1
Q
Hardware vs. Software
A
- hardware refers to the physical parts of the computer
- software refers to the code that runs on the computer
2
Q
Chip
A
- finger-sized silicon
- can contain billions of transistors
- e.g. CPU chips, memory chips, flash chips
3
Q
Transistor
A
- works like an amplifying valve for a flow of electrons
- “solid state” device, meaning it has no moving parts
- basic building block used to construct more complex electronic compnents
4
Q
Moore’s Law
A
- Gordon Moore, Intel co-founder
- states that the density of transistors on a chip doubles about every 2 years or so (sometimes listed as every 18 months)
- technology increases as cost decreases
5
Q
CPU
A
- Central Processing Unit
- referred to as the “brains” of the computer
- does the active “running” of code, manipulating data, while the other components have a more passive role, such as storing data
6
Q
Byte
A
- unit of information storage
- 1 byte can hold 1 letter, e.g. “b” or “X”
- Megabyte (MB) = about 1 million bytes
- Gigabyte (GB) = about 1 billion
7
Q
RAM
A
- Random Access Memory
- working scratchpad memory the computer uses to store code and data that are being actively used
- relatively fast, able to retrieve the value of any particular byte in a few nanoseconds
- 1 nanosecond = 1 billionth of a second
- considered “volatile”, not “persistent”
8
Q
Hard Drive and Flash Drive
A
- hard drive reads and writes magnetic patterns on a spinning metal disk
- a.k.a. “hard disk”
- high pitch spinning sound computer makes
- flash drive consists of silicon flash chips with tiny groups of electrons to store the bytes
- a.k.a. “Solid State Disk (SSD)”
- slower than RAM
- faster and uses less power than hard drive storage, but significantly more expensive per byte
- found in USB thumb drives, camera SD cards, and built-in storage inside tablets and phones
9
Q
File System
A
- the hard disk or flash disk is formatted with a “file system” which organizes the bytes into the familiar pattern of files and directories
- tracks information about the bytes such as: how many there are and the time they were last modified
- Microsoft uses NTFS file system
- Apple uses HFS+ file system
10
Q
Arduino Board
A
- microcontroller chip
- open source
- useful for art projects involving switches, sensors, and lights
11
Q
What does Moore’s law say?
A
The number of transistors which can fit on a chip doubles every 18-24 months
12
Q
What hardware component provides persistent storage (i.e. maintained when the power is off)?
A
Hard Drive
13
Q
What hardware component is the active “brain” doing the computation in the computer?
A
CPU
14
Q
What hardware component provides temporary byte storage during a computation, but is erased when the power is turned off?
A
RAM
