Considering the computer object as a system. "personal computer as a system"
Personal computers .
The process of human interaction with computers has been going on for more than 40 years. Until recently, only specialists - engineers, mathematicians - programmers, operators - could participate in this process. In recent years, there have been dramatic changes in the field of computing. Thanks to the development and implementation of microprocessors in the computer structure, small-sized, user-friendly personal computers appeared. The situation has changed; the role of a user can be not only a computer specialist, but also any person, be it a schoolchild or a housewife, a doctor or a teacher, a worker or an engineer. This phenomenon is often called the personal computer phenomenon. Currently, the global fleet of personal computers exceeds 20 million.
Why did this phenomenon occur? The answer to this question can be found if we clearly formulate what a personal computer is and what are its main features. We must correctly perceive the very definition of “personal”; it does not mean that a computer belongs to a person as personal property. The definition of “personal” arose because a person got the opportunity to communicate with a computer without the mediation of a professional programmer, independently, personally. It is not necessary to know a special computer language. The existing software in the computer will provide a favorable “friendly” form of dialogue between the user and the computer. We can identify five formal signs that will help us determine whether this computer personal or not.
1. The control method is simple, visual, convenient, and does not require deep knowledge in the field of computer technology. All technical means(display, keyboard, manipulator, printing device, etc.), ensuring interaction between a person and a computer, are made so that even a child can work on them without fear. Communication between a person and a computer is organized in a dialogue mode.
2. Large quantities developed software for various applications. This will relieve the user of the need to compose a program in computer language himself.
3. Small-sized devices external memory large capacity allow the replacement of one drive with another. Such devices include: floppy disk drives and hard drives, cassette recorders.
4. Due to its small size and weight, comparable to a TV, no special equipment is required for installation, just enough space on your desktop.
5. The design of the personal computer and its external design are attractive in color and shape, and satisfy ergonomic indicators. For the first time during the development of computer technology, this feature is included as the main one in defining an entire class of computers.
A more thorough analysis of all the signs shows that, of course, the most important are the first two signs that determine the nature of communication between a person and a computer, although the absence of one of the five signs listed above allows us to classify a computer as not personal.
Understanding now what a personal computer is, let’s consider the history of the emergence and development of this phenomenon.
The listed features of a personal computer became possible to achieve thanks to the creation of microprocessors, which made it possible to dramatically change the appearance of the computer - to reduce its size and weight. However, this circumstance alone led to the emergence of the microcomputer class. Improvement software, the study by mathematicians and programmers of problems in the subject area and the development on their basis of software tools needed in this area made it possible to turn a microcomputer into a person’s personal information processing tool.
The first personal computer was developed in 1973 in France. Its author is Truong Trong Thi. The first copies were perceived as an expensive exotic toy. Mass production and introduction of personal computers into practice is associated with the name of Steve Jobs, the head and founder of Apple Computer, which launched the production of Apple personal computers in 1977.
Personal computers can be classified according to the capabilities they provide to the user. both domestic and professional.
Household personal computers are used at home. Their main purpose: to provide simple calculations, perform functions notebook, maintaining a personal file cabinet, a teaching tool for various disciplines, a tool for accessing public information funds via telephone channels, etc. It became widespread as a means of entertainment - an organizer and partner in various games.
Professional personal computers are used in a specific professional field; all software and hardware are focused on a specific profession. However, regardless of the professional orientation of computers, their main purpose is to perform routine work: they search for information in various reference and normative documentation and archives, draw up standard documentation forms, keep a diary or laboratory journal, record research results, remember and provide information on a given professional activity upon the user’s request, etc.
Currently one of the most popular computers steel model IBM PC and its modernized version IBM PC XT, which in terms of architecture, software, and external design is considered the basic model of a personal computer. Let's look at the basic structure and characteristics of the IBM PC XT personal computer. The basic kit includes; system unit 2, display1 with color image, keyboard6, printing device (printer), floppy disk drive and hard drive.
The basis of a personal computer is the system unit. It organizes work, processes information, makes calculations, and ensures communication between a person and a computer. The user is not required to thoroughly understand how the system unit works. This is for specialists. But he must know what functional blocks the computer consists of. We do not have a clear idea of the principle of operation of the internal functional blocks of objects around us - a refrigerator, a gas stove, washing machine, car, but they must know what is the basis for the operation of these devices, what are the capabilities of their constituent blocks.
