The principle of the computer. The principles of computer operation The basic principles of computer operation were formulated by

TECHNICAL MEANS FOR IMPLEMENTING INFORMATION PROCESSES

The composition and purpose of the main elements of a personal computer

Classical computer architecture

The foundations for building electronic computers in their modern sense were laid in the 30s and 40s of the last century by prominent scientists: the English mathematician Alan Turing and the Hungarian-American John (Janos) Neumann.

The Turing machine did not become a real operating device, but until now it has been constantly used as the main model for clarifying the essence of such concepts as "computing process", "algorithm", as well as for clarifying the relationship between the algorithm and computers.

In 1946, at the summer session of the University of Pennsylvania, John Neumann distributed a report that laid the foundations for the development of computer technology for several decades to come. Subsequent experience in the development of computers showed the correctness of Neumann's main conclusions, which were developed and refined in subsequent years. The main recommendations proposed by Neumann for computer developers are as follows:

1. Machines on electronic elements should work not in decimal, but in binary number system.

2. The program must be located in one of the blocks of the machine - in a memory device (memory) with sufficient capacity and appropriate speeds for retrieving and writing program instructions.

3. The program, like the numbers with which the machine operates, is represented in binary code. Thus, in the form of representation, commands and numbers are of the same type. This circumstance leads to the following important consequences:

Intermediate results of calculations, constants and other numbers can be placed in the same memory as the program;

The numerical form of the program notation allows the machine to perform operations on the quantities that encode the program instructions.

4. The arithmetic units of the machine are constructed on the basis of circuits that perform the operation of addition. The creation of special devices for calculating other operations is impractical.

5. The machine uses a parallel principle of organization of the computational process (operations on words are performed simultaneously for all digits).

Computer architecture usually determined by the totality of its properties that are essential for the user. The main attention is paid to the structure and functionality of the machine, which can be divided into basic and additional.

Main functions determine the purpose of the computer: the processing and storage of information, the exchange of information with external objects. Additional functions increase the efficiency of the basic functions: they provide efficient modes of operation, dialogue with the user, high reliability, etc. The named computer functions are implemented using its components: hardware and software.

Personal Computer - it is a desktop or portable computer that meets the requirements of general accessibility and universality of use.

The principle of operation and structure of a personal computer

Any form of human activity, any process of functioning of a technical object is associated with the transfer and transformation of information. Information called information about certain natural phenomena, events in social life and processes in technical devices. Information embodied and fixed in a material form is called a message. Messages can be continuous (analogue) and discrete (digital). A continuous message is represented by a physical quantity (electric voltage, current, etc.), whose changes over time reflect the course of the process under consideration.

A discrete message is characterized by the presence of a fixed set of elements, from which various sequences are formed at certain points in time. Computers are information converters, in which the initial data of the problem are converted into the result of its solution, and they belong to the class of discrete action - digital.

The main feature of a computer is the principle of program control, on the basis of which automatic control of the process of solving a problem is achieved. Another important principle is the principle of the stored program in memory, according to which the program, encoded in digital form, is stored in memory along with numbers. The command does not indicate the numbers involved in the operations, but the addresses of the RAM cells in which they are located and the address of the cell where the result of the operation is placed.

The operation of a personal computer (PC) can be briefly described as follows. When the computer is turned on during the initial boot process, the PC components are tested by a special program “hardwired” into ROM (BIOS). At the same time, this program tests (“revives”) PC peripherals. Then a set of programs (operating system) and initial data for calculations are loaded into the PC RAM. This download can be done from the keyboard or from one of the disk drives. The operating system sets the sequence of operation of PC devices and the order of data input, algorithms for their processing and ports for outputting results. Typically, data is taken from some RAM memory locations, processed by the microprocessor, and then transferred to other memory locations. If necessary, the results obtained through special ports are sent to the printer for printing.

Fig.2. Enlarged block diagram of a PC

Computer structure– this is some model that establishes the composition, order and principles of interaction of its components.

Figure 1 shows a simplified functional diagram of a personal computer, Figure 2 - its enlarged block diagram.

