Exam (elaborations) PHYSICAL SCIENCES PAPER 2 (CHEMISTRY) GRADE 12

By the end of the unit, you should be able to explain characteristics and evolution of computers and appreciate impact of computers in the society. Unit Outline • Definition of computer science. • Characteristics of computer. • Classification of computer. • Role of computers in society. • History of computers. Introduction In the current generation, use of computers has become a common practice in classrooms, business, offices, entertainment, health, broadcasting, and many other areas. In this section, we discuss fundamental concepts, and characteristics, applications and evolution of computers. 1.1 Definition of a computer and computer science To adapt to the ever changing technologies, there is need to understand fundamental concepts, and characteristics of computers. Activity 1.1: Definition and parts of a computer 1. In groups of three, use search engines such as Google, or Bing to search for standard definitions of the following terms: • Computer • Computer Science 2. Fig. 1.1 below shows a typical type of a computer. Define and name the parts labelled (a) to (d). Fig. 1.1: Parts of a computer b a d c Unit 1 COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS 1 Computer Fundamentals 1.1.1 Definitions Computer: A computer is an electronic device capable of receiving raw facts (data) and performing a sequence of operations on the data based on special computer instructions (processing) to produce desired output (information). Fig. 1.2 below illustrates this process. Data Process Information Input Output Fig. 1.2: Data processing in a computer Computer Science: Computer science is a branch of science that deals with theory of computation, or design and operation of computer hardware and software, and of the application of computers in all sectors. Activity 1.2: Computer science 1. Do some research on the internet and write an essay on areas of study within Computer Science. These may include artificial intelligence, information systems, networks, security, database systems, human computer interaction, vision and graphics, numerical analysis, programming, software engineering, health informatics, bioinformatics and computational theories. 2. Identify other fields of study that are related to Computers Science offered in most colleges and universities in Rwanda. 1.2 Characteristics of computers Though humans are more intelligent than computers, much of the activities from business to space exploration are now carried out with the support of computers. Does this imply computers are better than human beings? Activity 1.3: Characteristics of a computer Individually, do some research and write an essay describing why computers though not as intelligent as human beings, have characteristics that have made them preferred tools in the workplace. Some of the characteristics that should appear in the essay include: reliability, speed, accuracy, diligence, versatility, memory, feelings, intellectual ability. Upon completion of the essay, you should be able to appreciate that although computers do not have feelings and intelligence like human beings, they are: 1. Fast: A computer can perform in a few seconds the amount of work a human being can do in days, months or years. 2. Accurate: A computer is far much more accurate than human beings during data processing. The accuracy of the output obtained from a computer mainly depends on input provided. If the input is wrong, the computer processes wrong