Week 1-session 2 Computer Operations

In this week, we learnt the very basics of the computer. We learnt about the operations of the computer, the computer hardware and software,

Computer Operations

The computer is simply a programmable devise which carries out certain tasks it has been instructed to do. I believe that it’s somewhat like the human brain. Much faster. I’m not sure as to which has the best performance. Still, many people prefer to do most of their tasks using a computer than using their brain. Of course, the computer can do certain things the brain cannot. For example, which human would be able to do the calculations a computer does in excel? On the other hand, there are many things that a computer cannot do when compared to the human brain.


The four basic Computer operations are

1. Input : The computer can take in any data. It uses the keyboard, microphone, webcam and other devises like disks and usb drives to take in data. Just like the brain uses our eyes, ears and mouth to take in input.
2. Processing : The computer is capable of processing the data from input to useful information. Data is what comes in as input (unprocessed) and information is what goes out as output after the data is being processed. Every time I hear the word processor, I see the picture of a food processor where you add different kinds of food into the processor. Once you switch on the button, everything is neatly mixed up. The separate food that was entered into the processor were the data and the mixture after it’s being processed is the useful information that can finally be eaten! The processor of the computer is the CPU and it’s much much smaller than a food processor.
3. Output : The monitor of the computer is one way of displaying output in a computer. The computer gives out information (the data from input which are processed) as output. This output can sometimes make the user frustrated if the computer is not giving the expected results.
4. Storage : The computer can store a huge chunk of data which can bee retrieved at anytime unless the computer breaks down. Just imagine, if computers were invented without any storage capacity, the companies today will have to spend millions on building storage houses for all the office files. They will have to hire more workers to keep the files safe and they will also have to spend on bug sprays to keep the files away from monster bugs!
5. Communication : The computer makes it possible for the users to transfer data from one computer to another through a network. This operation of the computer saves much of our time so that we can spend some hours relaxing only if not for assignments and other daunting tasks.

These are the basic operations of the computers for now. But in future, I believe there will be more. The world is growing fast with technology and in no time, the operations of the computers will exceed the operations of the human body!