Microprocessor. This is the central block of the PC, designed to control the operation of all blocks of the machine and to perform arithmetic and logical operations on information (Fig. 3). The microprocessor includes:

- control device(CU) - generates and delivers certain control signals (control pulses) to all blocks of the machine at the right time, due to the specifics of the operation being performed and the results of previous operations; forms the addresses of the memory cells used by the operation being performed, and transfers these addresses to the corresponding computer units; the control device receives the reference pulse sequence from the clock pulse generator;

- arithmetic logic unit(ALU) - designed to perform all arithmetic and logical operations on numeric and symbolic information. In some PC models, an additional math coprocessor, used for accelerated operations on binary floating-point numbers, on binary-coded decimal numbers, to calculate some trigonometric functions with high accuracy;

- microprocessor memory- serves for short-term storage, recording and issuance of information directly used in calculations in the next cycles of the machine. It is used to ensure the high speed of the machine, because the main memory does not always provide the speed of writing, searching and reading information necessary for the efficient operation of a high-speed microprocessor.

- microprocessor interface system – implements pairing and communication with other PC devices.

Interface(interface) - a set of means of interfacing and communication of computer devices, ensuring their effective interaction.

The main characteristics of the microprocessor:

The clock frequency, showing how many instructions (actions) the processor is able to perform in a second;

Architecture, in particular the size of the cache memory (for more details, see the section ...).

Some applications of the processor, other than the user's personal computer:

traffic light controller;

Interactive toys;

Car digital navigation system;

Management of ignition and fuel supply in cars;

Printers;

Sound engineer console;

Locomotives (microprocessor controls the power supply of the engine);

Interactive touch video screen;

Control over the consumption of electricity;

Technological control (the microprocessor controls the conditions of the production process - temperature, pressure or consumption of materials);

Fishing electronic bait;

Electronic organ, guitar, synthesizer;

Helium detector;

Fitness equipment;

Electronic game "Darts";

Research instruments;

Mooring clutch controller for marine vessels, etc.

Clock pulse generator. It generates a sequence of electrical impulses; the frequency of the generated pulses determines the clock frequency of the machine. The time interval between adjacent pulses determines the time of one cycle of the machine, or simply cycle of the machine. The frequency of the clock pulse generator is one of the main characteristics of a personal computer and largely determines the speed of its operation, since each operation in the machine is performed in a certain number of cycles.

The main distinguishing feature of the structure of a personal computer is the presence of a system bus, through which all its devices interact and exchange information.

PC tires. The computer is built according to the trunk-modular principle, in which all computer blocks are interconnected by a system bus designed to exchange data, address and control information between the components of the computer. The system bus determines the general order of exchange between any blocks of the computer, as well as the maximum number of I / O devices used. It includes address bus, data bus And control bus. The address bus and the data bus are needed to transfer the address of the desired cells from the microprocessor, and then read from them (or write to them) the corresponding data. To ensure interaction between individual computer nodes, there is a control bus that transmits control signals that are exchanged with each other by PC devices.

In addition, there is power rail, which has wires and interface circuits for connecting PC units to the power supply system.

PC buses are characterized by two main parameters - the bit depth and the speed of digital signal transmission through them. The bit width of the data bus is especially important - it must correspond to the bit width of the microprocessor.

All external devices, or rather their I / O ports, are connected to the bus in the same way through the corresponding unified connectors (joints): directly or through controllers (adapters). The system bus is controlled by the microprocessor either directly or through an additional microcircuit - bus controller, which forms the main control signals.

main memory. It is designed to store and quickly exchange information with other units of the machine. Main memory includes two types of storage devices: Read Only Memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM).

ROM is usually made in the form of a chip soldered into the motherboard and cannot be replaced. The information recorded in the ROM cannot be changed by the user, which is well reflected in the English version of its name Read Only Memory - read-only memory. This memory stores programs for testing the main components of the computer, initiating the loading of the operating system, and servicing data input and output operations. These programs are, as it were, permanently “hardwired” into ROM.

RAM is designed to store information (programs and data) directly involved in the computing process at the current stage of PC operation. RAM - volatile memory: when the power supply is turned off, the information stored in it is lost (for more details, see section 3).

external memory. It is used for long-term storage of any information that may ever be required to solve problems. In particular, all computer software is stored in external memory. External memory includes various types of storage devices (cassette tape storage devices (streamers), optical disk drives (CD-ROM)), but the most common, available on almost any computer, are hard drives (HDD) and floppy ( NGMD) magnetic disks. The purpose of these drives is to store large amounts of information, record and issue stored information on request to a random access memory device (for more details, see the section ...).

