CTH - Inside the Box Fun (Lesson)

Inside the Box Fun

Let's have fun and explore inside a laptop computer. This is a computer science course, so it is important to learn about the major parts of our computer.   Follow the directions in this learning object to virtually look at the parts of the computer and put pieces of the computer together.  

What Makes a Computer, a Computer?

Computers are everywhere from the smartphone you carry to the smartwatch on your arm.  Watch the following video from code.org to see the features all computers share:

 

Types of Memory

There are two types of memory that runs the computers, volatile and non-volatile. Volatile memory is lost when the computer is shut down, whereas nonvolatile memory remains.   

An example of nonvolatile memory is called ROM, read-only memory.  This memory is not erasable when the power is shut off.  

RAM, random access memory, provides quick processing memory for running programs, but is lost when the computer is shut down.  This memory is volatile memory as the contents are gone when the power to the computer is shut off.  

Flash Memory is electronic memory that can be erased and rewritten like RAM, but is permanent when the power is shut down like ROM.  Storing the BIOS in flash memory is one use.  Flash is also used in many small electronics like cell phones, pagers, cameras, etc.  This type of memory is slower than RAM.  

Another type of nonvolatile memory is storage, whether on a hard-disk, USB, or other device which the computer can read as input for processing.    

How Does the Computer Start?

The BIOS, basic input output system firmware is used to start up your computer.  This firmware was originally stored on the ROM chip in early computers.  Now the BIOS may be stored on a flash memory chip that is permanent on the Mother Board so it can be updated without removing the chip, versus the original ROM chip storage which had to be removed for updating. The BIOS is called firmware because it is the first set of instructions that run on your computer when you give the computer power.  It is considered to be a permanent start up process.  The BIOS sets up the screen and keyboard for use on your computer when you turn the computer on as well as other items.

How Do Computers Work?

All computers take in data, process the data, and output the data in some form.  Watch the following video to see more. 

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