Computers Research Paper Essay, Research Paper

THESIS: The computer is a complex combination of millions of objects perfectly pieced together with the skill and talent of many men and women over the years.

OUTLINE:

I. People over the centuries have been developing many different devices and theories that have contributed to today?s computer.

A. Boolean Algebra

B. Microcomputers

II. A computer uses different languages and theories to perform its functions.

1. Boolean Algebra Today

2. Binary Language

3. Machine Language

III. The computer is a complex electronic structure made up of many devices.

1. Hard Disk

2. Memory

1. Random Access Memory

2. Read Only Memory

3. Cache Memory

3. Motherboard

1. BIOS

2. POST BIOS

4. Processor

1. John von Neumann

2. Logic Gates

3. CISC and RISC

4. Bus Interface

5. Port

1. USB

2. SAN

INTRODUCTION:

The computer is a complex combination of millions of objects perfectly pieced together with the skill and talent of many men and women over many years. They have been developing many different devices and theories that have contributed to today?s computer. Although the concepts are difficult to understand, the typical PC is easy to build and even easier to run. With its easy-to-remove parts and difficult to understand theories, it brings a wide variety to the technical world.

CONCLUSION:

All of these theories, functions, and devices have contributed to the way the world is today. The combination of the five main devices (the hard disk, memory, motherboard, processor, and ports) has made up the computer. The languages and history of the computer have contributed to the vast knowledge we hold. The vast knowledge has been taken for granted, but no one could really understand all the difficult concepts presented.

BUILDING COMPUTERS

?Boolean Logic.? Tech Web. Online. Internet. Available

HTTP://www.techweb.com/

Every computer works using a type of algebra called ?Boolean Logic.? In the mid 19th century, an English mathematician, George Boole, developed this algebraic theory which is now used every day by computer engineers and programmers. The primary operations use AND, OR, and NOT, but the computer?s logic gates use variations of this, such as NAND, NOR, XOR, and XNOR. This logic is implemented as transistors, electronic switches that are opened and closed by pulsing. AND requires both inputs to be present, and OR requires one input to be present to provide output. NOT reverses the input; if there is no pulse on the input line, the source goes directly to the output, but if there is a pulse on the input line, switch one is closed, and the current moves to switch two. These logic gates make up circuits which make up logical devices, such as the central processing unit. (I, II).

Brain, Marshall. ?How Hard Disks Work.? Online. Internet. Available HTTP://www.howstuffworks.com/

A hard disk is a device used to store programs and data for later use. A typical hard disk holds eight to eleven gigabytes, which is stored in the form of files. Inside the hard disk is a platter which spins 3,600 to 7,200 RPMs. All the information that needs to be recalled is recorded on this platter. The information is divided in sectors, and sectors are grouped into tracts. Hard disks are used in nearly every desktop computer and server in use today; you can even find them in some VCR and camcorder devices instead of tapes. (III).

Dunphy, Chris. ?RAM-O-Rama: Your Field Guide to Memory Types.? Maximum PC Mar. 2000: 67.

?Extra memory never hurt.? Inside every computer is the ?fastest memory of all,? the processor?s registers. A typical central processing unit has a few dozen registers, and each one is able to store a single value which is directly wired into the CPU. Whenever the CPU needs to ?crunch? a number that is not already in a register, a memory request is generated, and the CPU?s internal memory controller goes to work. All modern CPUs try to crunch a constant stream of instructions by throwing some Level 1 cache into the mix. Typical word processing and web ?surfing? can be handled with ease by this memory. (III).

Frederick, Franz J. Guide to Microcomputers. Washington, D.C.: Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 1980.

When the computers were in their earliest stages, desktop computers were known as microcomputers. Their monitors were television screens, cassette recorders were used to save information, onboard memory held four to 64K, and the CPU was very basic, nothing like today?s computers. The main language at the time was BASIC, and like its name, it was basic. The computer had three main problems: it had difficulty reading programs and files from the cassette, mysterious changing values in variables or programs, and problems in reading programs or data from a disk. Microcomputers today are onboard processors used to help the computer run programs. (I, III).

