BCS-CMW-4. Students will describe the major

hardware and software components of a computer

and their interactions.

Ms. StewartComputing in the Modern

WorldSouthwest High School

What is a computer?

• A programmable machine that can execute (carry out) a programmed list of instructions and respond to new instructions that it is given.

Hardware

• Physical parts of the computer system.

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Input Devices– Devices that allow you to enter/input

information into the computer.

– Examples: keyboard, mouse, keypad, scanner, microphone, joystick, digital camera, webcam

Input Devices

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Output Devices– Devices that deliver information back to

the user (you). – Think of the senses (can you see it, hear

it, touch it?)

– Examples: printer, monitor, speakers, headphones

Output Devices

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Processor– Also referred to as the CPU

– Manufacturers: printer, monitor, speakers, headphones

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Operating System – the overall program that controls all the other software programs and allows hardware devices to work properly.

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Software – a set of instructions that make it possible for your computer to perform tasks.

• Also referred to as applications or programs.

Identify and define the key functional components (input devices, output devices, processor, operating system,

software applications, memory, storage, etc).

• Memory– Read – only memory (ROM): permanent– Random access memory (RAM):

temporary– Storage devices

Understand the terms and units that are used to describe major hardware components (RAM, ROM, GHz, GB, MB, MHz, CD, DVD, RW, etc).

• Megabyte (MB) – a measure of computer storage capacity equal to 1 million bytes

• Gigabyte (GB) – a measure of computer storage capacity equal to 1 billion bytes

Understand the terms and units that are used to describe major hardware components (RAM, ROM, GHz, GB, MB, MHz, CD, DVD, RW, etc).

• Megahertz (MHz) – computer processing speed – one million cycles per second.

• Gigahertz (GHz) – computer processing speed – one billion cycles per second.

Understand the terms and units that are used to describe major hardware components (RAM, ROM, GHz, GB, MB, MHz,

CD, DVD, RW, etc).

• Compact disk (CD) – optical disk on which a program, data, music, etc. is digitally encoded for a laser beam to scan, decode, or transmit back to a playback system.

Understand the terms and units that are used to describe major hardware components (RAM, ROM, GHz, GB, MB, MHz,

CD, DVD, RW, etc).

• Digital Video Disk (DVD) an optical disk that can store a very large amount of digital data, as text, music, or images.

• Rewritable (RW) – allows a user to write (burn), erase, and rewrite data on them, just as it can be done with magnetic drives and media.

Sound card

• Facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer.

Heat sink/fan

• Piece of metal with cooling fins that can be attached to or mounted on an integrated chip (such as the CPU) to dissipate heat.

Modem card

• Device used to connect the computer to a telephone line, often for the purpose of connecting to on-line services.

Network card

• An expansion card that is installed in an available slot in a computer so that it may connect and communicate to another computer.

Port

• Specialized outlet on a piece of equipment to which a plug or cable connects.

Power supply

• Converts the power from a wall outlet into the lower voltages required internally in the computer.

System unit

• Main body of a desktop computer, typically consisting of a metal or plastic enclosure containing the motherboard, power supply, cooling fans, internal disk drives, and the memory modules and expansion cards that are plugged into the motherboard.

BIOS• Stands for "Basic Input Output System"

gives the computer a little built-in starter kit to run the rest of software from floppy disks (FDD) and hard disks (HDD). The BIOS is responsible for booting the computer by providing a basic set of instructions.

Optical drive -Uses a laser and lens to read and write data.

Hard drive – device used to store large amounts of data in a computer system.

Motherboard – Main circuitry board of the computer.

Describe the interaction between functional components in the execution of a software application.

• To make the computer do something useful, you must give it instructions in either of the following two ways:– Write a program that tells a computer

what to do, step by step, much as you write out a recipe.

– Buy a program that someone else has already written that tells the computer what to do.

Describe the interaction between functional components in the execution of a software application.

• A program does nothing more than tell the computer how to:– accept some type of input, – manipulate that input, and – spit it back out again in some form that

humans find useful.

Type of Program Input What the Program Does

Output

Word processor Characters you type from the keyboard

Formats the text; corrects spelling

Displays and prints neatly organized text

Game Keystrokes or joystick movements

Calculates how fast and far to move a cartoon figure on-screen

Moves a cartoon figure on-screen

Stock-market predictor Current and past prices for stocks

Tries to recognize trends in a stock's price fluctuations

Predicts the future price of a stock

Missile guidance program Current location of the missile and the target

Calculates how to make the missile's location and the target's location coincide

Corrects the trajectory so that it stays aimed at the target

Optical character recognition (OCR)

Text from a scanner Recognizes shapes of characters

Converts scanned text into a text file that a word processor can edit

Web browser HyperText Markup Language (HTML) codes on other computers

Converts the HTML codes into text and graphics

Displays Web pages on-screen