Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Unit 1
Fundamentals of Hardware and Software
1. State the functions of the basic components of all
computers and list eamples where applicable. Control Unit!
"#U! main memory$immediate access storage! bac%ing
store$dis% storage! peripheral de&ices.
C'U
The Central 'rocessing Unit (C'U) is the microchip brain of the
computer. It contains the "rithmetic #ogic Unit ("#U) and the
Control Unit. It is connected to the *ain *emory.
1
Main
Memory
Arithmetic
and Logic
Unit
Control Unit Input Output
Backing
Storage
Control Unit is in charge of the C'U. The control unit eecutes
the instructions of the program. The control unit only
understands &ery simple instructions call machine code.
"rithmetic #ogic Unit ("#U) wor%s under the direction of the
C'U and performs arithmetic and logic operations.
*ain *emory! sometimes %nown as immediate access storage or
primary storage! stores the program currently being eecuted by
the C'U and the data needed by the program. +ata in main
memory is lost when the computer is turned off.
,ac%ing Store! sometimes %nown as the dis% dri&e or secondary
storage! stores programs and data not being used. +ata stored on
secondary storage de&ices is not lost when the computer is
turned off.
'eripheral de&ices are de&ices eternally connected to the
computer such as the mouse! %eyboard! printer and scanner.
-. .plain the functions and uses of primary storage de&ices
and media. ,istable de&ices! '/0*! .'/0*! /"*! /0*!
byte! %ilobyte! bit! megabyte! gigabyte! terabyte! word!
wordsi1e! address! location and address content.
,istable23 " bistable circuit or flip3flop is a simple electronic
circuit that remains in one of two stable states until it recei&es a
pulse (logic 1 signal) through one of its inputs! upon which it
switches! or 4flips5! o&er to the other state. ,ecause it is a two3
state de&ice! it can be used to store binary digits and is widely
used in the integrated circuits used to build computers.
2
/0* (/ead30nly *emory)23 memory de&ice in the form of an
integrated circuit (chip)! fre6uently used in microcomputers.
/0* chips are loaded with data and programs during
manufacture. They can be read but not written to by the
computer. Howe&er! the contents of the chips are not lost when
the power is switched off. /0* is used to form a computer7s
permanent store of &ital information! or of programs that must
be readily a&ailable but protected from accidental or deliberate
change by a user. For eample! a programmable calculator will
contain /0* to hold the instructions for performing the
standard mathematical functions such as sin ! cos and tan which
ne&er change.
'/0* ('rogrammable /ead30nly *emory)23 " memory de&ice in
the form of an integrated circuit (chip) that can be programmed
after manufacture to hold information permanently. '/0* chips
are empty of information when manufactured but can be
programmed once.
.'/0* (.rasable 'rogrammable /ead30nly *emory)23 Computer
memory de&ice in the form of an integrated circuit (chip) that
can record data and retain it indefinitely. The data can be erased
by eposure to ultra&iolet light! and new data recorded. .'/0*
can be programmed many times.
/"* (/andom3"ccess *emory)23 " memory de&ice in the form of
a collection of integrated circuits (chips)! fre6uently used as the
*ain *emory in computers. /"* chips can be both read from and
written to by the computer! but their contents are lost when the
power is switched off. *any modern commercial programs re6uire
a great deal of /"* to wor% efficiently. The 89 megabytes (*,)
of /"* with which most computers are sold with may not be
3
enough2 89 *, is a minimum recommendation! and 1-: or -;8 *,!
if you can afford it.
,it23 ,inary +igit. The smallest unit of data storage holds 1 or <.
,yte23 Usually : bits. ,ytes are a useful unit because 1 byte can
store 1 character.
=ord and wordsi1e23 " word is usually 9 ,ytes or >- bits. It is
con&enient for a computer to use a word to hold numbers. This is
where the term >-3bit machine comes from.
?ilobyte23 Some people thin% this is a 1<<< but in the world of
computers a %ilobyte is 1<-9 bytes. This is because 1<-9 is -
1<
or
-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-@-. Thin% about a %ilobyte as 1<-9
characters or 1< pages of a typical boo%.
*egabyte23 1<-9 ?ilobytes or 1!<9:!;A8 bytes or -
-<
. That is
enough storage to hold 1<< boo%s full of characters.
Bigabyte23 1<-9 *egabytes or 1!<A>!A91!:-9 bytes or -
><
. That is
a room full of boo%s.
Terabyte23 1<-9 Bigabytes or 1!<CC!;11!8-A!AA8 or -
9<
. ThatDs a
whole lot of boo%s.
#ocation! "ddress and Content.
#ocation23 each word is located in memory. These are %nown as
memory locations.
"ddress23 e&ery memory location has an address so that it can be
accessed.
4
"ddress content23 the contents of the memory location at the
gi&en address.
>. State and compare the characteristics and uses of
secondary storage de&ices and media. *agnetic tape! floppy
dis%! micro3floppy dis%! hard dis% (fied head! mo&ing head!
echangeable)! optical dis%s! *agneto optical dis%s! C+!
+E+.
Hard +is% dri&e 23 *agnetic! capacity ranges from 9<*b to 1<<Ds
of Bb but 1< to >< Biga bytes is common. *ost hard dis% dri&es
are mo&ing head and fied into the system unit.
FI' +ri&es 23 *agnetic! 1<<*b or -;<*b capacity!
remo&able$echangeable. .pensi&e alternati&e to floppy dis%s.
Floppy +is% dri&e 23 *agnetic! 1.99*b capacity!
remo&able$echangeable. Slower and more unreliable than a hard
dis% dri&e but con&enient for mo&ing data from one computer to
another. =atch out for &irusesG
*icro3floppy dis%23 " mini floppy dis% sometimes found on laptop
and palm top computers.
C+3/0* (Compact +is% /ead 0nly *emory) 23 0ptical! 8;<*b
capacity.
C+3/ (Compact +is% /ecordable) 23 "llows you to record your own
C+3/0*Ds