SYSTEM UNIT personal computer consists of motherboard, having dimensions of 212/300 mm and located at the very bottom, speaker, fan, power supply, two disk drives. One drive provides input-output of information from a hard drive, the other - from floppy magnetic disks.
MOTHERBOARD is the central part of a computer and is made up of several dozen integrated circuits for various purposes. The microprocessor is designed as one large integrated circuit. A socket is provided for an additional Intel 8087 microprocessor to perform floating point operations. If you need to improve your computer's performance, you can place it in this slot. There are several modules of permanent and RAM. Depending on the model, there are from 5 to 8 connectors into which various adapter cards are inserted.
An adapter is a device that provides communication between the central part of the computer and a specific external device, for example, between RAM and a printer or hard drive. The board also contains several modules that perform auxiliary functions when working with a computer. There are switches that are necessary to ensure the computer operates with the selected set of external devices (computer configuration).
KEYBOARD
Every computer has a keyboard. With its help, information is entered into the computer or commands are given to the computer. The great-grandmother of the computer keyboard was the typewriter. From her, the keyboard inherited keys with letters and numbers.
But a computer can do more things than a typewriter, and therefore its keyboard has many more keys. Different keys do different things. For example, an ordinary typewriter does not have keys for erasing what is written, but a keyboard does. Such a typewriter cannot insert a new word between two others, but a computer can, and there is a special key for this too.
When we play computer games, we most often use the arrow keys. They are also called "cursor keys". Using these keys you can control how the game hero runs across the screen. The STRI and ALT keys are often used in games. The hero shoots with one key and jumps with the other. These are quite large keys, and they are located at the very bottom of the keyboard, and therefore are convenient to use.
The longest key is SPACEBAR. You can press it even blindfolded. And therefore it is also very often used in games.
MONITOR
When working with a computer, we receive the most information by looking at the monitor screen. A monitor is somewhat similar to a TV. But you shouldn’t watch TV close, because it is very harmful to your eyes. The monitor also affects the eyes, but not as much as the TV. Monitor images are clearer.
Monitors are different. They differ in screen sizes and image quality. Screen size is measured in inches. If you don't know what an inch is. then take a match and break it in half. The length of such a half is an inch.
Measure the screen obliquely - between opposite corners. Regular monitors are 14 inches. Monitors with a size of 15 inches are also often found. There are even more, but they are rarely used at home.
If you have 14-inch monitors, then you should definitely put it on protective screen- it will greatly reduce the harm from monitor radiation. YOU CAN'T WORK WITH A REGULAR MONITOR WITHOUT A PROTECTIVE SCREEN!
Lesson No. 7. In 7th grade
Subject: " Personal Computer as a system. Objects and systems"
Goals:
Educational:
consolidate schoolchildren’s ideas about systems of objects;
give an idea of the PC as a system;
test your knowledge on the topic “objects and systems”
Developmental:
develop logical thinking, memory, attention, ability to compare and analyze, ability
apply the acquired knowledge and skills when performing practical exercises;
Educational:
to form a set of universal educational actions that ensure the ability to learn, i.e.
process information;
to form the information culture of schoolchildren;
form a deeper understanding of object systems and their features;
form ideological positions;
Equipment:
computer,
board
projector
Software
presentation
multimedia projector, computer
Lesson type:
explanatory and demonstration
During the classes
Organizing time
Checking those present in the lesson, preparing students for the lesson.
Checking homework
Textbook: §1.7.
Workbook: visual check of assignment completion: p. 25-26 No. 41.42
Repetition of past material
Give the concept of “Black box”
Give an example of interaction between the system and the environment. Specify inputs and outputs
systems.
Learning new material
One of the objects that we consider in computer science lessons is a PC, so today we will look at a PC as a system.
Let us remember: a system is a whole consisting of parts interconnected. The parts that make up a system are called its elements, i.e. A PC consists of certain parts with the help of which it can perform certain actions, namely, work efficiently with information.
If we look at a PC system, we can distinguish 3 subsystems in it: hardware, software, information resources. OS is the most main program PC.
Application programs – creating images, texts, videos.
Instrumental software – development of other programs that will fulfill our requirements.
A PC is part of the “Man - PC” system; in order for a person to work normally on a PC, to be able to understand it, there must be means that ensure the relationship between the objects of the system - this is an object - a person, an object - a PC.The means that ensure the relationship between a person and a computer is an interface.
The interface can be divided into 4 groups.
If the PC showed us the information that it sees itself, i.e. 101000, we would not understand anything. Thanks to the fact that there are operating systems that convert 101100 into the form we are familiar with, we can work normally on a PC.