Power unit. This is a block (Fig. 4) containing autonomous and mains power supply systems for the PC. The power supply performs two critical functions: it provides all system components with stabilized voltage and it cools the inside of the computer.

Timer. This is an in-machine electronic clock that provides, if necessary, automatic removal of the current moment in time (year, month, hours, minutes, seconds and fractions of seconds). The timer is connected to an autonomous power source - the battery and continues to work when the machine is disconnected from the mains.

External (peripheral) devices. Under peripheral understand any device that is structurally separated from the central part of the PC (microprocessor and main memory), has its own control and performs microprocessor requests without its direct intervention.

By purpose, the following external PC devices can be distinguished:

Information input devices;

Information output and display devices;

Pointing devices (manipulators, control devices);

Communication devices and telecommunications.

TO input devices relate:

Keyboard - a device for manually entering text, digital and control information into a PC (for more details, see the section ...);

Scanner - a device for automatic reading from paper or other media and entering texts, graphs, drawings, drawings into a PC for their conversion into a digital (computer) form (for more details, see the section ...);

- graphic tablet (digitizer) - a device for manual input of graphic (less often textual) information, images. A graphics tablet is two devices - the tablet itself and the pen. From a special tablet equipped with a sensitive surface that reacts to the signals emitted by the pen, the exact coordinates of the "point of contact" are transmitted to the computer. The pen, when in contact with the tablet, emits special signals that tell it what color to draw this or that element in the computer, how thick the stroke should be, etc. Used by computer artists, designers.

Touch screens - devices for entering individual elements of the image, programs or commands from a split screen display in a PC;

Digital cameras. In appearance, they do not differ too much from a conventional camera, and they are produced by the same companies as conventional cameras. The difference is that instead of film, a digital camera uses a special memory element that saves the image transmitted from the lens as an uncompressed (TIFF) or lossy compressed file (JPEG compression). Later, the resulting file is transferred to a computer, and then it can be processed in any graphic editor and, if necessary, printed, like a regular photograph, on a special printer. The same group of information input devices includes digital video cameras and mobile phones;

Microphones are devices that receive sound in analog form. In order for a computer to write such signals to magnetic disks and process them, the signals must be converted from analog to digital form. This is achieved using a special device - an analog-to-digital converter (ADC);

MIDI keyboard (MIDI - Musical Instrument Digital Interface) - a device that connects to a sound card. Unlike synthesizers, a MIDI keyboard itself is not able to make sounds: it is devoid of any "stuffing" for sound creation. This role is given to the sound card. The role of such a keyboard is to give commands to the built-in synthesizer: what note of what duration and on what instrument the computer should play. Elements of a MIDI keyboard: the keyboard itself is a simplified copy of the piano; instrument control tools that allow you to switch the keyboard to simulate any of the instruments available in the sound card arsenal.

TO output and display devices relate:

Monitor (display) - a device for displaying textual and graphic information without its long-term fixation (for more details, see the section ...);

A printer is a device for outputting data from a computer to paper in an easy-to-read form. Printers allow you to get a hard copy of a document. The most common types of printers are: dot matrix printers (impact devices and thermal printers), inkjet printers with dye ink, laser printers using an electrographic image formation method (for more details, see the section ...);

Graph plotters (plotters) are devices for outputting graphic information (graphs, drawings, drawings) from a PC to paper. They are used in computer-aided design;

Headphones, speakers - devices for outputting sound information.

TO pointing devices relate:

Mouse - a device designed to work in an environment with a graphical user interface;

Trackball - a device that performs functions similar to a mouse, in contrast to which it is not the body that is in motion, but only the ball;

The joystick moves the cursor on the screen in one of four directions. Used to interact with game programs;

Communication and telecommunication devices are used to communicate with devices and other automation equipment and to connect a PC to communication channels, to other computers and computer networks. These include:

Modem (from the words modulation-demodulation) is a device designed to connect a computer to analog telephone lines. It allows you to work on the Internet through an ordinary telephone line. The modem performs the following functions: when transmitting - converting a digital code into analog signals, when receiving - filtering the received signal from interference, i.e. reverse conversion of an analog signal into a digital code;

A network adapter is an external interface of a PC and serves to connect it to a communication channel for exchanging information with other computers, to work as part of a computer network to ensure the transfer of information from a computer to a communication environment;

A data transmission multiplexer is a multi-channel computer interface device with several communication channels.

