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Computer Architecture and Logic

Technology is All Around Us

We don’t often think about the devices around us and how they work. Many people don’t realize that technology is all around us and integrated into all of the devices we use and rely on.

What Exactly is a Computer?

A computer can be defined in many ways. However, a computer helps us solve abstract problems. A computer has four basic tasks: Input, storage, processing, and output.

Input is what a tells the computer to start functioning. The computer processes the data using a series of commands (algorithms). Eventually the computer outputs the information in a variety of ways (e.g., text, images, video). The following quote from Issac Newton describes the fact that once the user takes in data it remains in motion through a computer until it moves out of the computer to another device or energy source.

A body at rest will remain at rest, and a body in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an external force. -Issac Newton

Binary Data and Circuits

The data that is inputted into a device carries 1s and 0s through electrical circuits. An electrical circuit that is on or has electricity running through it can represent on, yes, true, or 1 while a circuit turned off can be off, no, false, or zero. These two options (1s and 0s) within a wire represent a bit (the smallest piece of information a computer can store. Computers can represent complex information using multiple wires (bits).

In the binary system we have zero and one. A programmer can represent any number they want with the binary system. Text, images, and sound can also be represented with numbers. Each letter can have a corresponding number. With images, each color can be represented with numbers (e.g., hex codes). Finally, sound vibrations can be represented by wave forms. Each wave can be represented with numbers.

To output a file, a computer must combine signals using small circuits. The circuits use logic to define the output functions using binary code. Circuits make our work easier because they are very small and perform billions of calculations. The smaller the circuit the better because the electrical signal travels a shorter distance.

Software and Programming

Software tells the computer’s processor what to do. Computer programmers in the early days wrote code using binary. However, today programming languages such as Java, Python, or Ruby execute commands that contain thousands of binary commands that the CPU understands.

Source: How computers work: Hardware and software. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnyFYiK2rSY&list=PLzdnOPI1iJNcsRwJhvksEo1tJqjIqWbN-&index=6