Summarizing new material PC – system – including subsystems of hardware, software and information resources.
PC is a subsystem of the “man-computer” system.
The means that provide interconnection between the objects of this system are called an interface.
User interface is the interaction between human and computer.
Consolidating new material
Workbook: p. 35 No. 48
Test
Evaluation criteria:
1-3 –(0-49%) - 2
4 – (50-70%) - 3
5 - (71-85%) - 4
6-7 - (86 – 100%) – 5
Part 2:
Test 1
Option 1.
1. Finish the sentence: “Any part of the surrounding reality, perceived by a person as a single whole, is called...”
concept
object
subject
system
2. Mark single object names:
car
birch
Moscow
Baikal
Pushkin A.S.
operating system
keyboard trainer
Windows XP
3. Mark operating system objects:
Desktop
window
folder
file
computer
properties
dimensions
behavior
state
actions
5. Specify the relationship for the “processor and system unit” pair:
is an element of the set
included in
is a variety
is the reason
6. Mark the natural systems:
solar system
football team
plant
computer
automobile
mathematical language
7. Specify the subsystems included in the “Personal Computer Hardware” system:
input devices
operating system
application programs
Option 2.
Complete the sentence: “A whole consisting of interconnected parts is called...”
concept
object
subject
system
2. Note the common object names:
car
birch
Moscow
Baikal
Pushkin A.S.
operating system
keyboard trainer
Windows XP
3. Label the classroom objects:
Desktop
window
folder
file
computer
4. Mark the signs that may be indicated in the message about the object:
properties
behavior
state
possibilities
actions
5. Specify the relationship for the pair " graphics editor and MS Paint":
is an element of the set
included in
is a variety
is the reason
6. Mark technical systems:
solar system
football team
plant
computer
automobile
mathematical language
7. Specify the subsystems included in the “Personal Computer Software” system:
input devices
storage devices
operating system
application programs
Summing up the lesson
Report grades to students and summarize the lesson.
Homework Textbook: Read §1.8. Workbook: p.36 No. 50
We looked at various computer devices separately. Now we can discuss what a personal computer is as a system in which these devices are present.
Open Architecture Principle
Talking about design computer systems, the principle of open architecture is often mentioned, which implies establishing a standard for the way a computer operates and its configuration, that is, the hardware that makes up the computer and the connections between them. The implementation of this principle in practice allows you to assemble computers from individual parts, which can be manufactured by a variety of companies.
In order for the computer to be easily upgraded or supplemented with new devices over time, it has special internal slots into which the user can insert a variety of devices ( new hard disk, modem, additional memory, etc.). Thus, you can always achieve the desired computer configuration - in accordance with the specifics of its use.
Connecting computer devices
Assuming that it is possible to assemble a computer from various devices, it is necessary to make certain assumptions about how these devices will be able to interface, that is, what their interface will be (English interface - pairing). An interface is a means of connecting two devices, in which all physical and logical parameters are consistent with each other. In our case, to connect computer devices to each other, it is necessary to require that they have the same interface.
An interface approved at the level of international agreements is called standard.
Each of functional elements(memory, monitor or other device) is connected to a bus of a certain type - address, control or data bus.
To coordinate interfaces when connecting peripheral devices controllers, adapters and ports are used.
Controllers and adapters are electronic circuits that provide compatibility between the interfaces of various computer devices. Controllers, in addition, control peripheral devices based on processor requests.
Device ports are also electronic circuits that contain one or more input/output registers and allow computer peripherals to be connected to external processor buses.
In addition, the term port is used when talking about standard interface devices: serial, parallel and game ports (or simply interfaces).
The serial port is usually used to connect relatively “slow” or fairly remote devices (for example, a mouse or modem). Faster devices (for example, a printer or scanner) are connected to the parallel port. A joystick is connected through the game port. The keyboard and monitor have their own specialized ports (regular connectors).
Basic electronic components, which determine the processor architecture, are placed on the main board of the computer, which is called the system or mother board.
computer hardware electronic processor
What is a computer. A computer, as its name suggests (in English the word computer came from the word compute– count, calculate) – this is a computing device. In fact, the computer can’t do anything else except count, count a lot and quickly. Various peripheral output devices, such as a monitor, printer, audio equipment, webcam, etc. they are simply capable of converting the results of these calculations in different ways into signals we can understand. Various input devices (keyboards, pointing devices, tablets, etc.) are engaged in the inverse task: transformation external influences into computer-readable sets of commands and data. What a computer simply cannot exist without is a central processor and a storage device (computer memory). The first one can count, and the second one can store source data and calculation results. The computer performs calculations according to a program pre-installed in it. People write programs, but the computer's job is to execute them. We’ll talk about this in a little more detail at the end of the material, but now briefly about the form in which a computer perceives information.
