Categories of Computer and Computer Languages — Flashcards

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A computer system is an electronic machine that accepts data (input), processes it, and produces output. It consists of two main parts: hardware (physical parts like keyboard, monitor) and software (p…

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Hardware refers to the physical parts of a computer that you can touch, such as the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and CPU. Software refers to programs or instructions that tell the hardware what to do. Ex…

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Computers are categorized based on: (1) Generation (based on technology used), (2) Type (how they process data), (3) Size (physical and storage capacity), and (4) Purpose (general or special tasks). T…

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First-generation computers (1940–1956) used vacuum tubes as their main electronic component. These tubes were large, generated a lot of heat, and consumed high power. Example: ENIAC, the first fully e…

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Vacuum tubes were problematic because they were very large, produced excessive heat, required heavy air conditioning, consumed a lot of electricity, and were unreliable. This made first-generation com…

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Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in second-generation computers (1956–1963). Transistors were smaller, faster, more reliable, and generated less heat. This made computers smaller, more efficient, and…

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An Integrated Circuit (IC) is a small chip that contains hundreds of transistors and other electronic components. It was used in third-generation computers (1964–1971) and made computers even smaller,…

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A microprocessor is a single chip that contains the entire central processing unit (CPU) of a computer. It was introduced in the fourth generation (1972–2010) and led to the development of personal co…