Understanding Computer Systems: Main Components, Binary Code, and Input/Output Devices, Study notes of Communication

Download Understanding Computer Systems: Main Components, Binary Code, and Input/Output Devices and more Study notes Communication in PDF only on Docsity! = phigd Co m re) The vq Technologies 10.1 Computer Systems 10.2 Computers on the Cutting Edge SF TT REA @ Identify the main parts of a computer system. ‘@ Explain why binary code is important to computer function. ‘@ Name several computer input and output devices. @ Describe artificial intelligence and identify ways in which it can be used. ‘@ Discuss wi-fi, WiMAX, and distributed computing. Explore the Photo Anywhere You Want It The first computers were the size of large rooms. They performed simple operations and consumed massive amounts of energy. Today's personal comput- ers are powerful devices that fit on your lap and can connect to the Internet wirelessly. What part of this computer is the input device? Program a Computer to Control a Machine At the end of this chapter, you will be asked to build a motorized robotic machine. You will then write a program that will control your robot. Get a head start by using this checklist to prepare for the Technology Lab. PROJECT CHECKLIST Do some Internet research on robots that other students have created. Read the LEGO Mindstorms™ Education NXT system user's guide. Do the control experiment that comes with the system. Qa The Motherboard The CPU is located on the computer's motherboard. Memory chips, expansion slots, and controllers are also on the motherboard. Why woulda computer manufacturer include expansion slots? Computer Programs What is the function of acomputer program and how does a computer understand it? A computer program, or software, is a set of instructions that the computer follows to do its work. The program controls the computer. It tells the CPU exactly how to handle all the data that is entered into the machine. The program turns the computer into a game machine or tells it to per- form other functions. Computer programs are often stored on the computer’s hard disk drive. Operating Systems Many components inside the computer have operating system programs that are permanently burned into their microchip cir- cuits. When the computer is turned on, these programs first tell the computer how to run its hardware. In a sense, each time you turn your computer on, it reads an entire instruction book on how to operate. Binary Code The computer program and all the information that the com- puter will use must be converted into binary code, which is code that the computer can understand or read. Binary code uses only the numbers 1 (one) and 0 (zero). Each 1 (electricity on) or 0 (electricity off) is a bit. Bits A bit is the smallest piece of information that a computer can use. A computer sends or receives these 1s and 0s in the form of small electrical pulses. A 1 means a pulse flows through the cir- cuit; a 0 means no pulse flows through the circuit. Stringing eight of these bits together forms a byte. Bytes Each byte is code represented as 1s and 0s for a letter, number, or punctuation mark. The computer converts every letter and number that you type into binary bytes. You can find free binary conversion programs online that will show you the codes that a computer would use for your name. Advantages of Binary Why does a computer have to use binary code? “Electricity on” and “electricity off” are the only two messages that a computer can sense. Although binary code seems slow to us, electricity trav- els very fast. Supercomputers can make over a trillion calculations per second. 212 Unit 3. Communication Technologies gold Computer Viruses A is a set of destructive instructions that some- one has written and hidden inside a Web page, an e-mail attach- ment, or even a computer image. Viruses can take different forms. Some are merely annoying. Others do serious damage. Most viruses are passed from computer to computer by users whose computers do not have proper virus protection. If your computer’s virus protection is not up to date, your computer can catch viruses. You could unknowingly pass them on to friends and family through e-mails, file sharing, or by trading homemade CDs and DVDs. Spyware and Worms Spyware is a kind of virus that teaches your computer to spy on you, then secretly sends this information back to its creator. If the virus quickly duplicates itself and worms its way into every memory location in your computer, it is called a “worm.” Trojan Horses A “Trojan Horse” is not a virus. It often takes the form of a fake e-mail that looks like it came from a bank, a major company, an official from a foreign country, or from a Web site you like to visit. If you click to respond, it will take you to a fake log-in location or provide questions designed to steal information about your personal identity and accounts. Grace Murray Hopper