Transcript Computer Hardware Basics

Computer Hardware
INTRODUCTION
Computer System Components
 Input
Keyboard, Mouse,
Camera, Touch Pad
 Processing
 CPU
 Output
 Monitor, Printer
 Storage
 Floppy, Hard Drive,
CD, DVD, Flash
Drive

Generations
Gen. Hardware
Software
1st
Vacuum Tubes
machine language
2nd
Transistors
Assembly language
3rd
Integrated Chip
(IC)
Higher level
languages,
Application Programs
4th
VLSI
(Very Large Scale
ICs)
Object oriented
programming, natural
language processing
The Binary System
Bits – Binary digits, or 0,1.
Bytes (8 bits) – ASCII, EBCDIC
One byte is the space needed to store one character,
like the letter “A”.
Kilobyte (KB) – 1000 (actually, 1024)
Megabyte (MB) – 1,000,000
Gigabyte (GB) – 1,000,000,000
Terabyte (TB) – 1,000,000,000,000
Processing – CPU components
Control Unit
Clock cycle regulates all operations
Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU)
Add Gates – Half adder, full adder
AND/OR/NOT gates
Memory
RAM –
Static
Dynamic
ROM
Output
Video
Printers - Ink Jet, Laser
Sound
Controlling Devices
(e.g. antilock brakes)
Storage
 Hard Drive
1 Terabyte and upwards today
 As low as 256 KB less than 30 years
ago.
(that is more than a million
times greater capacity today!)
 CD-ROM
 600-700 MB
 DVD-ROM
 4 GB - Red Laser,
 27 GB- Blue Laser
 Flash Drives
 From 4 GB up to 100+ GB,
including high end of 1 TB.

Related Fields of Study
 Computer Science
 Software development
 Computer Engineering
 Hardware design and development
 Computer Information Systems
 Management of technology in organizations.