Hardware

In this class you will understand the basic concepts of Hardware, that is, you will understand how the main parts of the computer work.

We will learn:

1. Von Neumann's Architecture
2. Motherboard
3. Types of memories
4. Input and output devices

Hardware is every physical part of a computer. It can be a monitor, a keyboard, pieces that go inside a computer and so on.

To understand how a modern computer works, we have first to understand how all this started. The first computer architecture was proposed by Von Neumann.

Von Neumann's Architecture

The model proposed by Von Neumann suggests to separate the components of a computer system in the following parts:

• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Arithmetic Logic Unit
• Control Unit
• Memory

The relationship between theses components can be seen in the picture below:

The CPU is the brain of the computer. It is where data processing takes place. It is where the computer will execute the instructions of a program. The CPU consists of a Control Unit (CU) and a Logic and Arithmetic Unit (ULA) and is always communicating with the computer memory.

The Logic and Arithmetic Unit is responsible for performing mathematical and logical operations. For example:

• Add, divide, multiply and subtract numbers
• Check which of two numbers is smaller or larger
• Check whether a number is positive or negative

The Control Unit can access, decode and execute the instructions of a program stored in memory. It will define an execution order and perform the operations of our programs and the whole system.

Memory is any device that allows the computer to store data and programs. For example:

• HDs
• SSDs
• CDs
• Flash drives

Although Von Neumann's architecture was the foundation of modern architecture, it does not faithfully represent the architecture used by current systems and today is used mainly to understand the basic functions of a computer (that is what we are doing here 😃)

Motherboard and memory types

The motherboard is a component responsible for interconnecting all other components.

The main components of the computer are:

• RAM (Random Access Memory) is a volatile memory. It means that every time the computer is turned off, it will lose all the stored data. It is responsible for storing data from programs that are currently running.
• ROM (Read-Only Memory) is a memory where only reading information is possible; our programs can't store data in it. They are mainly used to store data that should not be overwritten, such as the program responsible for controlling hardware parts, such as the motherboard, mouse and keyboard.
• Hard drives have as their primary function storing large amounts of data. It is on the hard drive that photos, videos, documents and games are stored. Today it is considered slow because it uses a mechanical needle to access the data.
• SSDs have the same function as a hard drive, but they use newer technology and have no mechanical parts to access the data, for this reason, they are faster.

Besides the memory devices, it is also necessary to connect input and output devices on the motherboard; through them we can interact with the computer.

Input Devices

An input device is a device that provides any information to the computer. For example:

• Mouse: which provides information about cursor movement.
• Keyboard: which provides information about which characters have been pressed.

Output devices

They are devices used to transmit information from the computer to the user..,

The primary output device is the monitor, as it is responsible for reporting everything that is happening on the computer to the user.

Now you know all the basic concepts of Hardware and what are the main computer parts.