01 NI Course Unit 3.pdf
Document Details
Uploaded by Deleted User
Tags
Full Transcript
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING: NURSING INFORMATICS COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK 1 3 3 Computer Hardware Read course and unit objecti...
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING: NURSING INFORMATICS COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK 1 3 3 Computer Hardware Read course and unit objectives Read study guide prior to class attendance Read required learning resources; refer to unit terminologies for jargons Proactively participate in classroom discussions Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas) Answer and submit course unit tasks At the end of this unit, the students are expected to: Cognitive: 1. Describe a computer system 2. Understand milestones in the history of computers 3. Enumerate key and extended hardware components of a computer system as to: a. Input Device b. Process Device c. Output Device 4. Understand four (4) basic operation of the Central processing Unit (CPU). 5. Describe methods of measuring computer speed and power. 6. Understand the three (3) classes of computers. Affective: 1. Instill the concept of group effort during discussion 2. Listen attentively during class discussions 3. Demonstrate tact and respect when challenging other people’s opinions and ideas 4. Accept comments and reactions of classmates on one’s opinions openly and graciously. Psychomotor: 1. Participate actively during class discussions 2. Confidently express personal opinion and thoughts in front of the class Saba, V., and McCormick, K. (2006) Essentials of Nursing Informatics 4 th Edition, Overview of Computers and Nursing, Historical Perspectives of Nursing and Computer (pp 41-51). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Computers A computer is defined as a machine that is capable of performing a sequence of arithmetic and logic operations and with the following characteristics: It is a machine It is electronic It is automatic It can manipulate data It has memory It has logic functions A computer system is capable of performing certain logical operation, provide new time dimension, has the ability to store and retrieve information, control error and check itself. On the other hand, it has limitations. A computer is dependent on prepared instructions. It has no ability to derive meaning from objects and cannot correct wrong instruction supporting the idea “GIGO” which means “garbage in – garbage out”. Components of a Computer System Hardware - It refers to the tangible parts of a computer Software - Refers to any sequence of instruction that make it easier to communicate with computers. It also pertains to the programs that govern the operation of a computer that make the hardware productive. Peopleware/ Personnel - Refer to the user or people who work with the computer so that it can be used to find solutions to problems; it indirectly refers to the persons who use the information generated by the computer. In medical and nursing informatics, it refers to the members of the healthcare team. Classes of Computers Supercomputer –machines with the capacities beyond large computer systems with the speed of 100 million instructions per second. Mainframes – the largest, fastest and most expensive type of computer for processing, storing and retrieving data and can access billions of characters of data. Microcomputers / Personal Computers – is a digital computer system under the control of a stored program that uses a microprocessor, a programmable read only memory (ROM) and random-access memory (RAM). Handheld Computers/ PDAs - is a handy computer which can be brought from one place to another History of Computers First Generation Computers Modern computing can probably be traced back to the 'Harvard Mk I' and Colossus (both of 1943). Colossus was an electronic computer built in Britain at the end 1943 and designed to crack the German coding system - Lorenz cipher. The 'Harvard Mk I' was a more general purpose electro-mechanical programmable computer built at Harvard University with backing from IBM. These computers were among the first of the 'first generation' computers. First generation computers were normally based around wired circuits containing vacuum valves and used punched cards as the main (non-volatile) storage medium. Another general purpose computer of this era was 'ENIAC' (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) which was completed in 1946. It was typical of first generation computers, it weighed 30 tonnes contained 18,000 electronic valves and consumed around 25KW of electrical power. It was, however, capable of an amazing 100,000 calculations a second. Second Generation Computers The next major step in the history of computing was the invention of the transistor in 1947. This replaced the inefficient valves with a much smaller and more reliable component. Transistorised computers are normally referred to as 'Second Generation' and dominated the late 1950s and early 1960s. Despite using transistors and printed circuits these computers were still bulky and strictly the domain of Universities and governments. Third Generation Computers The explosion in the use of computers began with 'Third Generation' computers. These relied Jack St. Claire Kilby's invention - the integrated circuit or microchip; the first integrated circuit was produced in September 1958 but computers using them didn't begin to appear until 1963. While large ‘mainframes' such as the I.B.M. 360 increased storage and processing capabilities further, the integrated circuit allowed the development of Minicomputers that began to bring computing into many smaller businesses. Large scale integration of circuits led to the development of very small processing units, an early example of this is the processor used for analyzing flight data in the US Navy's F14A `TomCat' fighter jet. This processor was developed by Steve Geller, Ray Holt and a team from AiResearch and American Microsystems. Fourth Generation Computers (Modern) On November 15th, 1971, Intel released the world's first commercial microprocessor, the 4004. Fourth generation computers were developed, using a microprocessor to locate much of the computer's processing abilities on a single (small) chip. Coupled with one of Intel's inventions - the RAM chip (Kilobits of memory on a single chip) - the microprocessor allowed fourth generation computers to be even smaller and faster than ever before. The 4004 was only capable of 60,000 instructions per second, but later processors (such as the 8086 that all of Intel's processors for the IBM PC and compatibles are based) brought ever increasing speed and power to the computers. Supercomputers of the era were immensely powerful, like