CTCC0113-Course-Packet-03.pdf

Learning Module 02 Principles and Concepts of Computing Systems Course Packet 03 The Computer System  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Course Packet 03 The Computer System Introduction This learnin...

Learning Module 02 Principles and Concepts of Computing Systems Course Packet 03 The Computer System  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Course Packet 03 The Computer System Introduction This learning packet will introduce the students to the computer system. Alternatively, students who are familiar with its principles and concepts will be able to use it as a refresher. Objectives This learning packet aims to help the student understand the principles and concepts that are involved in a computer system. Learning Management System (To be provided by the individual who will use this LM) Duration Topic 01: The Computer System = 5 hours (3 hours of self-directed learning with practical exercises and 2 hours of assessment) Delivery Mode These materials will be delivered online (Synchronous and Asynchronous). Assessment with Rubrics Assessment 03 on page 21 (Please refer to the rubrics on page viii) Requirement with Rubrics Activity Sheet 03 on page 20 (Please refer to the rubrics on page viii) Assignment on page 22 (Please refer to the rubrics on page viii) Readings Learn Computer Science Online (2021. Learn Computer Science). Retrieved from: https://www.learncomputerscienceonline.com/introduction-to-computer- system/ Computers and Computer Systems (2016, The Open University). Retrieved from: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/ocw/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=2892 &printable=1 2  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Introduction The topic of this learning packet is “the computer Key Points: system”. As the entry point of the learning module, this topic will concisely examine the history of computing and History of thereafter will focus on how the parts of a computer system computing work together. In addition to the discussion of the central CPU processing unit (CPU), this topic will briefly study other Number system topics in this module such as number systems, hardware, Hardware software, electronic media and the internet. Software Electronic media The internet Figure 1. Various computer hardware (Image retrieved from https://www.intel.com/) Pre-Assessment 1) What could have been the first computer? 2) What comes to mind when the term “computer system” is mentioned? 3) What could be the function of a “central processing unit” in a computer system? 4) What is the possible difference between “input” and “output” in a computer system? 5) What is the possible difference between “primary memory” and “secondary memory” in a computer system? Figure 2. Various computer peripherals (Image retrieved from https://knowtechie.com/) 3  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Lesson Proper Key Points: Early computing devices existed in various cultures. The abacus is still The abacus is a computing tool that has been used used today. as early as the Mesopotamian period. Most designs are able The abacus can be used by visually- to perform the four basic arithmetic operations but have impaired people. difficulty in longer or more complex operations. The astrolabe is modeled after the Many traders and merchants still use the abacus for universe. their computational needs. Aside from being needing no Astrolabe watches power source, the abacus is also useable by people who are are still visually impaired and cannot use calculators. manufactured today. Figure 3. An abacus (Image retrieved from https://www.computerhistory.org/) The astrolabe is a computing tool that was invented around the Hellenistic civilization. Most designs are modeled after the universe or some aspect thereof. It can: function as an inclinometer determine the altitude of any celestial body above the horizon determine the local latitude measure the time of day, night or year measure NPS (North Polar Sequence) orientation Mechanical astronomical clocks, which show a continuous display of the position of the sun, planets and stars, are based on the astrolabe. To this day, astrolabe watches are still manufactured. 4  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Key Points: Society’s computational needs changed. Computers were intended to solve large computational tasks. The Analytical Engine is considered as the first computer. Figure 4. An astrolabe (Image retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/) As society changed, so did its computational needs. Although the abacus and the astrolabe could still perform their functions when small tasks are involved, it was difficult to use them for bigger undertakings. Computers were originally intended to solve large computational tasks, thus the name. The ancestor of the modern computer’s design was The Analytical Engine, designed and partially built by Charles Babbage. It is considered as the first computer and was based on the Difference Engine which was a simple calculating machine. Babbage thought of ways to improve the Difference Engine and came up with the idea for a general-purpose machine for computing: the Analytical Engine. Until his death in 1871, Babbage worked on its mechanisms. The Analytical Engine was composed of four components: store, mill, reader and printer. Each component was analogous to modern computers: the store was memory, the mill was the central processing unit (CPU), the reader was an input device, and the printer was an output device. These computer system terminologies will be discussed further starting on page 9. 5  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Definition of Terms: ACM. Association for Computing Machinery. ENIAC. Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator. Figure 5. A portion of the Analytical Engine (Image retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/) The grandfather of digital computers, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC), was built in 1943 and its invention led to the formation of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The creation of ENIAC was a project which was funded by the government of the United States of America. It was designed specifically to compute values for artillery range tables. Figure 6. The ENIAC room (Image retrieved from https://cacm.acm.org/) 6  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing For further research and reading, here is an alphabetical list of significant persons in the history of Definition of Terms: modern computing: BASIC. Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic 1) Alan Shugart: Inventor of the floppy disk. Instruction Code. 2) Alan Turing: Conceptualized the Turing machine, COBOL. Common basis of modern computers. Business Oriented 3) Douglas Engalbart: Prototyped a modern Language. computer with a mouse and graphical user interface. HTML. Hypertext 4) Grace Hopper: Inventor of the first computer Markup Language. language: Common Business Oriented Language IBM. International (COBOL). Business Machines. 5) Herman Hollerith: Designer of a punch card UNIVAC. Universal system and established International Business Automatic Computer. Machines (IBM). 6) Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce: Inventors of the computer chip. 7) John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert: Designers of the ENIAC and the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC). 8) JV Atanasoff: Designer of the first computer that could store information in its main memory. 9) Paul Allen and Bill Gates: Wrote software using the new programming language Beginner’s All- purpose Symbolic Instruction Code (BASIC) and established Microsoft. 10) Rob Barnaby: Creator of WordStar, the first word processor. 