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it was probably the worst prediction in history. Back in the 1940s, Thomas Watson, boss of the giant IBM Corporation, reputedly forecast that the world would need no more than "about five computers." Six decades later and the global population of computers has now risen to something like one billion machines!
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To be fair to Watson, computers have changed enormously in that time. In the 1940s, they were giant scientific and military behemoths commissioned by the government at a cost of millions of dollars apiece; today, most computers are not even recognizable as such: they are embedded in everything from microwave ovens to cellphones and digital radios. What makes computers flexible enough to work in all these different appliances? How come they are so phenomenally useful? And how exactly do they work? Let's take a closer look!
- A computer is a machine composed of hardware and software components. A computer receives data through an input unit based on the instructions it is given and after it processes the data, it sends it back through an output device. How does this come together to make the computer work?
- To better imagine how a computer works, knowing what’s inside will make it easier. Here are the main components of a computer:
- CPU – or Central Processing Unit is considered the most important component in a computer and for good reason. It handles most operations that make it function, by processing instructions and giving signals out to other components. The CPU is the main bridge between all the computer’s major parts.
- RAM – Random Access Memory, or RAM for short, is a computer component where data used by the operating system and software applications store data so that the CPU can process them quickly. Everything stored on RAM is lost if the computer is shut off. Depending on the applications you use, there is typically a maximum limit of RAM you will need for the computer to function properly.
- HDD – Also known as Hard Disk Drive, it is the component where photos, apps, documents and such are kept. Although they are still being used, we have much faster types of storage devices such as solid state drives (SSD) that are also more reliable.
- Motherboard – There is no acronym for this component but without it, there can’t be a computer. The Motherboard acts as the home for all other components, allows them to communicate with each other and gives them power in order to function. There are components that don’t require a physical connection to the Motherboard in order to work, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi but, if there is no connection or signal what so ever, the computer won’t know it’s there.
- Video and Sound Cards – Two components which help the user interact with the computer. Although one can use a computer with a missing sound card, it’s not really possible to use it without a video card. The sound card is used mainly to play sound through a speaker. However, a video card is used to send images on the screen. Without it, it would be like looking at an empty monitor.
- Network adapter – Even though it is not actually required to operate the computer, the Network adapter improves the user’s experience as it provides access to the internet. Modern computers with operating systems such as Windows 10 will not offer the user all of its features without an Internet connection.
- Computers use binary - the digits 0 and 1 - to store data. A binary digit, or bit, is the smallest unit of data in computing. It is represented by a 0 or a 1. Binary numbers are made up of binary digits (bits), eg the binary number 1001.
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The circuits in a computer's processor are made up of billions of transistors. A transistor is a tiny switch that is activated by the electronic signals it receives. The digits 1 and 0 used in binary reflect the on and off states of a transistor.
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Computer programs are sets of instructions. Each instruction is translated into machine code - simple binary codes that activate the CPU. Programmers write computer code and this is converted by a translator into binary instructions that the processor can execute.
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All software, music, documents, and any other information that is processed by a computer, is also stored using binary
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