the Cray-1 which could calculate 150 million floating point operations per second. The microprocessor allowed the development of microcomputers, personal computers that were small and cheap enough to be available to ordinary people. The first personal computer was the MITS Altair 8800, released at the end of 1974, but it was followed by computers such as the Apple I and II, Commodore PET and eventually the original IBM PC in 1981. Although processing power and storage capacities have increased beyond all recognition since the 1970s the underlying technology of LSI (large scale integration) or VLSI (very large scale integration) microchips has remained basically the same, so it is widely regarded that most of today's computers still belong to the fourth generation. Computer Hardware Definition of Computer Hardware The computer hardware is defined as all of the physical components (objective) of the machine itself. The basic hardware of the computer includes the electronic circuits, microchips, processors and the motherboard itself encased in the Central Processing Unit (CPU) box. In addition, hardware typically includes devices that are peripheral to the main computer box such as input and output device including keyboard, mouse, printer, fax and storage components such as hard drives. The group of required and optional hardware items that are linked together to make up a computer system is called configuration. Computer hardware advances during the late 1990s have made possible many changes to the healthcare industry. The first operations to be modified were special administrative functions such as finance, payroll and nurse staffing and scheduling reports. Later, the computer allowed fantastic changes in the practice of radiology and imaging, allowing noninvasive visualization of the human body. Computers are now pervasive throughout the healthcare industry. Fundamentals of Computer Hardware The box of any computer contains a motherboard. It is a thin, flat sheet made of a firm, non- conducting material on which the internal components of the computer are mounted. It has holes or perforation through which components can be affixed. The specific design of the components is called the computer architecture. Fundamentals of Computer Hardware A computer has four basic components, although most have many add-on components. At its most basic, a computer must consist of a CPU, input and output controllers and storage media. Examples of basic components are as follows: Central Processing Unit The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is considered the brain of the computer that primarily consists of the following: Arithmetic & Logic Unit Memory Unit Register Control Unit Arithmetic and Logic Unit Controls mathematical function such as addition and subtraction and functions of the test logic (Boolean) conditions [e.g. is value x greater, equal to or more than the y value] Control Unit The control unit carries out the machine language functions called fetch, execute, decode and store. Memory Memory includes the locations of the computer internal or main working storage. It consists of registers (small number of very high-speed memory locations), RAM, ROM and cache (small memory storage area holding recently accessed data). Computer Power Computers do not process information as words or numbers. They handle information as byte that is made up of 8 bits. The term bits and bytes refer to how the machine stores information at the lowest, or “closest to machine registers and memory”, level. The following definitions and conversions are necessary for the discussion: Bit – short for “binary digit” is a unit of data in the binary number system. It means “two”, so a bit can assume any of two positions. A bit is an on (value of 1) and off (value of 0) switch. Byte – a group of 8 bits. Bits are grouped into collection of eight (8), which then functions as a unit. There are 255 different combinations of 0 and 1 in an 8-character (or 1-byte unit). Byte conversion table is presented below: FREQUENCY UNIT CONVERSION 1 Bit 1 Character 1 Byte 8 Bits 1000 Byte 1 Kilobyte 1000 Kilobyte 1 Megabyte 1000 Megabyte 1 Gigabyte Computer Speed The basic operations of the CPU are called cycles (fetch, decode, execute and store cycles). It takes time to the computer to perform these functions. The CPU speed is measured in cycles per second. For example, the original IBM PC introduced in 1981 had a clock speed of 4.77 MHz (4.77 million cycles per second). Nowadays, PC speeds are timed in billion cycles per second or gigahertz (GHz). Computer - a machine that is capable of performing a sequence of arithmetic and logic operations Hardware - It refers to the tangible parts of a computer Software - Refers to any sequence of instruction that make it easier to communicate with computers. It also pertains to the programs that govern the operation of a computer that make the hardware productive. Peopleware/ Personnel - Refer to the user or people who work with the computer so that it can be used to find solutions to problems; it indirectly refers to the persons who use the information generated by the computer. In medical and nursing informatics, it refers to the members of the healthcare team. Intermec Technologies Corp (2008), Glossary of Terms, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Intermec Webpage, Website: http://www.intermec.com/learning/glossary/p.aspx White, S. (2005), A Brief History of Computing, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Stephen’s Webpage, Website: http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history Write an essay based on the main theme: “Computer Parts: Similar to the Human Body” consisting of 300-500 words. Download a research article from ScienceDirect focusing on a study related to computer hardware in hospitals Brady Communications (2008), Glossary, Retrieved August 29, 2019, from Brady Communications, Website: http://www.bradycommunications.com/perspectives/glossary.aspx Intermec Technologies Corp (2008), Glossary of Terms, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Intermec Webpage, Website: http://www.intermec.com/learning/glossary/p.aspx Mannix, T. (2004), Computer Terms and Email Etiquette, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from University of Washington Webpage, Website: http://www.umw.edu/policies/style_guide/computer_terms__email_etiq/default.php Saba, V., and McCormick, K. (2006) Essentials of Nursing Informatics 4 th Edition, Overview of Computers and Nursing, Historical Perspectives of Nursing and Computer (pp 41-51). New York: McGraw-Hill Companies White, S. (2005), A Brief History of Computing, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Stephen’s Webpage, Website: http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history