(part of this information package is taken from Intel's The Journey Inside: The Computer)
| When you have finished this project, you will be able to: | |
|
describe how computers store data and how they communicate |
|
describe how a microchip is made |
|
describe what an operating platform is and what kind of software platforms are available |
Read through the following information.
Background Information
Modern computers have the ability to process, store, and share large quantities of
information. Computers are the latest in a wide range of inventions created to provide
such assistance. The history of inventions stretches back many hundreds of years.
Information Processing Machines
A complete computer system can be thought of in terms of five primary components - input,
storage, information processing, information sharing, and output. When all the
components work together, a computer provides a person with a tremendous tool for
completing a wide range of tasks. A computer must have ways to input and output
information. Examples of input devices include a mouse, keyboard, scanner,
microphone, and a camera. Examples of output devices include the monitor, a
printer, a T.V. that is hooked up to the computer, or a set of speakers.
Information Storage
Information storage is important in the history of computing, and the Jacquard loom
that stored fabric patterns on punched cards provided a crucial step. In modern computers,
there are primarily two types of information storage, long term and short term.
Example of long term memory storage devices include hard disks (or hard drives),
floppy disks, CD-ROMs, jazz or zip disks, and tapes. Short term devices hold
information for short periods of time, and are usually required for processing tasks.
Examples of short-term storage devices include ROM (or read only memory), RAM (or random
access memory) and the cache (used by the computer to store files or instructions that
will be needed in the immediate future). Storage space is usually measured in Gigabytes
or Megabytes. Most computers today come equipped with 3 Gigabytes of hard disk
storage space. Most floppy disks can hold 1.44 Megabytes of information.
Communication (or information sharing)
Computers have caused tremendous changes in the exchanging of information. Time and
distance are no longer factors in sharing information. Using the ever growing number of
computer networks, there is little difference between sending a written message across the
world, or sending the same message across the street. In addition, computer networks are
providing access to more and more stored information. Information can be exchanged at the
convenience and choice of the giver and receiver. Computers have evolved to provide us
with an extremely versatile communication device called the modem.
The modem itself has rapidly evolved in the last few years. Modem speed was
measured in bits per second. Commercially sold modems were originally configured
to transfer information at 9600 bits per second. Most computers now come equipped
with a 56K modem, which transfers information at 56,000 kilobytes per second.
Many people now have connections to networks through a cable modem, which is
available (at a higher cost) through local cable companies. This means that
there is virtually no wait time to access information on the Internet (however,
there have been problems transferring some file types). A new technology is
now out called Blue Chip and it is the next generation of communication. This
communication is wireless and is the fastest growing area in the communications
industry today.
Information
Processing Click
here to see how computer chip is made
The computer, a multi-purpose machine, uses many integrated circuits. Central
to the actions in the computer is the special integrated circuit called the
microprocessor (or processor). The microprocessor is designed to allow the combination
of software and hardware to change. Since the instruction sets understood by
the microprocessor can be changed, a computer can handle a variety of tasks:
word processing, creating and displaying graphics, playing music, and more.
Processor speed is measured in Megahertz. Newer computer systems are
built with a 900 Mhz Intel processor, however, most systems now are equipped
with a 600 Mhz processor. The processor is given this name because it processes
information.
Operating Platforms (also referred to as Operating Systems - OS)
An operating platform is part of the computer that allows it to start up and run programs.
A computer cannot function without having a platform (or operating system-OS). Examples of
operating platforms include the Macintosh platform (Mac OS 8.0), other platforms
(for PCs or personal computers) include MS DOS (which stands for Microsoft
Disk Operating System), and Microsoft Windows. As you may now,
there a number of Microsoft Windows operating systems, including 3.1 (which is what we use
on the network at school), Windows 95, Windows 98 (and they say that Windows 2000 is now
on the way!). Microsoft Windows was developed to have a graphical user interface which
uses icons to carry out instructions, rather than using the tedious task of typing in
commands to carry out instructions.
Software
There are three main types of software: applications, shell, and utility.
You are probably most familiar with applications-type software; these include word
processing programs, spreadsheets, databases, etc. You use shell software to
navigate through programs on your computer. This includes using Windows, the Finder (on a
Macintosh), Explorer (on a PC) etc. Utility software helps you to carry out
specific tasks. These include virus checkers, plugins from the Internet, etc.
Summary of Measurements
1 BIT = smallest unit of information in the computer
8 BITS = 1 BYTE
1,000 BYTES = 1 KILOBYTE (KB)
1,000 KILOBYTES = 1 MEGABYTE (MB)
1,000 MEGABYTES = 1 GIGABYTE (GB)
1,000 GIGABYTES = 1 TERRABYTE (TB)
Feeling smart, well take the quiz
smarty!