Gelernter, David, and Keith Ferrell. ?Computer.? World Book Encyclopedia. 1994 ed.

The World Book defines the computer as ?a machine that performs calculations and processes information with astonishing speed and precision,? and it divides it into five main parts. First is the memory which receives data and holds it for later use. Second, the processor changes data into useful information and puts it to work. Next is the input and output equipment: input equipment enters instructions and data, and output equipment put information into understandable form. Last is the database which is used to store information in a form that can be easily searched through. These five parts make up the most complex machine in the world. (III).

Halfhill, Tom. ?Swinging the Sledgehammer.? Maximum PC Jan. 2000: 37.

This year, the two major competitors in processors are coming out with new microprocessors. AMD?s Sledgehammer will remain x86 compatible while expanding some of the instructions, registers, data paths, and memory addressing to 64-bits. It is able to handle data chunks twice as largely as the older x86 chips can handle. The problems with this hardware are that an upgrade of your system and software is required. Also, Intel is coming out with the IA-64. This chip is 64-bits, but also requires an upgrade in the system. Who really needs 64-bits? The only computers that require a 64-bit are big data bases, servers, etc.; however, normal computers performing every day computing, 3D graphics, and multimedia extensions are better running 32-bits. (III).

Hoernes, Gerhard E. Introduction to Boolean Algebra and Logic Design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964.

Boolean Algebra, a complex series using base 10 numbers, has been the basics of computers since the beginning. Logic blocks are simple, basic circuits interconnected in large quantities to perform the various functions of the computer using Boolean Algebra. This algebra is the basis for binary signals which is the basis for all computer languages. Each decimal digit has 10 possible values, and a voltage on a wire can only have two values; therefore, one wire is not enough to represent a decimal. Using ten wires, each wire can stand for one of the 10 values. Only one of the 10 wires is allowed to be at the 1 Level, the other nine are at the 0 level. Any algebraic equation can be converted to this type of problem. (I, II).

Machrone, Bill. ?USB is Wonderful/Terrible.? PC Magazine 3 Jan 2000: 67.

All over the world people are discovering a relatively new technology, USB. ?There?s virtually no peripheral produced today that is not available in a USB version.? Both competitors, Intel and Microsoft, are pushing to eliminate the legacy and serial ports. However, almost no testing has been performed for USB compatibility, conflicts, or performance. It remains widely inconsistent. Throughout the direct attacks on USB, Intel has produced a new version, the USB 2.0, which is 40 times faster than today?s version. Almost no one outside of Intel believes anything should be faster than today?s serial ports. (III).

Norton, Peter. Inside the PC. Indianapolis: Sam?s Publishing, 1995.

?The whole point of a computer is to carry out a series of steps, called a program.? This device contains eight major hardware elements: the processor, a set of input and output devices, a set of high-speed memory and slower storage devices to save and retrieve programs and data, a bus or set of busses that connects the microprocessor to its memory, a set of adapters that enables the microprocessor to communicate with and control input and output devices or storage devices, port expansion slots, and low-speed storage devices where data and programs are stored long term. The motherboard is the defining element of the computer and system unit, and it contains the microprocessor which is the most important part of the computer. The ROM BIOS is the read only memory device that contains software used to ?talk? to the system?s hardware. ROM is read-only memory, and BIOS is an interface, connector, and translator between the computer hardware and software programs. The two parts of the ROM BIOS are the test and initialization programs that check to see that the computer is in working order and the routines, who provide the detailed and intimate control of the various parts of the computer. (III).

Patterson, Gibson, and Katz. ?A Case for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).? U. of California. 8 March, 1975.

