Information Systems (Page 4-5)
An information system has 5 parts
· People
· Procedures
· Software
· Hardware
· Data
Connectivity – allows computers to share information
Write a simple definition for each of the parts of an information system.
· With a partner, come up with at least 15 ways that computers indirectly impact your life
Procedures are simply rules that you must follow (manuals).
Software (a.k.a. programs)
· There are 2 types of software
o System software is a background program that helps the computer manage its resources. It acts like a boss of all of the other programs. The main type of system software is the operating system, which help run the programs, store data and programs, as well as process data. (Ex. Windows XP)
o Applications software is what everyday people interact with regularly. They include such programs as Microsoft Word or Excel. Other examples include software used to browse the Internet such as Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.
· Supercomputers are the most power because they are very high capacity
· Mainframe computers are very fast and have lots of data storage space
· Minicomputers are used by medium sized companies
· Microcomputers are what we simply call computers, they are the least powerful. Examples include:
o Desktop
o Laptop
o Notebook (4-10 pounds)
o PDA’s (personal digital assistants use pen input and writing recognition)
· Electronic components that make up a computer (mainly the microprocessor and memory)
· Input devices convert human language into computer language (i.e. keyboard, mouse)
· Output devices convert computer language into a form everyday people can understand (i.e. printers, monitors)
· Secondary Storage Devices store data after the computer is off (ex. Floppy, hard and optical disks)
o Floppy disks are called floppy because they store data on a thin piece of plastic
o Hard Disks store large programs
o Optical disks use laser technology to encode the disk (i.e. CD’s and DVD’s)
After reading pages 14-16, create your own definition for the bolded words.
Chapter 4 – The System Unit
The variations in speed, memory capacity and flexibility of computers comes differences in the system unit. The system unit in a desktop computer generally has greater power and memory than that of a notebook computer or PDA.
Input and Output devices are housed outside of the system unit on a desktop computer, however they are generally connected on notebooks and PDA’s.
How do computers convert what we type into language they understand?
· They use an on/off system of all 0’s and 1’s called the binary system.
· Each 0 and 1 is called a bit (short for binary digit)
· 0 is represented by electricity being off on a portion of the system board, 1 is represented by electricity being on.
· To represent a letter or number, a series of eight 0’s and 1’s are grouped together (called a byte)
· Each byte represents 1 letter or number
· There are 3 types of coding, our computers use the type known as ASCii.
· Each time we type a letter or number the computer transmits it into an 8-digit code of 0’s and 1’s.
· Tiny circuit board made out of silicon
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
· This is the most powerful microprocessor chip in your computer.
· The name of the computer reflects the name of the microprocessor chip (Intel Pentium 4)
· Sometimes the term CPU is used to describe the whole box that contains the chip (along with the motherboard, expansion cards, disk drives, power supply, and so on).
· Brain of the computer
Why CPU?
Central – because it is at the center of processing data
Processing – because that’s what it does, it process data
Unit – because it is a chip, which contains millions of transistors (miniature electronic switches)
How do CPU’s work?
· The CPU is located on the motherboard or system board.
· Data and instructions continuously passes through the CPU for processing and then is passed back to the memory and other units (i.e. keyboard and monitor)
Data must have a way to get to the CPU; it does this by traveling along the system bus, which is like a highway for information. (see picture p.99) The speed of a bus is measured in Megahertz (MHz).
There are 4 types of bus lines. Examples include:
· Industry Standard Architecture (ISA)
§Slow, expected to be replaced
· Peipheral component interconnect (PCI)
§Used to connect the CPU and memory
· Accelerated graphics port (AGP)
§Used for graphics
Computer Speed
· System clock is a specialized chips that produces electrical beats, which coordinates the computer’s operations
· The speed of this clock is measured in Gigahertz (GHz) or billions of beats per second.
