computers
DESCRIPTION
A very general overview about computers, short introduction, for students at the HS level..TRANSCRIPT
Computers - An Overview
Rita Ester
23-04-10 © WCCS 2009 Computers - An Overview 2
What is a Computer ?
Electronic device Executes the instructions
of a program (stored in it‘s memory)
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What a Computer does?
Accepts input (=data) Processes data according to
a program (=instructions) Produces output
(=information) Stores results
in memory (RAM) or in storage devices
Allows communication with other computers
Information Processing Cycle
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Information Processing Cycle
Not shown here: • Communication with other computers
©
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Some Basic Terms
Hardware• the physical parts of the computer.
Software• the programs (instructions) that tell the computer what to
do.
Data• individual facts like first name, last name, street address,
city.
Information• data which has been put together into a useful form, like a
complete mailing address
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Why is a Computer Powerful? Speed
• billions of actions per second.
Reliability / Consistency
• highly reliable components
Accuracy
• Error free processing
Storage• keeps huge amounts of data
Communication• increases the power of one computer
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Source
http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson1-2/lesson1-1.htm