COMPUTER

HARDWARE
Chapter 4

Objectives:

List the key hardware components of a

computer and the four basic operations
of the central processing unit.
Describe how power is measured for
computers.
Describe common computer input,
output, and storage devices.
Discuss the history of computers.

Objectives:

Describe the three classes of computers

and key functionalities of each class.
Describe computer
network/communications devices and
functionality.

What is a HARDWARE?

Defined as all the physical components

of the machine itself.
The computer systems are composed of
many different component parts that
enable the user to communicate with the
computer, and with other computers to
produce work.

What is a HARDWARE?

Computers
are
now
pervasive
throughout the healthcare industry. Their
applications are expected to continue to
expand and thereby improve the quality
of health care while at the same time
reducing some costs.

COMPUTER
HARDWARE
FUNDAMENTALS

System Unit (The Box)

Contains the motherboard.

Motherboard is a thin, flat sheet made
of a firm, nonconducting material on
which the internal components. The
board is made of a dielectric or
nonconducting plastic material.

Four Basic Components of a

Computer:

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Input Controllers/Devices
Output Controllers/Devices
Storage Media

Central Processing Unit

(CPU)

Is the brains of the computer. It

consists of at least one arithmetic and
logic unit, a control unit, and a memory.
The arithmetic and logic unit controls
mathematical functions.
The control unit carries out the machine
language functions like fetch, execute,
decode and store

Central Processing Unit

(CPU)

The memory includes the locations of the

computers internal or main working
storage. It consists of registers, RAM, and
cache.

Memory

Two Types of Memory:

Read Only Memory

A

form of permanent storage. Data and

programs can only be read by the computer,
and cannot be erased or altered.

Random Access Memory

Refers

to working memory used for primary

storage. It is volatile and used as temporary
storage.

Storage Media

Hard Drive a peripheral that has very

high speed and high density.
Diskettes
CD-ROMS
USB Disk

COMPUTER POWER

Bits and Bytes

The terms bits and bytes refer to how

the machine stores information at the
lowest, or closest to machine registers
and memory level.
Computers do not process information as
words or numbers, they handle it by
bytes.

Bits and Bytes

Bits and Bytes

A bit (binary digit) is a unit in the

binary numbering system. Binary means
two, so a bit can assume one of two
positions. on/off switch on equals the
value 1 and off equals the value 0.

Computer Speed

The CPU speed is measured in cycles per

second which are called the clock speed
of the computer. One million per second
is called one megahertz (MHz).
In general, the higher the clock speed
possessed by the CPU, the faster and the
more powerful the computer.

DESCRIPTIVE TERMS
USED IN COMPUTING

Descriptive Terms Used in

Computing

The computer is automatic because it is

self-instructed.
The computer electronic because it uses
microelectronic components etched on
silicon chips for its security.
Computers
are
general-purpose
machines, because the user can
program, them to process all types of
problems and can solve any problem.

Descriptive Terms Used in

Computing

The computer is also characterized by its

speed, reliability due to silicon circuitry
and its ability to store large amounts of
data that can be retrieved quickly.

HISTORY OF
COMPUTERS

History of Computers
(The First Generation Computers)

Colossus Mark 1 the first true digital

computer. Built in 1943, with funds from
the US Military and used airplane design.

History of Computers
(The First Generation Computers)

World War II Military Computers were

very different from todays computers.

They were big.

Less power than an ordinary desktop
computer.
Few operations they could perform.

History of Computers
(The First Generation Computers)

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator

and Computer)

The first vacuum tube computer developed

by Eckert and Mauchly.

UNIVAC 1

First large scale computer system.

History of Computers
(The First Generation Computers)

ENIAC

UNIVAC

History of Computers
(The First Generation Computers)

The UNIVAC and other first generation

computers used vacuum tubes in their
design.

History of Computers
(The 2nd Generation Computers)
Introduced in the late 1950s.
Used transistors instead of
vacuum tubes.

History of Computers
(The 3rd Generation Computers)

Introduced in the mid-1960s.

These used microminiature, solid state
components.

The Four Generations of Digital

Computing
The First generation (1951 -1958)

The Second generation (1959 1963)

Transistors

The Third generation (1964 1979)

The vacuum tubes

Integrated Circuits

The Fourth generation (1979 present)

Microprocessors

CLASSES OF
COMPUTERS

Analog Computers

Operates on continuous physical or

electrical
magnitudes,
measuring
ongoing continuous analog, quantities
such as voltage, current, temperature
and pressure.
Examples:

Heart monitors and fetal monitors

Digital Computers

Operates on discrete discontinuous

numerical digits using the binary
numbering system.
Example:

Charting and decision support.

Hybrid Computers

Contains features of both the analog and

the digital computers.
Used for specific applications, such as
complex signal processing and other
engineering-oriented applications.
Examples:

Physiologic monitors

COMMON HARDWARE
PERIPHERALS

Common Hardware
Peripherals

Keyboard:

Section of keys:
Typewriter

keys / alphanumeric keys

Function keys
Numeric keypad
Cursor keys / Arrow keys
Toggle keys
Special operations keys

Common Hardware
Peripherals

Monitor
Mouse and Trackball
Floppy Disks/Diskettes and CD-ROMS
Touch Pad and Mouse Button
Light Pen/Touch Screen
Optical Character Recognition
Magnetic-Ink Character Recognition

Common Hardware
Peripherals

Voice Synthesizer
Imaging
Digital Versatile Disk
Printers
Modems

BASIC OF COMPUTER
NETWORK
HARDWARE

Basic Of Computer Network

Hardware

The most important components of a

network hardware are the ff:

NIC (Network Interface Card)

Cabling
Server

The most important concept of network

hardware are the ff:

Topology
Architecture

Basic Of Computer Network

Hardware

NIC a computer circuit board or card

that is installed in a computer so that it
can be connected to a network.
Communication Medium (Cabling)
actual transfer of data from one site to
the other takes place. Choice of
communication medium is based on the
following: distance, amount of data
transfer, how often the transfer is
needed and availability.

Basic Of Computer Network

Hardware

Architecture refers to an overall

physical
structure,
peripherals,
interconnections within the computer,
and its system software, especially the
operating system.
Topology defines how the network in
LAN are interconnected within a physical
area and describes their physical
interconnection.