· The higher the number, the faster the computer can process info
Besides the computer speed, the cache (pronounced cash) also affects the speed of your computer. There are 2 basics types: disk cache and memory cache.
Disk cache stores info from the hard drive temporarily so that computer doesn’t have to search around for it the next time it is needed. Memory cache stores instructions and info that the computer has recently used.
· Level 1 Memory Cache (L1 or primary cache) is located on the same chip as the microprocessor therefore making it very fast.
· Level 2 Memory Cache (L2 or secondary cache) is a separate chip on the computer’s system unit. It takes longer to retrieve this info, however it is still faster than storing the info in the computer’s memory.
Can I add components to my computer?
· A closed architecture computer does not allow new devices to be added
· An open architecture allows new devices
Expansion Slots or Cards
· Expansion slots allow you to plug in special cards such as video, sound or network cards, to increase the capabilities of your computer
· A.k.a plug-in boards, controller cards, adapter cards and interface cards.
· This card makes it possible for your computer to play video games and handle video and high-resolution graphics.
· Some computers have a chipset on the motherboard that handles graphics; others use a separate graphics card.
· Graphics using a dedicated video card tend to run faster and be sharper than integrated graphics.
· All new video cards use a dedicated video connection that comes in a variety of speeds, such as 2X, 4X and 8X.
· To play games or run multimedia applications, a high speed 8X AGP video card with at least 128MB of dedicated memory or higher is recommended
Network Card
· A network card allows you to connect your PC to an Ethernet network (the internet). Network speeds are expressed in megabits per second (Mbps).
· A 10/100 network card can support both Ethernet (10 Mbps) and Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps) networks.
Sound Card
· Accept input from a microphone and convert it to a form the computer can understand.
TV Tuner Cards
· A.k.a television boards, personal video recorder cards
· Changes the TV signal so it can be displayed on your monitor
Network Interface Cards
· Forms a communication network so users can share data, programs and hardware
Fax / Modem Cards
· A modem is a device that enables a computer to transmit data over telephone lines.
· A fax modem allows the computer to transmit data to another fax modem or fax machine (used mostly for business).
Ports are sockets for external devices to connect to the system unit. Others are more general:
· Serial ports send data 1 bit at a time and are good for sending data over a long distance (mouse, keyboard, modem)
· Parallel ports are used when sending a lot of data over a short distance (printer)
· Universal serial bus ports (USB) are replacing serial and parallel ports as they are faster
· High Performance serial bus ports (HPSB) or FireWire ports are the fastest and used for such connections as digital camcorders.
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Internet Scavenger Hunt
1. How would you find a picture of Greenday, the Grammy Award winner?
2. How much would you pay for a 512 MB flash drive? Where?
3. When did 'The Simpsons' first appear on television?
4. How do you submit a question to Dr.Math, an on-line resource for those math questions you cannot answer?
5. Who was the highest paid player in basketball in 1995? How much did he make?
6. Mr. Munro reports to the school's computers have ethernet cards and are WIFI capable. What does this mean?
7. Who composed the music and who wrote the words to the opera 'Cosi Fan Tutti'?
8. Find a list of at least 6 computer input devices.
9. What is the meaning of the word tessellation?
10. Define Platonic Solid . How many are there? What are their names?
11. Where can you find the official program of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia?
12. What is the most recent movie that Roy Rogers has been in?
13. Where can you find a Farside cartoon?
14. Find the Chess Server where you can play an interactive game of chess on-line.
15. How much would you pay for a 512 MB flash drive?
16. True or False. Your sister decides to major in computer architecture in college. That means she will be learning how to draw plans for buildings using a computer.
Storage, Floppy Disks, CDs and DVDs
Instead of you sitting in class, straining your eyes and your hand by copying copious amounts of notes, you will be making your own notes for this section J Simply answer the questions below. Many of these questions could show up word for word on a test. HINT: It will be a lot easier for you if you read the entire section FIRST, then go back and try to find the answer.
Pg 146-148