Basic Operational Concepts

A computer is an electronic device that takes inputs from the users and provides appropriate output; all of this is handled smoothly because of the instructions present in the device’s memory; in other words, the computer uses the concept of basic computer organisation. 

What is an operation? 

An operation in computer science is the completion of a task achieved through a series of actions carried out by the computer. There are a total of five basic operations of a computer: 

Input – This means giving an input to the computer by an action like left-clicking an icon on the computer or typing on the keyboard to search for something on Google. 

Processing – processors carry out the calculations and equations needed to get the desired results. An example of a processor is an arithmetic logic unit used to carry out all the mathematical calculations on the computer. 

Output – This is when the outcome derived from the processing stage is displayed as a final result for the user. Output can be of different types. For example, a user inputs a maths calculation in the device’s calculator so that the screen will show the results.

Storage – Several software, apps, and websites keep track of the user history. The storage comes in handy for these. The storage means memory keeps a copy of all the inputs and outputs that are done on the computer as a memory. It can be as a primary memory- which means the data is stored for a short period and the data is deleted once the computer or app is closed or shut down, or secondary memory- this is usually used as a long term storage device like a hard disk drive or Pendrive that can store vast amounts of data in a small space and is portable. 

Control – The central processing unit comes into action at this point; during the process of computer operation, all the input, information processing, and displaying an output can become challenging to manage for the computer, making it slow and glitchy. The CPU prevents glitches in the program’s running by controlling all these actions and executing everything in order.

What is the concept of basic computer organisation?

• The instructions that a computer follows to produce the output are stored in the memory of the computer

• The devices store their instructions in memory devices, also known as registers

• Function registers are situated in a microprocessor. They control the smooth running of the microprocessors

• Functional registers are divided into three parts:

1. (PC) Program counters – The location of instructions on the memory device is stored here so that it can be used when required.

2.  (IR) Instruction registers – the instructions that will be used are located here. They are encoded, so they will be decoded before the IR executes it. 

3.  (MAR) Memory address registers – Data locations from start to finish/ end of the operation are stored here.

• MAR and MDR are two registers used to handle the transfers of data between the processor and the device’s main memory. 

• (MDR) Memory data register – The data that is transferred is stored here. 

Basic operational concepts of processor

It is said that a processor is providing services to a device if it is communicating with it. There are two ways for a processor to service the devices:

Polling routine – here, the processor can check each input and output. This is done to check whether the device needs servicing.

Interrupt – here, the input is given to the processor so that it can finish its ongoing tasks or instructions and then provide services to the device.

Conclusion 

In computer science, the process by which a computer runs and completes a task through a series of actions is known as an operation. The concept of basic computer organisation is a computer carrying out operations using the present information or set of instructions in the computer’s memory. The place where memory is stored in computers is known as a register. There are three types of registers. The processor is used for communication in the devices. There are two ways a processor can service a device- The interrupt method and polling routine.