Computer Hardware
Computer System
Components
Input
Keyboard, Mouse, Camera, Touch Pad
Processing
CPU
Output
Monitor, Printer
Storage
Floppy, Hard Drive, CD, DVD, Flash
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)
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
Connecting Input Devices
Analog to Digital Conversion
Ports (gateways to the
computer) – serial and parallel,
USB.
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 (faster, less compact) Dynamic
Output
Conversion from Digital back to Analog
Video
Printers - Ink Jet, Laser
Sound
Storage
Hard Drive
160 GB on upwards today
As low as 256 KB less than 20 years ago!
CD-ROM
600-700 MB
DVD-ROM
4 GB - Red Laser, 27 GB- Blue Laser Flash Drives
Related Fields of Study
Computer Science
Software development
Computer Engineering
Hardware design and development
Computer Information Systems
Management of technology in