11) Robert Metcalfe: Developer of the Ethernet. 12) Sergey Brin and Larry Page: Developers of the Google search engine. 13) Shantanu Debnath: Led the creation of the first reprogrammable quantum computer. 14) Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak: Creators of the first computer with a single-circuit board and established Apple Computers. 15) Tim Berners-Lee: Developer of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and in turn, the World Wide Web (WWW). 16) William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain: Inventors of the transistor. 7  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Henceforth, the discussion will focus on the modern digital computer system. Definition of Terms: As an introduction and for familiarization, here is a Microcomputer. Most common simple categorization of modern digital computers by size: computer. Mainframe. Handles Microcomputer: The most common type. It uses a multiple users at microprocessor. Examples are desktop computers, once. game consoles, laptop computers, programmable Supercomputer. calculators and smartphones. Handles intense computational tasks. Mainframe: It is an institutional computer that responds to multitudes of users at the same time. Mainframe uses cases include blockchain technology, private clouds and machine learning. Supercomputer: It performs intense computational tasks such as weather forecasting and nuclear simulations. The most powerful supercomputer as of November 2020 ranked by World Economic Forum is Fugaku. Fugaku is equipped with158,976 nodes into 432 racks and a LINPACK score of 442.01 petaflops was jointly developed by Fujitsu and RIKEN in Kobe, Japan, it was made to resolve Science and technology issues as well as in the field of Big Data and AI. Fugaku is used in experimental research in coronavirus, specifically running simulations of how respiratory droplets in different settings moves through air, Fugaku started its full operation in 2021. Figure 7. FUGAKU Supercomputer (Image retrieved from https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/publications/technicalreview/20 20-03/) 8  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing The working definition of a computer system posits that it is comprised of functional entities, namely the Definition of Terms: hardware and software, which together are able to accept data (input), process it and provide feedback (output) in a Bit. Binary digit. Zero. False, Off. format that can be understood by the user. One. True, On. At this point, some questions may be raised such as: How does the computer system accept data from the user? How does the computer system process data from the user? How does the computer system provide feedback to the user? The computer system is a machine that cannot naturally understand human language. A bit (binary digit) is the basic unit of information that a computer system can understand. It is comprised of only two states: 0 (Zero): This value is False or Off. 1 (One): This value is True or On. Number systems in computing will be discussed further in Learning Packet 02. Figure 8. A power button (Image retrieved from https://www.directive.com/) The power button symbol is a combination of the two states of a computer system: Off and On. It is a zero and a one. 9  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Next, examine the functional entities of the computer system: Definition of Terms: Hardware Hardware. Tangible. Software Input device. Accept Hardware comprises the tangible parts. It is data. anything that the user can physically touch in the computer Output device. system. Show results. Monitor. Shows To answer the question “How does the computer images. system accept data from the user?”- A computer system has Processor. Acts as hardware that can accept commands and data (input) from the brain. the user. These are called input devices. To answer the question “How does the computer system process data from the user?” - A computer system has hardware that acts as its brain. These are called processors. To answer the question “How does the computer system provide feedback to the user?” - A computer system has hardware that can show the results of processing data (output) to the user. These are called output devices. Figure 9. A computer monitor (Image retrieved from https://www.acer.com/) A basic example of computer hardware is the monitor. It shows the user some images which represent inner workings of the computer system. A computer monitor is an output device. Hardware will be discussed further in Learning Packet 03. 10  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing Software comprises the intangible parts of the computer system. They are commonly known as Definition of Terms: “programs” or “applications”. Software. Intangible. There are software which tell hardware how to Apps. User-centric interact with the computer system as a whole. These are Device driver. called device drivers. Hardware and computer system There are software which maintain the computer interaction. system such as configuration, monitoring and security. Operating system. These are called utility software. Environment for communication. There are software which manage the computer System software. system’s resources and services for other software. These Manage the are called system software. computer system. Utility software. Maintain the There are software which have specific tasks that are computer system. not directly related to operating the computer. They are typically user-friendly and user-centric: they cater to the needs of the user instead of the needs of the computer system. These are called application software or apps. Figure 10. An operating system (Image retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/) A basic example of computer software is the operating system. It manages the computer system and provides an environment where apps can communicate with the user. An operating system is a system software. Software will be discussed further in Learning Packet 04. 11  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing But how exactly does a computer system, which is a machine, process all of those commands and data as if it has Definition of Terms: its own brain? CPU. Central processing unit. IC. Integrated circuit. USB. Universal serial bus. Figure 11. A microprocessor (Image retrieved from https://www.computer.org/) The central processing unit (CPU), also called a processor, is a circuit that carries out instructions for the computer system. The design and form of processors have changed over time from integrated circuit microprocessors (ICs) to multi-core processors. However, the fundamental operation of processors remain the same. Figure 12. Block diagram of a CPU (Image retrieved from https://peda.net/) 12  CTCC0113 Introduction to Computing If a CPU is comprised of a memory unit, a control unit and an arithmetic and logic unit, why do many people Key Points: call this “CPU”? It’s a SYSTEM UNIT, not a CPU! It’s a FLASH DRIVE, not a USB! Figure 16. A system unit (Image retrieved from https://study.com/) That is a misnomer. The processor (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), storage devices and internal peripherals are contained in this enclosure. The correct terminology for this enclosure is “system unit”. Other parts of the computer system such as input devices are connected to the CPU via their respective units. They communicate by transferring data between components via computer buses (bus). A widely-known industry standard is the universal serial bus (USB). External storage devices that use USB hardware for connectivity are mistakenly called “USBs”. The correct terminology for such devices is “flash drive”. They are storage drives that use flash memory. Figure 17. Flash drives (Image retrieved from https://study.com/) 16