Computer Basics:

Just How Does a Computer

Work?
How Do Computers Work?
 Input—Data is entered into a computer.
Common input devices include the keyboard,
mouse, scanner, etc.
 Processing—The input data is handled in some
way by the computer’s brain, known as the CPU
(Central Processing Unit).
 Output—Information that has been processed by
the computer comes out in some form. Common
output devices include the printer, the monitor,
speakers, etc.
 Storage—Information that has been processed
by the computer is saved on a memory device.
 COMPUTER HARDWARE

A computer is made up
of many parts. The
physical parts of a
computer are called
“hardware.”
 The System Case
The System Case is the hard case that houses
all the internal parts of the computer (CPU,
motherboard, etc.)
System cases can be desktop
models that the monitor sits
on top of, or tower models
that stand up tall. With
laptops, the system case is
the bottom portion and the
monitor is the top.
Input Devices
The Keyboard

The keyboard is
probably the most
commonly used input
device.
 The Mouse
The mouse is an input
device that you use to point
to things on your computer
screen. As you move the
mouse, you will see the
arrow (pointer) move.

A mouse has at least two buttons that

you click to choose whatever you point
to.
Scanner
A scanner is a very
useful input device. You
can place a page of
writing or pictures in the
scanner and it will send
the information to your
computer. There they
can be changed, saved
into a computer file, or
printed.
 Output Devices
Monitor/Screen
Printers
Audio Speakers
The Monitor and the
Screen

The monitor
looks like a TV
and lets you see
your work and
your files. The
screen is part of
the monitor.
The monitor is an
output device.
 Printers
One output device is a printer. Once a
computer user has created something
on the computer, such as an essay or
report, he/she can send it to the printer
to print it out on paper. The printed
copy is called hard copy. Any
computer file can be printed as hard
copy.
Two Common Types of
Printers

An inkjet printer usually

prints in color. It prints by
squirting out small dots of ink
onto the paper.
A laser printer uses a laser
beam to create an image that is
transferred to paper. The ink is a
powder called toner.
 Speakers

Computers come equipped with internal

speakers, but external speakers can be
connected to your computer so you can
hear very realistic sound effects and
wonderful music.
 Processing Devices
CPU (Central Processing Unit
RAM (Random Access Memory)
ROM (Read Only Memory)
Central Processing Unit

Once data has been sent to a

computer by one of the input
devices, it is processed (the
computer does something with or to
the data) by its “brain”. The
computer’s brain is called the CPU,
or Central Processing Unit.
 CPU (continued)

The CPU is also

called the
microprocessor.
The word “micro”
means small.
Since the CPU is
located on a small
computer chip
about 1 inch
square, that makes
Random Access Memory

RAM stands for Random

Access Memory. When a
computer processes
information, it uses software
programs. Each program
requires a certain amount of
electronic memory—called
RAM—(Random Access
Memory) to run correctly.
 RAM (continued)

RAM is temporary memory. The

computer holds information it is working
on in this memory until the information is
closed somehow, either deliberately or
accidentally!
The more RAM a computer has, the faster
it can operate (within limits) and the more
it can do simultaneously. If you’re
updating your computer, more RAM is a
great thing to add!
 Read-Only Memory

A second kind of computer memory

is ROM, which stands for Read-Only
Memory. This memory is
permanent. The information there
was put there when the computer
was made. The computer needs the
information in it’s ROM memory in
order to function. You cannot
change ROM memory.
 Storage Devices
Hard Drive
CD/DVD Drives
Flash Drives
Hard Drive
A hard drive (also known as a
hard disk; named C: drive) is
the main storage device for
your computer. It is where all
of your programs and files are
stored, so if the drive is
damaged for some reason,
you will lose everything on
your computer. Today’s hard
drives have storage capacities
measured in terabytes (1
trillion bytes).
 Hard Disk Drive
The Hard Disk Drive is a magnetic storage
device. All the computer programs and
files you create and save are located there.
This is permanent storage (at least until
you uninstall software or delete a file). The
hard drive is normally signified by the drive
letter “C”. Today’s hard drives can store a
HUGE amount of information. A new
computer might have a hard drive that will
hold a terabyte (1 trillion bytes!)
 Hard Disk Drive (continued)

