Computer Awareness ABACUS: First calculating machine to count large numbers in the 16th century in China.

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS First-generation Computers (Vacuum Tubes) First-generation computers used vacuum tubes. These are very large in size. Some computers are MARK I, ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC I Second-generation Computers (Transistor) They used a transistor as their main component. Third-generation Computers (Integrated Circuits) They used Integrated Circuits, known as Chips. These also used operating system to run many programs Fourth-generation Computers (Present day Computers) They use Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSI) Fifth-generation Computers These are referred as SUPER COMPUTERS. These are based on Artificial Intelligence. PARAM and ANURAG are supercomputers made in India. LAPTOP COMPUTERS: These are specially designed for people on the move. You can work on them while traveling. PALMTOP COMPUTERS: These are smaller and lighter than laptops. These can fit into bags, briefcases and pockets. DESKTOP COMPUTERS: These are designed to fit easily on any desk. CHARACTERISTICS OF COMPUTER 1. Speed: A computer can perform basic operations like addition, subtraction etc. at a very high speed. 2. Accuracy: Computers are very accurate. 3. High Storage Capacity: A computer has a very larage memory. It can store a large amount of data in a very small space. The data stored can be retrieved instantly and correctly whenever desired. 4. Efficiency: Computers can perform different types of jobs efficiently. Computers lack the ability to make decisions. INPUT DEVICES The devices through which we enter data and instructions into a computer are called input devices. The input devices are: KEY BOARD: It is the most commonly used input device. It has keys similar to that of a typewriter. It is used to input data or text into the computer. MOUSE: Mouse is used to select objects, text and to draw pictures on the computer. The mouse can be clicked or double clicked to perform various tasks. The cursor on the screen follows movement of the mouse. TRACK BALL: Similar to mouse and can be used in its place. Laptops have track ball inside them.

JOYSTICK: It is used while playing games on the computer. It moves cursor quickly on the screen. LIGHT PEN: It is used for drawing objects directly on the screen. MOUSE, TRACK BALL, JOYSTICK AND LIGHT PEN are also called as pointing devices. SCANNER: It reads and scans text and pictures directly into the computer. MICROPHONE: It is used to input and record voice, sound and music into the computer. OUTPUT DEVICES The devices through which we see the output from the computer are called output devices. They are: MONITOR : It is similar to TV screen and can display both text and pictures. Display Unit (VDU). It is also called as Visual

PRINTER : It is used to take output on paper. Printers are of many types, such as dot matrix printer, line printer, inkjet printer, laser printer. SPEAKERS : They are used to play music and sounds from the computer. SOFT COPY : The output we get on the monitor is called the soft copy. HARD COPY : The printed copy that we get from the printer is called the hard copy. WINDOWS is the most popularly used operating system because it is user friendly. You can perform many operations like saving, opening or deleting files, etc. by just clicking on the mouse. DESKTOP : When you switch on your computer and start windows, the first screen that you see is the desktop. The desktop contains small pictures with some names, such as My Computer, Recycle Bin, My documents etc. These small pictures are called icons. File : Any piece of information stored in the computer is in the form of a file. A file in windows is similar to a file used by you to store your certificates, papers and other things. A file can contain data, programs, etc. Each file is given a name called File name which is useful to identify the file. FOLDER : A folder is used to store a group of files with data. The icon for a folder is looks like a briefcase. A folder can also contain other folders inside it. MS WORD : It is the most popular software that helps you to type your text onto the computer. Ctrl + X is used to cut the text Ctrl + C is used to copy the text Ctrl + V is used to paste the text. Ctrl + S is used to save the text. Ctrl + A is used for SELECT ALL the text Ctrl + P is used to print the text Ctrl + Z is used for reversing the last command. You can also click on undo button on the toolbar Ctrl + Y is used for reversing the undo option. It restores the previous position. FONT : Font is a set of letters, numbers and symbols of a given size and design that may be displayed or printed. The default font is Times New Roman.

FORMATTING : A general arrangement of text. DEFAULT SETTINGS : Settings that are standard or pre-defined in a software package are called default settings. MS POWER POINT : The easiest and the most common software program used to create presentations and handouts is MS Power Point. A presentation is a systematic display of text along with graphics, movies, sounds etc. on a particular topic. A presentation in MS Power Point is structured in the form of a series of slides to which color, images and sounds can be added to increase the impact of the text presented. Slide : An individual page in a presentation. TITLE BAR : The title bar is present at the top of the MS Power Point window. It displays the name of the current presentation. MENU BAR : The Menu bar is placed below the title bar. It provides access to MS Power Point commands. TOOL BARS (STANDARD AND FORMATTING): The tool bars contain buttons for quick access to commonly used commands. The two most important tool bars are the Standard Toolbar and the Formatting toolbar. STATUS BAR : It is positioned at the bottom of the Screen. It gives information about the number of the current slide, the total number of slides. MS Power Point saves a file with the extension .ppt MS Word saves a file with the extension .doc MS Excel saves a file with the extension .xls Microsoft Excel is an application software that helps in calculation using formulae and analysis of data using tables. Each worksheet in MS Excel is made up of rows and columns. There are 65,536 rows and 256 columns. It is also known as spread sheet. STORAGE CAPACITY A Computer has a huge storage capacity. The storage capacity of a computer is called its memory. There are two types of memory: 1. PRIMARY MEMORY 2. SECONDARY MEMORY PRIMARY MEMORY : It is also called as internal memory. Primary memory classified into two types. 1. Random Access Memory (RAM) 2. Read Only Memory (ROM)

