Experiment No.

1
CONCEPTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
I.

Objective
To introduce the main concepts of ICT at a general level, and to know the different components of a
computer system.

II. Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

Familiarize what hardware is, know about factors that affect computer performance and know

about peripheral devices.

Familiarize what software is and give examples of common applications software and

operating system software.

Familiarize how information networks are used within computing, and be aware of the different

options to connect to the Internet.

Familiarize what Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is and give examples of its

practical applications in everyday life.

Familiarize health and safety and environmental issues in relation to using computers.
Recognize important security issues associated with using computers.
Recognize important legal issues in relation to copyright and data protection associated with
using computers.

III. Discussion

A computer is a general purpose device which can be programmed to carry out a finite set of
arithmetic or logical operations. Since a sequence of operations can be readily changed, the
computer can solve more than one kind of problem. The essential point of a computer is to
implement an idea, the terms of which are satisfied by Alan Turing's Universal Turing machine.
Conventionally, a computer consists of at least one processing element and some form of memory.
The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a sequencing and control
unit that can change the order of operations based on stored information. Peripheral devices allow
information to be retrieved from an external source, and the result of operations saved.
A computer's processing unit executes a series of instructions that make it read, manipulate and
then store data. Conditional instructions change the sequence of instructions as a function of the
current state of the machine or its environment.

In order to interact with such a machine, programmers and engineers developed the concept of a
user interface in order to accept input from humans and return results for human consumption.
The first electronic digital computers were developed between 1940 and 1945 in the United
Kingdom and United States. Originally, they were the size of a large room, consuming as much
power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). [1] In this era mechanical analog
computers were used for military applications.
Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than
the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space. [2] Simple computers are small enough to fit
into mobile devices, and mobile computers can be powered by small batteries. Personal computers
in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as
"computers". However, the embedded computers found in many devices from mp3 players to
fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous.
Information technology (IT) is a branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers to
store, retrieve, and transmit information. The acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of
vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of
computing and telecommunications are its main fields. The term in its modern sense first appeared
in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review, in which authors Leavitt and Whisler
commented that "the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it
information technology (IT)." Some of the modern and emerging fields of Information technology
are next generation web technologies, bioinformatics, cloud computing, global information systems,
large scale knowledge bases, etc. Advancements are mainly driven in the field of computer science
on top of an evolving electronics infrastructure made possible by Moore's law, Engineering,
Physics/Mathematics, Defense (military) expenditures, public/private R&D, and the consumer
product marketplace.
IV. Exercises
Exercise 1.1
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE
Use the words below to fill in the gaps in the text.

desktop publishing

floppy disk drive

spreadsheets

speakers

work

monitors

hardware

databases

Software

see

word processors

Printers

Computer ________________ are the physical parts that make up a computer system. They
are the parts that you can ________________ and touch.
Examples of computer hardware are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________

_______________ is used to provide instructions to the computer so that it can perform

certain tasks. It is needed
Without software, the computer will not ________________.
Examples of computer software are:
1.
2.
3.
4.

______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________

Challenge:
Write down the extra fact that you found out about hardware:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 1.2
PERIPHERALS

In your own words, explain the term peripheral

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Write down the extra fact that you found out about peripherals:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
On the picture below, draw an arrow to the peripherals and label them.

Exercise 1.3
BITS AND BYTES
The name of the smallest unit of data which can be stored is a
8 bits of data are called a
What is the storage size of this word:
computer
Exercise 1.4
STORAGE SIZES
Put the following into the correct order of size:
Meegabyte
Byte
Gigabyte
Kilobyte
Bit
Answer the following questions:
A Kilobyte is equivalent to
_______________ Bytes
A Megabyte is equivalent to
_______________ Kilobytes

__________
__________
__________

Smallest

Largest

_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________

A Gigabyte is equivalent to

_______________ Megabytes

Are the following statements true or false?

Statements
A film stored on DVD would be around 50 Kilobytes
in size
An email to a friend would probably be less than 100
kilobytes
A web site would probably be around 30 Kilobytes
A letter applying for a job would be around 25 50
kilobytes
A short music CD would probably be around 3 5
megabytes
A Gigabyte is smaller than a Megabyte

Course:
Group No.:
Group Members:

True

Experiment No.:
Section:
Date Performed:
Date Submitted:
Instructor:

V. Conclusion
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
VI.

Assessment (Rubric for Laboratory Performance):

False