INTRODUCTION TO
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY,
COVERING THE HARDWARE
OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS
What is Digital Devices?
• A digital device is a piece of physical equipment that uses
digital data, such as by sending, receiving, storing or
processing it.
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What is Technology?
Technology is any machine we can see to
solve a problem.
A computer is a machine, operating under
the control of instructions stored in its
own memory that can accept data (input),
process the data according to specified
rules, produce information (output), and
store the information for future use.
Computers can do things quickly.
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GENERATION OF
COMPUTER
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First-Generation
Computers:
Period – 1940-1956
Circuitry – Vacuum tube
Memory capacity – 20kB
Programming Language – Low-Level
Language 5
Example of Computers - ENIAC(Electronic
John Ambrose Fleming
(29 November 1849 – 18
April 1945)
The vacuum tube was invented by John Ambrose
Fleming(electrical engineer) in 1904 and
patented the device on November 16,1904 in
UK.
Used to rectify (convert AC to DC) in early radio
and electronic circuits.
As scientific advisor for Guglielmo Marconi’s
Wireless Telegraphy Company in UK.
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ENIAC
(Electronic Numerical Integrator
and Computer-1946) J. Presper
Eckert
ENIAC was the first general-purpose electronic digital computer.
📅 Built: 1943–1945
🚀 Launched: February 1946
Inventors:
1. John Presper Eckert (Electrical and Hardware engineer)
2. John Mauchly (Physicist and computer scientist
Professor)
John
At the University of Pennsylvania, USA
Mauchly
🛠 Technology: Vacuum tubes, magnetic drums, punch cards
Programmed to perform a wide variety of computing tasks,
especially useful for scientific and military calculations.
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UNIVAC
(Universal Automatic Computer-
1951)
📅 Released: 1951
Inventors: John Presper Eckert & John Mauchly
🏢 Developed by: Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation (EMCC)
UNIVAC was the first commercial computer made in the United
State.
It was used for business and government applications, rather
than scientific or military use (like ENIAC).
It marked the start of the computer age for business and data
processing. 8
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Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device
used to amplify or switch electrical
Walter signals and power. It is one of the basic
Brattain building blocks of modern electronics.
The transistor was invented on December
16, 1947, by three American physicists:
Inventors of the Transistor:
John
Bardeen John Bardeen
Walter Brattain
William Shockley
They worked at Bell Laboratories in
Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA. 10
William
Shockley
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Integrated Circuit
◦ A tiny electronic chip made of semiconductor material (usually silicon), which
contains many miniaturized electronic components like: Transistors, Resistors &
Capacitors.
1. Jack Kilby 2. Robert Noyce
🏢 Worked at: Texas Instruments (USA) 🏢 Worked at: Fairchild Semiconductor
📅 Year: 1958 (USA)
🔧 Built the first working integrated circuit 📅 Year: 1959
using 🔧 Developed an improved version the
germanium. first 12
🏆 Nobel Prize in Physics (2000) for his part in monolithic integrated circuit chip
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Microprocessor
(VLSI)
◦ The first commercially available microprocessor
was the Intel 4004, designed in November 1971,
United States by a team at Intel Corporation.
◦ Intel 4004 microprocessor design team::
1. Federico Faggin (🇮🇹 Italian Engineer )
2. Marcian Hoff (American Engineer)
3. Stanley Mazor (American Engineer)
4. Masatoshi Shima (Japanese Engineer)
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TYPES OF
COMPUTER
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Analog Computers
a type of computer that uses electronic
components such as resistors, capacitors,
and variable voltage sources to simulate and
model complex flow systems.
A few universities still use analog computers
to teach control system theory.
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Digital
Computers • Personal Computers (Desktops and Laptops),
• Smartphones, and Tablets,
• Calculators,
• Digital Weighing Machine,
• Accounting machines,
a system that processes data and instructions
using binary codes (0s and 1s) at high speed,
• Digital clock,
performing functions like input, storage, control,
processing, and output.
• ATM (Automated Teller Machine). 20
Hybrid Computers
computers that exhibit features of analog computers
and digital computers.
Ultrasound Machine, Monitoring Machine,
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Supercomput
er
Most expensive
Perform over a trillion calculations
per second
Run Linux-based Operating
System
High Performance
Parallel Processing
Large Memory Capacity
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Key Features:
◦Multi-user support
◦Security
◦Powerful
Common uses:
◦Large businesses
◦Government offices
◦Universities
◦Insurance companies
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Minicomputer
Key Features:
◦ Mid size computer
◦ Less powerful
◦ cheaper than a mainframe
Common uses:
◦ Factories for process control and
manufacturing control
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Workstation 25
Computer
Key Features:
◦ High Performance
◦ Enhanced Graphics
◦ Large Memory Capacity
◦ Single user
Common Uses:
◦ Graphic Design
◦ Engineering and CAD
◦ Scientific Research
◦ Software Development
Examples:
◦ Dell Precision Series
◦ HP Z series
◦ Apple Mac Pro
User-Friendly
Hardware Components
Software
Connectivity
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Desktop
Computer
Desktops are mainly used for regular use,
and they have separate components
mounted together like the monitor,
keyboard, mouse, CPU etc.
Since the system is primarily kept on a
desk for better usability it is called a
desktops.
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Laptop
Laptops are a portable version of desktops,
with all the components integrated into a
single unit thus providing mobility to the
system.
They are great for on-the-go work and come
with built-in webcams, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
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Servers
Servers are special types of
computers that are used to
manage network resources.
They provide services to other
systems and computers.
Some of the primary tasks of
servers include creating
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databases, hosting and providing
Tablets
Tablets are even more portable than
laptops.
They are smaller than laptops but are
larger than smartphones.
They come with touchscreens which
makes them perfect for browsing the
web, consuming content and personal
communications. 30
About chips
◦ In modern computers, we use microprocessor chips (CPUs) — often paired with
GPUs, TPUs, and SoCs depending on the device and purpose.
◦ 🧠 Main Types of Chips Used Today1.
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