With today’s technology, a little knowledge about what is inside a computer can

make you a more you a more effective user and help you select the right computer for the
job you need to do. In this lesson, you learn how the CPU processes data and turns it into
information. You also learn about some of the basic components contained on the
computer’s motherhood.

Computers System
We use computers for all kinds of tasks—to predict weather, to fly airplanes, to
control traffic lights, to play games, to access the Internet, to send e-mail, and so on. You
might wonder how a machine can do so many things.
To appreciate how a computer really operates requires knowledge of calculus,
probability, and statistics—all of which are needed to understand physics and circuit
analysis. Most of us, however do not need this level of comprehension. Instead, we need
fundamental understanding. This lesson presents the fundamentals on how a computer
operates.
Just about all computers, regardless of size, take raw data and change it into
information. The procedure involves input, processing, output, and storage (IPOS), for
example:
You input data with some type of input device
The computer processes it to turn it into information.
You output the information to some type of output device.
You store it for later retrieval.
Input, output, and processing devices grouped together represent a computer
system. In this lesson we look at the components that the computer uses to process data.
These components are contained within the system case.

System components

The PC system case is the metal and plastic case that houses the main system
components of the computer. Central to all of this is the motherboard or system board
that mounts into the case. The motherhood is a circuit that contains many integral
components. A circuit boards simply a thin plate or board that contains electronic
components. Some of the most important components are as follows:
The central processing unit
Memory
Basic controllers
Expansion ports and expansions slots

The central processing unit

The central PROCESSING UNIT, also called the microprocessor, the processor, or
central processor, is the brains of the computer. The CPU is housed on a tiny silicon chip
similar to that shown in the figure on the next page. This chip contains millions of
switches and pathways that help your computer make important decisions. The switches
control the flow of the electricity as it travels across the miles of pathways. The CPU is
housed on a tiny silicon chip similar to that shown in. recall from lesson 1 that programs
are a set of special instructions written by prohrammers, which control the captivates of
the computer. Programs also are known as software.

The cpu has two primary sections: the arithmetic logic unit and the control unit.

A pott is the point at which a peripheral device attaches to a system unit so it can send
data or receive information form the computer. We use devices such as serial and parallel
ports to connect our peripheral devices to the computer. Serial devices transmit data one
bit at a time. Parallel devices transfer eight bits at a time. A bit is represented by a zero or
one. Typically