Basic PC configuration

Structurally, PCs are made in the form of a central system unit, to which external devices are connected through connectors: additional memory devices, keyboard, display, printer, etc.

System unit usually includes a system board, power supply, disk drives, connectors for additional devices and expansion cards with controllers - adapters for external devices.

On system board(more commonly referred to as motherboard– Mother Board), as a rule, are placed:

Microprocessor;

Math coprocessor;

Clock pulse generator;

Blocks (microcircuits) of RAM and ROM;

Keyboard, HDD and floppy disk adapters;

Timer, etc.

CPU

Microprocessor(MP) (central processing unit - Central Processing Unit (CPU)) - a functionally complete software-controlled information processing device, made in the form of one or more large or extra-large integrated circuits. The processor is the "brain" of the PC. It solves all common computing tasks and coordinates the work of memory, video adapter, disk drives and other system components. The processor is an extraordinarily complex microcircuit, connected directly to the motherboard in most PCs, but sometimes installed on a daughter board, which, in turn, is connected to the motherboard through a specialized slot.

MP performs the following functions:

Reading and decoding commands from the main memory;

Reading data from the main memory and registers of adapters of external devices;

Reception and processing of requests and commands from adapters for servicing external devices;

Data processing and writing to the main memory and registers of external device adapters;

Development of control signals for all other nodes and blocks of the PC.

The capacity of the MP data bus determines the capacity of the PC as a whole; the width of the MP address bus is its address space.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OF COMPUTERS

What is a computer

Computer is a programmable electronic device capable of processing data and performing calculations, as well as performing other character manipulation tasks.

There are two main classes of computers:

digital computers, processing data in the form of numerical binary codes;

analog computers, processing continuously changing physical quantities (electrical voltage, time, etc.), which are analogues of the calculated quantities.

Nowadays, the vast majority of computers are digital.

The principle of operation of computers is to execute programs (Software) - predefined, well-defined sequences of arithmetic, logical and other operations.

Any computer program is a sequence of individual commands.

Team is a description of the operation to be performed by the computer. As a rule, an instruction has its own code (symbol), source data (operands) and result.

The result of the command is generated according to the rules that are precisely defined for this command and are embedded in the design of the computer.

The set of instructions that a given computer can execute is called command system this computer.

Computers operate at a very high speed, which is millions - hundreds of millions of operations per second.

Any computer has the following main devices:

memory(memory device - memory), consisting of renumbered cells;

CPU, including control device(UU)and arithmetic logic unit(ALU);

input device;

output device.

These devices are connected communication channels through which information is transmitted. The main devices of the computer and the connections between them are shown in the diagram (Fig. 1). Thin arrows show the paths and directions of information flow, and thick arrows show the paths and directions of transmission of control signals.

Memory functions:

– receiving information from other devices;

- memorization of information;

- issuance of information on request to other devices of the machine.

Rice. 1. General scheme of the computer

Processor features:

– data processing according to a given program by performing arithmetic and logical operations;

- software control of the operation of computer devices.

The part of the processor that executes instructions is called arithmetic logic unit(ALU), and its other part, which performs the functions of managing devices, - control device(UU).

Usually these two devices are allocated purely conditionally, they are not structurally separated.

The processor contains a number of specialized additional memory cells called registers. The register performs the function of short-term storage of a number or instruction. Electronic circuits can perform manipulations on the contents of some registers, for example, “cut out” individual parts of an instruction for their subsequent use, or perform certain arithmetic operations on numbers. The main element of the register is an electronic circuit called trigger, which is capable of storing one binary digit (bit). Register is a set of triggers connected to each other in a certain way by a common control system.

There are several types of registers that differ in the type of operations performed. Some registers have their own names, for example:

– adder– ALU register that performs the summation of binary numbers;

– program counter– CU register, the content of which corresponds to the address of the next executed command; serves for automatic selection of the program from successive memory cells;

– instruction register– CU register for storing the command code for the period of time required for its execution. Some of its bits are used to store operation code, the rest are for storage operand address codes.

Computer principles

The construction of the vast majority of computers is based on the following general principles formulated in 1945 by an American scientist John von Neumann.

1. Principle of program control . The program consists of a set of instructions that are automatically executed by the processor in a certain sequence.