Part 1. Features of presenting information on a computer
The minimum unit of information for a computer is one bit., which can take two values. One of the values is considered equal to 1, and the other 0. At the hardware level (computer hardware), a unit of information is represented by triggers - a class of electronic devices that have the ability to remain in one of two states for a long time. The output voltage of such electronic devices can have two values, one of which is associated with zero and the other with one. If only semiconductors could be used to easily and efficiently create electronic devices, capable of being, for example, in three or four states for a long time, then a bit would then be considered a unit of information that takes three or more different meanings. Since modern computers are built on the basis of triggers, they use a binary number system.
What is a number system. A number system is a way of representing numerical information, determined by a set of symbols. We are familiar with the decimal number system, represented by a set of numbers from 0 to 9. A computer needs two characters to represent information: 0 and 1. Why this is so - I tried to answer a little higher when I described the nature of triggers - the hardware basis of modern computers. I will show how numbers are represented in different number systems using the example of decimal, binary and hexadecimal systems. The latter is widely used in low-level programming because it is more compact than binary, and numbers presented in hexadecimal can be easily converted to 2nd and vice versa.
Decimal number system “SI10”: (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9). Binary number system “SI2”: (0,1) Hexadecimal number system “SI16”: (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E, F) (symbols A, B, C, D, E and F are used to represent the numbers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15)
So, an example: let's look at how the number 100 is represented using these systems.
“SI10”: 100= 1*100 +0*10+0*1 “SI2” : 01100100=0*128+ 1*64 +1*32 +0*16+0*8+1*4 +0*2+0*1 “SI16”: 64=6*16+4*1
It's all different positional number systems with different basis. Positional number systems are those systems in which the contribution to the total from each digit is determined not only by the value of this digit, but also by its position. Example Not The positional number system is the Roman system with its L,X,V,I. We find that the value of a number, which is designated in a positional number system with a specific base, is calculated as follows:
N=D 0 *B 0 +D 1 *B 1 +…+D n-1 *B n-1 +D n *B n, where D i is the value of the digit on i-th place, starting from 0, and B is the base of the number system. Don't forget that B 0 =1.
How to convert a number from hexadecimal to binary and vice versa. It’s simple, convert each digit in the hexadecimal system into 4 digits of the binary system and write the result sequentially, either from left to right or from right to left. Vice versa: you split the binary number into tetrads(4 digits strictly from right to left) and replace each tetrad separately with one of the symbols of the hexadecimal number system. If the last tetrad turns out to be incomplete, complete it with zeros on the left. Example:
1010111100110 -> 0001(1).0101(5).1110(14).0110(6) -> 15E6
In order to quickly multiply or divide a number by the base of the number system, simply shift all the digits to the left (multiplication) and to the right (division). Multiplying by 2 in the binary number system is called shift left(0 is added at the end), and integer division by 2 is shift to the right(the last character is removed). Example:
11011(27) > 1101(13)
Computer Information Units. We have figured out the minimum unit of information in computer technology - this is a bit. But the minimum addressable set of information is not a beat, but byte– a set of information represented by 8 bits and, as a result, capable of storing 256 (2 8) different values. What means minimum addressable set of information? This means that the entire computer memory is divided into sections, each of which has its own address (serial number). The minimum size of such a section is a byte. Of course, I'm simplifying the picture, but this moment such a representation is sufficient. Why 8 bits? This happened historically, and for the first time 8-bit (byte) addressing was used in computers IBM company. They probably found it convenient that a unit of information can be easily represented by exactly two characters of the hexadecimal number system. Now let’s dispel the myths about the amount of data denoted by almost everyone with familiar words. kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte etc.
1 kilobyte (kb) = 2 10 bytes = 1024, not 1000 bytes. 1 megabyte (MB) = 2 20 bytes = 1048576 bytes = 1024 kilobytes, not 1000,000 bytes. 1 gigabyte (GB) = 2 30 bytes, 1 terabyte (TB) = 2 40 bytes, etc.
Part 2. Computer structure
How does a computer work?. Or What does computer consist of. The further narrative will be structured as follows. The description of the computer device will be presented at various levels. At the first level I will outline the main components of a modern computer, at the second and subsequent levels I will describe each part in more detail. For quick search Use the following navigation for the information you need.
