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QUESTIONS ABOUT
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COMPUTERS 101 STUDENT CONTRACT The binary number system is used to control a computer central processing unit. The binary number system uses two numbers (0 and 1) to tell the millions of switches whether to be ON or OFF. The 0 means OFF and the 1 means ON.
The BINARY
NUMBER system is also called BASE 2. Now
that’s clear, explain how a binary number compares to our decimal
number system, that uses 0, 1, 2,3 , 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
There are a lot of number systems including even up to BASE 16.
We will stop with BASE 2, and we already know BASE 10 (the
decimal system we use all the time). Be prepared to
teach BASE 2 to your classmates in G.E. Go to the BINARY NUMBERS
"TWO by TWO"
website to help you figure out BASE 2
What does ASCII stand for and when you go to TWO by TWO, go
to the ASCII link and then write you and your partner's name in ASCII
code. Job #2-- Write a description of how and why computers have become so small, but so much more powerful.
Modern
electronic computers started out very large with the Mark I by
IBM. The question is for you to use the historical timeline
site: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113882/timeline.shtml
and you will have to describe the new
technology developments to answer this question. You can make a small poster to illustrate your answer.
Using
the "demonstration computer" and the video at How Stuff Works at
http://www.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm# You
could also make a poster of a computer and label the parts. Be
able to point to them, and tell what they do. You can use this website to find the
descriptions: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113882/how.shtml
& http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113882/parts.shtml
to find the answers.
A computer seems very smart and very fast. Tell
how a computer is controlled and why it helps us in various jobs and
uses. Think hard about what makes a computer work--besides power
supplies and hard drives. You can write a short story to describe
what makes a computer work. Go to this website to help figure out
this answer: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113882/soft.shtml
Tell about the math of how a computer
thinks. You need to find out what number system a computer uses,
and be prepared to make a poster describing the mathematical
measurements for RAM, ROM,
Speed, and other things you will find out. Go here to learn of
bits and bytes; kilobytes (Kb),
megabytes (Mb), and gigabytes (Gb)
Have fun with this new terminology. You need to know about it
when buying your first laptop. Visit
http://www.haxial.com/faq/measurement/ Computers, like humans, require a language they can understand. All computers use what numbering system to organize their bits and bytes? What are some of the major languages that computers can operate under? Be ready to tell the OS language that PC's use and MAC's use. Secondly, what does the acronym OS stand for? What happens if you try to install a program written for a certain language onto a computer with another language? The history of machine (computer) languages started in 1837.
Make a time-table of highlights of
computer languages developed through the the 2000's. Include two
or three language names for each decade from the 1950's to the most
recent. The table should have columns for date, title of language
and who or where it was developed. Sometimes it was a
person, sometimes a place or institution. Go here to
find your information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_programming_languages
A
computer network is what makes a two or more computers work together
(talk to each other). At our school we have plugs in the wall to
plug in cat 5 wires. That's what we call the computer network
wiring we use. Some computers use a "wireless" connection.
Regardless, the computers must communicate together another kind of
language or PROTOCOL that they can all understand. Go to
How Stuff Works to learn how to set up your own home NETWORK
Be prepared to tell the class what IP/TCP stands for and how it
works. This is deep stuff--but is real interesting.
Oh, one last thing-- what are "packets" that pass through the copper
wires or through the air in wireless? Have fun
That's
enough computer questions for now. GOOD LUCK! |