A program is retrieved from memory using program counter.This processor register sequentially increases the address of the next instruction stored in it by the length of the instruction. And since the program instructions are located in memory one after another, a selection of a chain of instructions from sequentially located memory cells is thereby organized. If, after executing the command, it is necessary to go not to the next one, but to some other one, the commands are used conditional or unconditional jump, which enter into the program counter the number of the memory cell containing the next instruction. The fetching of commands from the memory stops after reaching and executing the "stop" command.

Thus, the processor executes the program automatically, without human intervention.

2.The principle of homogeneity of memory. Programs and data are stored in the same memory, so the computer does not distinguish between what is stored in a given memory location - a number, text, or a command. You can perform the same actions on commands as on data.

This opens up a whole range of possibilities. For example, the program can also be recycled during its execution, which allows you to set the rules for obtaining some of its parts in the program itself (this is how the execution of cycles and subprograms is organized in the program).

Moreover, the commands of one program can be received as the results of the execution of another program. Based on this principle translation methods– translation of the program text from a high-level programming language into the language of a particular machine.

3. The principle of targeting. Structurally, the main memory consists of renumbered cells. Any cell is available to the processor at any time.

Hence it is possible to give names to areas of memory so that the values stored in them can later be accessed or changed during the execution of programs using the assigned names.

Computers built on these principles are of the type von Neumann.But there are computers that are fundamentally different from von Neumann ones. For example, they may not follow the principle of program control, i.e. they may work without a program counter indicating the currently executing program instruction. To refer to any variable stored in memory, these computers do not need to give it a name. Such computers are called not von Neumann.

Command and execution

A command is a description of an elementary operation that a computer must perform.

In general, the command contains the following information:

– code the operation being performed;

– definition guidelines operands(or their addresses);

- instructions for the placement of the received result.

Depending on the number of operands, commands are:

– unicast;

– two-address;

– three-address;

- variable address.

Commands are stored in memory cells in binary code.

In modern computers instruction length variable(usually two to four bytes), and the ways to specify the addresses of variables are very diverse.

In the address part of the command, you can specify:

– operand itself (number or symbol);

– address of the operand (byte number from which the operand begins);

– operand address address (byte number starting from which the operand address is located), etc.

Consider a few possible variants of the addition command(English add - addition), while instead of digital codes and addresses we will use symbols.

1. Unicast commandadd x(cell content X add with the contents of the adder, and leave the result in the adder):

2. Double address commandadd x, y(cell content X And at add and put the result in a cell at):

3. Three address commandadd x, y, z(cell content X stack with cell content y, put the amount in the cell z).

The principle of the computer

You may not need the information in this section for everyday use of your computer. However, it is necessary to have a general idea of the principle of operation of the computer - this can help in solving some sudden problems.

Without exaggeration, the “heart” of a computer is the processor. It is often referred to by the English abbreviation CPU, i.e. Central Processor Unit. The processor is a very complex device whose main function is to execute programs.

Each type of processor has its own instruction set. The processor is given special numerical sequences, which, in accordance with its internal table, are interpreted by it as certain commands. For example, in the PDP-11 processor command system, the binary number 0110000001000000 means “add the number in register #1 with the number in register #0 and place the result in register #0” (registers are a special area of the processor for storing temporary data). In other command systems, the same number may be interpreted completely differently or mean no command at all. Any program enters the processor in the form of such binary instructions, so a program written for one type of processor cannot be executed by a processor with a different instruction system.

Another important part of a computer is a storage device, or memory. Storage devices can be roughly divided into two categories:

ROM - read-only memory (it stores immutable data);

RAM - random access memory (used to write and read data).

In RAM, for example, the results of the program can be recorded for their subsequent output to some external device. The data stored in the ROM is stored "forever", written in the RAM - it is irretrievably lost when the power is turned off.

In today's popular English terminology, ROM is called ROM (ReadOnly Memory), and RAM is called RAM (Random Access Memory). In some cases, a special type of memory can also be used, the information from which is not destroyed when the power is turned off, as in ROM, and at the same time it is possible to write data to this memory programmatically (as in RAM, only slower). This type of memory was almost never used before, but in recent years it has become widespread. It is called Flash memory.

So that the processor can navigate "in the vastness" of the storage device, all memory is divided into cells. Each cell has its own unique address, written as numbers. Typically, memory is organized as a matrix, and to access a memory cell, the processor must specify the number of its column and row. This is controlled by the system signals CAS and RAS.