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY : It is also known as read/write memory. The storage of data and instructions in RAM is temporary. It disappears from RAM as soon as the power to the computer is switched off. It is also known as volatile memory. READ ONLY MEMORY : ROM is the built in memory of a computer. It stores some basic input-output instructions put by the manufacturer to operate the computer. The storage of data and instructions in ROM is permanent. It is also known as non-volatile memory. BINARY DIGITS A computer works with only two digits 0, 1. These are called binary digits or bits (binary digits). BYTE

The storage capacity of a computer is represented in bytes. The byte is a unit of measuring computer memory. Kilebyte or KB = 1024 bytes Megabyte or MB = 1024 KB Gigabyte or GB = 1024 MB Terabyte or TB = 1024 GB SECONDARY MEMORY Secondary memory is also known as External memory and auxiliary memory. It is also called as non-volatile memory. The secondary storage devices are Floppy disk, Hard disk, CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital versatile Disk) and flash drive. Floppy disks are available in two sizes, 3 inch & 5 inch. It is an easy way of transferring information from one computer to another. Hard Disk : It is a common device for storing data. Hard disks come in different storage capacities, 80 GB, 160 GB etc. Flash drive is a small, portable device that can be used to store, access and transfer data. It is also known as Pen drive. INTERNET Internet stands for Interconnected Network. Modem, Telephone line, Subscription with Internet Service Provider (ISP), Web browser are required for connecting to the internet. WWW : World Wide Web. WEB PAGE : The individual pages which collectively form the World Wide Web are known as web pages. Website : It is a collection of one or more related web pages Moving from one website to another is called NET SURFING UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR (URL) : It is the address or location of a website on the Internet. The HOME PAGE is the first page or the main page of a website that is displayed when the URL of a website is typed. SEARCH ENGINE : It can be defined as a program that searches through a collection of web pages for particular information. Examples : Google, Yahoo search, HotBot etc. KEY BOARD Normally key board consists of 105 keys, but there are special key boards with 107, 112, 125 keys also. ESC Key : Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button. Caps Lock : Locks the keyboard in "Capitals" mode Shift key Space bar Enter key : Allow selection of capital letters. : Insert space between words. : It is also known as return key

Multi Choice Questions 1. On which menu are cut, copy and paste options available? a. File b. Edit c. View d. None of these. 2. Which of these can contain files as well as folders? a. File b. Screen saver c. Folder d. None 3. Output obtained on paper using printer is called a. Soft copy b. Hard Copy c. Paper copy

d.None

4. Which button should be clicked to return the window to its previous size? a. Minimize b. Maximize c. Restore d. Close 5. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a computer. a. Speed b. Accuracy c. Storage d. Thinking 6. You can change the settings of your computer through a. My document b. Control Panel C. Files d. None 7. Which of the following is NOT an output device. a. Printer b. Monitor c. Scanner 8. Computer peripherals do NOT include a. Keyboard b. Monitor c. Microphone 9. Which statement is correct. a. Processed data is called information b. Raw data is called information c. Only words are called information 10. Computer Games are developed using a. MS-DOS b. MS Word

d. Plotter

d. Microwave

d. All are correct

c. Unix

d. Multimedia

11. The setting which is normally fixed and predefined is called a. Fixed setting b. Windows setting c. Default setting d. All 12. Which of the following is not true about RAM. a. RAM is a temporary storage area b. RAM is the same as hard disk storage c. RAM is volatile d. Information stored in RAM is gone when you turn off computer 13. The most common input devices include a. Monitor and Keyboard c. Mouse and Keyboard

b. Monitor and Mouse d. Printer and Mouse

14. The hardware device commonly referred to as the brain of the computer is a. RAM b. ROM c. CPU d. None 15. The storage area for email messages called a. Folder b. Directory c. Mail box d. Hard disk 16. In MS Office, MS means a. Message System b. Macro Soft

c.Micro Soft d.More Soft

17. Computer can be connected to internet by a. Modem b.Internet Data Card c.Wi-fi connectivity 18. Find the oddman from the following a. Floppy b. Hard disc c. Pen drive

d.All

d. Mouse

19. When we save a document where does it get stored by default a. My Computer b.Recycle Bin c. My documents d. My network 20. Which of the following does not harm computer system and its data a. Cracking b. Hacking c. Phising d. Logging 21. Which of the following is a program to destroy the files a. Hanging b. Booting c. Logging

d. Virus

22. Software to be used for creating a set of slides to be shown to audience is a. MS Word b. MS Excel c. MS Power Point d. MS Access 23. Which of the following a computer can perform a. Calculator b. Music system c. Video 24. Find the oddman from the following a.HCL b. Xerox c. IBM

d.Typewriter

e. All

d. Dell e.Microsoft

25. If you want to shut down your computer which button you will operate. a. Close button b. Minimize button c. Start button d. None