Introduction

Programming Computer is an electronic device used for storing and processing information. Most computers follow the basic principle of input, process, and output for any problem. To perform these input, process, and output activities, computers need a set of instructions called a program. This chapter introduces the input, process, and output requirements of a computer. It explains the role of programs and programming languages in passing instructions to a computer. In addition, it describes various tools for problem solving. Details Input, Process, and Output You might have noticed computers being used at airline reservation counters, shops, restaurants, and various other locations. At each of these places, a user enters some values in the computer and the computer generates an output, which is either displayed on the computer screen or printed on paper. Let us consider the example of an airline reservation counter. When you want to reserve a seat on a particular flight, you provide information about your requirements such as destination, date and time of your departure, and the class in which booking is required. The executive at the reservation counter enters this information into a computer. Details regarding the availability of tickets are then displayed on the screen. The preceding automated process is not carried out as one activity. It is broken down into a set of activities that are carried out in separate phases. Let us see what are the phases involved and the process followed for each of the tasks. Phases To understand what happens when you enter some values in the computer, let us break the entire set of activities into separate phases. In the first phase, flight requirements are keyed into the computer. This phase is called the input phase. The flight requirement information is then processed to determine whether seats are available on the particular flight. This phase is known as the process phase. Once the processing is complete, the result is displayed on the computer screen, indicating the status of seat availability. This phase is called the output phase. The cycle of activities performed by a computer is also known as the Input-Process-Output (I-P-O) cycle. I-P-O Cycle A computer consists of several components such as a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor, a printer, and a Central Processing Unit (CPU). Each component participates in either one of the input, process, or output phases. For example, the keyboard and mouse are used for input. The CPU and the memory inside the CPU are used for processing. The monitor and printer are used for output. The following figure depicts the I-P-O cycle.

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