Designing & Building Your Own Computer: Iowa State University Engineering Outreach, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Design Patterns

Download Designing & Building Your Own Computer: Iowa State University Engineering Outreach and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Design Patterns in PDF only on Docsity! Property of Iowa State University Engineering Community Outreach: No duplication without permission. Version 4/13/2020 Activity: Computer Components Grades: 2-8 Length: 45 minutes Concepts: Computer Engineering, hardware, software Materials: paper, pencil, colors, scissors, and tape Background Information: What is a computer? You are surrounded by computers and probably interact with several types of computers each day from phones, laptops, cars, and even coffee machines. Computers are machines that can do stuff with data and instructions. They are built with hardware (the electrical or mechanical parts) and software (the instructions or programs in the computer). There are also tiny computers in things all around us called microcontrollers. They don’t have screens, keyboards, or hard drives, but they do still have other parts of a computer like a processor, memory, and input/output systems. Can you count how many computers you interact with each day? Can you spot the computer in these items? Picture from www.helloruby.com/play/3 What is computer hardware? Computer hardware is the physical parts of a computer. For example, hardware can include a monitor, keyboard, data storage, graphic card, sound cards, and a motherboard. Below you’ll find some descriptions of computer hardware. Case keeps and protects most of the components (elements) of the computer system like the motherboard, disk drives, and power supplies. They also provide impact protection, and some may even be decorated with stickers. Power Supply unit converts energy types for the components of the computer. This is what allows computers to turn on and laptops to run on a battery for hours. Motherboard is the main part of the computer. It is a board that connects other parts of the computer including the CPU, RAM and disk drives like CD and DVD along with anything else connected via a port. CPU or Central Processing Unit, performs calculations that allow a computer to function and is thought of as the brain of the computer. It fetches information and executes tasks as you tell it to. RAM, Random-Access Memory, stores the code and data that is being accessed by the CPU. When you open a web browser on a computer the memory it takes up is stored in the RAM. ROM, Read-Only Memory, stores the Basic Input Output System (BIOS) that runs when the computer is powered on or begins execution of code. Learn more about what is inside a computer by watching this video: https://youtu.be/AkFi90lZmXA! Property of Iowa State University Engineering Community Outreach: No duplication without permission. Version 4/13/2020 Who designs, builds, and improves computers? Computer engineers use mathematics, electricity, computer science, and other subjects to make computers. They continue to think of new ways that computers can be used. They can develop new hardware for computers like keyboard, laptops, or computer monitors. They can create, design, and make new things for computers on both very large and very small scales. Some computer engineers can also develop software for a computer to make it run better or differently. Think about what computers you interact with on a daily basis. Inside your home? Outside? What do you think would improve your computers? When might we need computers to look or act different? Where else can we use computers? Activity: Start by reading through the Background Information. What’s the Problem: Design your very own computer and then build your computer. Explore the Constraints: Just like computer engineers, you will design your own computer, compare it to a real computer, and then improve upon your design. Your very own computer?! Start brainstorming what a computer could look like! Design Your Solution: Once you’ve got some ideas of what a computer could look like, try to design it. Where would everything go? Create: Now that you have the design and ideas in your head, take a piece of paper and draw it out! What components did you include? Try it Out: Once your computer is all drawn out, compare it to a real computer. Did you miss anything? Does yours look similar? How does your computer work? Make it Better: All designs can be made better. How can you improve your design? Do you want to include anything new in your next design? Take a moment and grab another piece of paper. Draw out what your new, improved design looks like. Expand Upon your Design. Now you get to build your computer! You can print out the worksheet (www.helloruby.com/play/2) or just trace out the parts and cut them out on your own piece of paper. Follow the instructions on this website, and you’ll end up with your very own computer.