<Unit 1. Computing Systems>
Chapter 2.
1. Computer stores, shares, and analyzes huge amounts of data & perform complex math calculations
2. Computers over time
- Abacus(thousands years ago): help people calculate
- computer meant profession person who makes calculations ( in the 1600s) and they used the Slife Rule to caculate
- Colossus Mark 1(in 1944, during World War 2) used by British government to crack secret German codes
- Eniac (in 19450) were massive and used by large business, governments, or reserachers.
- first mass-produced personal computer, Apple2 (in 1977)
- (today) tiny and are everywhere
3. Hardware and Software
- hardware: the physical parts of a computer -> can see with your eyes
- software: the set of programs(instructions)(e.g. phone applications, editing programs, entertainment services, etc.) that tell a computer what to do and is stored on storage devices(hardware-hard drives, flash drives, CDs)
- application ⊂ programs
- application : a program designed for user(human) to peform a task
- programs : some programs are for the computer's use only
4. Hardware: Input, Storage, Processing, Output
- Input : the parts used to send information to a computer (keyboard, mpuse, game controller, webcam, etc.)
- Storage : the parts that computer uses to store information (harddrives, USB flash drives .CDs, RAM etc.)
(RAM- Random Access Memory: a type of computer memory where informtion can be stored)
- Processing(CPU, GPU) : run programs, interpret input, supply output
- CPU(Central Processing Unit) : brain of a computer, receives input information and executes commands from other
hardware and software
- GPU(Graphic Processing Unit) :
- focuses on graphics(images - pictures, animations, videos)
- delivers images that can be viewed on the screen
- Output: parts computer uses to send information to you (e.g. projector, the monitor, the printer, speakers, headphones)
"Data(info) comes from the user(person or computer) and goes through the input devices into processing. Data then is placed(saved) in storage or taken out of storage and sent to the user."
5. Software
- Application Software (Apps) :
- programs that allow the user to complete tasks (e.g. word processors, internet browsers, games)
- cannot work without the system software
- System Softhware :
- programs that make sure the individual hardware devices work together and properly with other programs (e.g. Operating systems - Windows , iOS)
- operating system : programs that communicate with hardware, allowing other programs to run in the background