RAID, no it is not the bug spray, is a way to combine multiple, small, inexpensive disk drives into an array of disk drives which yield performance exceeding that of a Single Large Expensive Drive (SLED) which appears to the computer as a single logical storage unit. ?Striping,? fundamental to RAID, is the method of concentrating multiple drives into one storage unit. This process involves partitioning each drive?s storage space into stripes, which may be as small as one sector or as large as several megabytes. The stripes are then interleaved ?round-robin,? so that the combined space is composed alternately of stripes from each drive. The type of application environment, input and output or data intensive, determines whether it is large or small. Without striping, the disk?s input and output load is never perfectly even. (III).

PC Guide. Online. Internet. 4 Feb. 2000. Available HTTP://www.PCGuide.com/

Have you ever wondered what happens when you press a key on your keyboard? When a key is pressed, like F, the keyboard sends an electrical signal, a scan code, which the keyboard controller interprets and stores in its memory. It then sends an interrupt, which gives the information to the processor. The processor then sends it to the operating system which sends it to the program that is running, a word processor for example. The program would decide how the key needs to affect it, and it would perform the action, add the F to the line you are on. Each time the video card refreshes, the letter would still be on that same line, in the same place. A video card refreshes 60 to 100 times a second. (III).

The PC Technology Guide. Online. Internet. 14 Dec. 1999. Available HTTP://www.pctechguide.com/

The ?heart? of the computer is the motherboard. This device holds the processor, memory, and expansion slots; and it connects directly or indirectly with every part of the computer. The motherboard is made up of a chipset known as ?glue logic,? some code in ROM and various interconnections or buses. The ROM, read only memory, is separate from the main system memory, which is used for loading and running software; ROM contains the basic input/output system, BIOS. The code and data in the ROM BIOS need not be reloaded every time the computer is restarted, and they cannot be corrupted by wayward applications that write into the wrong memory port. (III).

?Processors.? The PC Technology Guide. Online. Internet. 14 Dec. 1999. Available HTTP://www.pctechguide.com/

In 1945, John von Neumann, in his first draft of ?A Report on the EDVAC,? first suggested storing a sequence of instructions in the same memory as the data. He suggested four parts: the Central Arithmetical unit, Central Control unit, memory, and Input/Output devices. The microprocessor is responsible for everything the computer does, determines which operating systems can be used, which software packages the computer can run, how much energy it uses, and how stable the system will be. The basic structure of the processor contains five parts: the core, branch predictor, floating point unit, primary cache, and bus interface. The CISC, complex instruction set computer, uses microcode to execute all instruction sets; and RISC, reduced instruction set computer, keeps instruction size constant, bans the indirect addressing mode, and retains only the instructions that can be overlapped to execute in one machine cycle or less, very fast. The CISC is traditionally used, but the RISC is cheaper and faster. RISC, though, puts a greater burden on the software. (III).

Rathbone, Andy. Upgrading and Fixing PCs for Dummies. Indianapolis: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., 1995.

According to Webster?s Dictionary, a computer is defined as ?an automatic electronic machine for performing calculations.? The PC has many different basic parts: the case, floppy drive, hard drive, serial port, parallels port, motherboard, Central Processing Unit, math coprocessor, and cards. ?Computers are difficult to destroy; in fact, PCs are easier to fix than cars.? The parts of a computer are designed to be ?modeler.? Most wires are color coded, and the mechanisms are numbered. There is very little that can go wrong in a well maintained PC. They require upgrades and annual cleaning but not much more. (III).

Taschek, James. ?Big Storage.? Smart Reseller. 24 Oct. 1999: 24.

True SAN Networks? 6000 FC offers speed and space for storage. It is a fibre channel that is compliant throughout. True SAN has a controller with multiple 10-bay drive arrays and offers speed first and foremost with data transfer rates reaching 95 Mbps. True SAN scales easily, adapts well for specific application needs, supports hosts on multiple operating systems and up to 125 devices, and provides multiple data routes back to the user for higher availability. 6000 FC thrives in an environment where big-block transfers are performed. True SAN is actively building its reseller channel and is looking for solutions providers with heavy storage and networking experience. (III).