Computer Fundamentals and Programming in C

• Computer Fundamentals and Programming in C is a textbook for undergraduate students in engineering, computer science, and computer applications.
• The book introduces computing elements, computer hardware and software, and C programming.

Key aspects covered

• Comprehensive coverage of topics ranging from computer basics to C programming and data structures.
• Case studies showing practical orientation to concepts in select C chapters.
• Complete program codes that are tested and compiled to support the text.
• Solved examples, objective questions, review exercises, and programming problems for understanding concepts.
• A glossary of key terms at the end of each chapter.
• Programming tips and notes to educate about common errors and highlight key terms.

New to This Edition

• Introduces a chapter on Boolean Algebra and Logic Gates for digital computing systems
• Includes additional content on secondary storage devices, processor architecture, hexadecimal and octal number examples, Unicode and BCD codes.
• New chapter focuses on logic gates and Boolean algebra
• Expanded content on operating systems, Windows features, and public domain software.
• Overview of OSI and TCP/IP models, plus Internet concepts like IP addresses and URLs.
• Restructured chapter on program design tools, with a section on programming languages.
• Annexure showing steps for compiling/executing C programs on Unix, Linux, and Ubuntu.
• Program for array representation of sparse matrices and identifying symmetric matrices.
• Includes a program illustrating the dangling pointer problem.
• Presents three ways to determine the size of a structure, exemplified through code.

Content Overview

• Part I covers computer fundamentals across 18 chapters.
• Introduces computers, classifications, applications, and basic computer organization.
• Detailed description of input and output devices
• Explains memory hierarchy and widely used memory types.
• Discusses binary, octal, and hexadecimal number systems and arithmetic operations.
• introduces concepts for digital computing such as Boolean algebra, functions, expressions and logic gates.
• Overview of different software types, including system and application software packages
• Discusses different types of computer networks, wired/wireless media, topologies and services
• Details steps in the software development process for efficient and maintainable programs

Content Overview Part II

• Part II focuses on Programming in C
• Discusses building blocks of C programming language: identifiers, constants, variables, operators
• Shows program writing/compilation steps in Unix/Linux/Ubuntu environments
• Deals with decision control and looping statements, plus break and jump statements
• Two programs harness concepts from Chapters 9 and 10
• Deals with declaring, defining, and calling functions, and storage classes and variable scope
• Covers recursion and Tower of Hanoi problem, with user-defined header file creation
• Provides detailed explanation of arrays, with operations and multidimensional arrays
• Sorting and other string manipulation techniques

Additional elements covered

• Presents overview of pointers, pointer variables, and arithmetic, relating them to arrays, strings, & functions
• Includes example demonstrating using pointers to access/manipulate strings
• Introduces user-defined data types: structures and unions, and their inter-connectivity
• Explains bit fields and slack bytes.
• Discusses data storage in files, handling in text/binary modes
• Deals with preprocessor directives, with example codes
• Provides introduction to different data structures: linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs.
• Discusses bit-level programming and bitwise operators.
• Lists some ANSI C library functions with descriptions.
• Introduces advanced type qualifiers and inline functions in C.
• Includes frequently asked interview questions with solutions
• Discusses Linux kernel/shell basics and common commands.
• Provides answers to objective questions.