IC 3 BASICS, Internet and Computing Core Certification Computing Fundamentals Lesson 2 How Does a Computer Process Data?

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 22 Objectives Identify computer system components. Explain how the CPU works. Differentiate between RAM and ROM. Describe how data is represented.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 23 Computer System Components A computer system requires many components to do its job: It requires some device or method to ________ data so it can be processed. It requires circuits and programs in order to __________ the data. It needs some type of ________ device to give the result of its processing to the user. It needs some mechanism for ________ data.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 24 Common System Components This figure shows several devices that are common components of a computer system.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 25 System Motherboard Inside the case of a modern PC is the _____________, which contains the electronic circuitry of the computer. Components found on the motherboard include The primary processing chip (CPU). The memory chips. Expansion slots for system interface cards. Ports for connecting external devices. BIOS chips that control system start-up. The circuitry that enables all of these components to communicate.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 26 Example of a Motherboard This figure shows the devices inside a PC case, including the motherboard, the power supply, and some storage devices.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 27 The Central Processing Unit The ______ is the brains of a computer system. The CPU is housed on a silicon chip that contains millions of switches and circuits. The CPU has ____ primary sections: The _______/_______ (ALU) This section performs arithmetic and logical operations. The ___________ This section is the boss of the CPU and coordinates all activity within the CPU. It uses programming instructions to control what actions the CPU performs and when it performs them.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 28 A CPU Chip This figure shows a CPU chip for a small computer. The CPU determines which of the millions of switches that it contains should be turned on or off by processing program statements that tell it what to do. Computer programs are written in programming languages, and each program statement causes one or more actions to occur in the CPU. Humans can understand the program language statements, but they must be converted into a series of binary bits (1s and 0s) before the com- puter’s CPU can understand and execute them.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 29 Computer Memory Data being processed by a CPU is stored in _________ _________. _________ consists of addressable locations within the machine that the computer can access directly. Data stored in memory is ____ _________. If the power fails, everything in memory is lost. Data must be stored on a disk or some other device when not being processed so it is not lost each time the computer shuts down.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 210 Types of Memory There are two types of memory found on a motherboard: _____ – Random Access Memory This is short-term memory where data is processed while a program is running. Data stored here can be accessed and modified as needed. This type of memory ________ any data it holds if the computer is shut down. _____ – Read-Only Memory ROM is memory placed on the motherboard by the manufac- turer and contains instructions that tell the computer how to start itself. This data cannot be accessed or modified by application programs. The contents of this memory ____ ____ ____ when the computer is shut down.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 211 The Instruction and Execution Cycles This figure illustrates the basic cycle involved in processing a program statement. This process is called the _________ ___________ since it must be performed for every instruction to be executed. The amount of time required to complete the instruction cycle is referred to as the ___________ _______.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 212 The Machine Cycle The _____________ cycle and one or more execution cycles create a machine cycle, as shown here. Machine cycles are measured in microseconds, and the faster your computer can process machine cycles, the faster it can process data.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 213 Computer System Controllers A PC motherboard also contains several controllers. _____________ are devices that control the transfer of data between the computer and peripheral devices. Common peripheral devices include a mouse, a monitor, a printer, a keyboard, and so on. Controllers are usually found on a single chip which can handle all usual devices.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 214 Ports and Expansion Slots Serial and parallel ports are used to connect peripheral devices to the computer circuitry. Serial devices (mice/monitors) transmit data one bit at a time. Parallel devices (printers) transmit data several bits at time. USB is a newer, high-speed method of connecting devices and is beginning to replace serial and parallel ports. Expansion slots are electrical connections in the motherboard that can accept circuit cards to perform specific functions. These are commonly used to plug in sound cards, video cards, scanners, and other devices.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 215 A Typical Expansion Card This figure shows an expansion card. It contains its own circuitry for controlling a specific device that is attached to it. It has electrical prongs along the bottom to plug into the expansion slot and make an electrical connection to the main board. This port sticks out of the back of the PC case and is used to attach the device that this card controls.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 216 Data Representation Data is stored in a computer in binary format as a series of 1s and 0s. Computers use standardized coding systems (such as ASCII) to determine what character or number is represented by what series of binary digits. Data is stored in a series of 8-bit combinations called a byte. Every letter, number, punctuation mark, or symbol has its own unique combination of ones and zeros.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 217 Summary Just about all computers perform the same general options: input, processing, output, and storage. Input, output, and processing devices grouped together represent a computer system. The motherboard is the center of all processing. The motherboard contains the CPU, memory, and basic controllers for the system. The motherboard also contains ports and expansion slots.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 218 Summary (continued) The central processing unit is the brains of the computer. The computer is given instructions through computer programs. The CPU has two main sections—the arithmetic logic unit and the control unit. All calculations and comparisons take place in the ALU. The control unit coordinates the CPU activities. The motherboard contains different types of memory.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 219 Summary (continued) Random access memory is volatile and is used to store instructions, data, and information temporarily. Read-only memory is nonvolatile and is used to store instructions, data, and information temporarily. The machine cycle is made up of the instruction cycle and the execution cycle. A controller is used to control the transfer of data between the computer and peripheral devices.

How Does a Computer Process Data? - Lesson 220 Summary (continued) Peripheral devices are connected to the computer through serial and parallel ports. The Universal Serial Bus is a new standard expected to replace serial and parallel ports. Expansion boards are used to connect specialized peripheral devices or to add more memory to the computer. The ASCII code is a standard code used to represent the alphabet, numbers, symbols, and punctuation marks.