computer1 test 2 prep: processing, software, storage
TRANSCRIPT
Computer Hardware (HW)
• You can TOUCH it• Can be in the Tower
or Case
• Can be a peripheralHW separate but connected to the computer
Processing
• CPUCentral Processing Unit
Brain of Computer
• Instructions in binary code• Computers process very rapidly• Multiple processors
Dual core
Quad core
Processing
• Computer Processes Data• Instructions are written in binary code• Computers process data very rapidly• The number of processors will
increase the speed of processing
What Impacts Performance?
• RAM size & speed• Processor speed and number
of processors• Hard disk speed and size
Motherboard – Connects Everything
• CPU• Storage• Ports– USB is the fastest– Serial moves data bit by bit– Ethernet port allows connection
to a network
Processing
• The CPU and RAM work together to process data
• The Operating System controls all processing
• Popular Operating Systems (OS) today– Microsoft Windows– Apple MAC OS
Operating Systems Roles
• Manage Peripherals• Manage Data• Manage RAM
• Store data• Use programs
• Manage data processing• Do many things at a time
• Manage User interface
Primary Storage
• ROMRead only memory
Used at startup of the computer
Never changes
• RAMRandom Access Memory
Lost when computer is turned off
Secondary Storage
• Hard driveInside the “case” or “tower”
Stores the OS (operating system software), programs and files
Software
• Is used during the processing stage• Developed for a specific purpose• Tells a computer what to do with data
and how to do it• Written by programmers using
programming language
2 Software Types
• Operating System software– OS Tells the hardware devices how to work
together– Utility software fixes problems between
the OS and the hardware
• Application Software– Designed for specific type of task– Can be custom or “out of the box”
Software Application Types
• Productivity–MS Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
Access
• Graphics– Paint, drawing apps, photo editing
• Communications– Email & internet
• Entertainment, home & education, other
Writing Software
• Programmers write software using special languages
• ASCII and Unicode are 2 languages that have predefined codes to represent letters, numbers and basic commands– ASCII is based on 8 bits per code– Unicode is based on 16 bits per code