Before starting, any program must be fully or partially loaded from an external device into RAM. The processor in a certain sequence reads instructions from the RAM and executes them. To do this, it has a special register - the program counter, which always contains the address of the memory cell where the instruction that will be executed next is located. Before the start of the program, this register contains the address of the memory cell into which the first instruction of the program is loaded, and during the execution of each instruction, the content of the instruction counter is automatically increased until the next operation is executed.

The above diagram superficially describes the process of program execution. Modern processors are able to start the execution of a new instruction before the completion of the previous one, initiate the execution of several instructions at once, etc. But the general principle remains the same.

In order to "communicate" with a person, a computer needs devices for input and output of information. The primary input device is now a keyboard with alphanumeric and control keys. Each key transmits a unique binary code to the computer, and a special program, which is usually stored in the computer's ROM, converts these codes into a form acceptable for use in programs. The result of the program is displayed on the monitor screen.

Almost always, the result of the work needs to be saved in order to be able to return to it another time. For this, as well as for recording the texts of programs (program code) themselves, external storage devices are intended. Now, as a rule, floppy and hard magnetic disk drives, as well as laser optical disks, are used for this purpose.

Now you have an idea about the principle of the computer and it's time to move on to a detailed description of its components. Let me remind you that depending on the hardware platform and the manufacturer, the location of some computer parts may differ. Therefore, we will assume that the user has a PC in a standard vertical case, such as MidiTower.

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The main devices of the computer "live" in the system unit. These include: motherboard, processor, video card, RAM, hard drive. But outside of it, usually on the table, no less important computer devices also “live”. Such as: monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, printer.

In this article, we will look at What does computer consist of what these devices look like, what function they perform and where they are located.

System unit.

In the first category, we will analyze those devices, or they are also called components that “hide” in the system unit. They are the most important for his work. By the way, you can immediately look into the system unit. It is not difficult. It is enough to unscrew the two bolts at the back of the system unit and move the cover to the side, and then we will see a view of the most important computer devices, in order, which we will now consider.

The motherboard is a printed circuit board that is designed to connect the main components of a computer. Some of them, for example, a processor or a video card, are installed directly on the motherboard itself in a slot designed for this. And the other part of the components, for example, a hard drive or a power supply, is connected to the motherboard using special cables.

The processor is a microchip and at the same time the "brain" of the computer. Why? Because he is responsible for the execution of all operations. The better the processor, the faster it will perform these very operations, respectively, the computer will work faster. The processor of course affects the speed of the computer, and even very strongly, but the speed of the PC will also depend on your hard drive, video card and RAM. So the most powerful processor does not guarantee a high speed of the computer if the rest of the components are outdated.

3. Video card.

A video card, or otherwise a graphics card, is designed to display images on a monitor screen. It is also installed in the motherboard, in a special connector PSI-Express. Less commonly, a video card can be built into the motherboard itself, but its power is most often enough only for office applications and browsing the Internet.

RAM is such a rectangular bar, similar to a cartridge from old game consoles. It is intended for temporary data storage. For example, it stores the clipboard. We copied some text on the site, and immediately it got into the RAM. Information about running programs, computer sleep mode and other temporary data is stored in RAM. A feature of the RAM is that the data from it is completely deleted after the computer is turned off.

A hard drive, unlike RAM, is designed for long-term storage of files. In another way it is called Winchester. It stores data on special plates. SSD drives have also become popular in recent years.

Their features include high speed, but there is immediately a minus - they are expensive. A 64 GB SSD drive will cost you the same price as a 750 GB hard drive. Imagine how much an SSD for several hundred gigabytes will cost. Wo, woo! But do not be upset, you can buy a 64 GB SSD drive and use it as a system drive, that is, install Windows on it. They say that the speed of work increases several times. The system starts very quickly, programs fly. I'm planning to switch to an SSD and keep my regular files on a traditional hard drive.

A disk drive is needed to work with disks. Although it is already much less frequently used, it still does not hurt on desktop computers. At a minimum, a drive will come in handy for installing the system.

6. Cooling systems.

The cooling system is the fans that cool the components. Usually three or more coolers are installed. Be sure to have one on the processor, one on the video card, and one on the power supply, and then on request. If something is warm, then it is desirable to cool. Fans are also installed on hard drives and in the case itself. If the cooler in the case is installed on the front panel, then it takes heat, and the coolers installed on the rear compartment supply cold air to the system.

