How a Computer Works

The Elements of a PC (Personal Computer) The Central Unit is a box that contains the elements that make a computer function. Compartments of the internal mechanism- are the metal accommodations, that can incorporate plates in the internal mechanism. Fuel supply source- The mechanism that provides the correct voltage to the different parts of the central system. Electronic components- contains the motherboard, which can contain other boards that are called expansion cards. Expansion cards expand what a computer can normally do.

The Connection of the Mechanisms PS/2 Port- the connectors called Mini-Din (with 6 contacts) connect the mouse/key board to the computer. Series Port- Uses 9 pins to connect male and female ports (DB-9). Used to send and receive data. Parallel Port- Uses 25 pins to connect male and female ports (DB-25). Used mainly to connect printers. USB Port (Universal Serial Bus)- Uses 4 male and female contacts in rectangles (type A) or squares (type B). Used for plug and play which means that the system can automatically understand what was plugged in. It transmits data quicker. IEEE Port 1394 or FireWire- Uses 4 or 6 male and female contacts to permit a quick connection.

The Operation of a Computer Computers operate with number data in codes of 2 figures called Binary Code. The transmitted information is called digital information. The binary numbers are also called Bits which are the electric impulses 1=on 0=off. Bits are in groups of 8 called Bytes. The number increases by eights (8,16,32). The data allows arithmetic and logic operations to receive questions and let out a yes or no answer.

Logic Ports And- The port exit is only one if both of the entrances are 1. (car/gas/city) Or- Only one entrance needs to be one for the exit to be 1. (car/bike/city) No- The exit is 1 if the entrance is 0. The exit is 0 if the entrance is 1. (opposites)

The Motherboard Motherboard- (or base board) is a board of circuits that contain the electronic components of a computer. Contains: Buses-passages for information (in bits) to move through the system. Data Bus- communicates the CPU with the rest of the components Address Bus- is in charge of taking the numbers to find the data inside of the memory. Control Bus- Takes the CPU instructions to eject. CPU- (Central Processing Unit) It is the chip that controls the computer. 2 types of microprocessors- Intel and AMD

Motherboard Continued Memory-The memory in this is measured in kilobytes (KB), Megabytes (MB), and Gigabytes (GB). ROM Memory- Read-Only Memory (cannot change data) RAM Memory- Random Access Memory (can change data) System Clock- Is the system that sends the electric impulses. The number of impulses per second is the velocity. It is measured in Hz and GHz. Slots- (expansion slots) are slots that allow a computer to be updated. For example: Graphics, Sound, and Communication. 3 types: PCI, PCI Express, and AGP Port Connections- The way to connect the electronic components.

Entrance Mechanisms Keyboard- Used to transmit letters, numbers, and symbols. Also, other special Mouse- is a box that controls the movements of a cursor on the screen. Ball Mouse- The movement of the ball will move the pins that is connected to discs. The LED light then captures the movement through little holes where the discs are. Optical Mouse- A light will emit LED over the surface that the mouse is on. A detector captures the light and is sent through digital signals to the computer. Cordless Mouse- Is like an Optical Mouse, but it has a radio in place of the cord that transmits the movement. Scanner- a mechanism that transforms images digitally for a computer to work with. Document Scanner- captures images on paper Photo Scanner- obtains negatives of photographs or of mechanisms Barcode Scanner- reads the barcodes

Exit Mechanisms Monitor- is a screen that shows the results of the operations of a computer. CRT Monitor- Uses a tube to images like a TV that is usually between 14 and 21 inches. LCD Monitor- Is a screen that uses a glass liquid that takes up less space that shows a less exhausted visual. Printer- copies onto paper what was on the screen. Ink-Jet Printer- Ink is ejected onto the paper. It can reproduce photographs. Laser Printer- Uses a toner that is put on paper from a laser ray. You can find laser printers in black and white and in color.

Storage Mechanisms The mechanism that saves information and data so that you will not lose any data when turning off your computer. The 3 types are: Magnetic Floppy Disc HD (hard disc) Etc. Optic CD DVD Flash Memory Flash Drive Memory Card

Image and Sound Mechanisms The Motherboard allows certain audio and visual elements to be attached to the computer. Allows for such uses as: Video camera Digital camera Web Camera