BAS: Lesson - Key Functional Components of a Computer

Hard drive disk, processor, video adaptar, power supply, motherboard, RAM, riser cardKey Functional Components of a Computer

What makes a computer work?

Now that we have a bit of basic computer vocabulary, and have discussed the four basic functions of a computer (input, storage, processing, output), let's move a little deeper into what makes a computer work.

Every computer, regardless of what type, has certain essential components (parts) which allow it to complete the four main functions. In the following video lesson, we will explore four of those essentials: the Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, inputs and outputs.

Short Term Memory and Long Term Storage

Did you know that the human brain has two levels of memory: short term and long term. We can store a small amount of information in our short term memory before it gets "overwritten" by new information. Important information - information we concentrate or focus on - gets moved into long term storage so that we can access it, even much later on. While this is an oversimplification of human memory, it might surprise you to find out that computers use a similar memory structure, including a short term storage for gathering data (memory) and a long term storage system for keeping data that can be processed at a later time. So, data is input, cycles through the computer's memory chip, then either gets sent to be directly processed by an app or gets sent to the long term storage device, like a hard drive. Your computer's memory can only hold a relatively small amount of data, so it is constantly refreshing, removing unneeded data to be replaced with new information. Meanwhile, data stored in long term storage is kept, unless the user chooses to remove it and can be accessed as needed.

Do you think the people who created the first computers used human memory as a model for computer memory?

Ethernet and DNS

In our modern world, we depend on our computers being able to communicate with each other. One of the most important ways that computers communicate with each other is via the internet - because of the internet, human communication (through computers) has expanded greatly. A person in Georgia can communicate with a friend in the next town over, or all the way across the planet! 

The main way in which computers connect to the internet is called ethernet. Ethernet is the standard way to connect computers on a network over a wired connection. Within a home computing situation, this wired connection comes from an Internet Service Provider (ISP), which sends data to a modem. This modem is used to create a Local Area Network (LAN) for the home user, usually with the help of a router (sometimes, the router is built in to the modem).

So, how do we actually reach information on the internet? One of the main ways we do so is through a web browser. Web browsers use the internet to travel to specific addresses on the internet. These addresses usually start with http or https (http = HyperText Transfer Protocol; the s = secure). You are used to seeing web addresses in words: www.google.com, for instance. In reality, that is a feature of our modern web, which uses a system called the Domain Name System (DNS). The actual address for every webpage is a series of numbers, but DNS allows those numbers (IP addresses) to be written in human readable language. One of Google's IP addresses is 172.217.2.196 - can you imagine having to remember that instead of just google.com? DNS makes the web much more useful!

Practice Activity

Now that you've watched the video and read about storage and the ethernet, check how much you've learned by completing the following quick activity. You can retake this practice activity as many times as you like and it will not count as a grade in the course - use this activity to practice what you've learned so far!

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