Computer Scientist and Program Designer Born in 1906, Grace Murray Hopper attended Vassar College. She joined the faculty after earning a Doctorate from Yale University. After losing her husband in World War II, Hopper joined the U.S. Naval Reserve and became a Rear Admiral. But it was Hopper’s leadership in the field of software development and computer programming that made her a part of technological history. In the 1940s, she worked on the Mark series of computers. By disassembling the computers and figuring out how they worked, she became the third person to program the Mark |. She also worked on the Mark Il and Mark Ill computers. Early Days of Digital In 1949, Hopper joined the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation. There she began work on the UNIVAC I, the first large-scale electronic digital computer. English Language Arts/Writing Write an article for your school’s newspaper discussing the differences between computers in the 1940s and computers today. Go to glencoe.com to this book's OLC to learn about young innovators in technology. Chapter 10 Computer Technologies 213 aging Computers without Computers Imagine life without personal computers. All you need is a small handheld device to access online programs and store all of your files on the Internet. Companies like Google already offer photo storage, word process- ing, and spreadsheet applications as free Web-based services. In the future, you may be able to do every- thing you now do on a personal computer with very little hard- ware. What might be the advantages and disad- vantages of using online software and online storage space? Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for answers and to learn more about online software and storage. Anti-Virus Software The FBI reports that viruses and spyware crimes, and the soft- ware to protect against them, cost billions of dollars each year. Anti-virus program packages usually include a firewall program to block known dangers and a virus program to find and destroy viruses that do get into your computer. These programs must be updated frequently to protect against new attacks. Recall Why is binary code important to the functioning of computers? Disk Drives What is the purpose of a computer disk drive? The computer’s disk drive allows data to be written to stor- age (recorded memory) or read from storage. If you were to look inside a hard-disk drive case, you would see a stack of round metal-oxide platters. Hard drives use electromagnetism to write messages onto these disks. When the playback head passes along the disk, it picks up this magnetic coded message. The message is then converted back into an electronic signal. CDs and DVDs Commercial CDs and DVDs contain information in binary code. This code has been microscopically burned into the plastic disk as tiny pits. A laser on your CD/DVD drive reads this. DVD drives contain a laser that can change its focus, allowing it to read the digital information on different layers of the DVD. High Definition (HD) drives increase storage by using a narrower, blue-ray laser instead of the red laser in standard CD/DVD drives. seus pfubre19 wir > Portable Music Library An iPod or MP3 player has a hard drive that can store and play audio and sometimes video files. When connectedto a computer, isan MP3 player an output device oran input device? 214 Unit 3 1 EV ye} > Computers on the Cutting Edge r eat a Peers = Connect Whatwill Graphic Organizer computers be like in the future? Draw the section diagram. Use it to organize Content Vocabulary and write down information as you read. GA ‘© expert system Distributed Computing Projects 0 wifi ‘O WiMAX ‘© distributed computing Academic Vocabulary @ error Go to glencoe.com to this book's OLC for a @ analyze downloadable graphic organizer and more. TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS STL National Standards for Technological STL1 Characteristics & Scope of Technology Literacy STL7 Influence on History NCTM National Council of Teachers of STL9 Engineering Design Mathematics STI 11 Design Process on _ NCTE National Council of Teachers of STL 17 Information & Communication Technologies English ACADEMIC STANDARDS NSES National Science Education Standards English Language Arts NCSS_ National Council for the Social Studies NCTE 11 Participate as members of literacy communities Science NSESG Historical Perspectives Artificial Intelligence What is artificial intelligence? How do you think the computer might evolve during your life- time? If computers continue to develop at their current rate, will they surpass humans at most tasks? People sometimes talk about the intelligence of computers. They are not really intelligent at all. A computer gets no satis- faction when it solves a problem. It can only run programs and process data. Section 10.1 explains how computers follow instruc- Infer Do you think tions, so that computer error is often really human error. computers make deci- “Thinking” computers are, at this time, just “science fiction.” sions on their own? Chapter 10 Computer Technologies 217 Language Challenged US. military troops sent to other countries are equipped with hand- held computers that use speech recognition software. When a word in English is spoken into the Phraselator, it shows the word ona small screen, then translates it and broadcasts it in the chosen language. Apply Do you thinka common language spoken everywhere in the world would be a good thing? Write a paragraph giving rea- sons for your opinion. 