Computer Fundamentals and Applications
Semester I · BCA 101 · 3 credits
0 / 7
chapters done
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The syllabus asks for
- Introduction to computer
- Generations of computers
- Characteristics of a computer
- Applications of computers
- Classification of computers
- Mobile computing
- Anatomy of a digital computer
- Computer architecture
- Memory and its classification
- Input devices
- Output devices
- Interfaces
Key points
- A computer takes input, processes it under a stored program, stores data and produces output.
- Computers are classified by size, purpose and the kind of data they handle; five generations are marked by tube, transistor, IC, microprocessor and ULSI/AI.
- The CPU contains the ALU, control unit and registers; buses join CPU, memory and I/O.
- Instructions and data share one memory in the von Neumann design; the CPU repeats fetch–decode–execute–store.
- Memory is a hierarchy: speed and cost fall and capacity rises from registers to cache to RAM to disks and tape.
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The syllabus asks for
- Software and its classification
- Language translators
- Generations of programming languages
- Algorithms and flowcharts
- Software licensing and development basics
Key points
- Software is divided into system software (OS, drivers, utilities, translators) and application software (general-purpose or custom).
- Translators convert human-readable code to machine code; compilers do it once, interpreters do it each run.
- Languages progress from machine code to assembly to high-level to declarative.
- An algorithm is a finite, precise procedure; a flowchart draws it; sequence, selection and iteration are enough to express any algorithm.
- Licences decide what you may do with software; open source gives freedoms, not freedom from conditions.
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The syllabus asks for
- What an OS does
- Types of operating system
- Process management
- Memory management
- File and device management
- User interfaces and the boot process
- Some operating systems
Key points
- The OS manages processes, memory, files and devices and provides the user interface.
- Multiprogramming keeps the CPU busy; time-sharing gives interactivity; real-time guarantees deadlines.
- Scheduling algorithms trade fairness, throughput and waiting time; SJF is optimal for average wait but needs knowledge of burst lengths.
- Paging maps pages to frames, virtual memory uses disk to extend RAM, and page faults cost time.
- Files live in a directory tree on a file system; booting loads the kernel through firmware and a boot loader.
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The syllabus asks for
- Data, database and DBMS
- Architecture and data independence
- Data models
- The relational model
- Entity–relationship modelling
- Normalisation (introduction)
- SQL: structured query language
Key points
- A DBMS replaces scattered files with one controlled, shared and secure store.
- The three-level architecture gives data independence.
- Relational databases organise data into tables linked by keys, with integrity rules the DBMS enforces.
- ER modelling designs the database; normalisation removes redundancy and anomalies.
- SQL creates, queries and updates; transactions obey ACID.
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The syllabus asks for
- Data communication fundamentals
- Transmission media
- Network types and topologies
- Network devices
- Layered models: OSI and TCP/IP
- Addressing: MAC and IP
- Wireless and mobile networks
- Advantages, limitations and uses of computer networks
Key points
- Communication needs a sender, receiver, message, medium and protocol; capacity is limited by bandwidth and noise.
- Media may be guided (twisted pair, coax, fibre) or unguided (radio, microwave, satellite).
- Networks are classified by scale (PAN, LAN, MAN, WAN) and by topology (bus, ring, star, mesh, tree).
- Switches work on MAC addresses; routers on IP addresses; layered models (OSI, TCP/IP) divide the work.
- IPv4 addresses split into network and host parts by a mask; subnetting divides a network into smaller ones.
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The syllabus asks for
- The Internet: history and structure
- Names, addresses and the journey of a web page
- The World Wide Web
- Internet services
- Security and safe use
- Eight uses of the Internet in Nepal
Key points
- The Internet grew from ARPANET; the Web was added by Tim Berners-Lee around 1990.
- DNS turns names into IP addresses; HTTP/HTTPS carries requests and responses over TCP.
- Browsers render HTML, CSS and JavaScript; search engines crawl, index and rank.
- Email, VoIP, streaming and cloud services all ride on the Internet.
- Malware, phishing and weak passwords are the commonest threats; encryption, updates, 2FA and caution are the commonest defences.
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The syllabus asks for
- E-commerce, e-business and digital payments
- E-governance
- Multimedia
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Big data
- Cloud computing
- Blockchain and cryptocurrency
- Virtual, augmented and mixed reality; robotics; 5G
- Green computing, e-waste and cyber ethics
Key points
- E-commerce and e-governance move trade and public service online; Nepali payment wallets and QR have made small payments digital.
- Multimedia is digitised media; compression (lossless or lossy) makes it practical.
- AI and ML learn from data; IoT collects data; big data and the cloud store and process it at scale.
- Blockchain provides a tamper-evident shared ledger; VR/AR, robotics and 5G extend where computing reaches.
- Every technology brings ethical and environmental responsibilities.
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The paper
TU assessment: 60% final examination set by the university, 40% internal (assignments, lab work, attendance). Confirm the split in your college's notice.
Where the hours go
Teaching hours are the board's guide to how much of the paper each part carries.
- Unit 1 · Introduction to Computer System16 h
- Unit 7 · Contemporary Technologies13 h
- Unit 5 · Data Communication and Computer Network10 h
- Unit 4 · Database Management System8 h
- Unit 6 · Internet and the World Wide Web6 h
- Unit 3 · Operating System4 h
- Unit 2 · Computer Software3 h