The sound card outputs sound to the speakers. It is usually built into the motherboard. But it happens that it either breaks down, and therefore it is bought separately, or initially the quality of the standard PC owner is not satisfied and he buys another sound system. In general, the sound card also has the right to be in this list of PC devices.

The power supply is needed in order for all the above computer devices to work. It provides all components with the necessary amount of electricity.

8. Housing

And in order to put the motherboard, processor, video card, RAM, hard drive, floppy drive, sound card, power supply and possibly some additional components somewhere, we need a case. There, everything is neatly installed, twisted, connected and begins daily life, from switching on to switching off. The required temperature is maintained in the case, and everything is protected from damage.

As a result, we get a full-fledged system unit, with all the most important computer devices that are needed for its operation.

Peripherals.

Well, in order to fully start working on a computer, and not look at the “buzzing” system unit, we need Peripherals. These include those computer components that are outside the system unit.

The monitor itself is needed to see what we are working with. The video card sends the image to the monitor. They are connected to each other with a VGA or HDMI cable.

The keyboard is designed to enter information, well, of course, what kind of work without a full-fledged keyboard. Type text, play games, surf the Internet, and everywhere you need a keyboard.

3. Mouse.

The mouse is needed to control the cursor on the screen. Move it in different directions, click, open files and folders, call various functions and much more. Just like without a keyboard, without a mouse, nowhere.

4. Speakers.

Speakers are needed mainly for listening to music, watching movies and playing games. Who else today uses columns more than ordinary users reproduce them daily in these tasks.

A printer and a scanner are needed to print and scan documents and everything that is needed in the field of printing. Or MFP, multifunctional device. It will come in handy for all those who often print, scan, make photocopies and do many other tasks with this device.

In this article, we only briefly reviewed the main computer devices, and in others, links to which you see below, we will take a closer look at all the most popular peripheral devices, as well as components that are part of the system unit, that is, components.

Enjoy reading!

Fundamentals of computer science

Representation and processing of information

Information any information about the environment. This is information about the properties and state of the objects around us, phenomena and processes, displayed in the form of numbers, formulas, descriptions, drawings, symbols, images.

Computer science- a scientific direction that studies the laws, methods and ways of accumulating, processing and transmitting information using computers and other technical means. The subject of informatics is information technologies and their application for solving applied problems. The ultimate task of using information technology is the preparation and adoption of managerial decisions.

The main technical means of automated information processing include electronic computers (computers) or computers. To date, there are the following classes of computers: large computers, small (mini) computers, micro-computers.

Personal computers belong to the class of microcomputers. The purpose of a PC is to process data. Moreover, the PC processes data without taking into account their semantic content. For this processing, only mathematical operations are used. Only a person can evaluate the semantic content of data.

The computer is a digital device, i.e. all the information it works with is presented in digital form (both text, graphics and sound). Any digital information is encoded with only two values, which are conventionally called zero and one. This smallest unit is called a bit.

A sequence of several bits is called a byte (1 byte = 8 bits). Since each bit can take only 2 values, and there are 8 of them in a byte, then each byte can take up to 2 8 , i.e. 256 values.

To facilitate work with a large number of bytes, they are conditionally combined into kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes. The ratios are shown below.

1K bytes=1024 bytes

1M bytes=1048576 bytes=1024K bytes

1 GB bytes=1073741824 bytes=1048576 K bytes=1024 M bytes

1 T bytes=1099511627776 bytes=1073741824 K bytes=1048576 M bytes=1024 G bytes

How PC works

Each computer consists of a computing system and input-output devices.

All calculations are carried out by the microprocessor. With the help of various input devices (keyboard, mouse, scanner), you can enter information into the PC, and with the help of output devices (monitor, printer), it displays it to you.

To store information, two main types of memory are used - operational (RAM) and permanent (ROM).

The RAM stores the current data of calculations, the processor communicates with this memory (on modern computers, RAM is at least 64 M bytes).

Permanent memory is designed to store any data, incl. programs.

When a program is started, it is read from ROM and loaded into RAM.

The speed of the ROM is much lower than the RAM, but it has one big advantage - when the computer is turned off, all the data in the ROM remains, and the RAM does not remember anything without power. In addition, ROM sizes reach tens of GB.

Thematic materials:

The principle of the computer. The principles of computer operation The basic principles of computer operation were formulated by

System unit.

Peripherals.

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