Inside the Hard Disk Drive

case you’ll find circular
disks that are made of
steel. On the disks, there
are many tracks, or
cylinders. An electronic
reading device called the
head passes back and
forth over the cylinders,
reading information from
the disk or writing to it.
Hard Disk Drive (continued)

Hard Disk Drives use

Magnetic Recording
Techniques. The
magnetic medium can
be easily erased and
rewritten and will
“remember” the
magnetic flux patterns
stored on it for many
years!
 Hard Disk Drive (continued)

Hard Disk Drives can spin at 7200 or more

rpm’s (Revolutions Per Minute). That
means in one minute, the hard drive spins
around more than 7200 times!
CD-RW Disk Drive

CD-RW stands for

Compact Disk-ReWrite.
This type of disk allows
you to write (save)
information to a CD as
well as read information
from it. Most CDs can
hold up to 700 megabytes
of information.
 DVD Drive/Burner

New computers today come with a DVD

drive. A DVD (Digital Video Disc) looks
like a CD but holds much more
information! DVDs can store 4.7
gigabytes of data! Most DVD drives can
Flash Drive
A Flash Drive is the most
recent type of storage device.
You plug it into the USB
(Universal Serial Bus) port on
the front of newer computers,
and you can save to it! Flash
drives can also be called Jump
drives, Memory sticks and
USB sticks. They can have
storage capacities ranging from
24 Mb to over 50 Mb.
So what about Bytes???
 What Is A Byte?

Computers work with bytes. Every

software program, every file you save, all
are measured in terms of how many bytes
they are. Bytes are a measure of the size
of the information; how much memory it
needs to run.
 What Is A Byte? (continued)
Here is an example of how your
computer will use bytes:
When you type the letter A on your
keyboard, electrical signals are sent
from the keyboard to the CPU. The CPU
turns the signals into the code it can
understand. Then the computer reads
the code and sends it on to the monitor
to display the letter A. All of that
 Byte Sizes!
One megabyte equals one million
bytes. So, a computer with 512
megabytes of RAM (Random Access
Memory) means the computer can
handle 512,000,000
(512 million) bytes of RAM.
Hard disk space is also measured in
bytes. So, a 200 GB Hard Disk Drive
has 200,000,000,000 (200 billion)
Byte Sizes (continued)

To get an idea of how

much data a computer
with 1 GB of memory
can store, imagine
pressing any key 1
billion times. How
long would it take?
Byte Sizes (continued)

You would have to press a key 5 times

a second non-stop for over 6 YEARS to
reach 1 billion keystrokes.
One billion keystrokes equals just 1 GB
of memory!
Think about that the next time you
think a webpage is loading too slowly!
And think about this: today’s top
computers have 1 TB (terabyte) hard
drives. That’s 1 trillion bytes! And that’s
one thousand billion !
 Bytes, Kilobytes,
Megabytes, Gigabytes and
Terabytes

KB Kilobyte=1,000 bytes

MB Megabyte=1,000,000
(1 million) bytes
GB Gigabyte=1,000,000,000
(1 billion) bytes
TB Terabyte=1,000,000,000,000
(1 trillion bytes)
 Just the beginning…..
We just touched on the very basics with
this presentation! There is so much more
to understanding computers. There are
books that are thousands of pages long
that explain how they work in great detail.
But now maybe you understand them
more than you did before and you’ll want
to keep learning.
Happy computing!
Created by Jodie Fournigault
Computer Support Specialist
Kreitner Elementary School
October, 2005

Adapted by: Janice Pearson

Program Leader, Business and
Computers
Scarborough Centre for Alternative
Studies
September, 2010
 References

 Kids Domain Resources: Computer

Connections, Computers Inside &
Out
 http://www.howstuffworks.com
 “Computer Basics”, Teacher
Created Materials, pub.1996