218 Al Programs Al (artificial intelligence) programs, however, give the impres- sion that a computer can think. The programmer has provided the computer with a number of answers that will be triggered by certain requests. Video and Computer Games In video and computer games, AI programs control the char- acters who are not controlled by the player. These characters seem to make their own decisions. If the programmer has given the computer a wide range of responses, the computer-controlled characters will seem more real and complex. Expert Systems Some artificial intelligence programs are called expert systems. In these systems, information from experts ina particular field is stored ina computer’s memory. When the computer is asked a question, it uses this information to answer correctly. A medical expert system, for example, might diagnose diseases. If a doctor or nurse provides it with a list of symptoms, it will match that list against all known diseases. Deep Fritz In 2006, Vladimir Kramnik, the world chess champion, played Deep Fritz, which is now considered the world’s top chess com- puter program. Deep Fritz is capable of “thinking” millions of moves per second. How many moves a human can examine per second is unknown. Deep Fritz won this competition, which raises the question: Will there come a time where human intelligence cannot match the AI programs it has created? Immobots Another new development in AI is immobots, or “immobile robots.” Developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, most immobots do not move around, but they control a machine that probably does. 3 Human vs. Machine World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik tries to prove the superiority of the human brain over the computer brain. Deep Fritz, the computer, won the match. /f Deep Fritz is an expert system, what kind of experts contributed toits memory? Unit 3. Communication Technologies sofewy MeD/as¥ Wi-Fi: Hijacking or Sharing? English Language Arts/Writing Many users leave their wireless networks Analogies We use analogies to compare unsecured. Anyone can access these networks words and ideas. We can also use analogies to and surf the Internet for free. Some people help us decide if something is ethical or not. think there is nothing wrong with this. The laws 1. Michael's neighbor leaves his wireless net- regarding wireless network access are unclear. work unlocked, so Michael uses it. Cathy's neighbor leaves her front door unlocked, and so Cathy goes inside her house. 2. Compare these two situations. Are Michael and Cathy being ethical? Write an answer in two paragraphs. No Free Lunch Ifyou do use other people's wireless networks, they could be charged for using more bandwidth. Also, you might cause their connections to run slowly or prevent them from getting online. Most Al software programs follow a long list of complex rules to solve problems. Unfortunately, it is hard to think of all the pos- sible difficulties that could occur with complex machinery and write a rule for them. Immobot software is different. The word immobot means “immobile robot.” It includes a model of the machine’s system. When a problem occurs, the immobot studies the system, finds the source of the problem, and determines a way around it. The goal is for the immobot to respond to unexpected situations on its own and to learn from its experience. Speech Recognition Al is also being used for speech recognition. The average com- puter does not have the processing power or the noise suppression tools needed for speech recognition software to work perfectly. However, researchers are combining vision inputs with sound inputs so that a computer can read your lips as it listens to what you say. The gradual improvements to computers and speech pro- grams combined with computer vision may eventually free you from your computer keyboard. Identify What are some uses for artificial intelligence? Wireless Computing What is the difference between wi-fi and WiMAX wireless computing? Wi-fi and WiMAX can both provide a wireless connection to printers, media readers, external hard drives, and almost any other piece of hardware that once required a cable. Chapter 10 Computer Technologies 219 chapter 49% Review and Assessment Section 10.1 A computer is an electronic device that calculates, stores, and processes information. A computer program provides instructions that tell the computer what to do. Computer systems include input devices, such as keyboards, and output devices, such Section 10.2 Artificial intelligence programs can solve problems and make decisions ordi- narily handled by humans. Expert systems gather information from experts in a particular field and store it in the computer’s memory. Wi-fi and WiMAX are both wireless connections to the Internet, but WiMAX is newer and more long range. Distributed computing networks use many computers’ downtime for a variety of research projects. Review Content Vocabulary and Academic Vocabulary 1. Ona sheet of paper, use each of these terms and words in a written sentence. Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary as monitors. All computers have two types of memory: ROM and RAM. ‘CPU ‘® computer virus ‘@ component ‘ROM @Al ‘@ function @RAM ‘® expert system @error ‘O program @wifi ‘@ analyze ‘® operating system ‘“® WiMAX ‘® binary code ‘@ distributed computing Review Key Concepts 2. Describe a computer system’s main parts. 3. Explain the purpose of integrated circuits. 4. Identify ROM and RAM and the difference between them. 5 Tell the difference between an operating system and a computer program. 6. Summarize the importance of binary code to computers. ~ Describe how viruses can damage a computer. 8. List some examples of computer input and output devices. 9. Discuss artificial intelligence and some ways it can be used. 10. Explain wi-fi, WiMAX, and distributed computing. 222 ‘SuperStock Unit 3 Real-World Skills Academic Skills 11. Understanding Viruses Go to your library and/or use the Internet to read about computer viruses and the live viruses that cause illness in your body. How are they alike and different? Write a few paragraphs explaining why they both share the name virus. Stem. Technology Skill 12. Lasers Lasers are used to read the memory disks in computers. What other uses do they have? Research the various uses for lasers. a. List uses for lasers in today’s world. b. Categorize the uses into groups such as Lasers in Computers, Lasers in Medicine, and Lasers in Space Science, etc. Computer Traffic Control Programmer Situation Design a computer-controlled model of a traffic control system for school. Activity Working as a team, brainstorm the design of your system. Develop rough sketches of roads and sidewalks surrounding your school and the sensors, lights, and other mechanisms you will use. Write the computer program which will control these devices. Build a scaled working model of your design. Evaluation The model will be evaluated using the following criteria: « Safety—reliable Intelligent—appropriate solution e Bonus points—includes a subsystem that digitally photographs speeding cars Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for information about TSA events. (social Studies 13. Research the history of the personal computer. Focus on one aspect, such as miniaturization or computer viruses. Create and display a timeline showing your research. stm Mathematics 14. Franco receives a joke e-mail that he forwards to his friends. The e-mail is infected with a computer virus. Of the 40 people in his address book, 30% forward the joke to 15 friends each. 25% of those friends forward the joke to 10 people each. How many computers will be infected with the virus? Explain. i) Identifying Operations Ina word problem, find key words to deter- mine what operations to use. Ue ieee rections Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the letter on a separate piece of paper. 1. Which is NOT true about integrated circuits? A They are made from silicon. B They act like switches. C Each chip has a single circuit burned into it. D They are called microchips. 2. Data fed into your computer as you use it is stored in RAM. T F Test-Taking Tip If each item ona testis worth the same number of points, do not spend too much time on questions that are confusing. Chapter 10 Computer Technologies 223 STECHNccOGY: ee iB aN ad on = Program a Computer to Control a Machine t | l | It took less computer power than there is in today’s automobiles to land the first people on the moon. Today computers control the fuel system, engine, and many other parts of a car. Have you ever programmed a computer to control a motor-powered machine? chapter ¥ LEGO Mindstorms™ 4 Education NXT Invention System #* | Set Your Goal y ha! Computer system Your goal for this activity is to build a motorized robot machine using a LEGO Mindstorms™ Education NXT Invention System. The motors and sensors that are part of your machine will be controlled by a computer program that you will write. E Know-the Criteria-and Constraints In this lab, you will: 1. Use the problem-solving process to create your robot machine. 2. Test your computer program thoroughly before downloading it. 3. Download your program into your machine by using the RCX transmitter.