Level 1. General computer structure
System unit
The computer system unit is the same box from which the power cord sticks out, to which the monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer are connected, and into which CDs, flash drives and other external devices are inserted. We can say that all devices that are connected to the system unit from the outside are peripheral devices– performing secondary computer tasks. Well, the system unit itself contains all the most valuable and necessary things: the power supply, the system motherboard and the central processing unit (CPU) - the “brains” of the computer. And also, modules for controlling peripheral devices (controllers), video and sound cards, a network card and modem, transport routes for transmitting information (buses) and much more useful. However, all this is primarily true for home and office computers. For example, looking at a laptop, it is difficult to say where the system unit ends and the peripheral devices begin. All this division is arbitrary, especially since there are also communicators, tablet computers and other portable computing devices.
This category includes all devices that allow you to enter information into a computer. For example, keyboard, mouse, joystick, web camera and touch screen allow a person to do this, and a CD reader or memory card reader simply reads information from external media automatically. Input devices often include only means for human input of information, while all others are called external storage media drives.
These are devices that are designed to display the results of computer calculations. The monitor displays information in graphic electronic form, the printer does almost the same thing, but on paper, and the audio system reproduces information in the form of sounds. All these are means feedback with a person in response to their input of information through input devices.
Other devices
This category includes any devices connected to a computer, from flash cards and portable hard drives, to modems (including wi-fi), routers, etc. Classifying devices is a thankless task, since it can be done in completely different ways, and you can always be right. For example, a built-in modem can hardly be classified as a peripheral device, although an external modem performs exactly the same functions. A modem is a device for organizing communication between computers, and it does not matter where it is located. The same can be said about network card. A hard drive is, first of all, a non-volatile storage device that can be either internal or external. The above classification of computer equipment is based primarily on the physical location of a particular device in a classic personal computer and only then on its purpose. This is just one way of classification and nothing more.
Level 2. The filling of the system unit of a modern computer
First, a few words about computer speed. This property is characterized by the clock speed and performance of the system. The higher they are, the faster the computer works, but these are not synonyms. Performance of any system component is the number of elementary operations it performs per second. Clock frequency– this is the frequency of synchronizing pulses supplied to the system input by the clock pulse generator, which, in turn, determines the number of executions sequentially operations per unit of time. But productivity can be increased by providing the ability to perform basic operations parallel at the same clock speed, as exemplified by multi-core CPU architectures. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate not only clock frequency, with which the processor works, but also its architecture.
Now about the computer components. With the case and power supply, I think everything is clear and without comment. System motherboard and central processor- This is the heart of the computer and they are the ones who manage the computing processes. A more detailed story about them below. Tires is a means of transmitting information between various computer devices. Tires are divided into control bus, which transmit command codes; address buses, which, as their name suggests, serve to pass the address of a set of arguments defined by the command context or the address where the result should be placed; And data buses, which directly transmit the data itself - arguments and results of command execution. Controllers- These are microprocessor devices designed to control hard drives, external storage media drives and other types of devices. Controllers are intermediaries between the central processor infrastructure and specific device connected to the computer. HDD is a non-volatile information storage device. Non-volatility of a storage device is its ability not to lose information after a power outage. In addition to user data, HDD contains program code operating system, including drivers for various devices. Device driver is a program that controls its controller. Operating system, for example Microsoft Windows, controls all devices through drivers that have a software interface that is understandable to it. Drivers are usually developed by computer component suppliers separately for each type of operating system. Also, the system unit cannot do without a cooling system and a control panel that allows you to turn the computer on and off.
Level 3. How a computer works
How data is represented on a computer. All data for a computer is a set of numbers. How are positive ones stored? whole numbers, I told you at the very beginning. Data, which can be either positive or negative, stores the sign (0-plus, 1-minus) in the first bit (1st bit). I won’t talk in detail about the features of storing real numbers, but you should know that real numbers are represented on the computer using mantissa And exhibitors. The mantissa is a proper fraction (the numerator is less than the denominator) in which the first decimal place is greater than zero (in the binary system, this means that the first decimal place is 1). The value of real numbers is calculated by the formula D=m*2 q, where m is the mantissa, and q is the exponent equal to log 2 (D/m). In memory, the computer stores not the mantissa itself, but its significant part - the decimal places. The more digits (bits) allocated for the mantissa, the higher the accuracy of the representation of real data. Example:
The number PI in the decimal number system looks something like this: PI=3.1415926535... Let's reduce the number to the form of a proper fraction multiplied by 10 to the appropriate power: PI=3.1415926535 = 0.31415926535*10 1 =m*10 q, where m =0.31415926535, q=1.
