentation supplied to the end
user by the manufacturer of the computer.
 Application software
An application software mainly focuses on executing
a particular set of functions or instructions provided
by the user.

10. DESCRIBING COMPUTER
HARDWARE

The input devices are those devices (hardware equipment)
that are used to enter data, commands, programs, and
various user responses into the computer system. There are
different types of input devices, such as keyboard, mic to
input voice data, web-camera for video input, and mouse as a
pointing device, all of which together are referred as an input
unit.

The output device is an electronic equipment connected to a
computer and is used to communicate the results of the data
processing. The different output devices are monitor, plotters,
printer, and speakers.

A computer system also consists of some other hardware
devices that you can use to communicate with other people
over the Internet. These include mode, web camera,
Headphone, and Mike.

11. COMPUTER LANGUAGES
A computer understands only the instructions given by a programmer in a predefined
format, known as the programming language. The generations of languages can be
divided into the following categories:

First Generation Languages — 1GLs (Machine Languages)
In the machine language, instructions contain long strings of 0s and 1s. The symbol (1)
in the string is interpreted by the computer as the presence of the electric pulse,
whereas the symbol (0) is interpreted as the absence of the electric pulse.

Second Generation Languages — 2GLs (Assembly Languages)
An assembly language is similar to the English language and is in a human readable
format.

Third Generation Languages — 3GLs (High-level Languages)
3GLs are simple to understand by humans, as they include easy to learn syntax for
developing a program.

Fourth Generation Languages (4GLs)
A programmer using a 4GL just needs to decide about the tasks that must be performed
by the program; the rest is taken care of by the predefined built-in functions.

12. THE LANGUAGE PROCESSOR




a language processor is responsible for
translating one type of language into another
type of language. Let’s now discuss three
important language processors:
Assembler: Converts the man-readable data
to machine-readable data.
Compiler: Converts a complete program from
a high-level language to machine language.
Interpreter: Converts the code written in a
high-level language into machine language
code, line by line.

13. NETWORK
A network is an arrangement in which two or more computers are
connected in such a way that they are able to communicate with each
other. The networks modes are as follows:
 The Peer-to-Peer Network
The peer-to-peer network is a group of user-oriented computers and
each computer connected in this network is called a peer. Peers share
resources, such as files and printers; however, no specialized server
exists.
 The Client/Server Network
In the client/server network, computers provide services to each other.
This network model allows users to access information, resources, and
services located anywhere within the client/server network.
 The Hybrid Network
The hybrid network refers to a combination of two or more networks.
This can include several star networks that are connected by the bus
or ring topology, or several ring networks connected by the bus
topology.

14. SUMMARY








A computer is a machine that accepts the input in form of data or information, and
processes it according to the instructions provided by the user to produce the
desired output.
A computer consists of various components, such as CPU, monitor, mouse, and
keyboard.
The system unit is the most important part of a computer system. It resembles a
rectangular box containing some buttons and disk drives at the front side, and
sockets of different shapes and sizes at the back side.
BIOS is a built-in software, which keeps track of all devices, such as keyboard,
monitor, and disk drives attached to a computer and provides an intercommunication
channel between them.
The physical components of a computer are known as computer hardware. Some
hardware components are already attached to a computer, such as monitor and
keyboard; however, depending upon your requirements, you can also install
additional hardware components, such as scanner or printer.
A device that lets you enter data or instructions in a computer is known as an input
device.
The output device is an electronic equipment connected to a computer and is used to
communicate the results of the data processing.
A computer understands only the instructions given by a programmer in a predefined
format, known as the programming language.
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