Computer Hardware Flashcards
What do computers represent?
-Computers represent data in binary, the counting system with two possible values (0 and 1)
-Everything in a computer is at some point represented as binary
-We use electrical charge to determine if a value is 0 or 1.
What mechanical device could replicate this?
Transistors
What material can allow electricity to flow or not?
Semi-conductive metals (specifically silicon is used since it’s cheap but it is not recyclable)
What does transistors allow electricity to do?
Transistors can be toggle to allow electricity to flow or not.
True or False, is very thing a binary?
True
Since transistors are too big what enters next?
Integrated circuits
“As much as 99 percent of materials used to making integrated circuits are discarded during the production process [of ICs]. “
-Most of which are toxic chemical waste.
-Contaminating environment and workers
- “ To produce a two-gram memory microchip, 1.3 kilograms of fossil fuels and materials are required”
What is a CPU?
-Most important part of a computer
-Actually does the computation
-Stores billions of transistors in one spot.
What is a memory?
-Distinct from storage
-Think RAM (random access memory)
-All running programs are in RAM
-RAM stores in the instructions to a program
-Generally smaller
What is storage?
-For long term storage of a piece of data
-Has larger quantities, but always slower
Where do all the pieces fit together?
The Motherboard
Not all memory is the same. What is the difference between storage and memory?
1.Storage: persistent memory, but slow
2.Memory: contains the data for running applications.
-There are different kinds of memory in a computer:
again ranging from small and fast to big and slow
What calls transistors do to make computers possible?
Little electrical switches. They control the flow of electricity which gives way to binary.
What do computer systems rely on?
Computer systems rely on these tiny switches that can be combined to make evermore complex structures
-Ex a few transistors can make AND, OR, NOT gates.
-These are the basic building blocks of everything computer
-How these gates are arranged is programming!
What does binary represent?
It represents instructions.
What is the basic Operation of CPU?
A CPU sequentially executes instructions stored in main memory. To do this, the CPU must:
-Fetch the next instruction to execute from memory.
-Decode the instruction from its numeric form.
-Execute the instruction.
What are file extensions?
2.File extensions tell an operating system how to interpret the 1s and 0s
What are managing files?
-Managing big blocks of 1s and 0s scales up
-Operating systems manage these files in different ways, interpreting 1s and 0s differently
What does kernel do?
1.Manage files
2.Interact with the hardware
-Reading and writing on a computer is very sensitive. With unchecked power, any program can read or write to anywhere else on a computer
-This is the essence of a virus: a program that finds a way to have more power of a computer than it should have
3.Open and close software; manage resources
-Running software needs to be managed: given a certain amount of space, given some (but not all!) time on the CPU to run
What is the difference between kernel and operating systems?
Obviously, there is more to a computer than reading or writing to hardware
The kernel is the core of the OS, but the OS does a lot of extra things that are nice to have, like:
-Graphics
-Libraries
-Additional software
-Users, user accounts, etc.
-Networking
The kernel is the core of an operating system
Difference between Linux distribution and kernel?
In Linux, you choose a distribution because Linux is just the kernel—the core software that manages hardwares. From there, you can pick features me tools you want. This idea is similar to Windows and Mac: they all, have kernel but offer different “flavor” with unique features and designs.
What is the difference between transistors and ICs?
Transistors are small electric parts that can turn electricity on and off or make signals stronger (think of switches). While Integrated circuits are like a whole team of transistors and other parts (resistors and capacitors) all together on a small chip. They do more complex task because they combine many transistors into place .