Thus, we represented a real number as two integers, since to store the mantissa it is enough to store only the decimal places (31415926535). It must be taken into account that both the mantissa and the exponent can be both positive and negative numbers. If the number is negative, then the mantissa is negative. If the number is less than one tenth, then the exponent is negative (in the decimal system). In the binary number system, the exponent is negative if the number is less than 0.5. Now let's try to do the same in the binary number system.
Let's round the original number a little: PI 10 = 3.1415 = 3 + 0.1415 So, 3 in the binary system is 11. Now let's deal with the fractional part. 0.1415= 0 *0.5+0 *0.25+1 *0.125+…= 0 *2 -1 +0 *2 -2 +1 *2 -3 +... As a result, we get approximately the following: PI 2 =11.001001000011=0.11001001000011*2 2 =m*2 q, where m=0.11001001000011, and q=2.
Now it should become clear what I meant by the accuracy of the representation of real numbers. 14 digits were spent on the mantissa, and for the number PI it was possible to save only a few decimal places (in the decimal number system). Also, when working on a computer, you may encounter the following form of writing a number:
6.6725E-11 This is nothing more than 6.6725*10 -11 Text is a sequence of characters, and each character has its own numeric code. There are several text encodings. The most well-known and widely used text encodings are ASCII and UNICODE. Graphic arts is a sequence of points, each of which corresponds a certain color. Each color is represented by 3 integers: the components of red (red), green (green) and blue (blue) colors of the RGB palette. The more digits allocated for color storage, the greater the range of colors you can operate. Video is just a sequence of static frames. There are video compression technologies that, for example, store individual sections of video as one frame and a sequence of deltas - the differences between subsequent frames and the previous one. Provided that adjacent frames do not differ in absolutely all points (for example, animation), this approach allows you to save on the total amount of material. Sound is a signal that can be converted from an analogue representation to a digital one through sampling and quantization (digitization). Naturally, digitization will lead to a loss of quality, but that is the price of digital sound. 
How the calculation process is organized. Motherboard- This printed circuit board, on which it is installed CPU (CPU). Also, through special connectors, RAM modules, a video card, sound card and other devices. The motherboard is an aggregating link in the architecture of a modern computer. The motherboard is equipped system controller (north bridge), providing communication between the central processor and RAM and graphics controller, as well as peripheral controller (south bridge), responsible for communication with peripheral device controllers and read-only storage. Northern and South Bridge together form chipset motherboard - her basic set microcircuits RAM or random access memory ( RAM) is a volatile computer memory that stores the executable program and the program data itself. The amount of RAM affects the performance of the computer, since it is the RAM that determines the amount of information processed at any given time. Read Only Memory (ROM) is energy Not dependent computer memory, which stores the most important information for it, including the computer's initial boot program (before loading the operating system) - BIOS(basic input/output system - basic system input/output). ROM data is usually written by the motherboard manufacturer. Video card is an independent board with its own processor and its own RAM (video memory), designed to quickly convert graphic information into a form that can be directly displayed on the screen. The video card processor is optimized for working with graphics, including processing 3D graphics. Thus, the video card processor relieves the central processor from this type of work. The higher the amount of video memory, the faster and more often the computer is able to update data on the screen, and the wider the range of colors that can be used. A central processing unit (CPU) may consist of several processors, each of which is capable of executing its own program in parallel with the others. Previously, processor and processor core were synonymous. Nowadays, a CPU can consist of several processors, and each processor can consist of several cores. Core microprocessor is arithmetic logic unit (ALU), core controller and set system registers. The ALU, as its name suggests, can perform operations on numbers loaded into registers. A set of registers is used to store the address of the current command (commands are stored in RAM, and the IP (Instruction Pointer) register points to the current command), addresses of the data loaded to execute the command, and the data itself, including the result of the command. The kernel, in fact, controls this entire process, executing low-level processor commands. Such commands include loading data into registers, executing arithmetic operations, comparing the values of two registers, moving to the next instruction, etc. The microprocessor itself communicates with the RAM through the RAM controller. Although the access time to RAM is much shorter than, for example, the time to access information on a hard drive, this time still becomes noticeable during intensive calculations. To organize the storage of data, the access time of which should be minimal, ultra-random access memory (cache memory) is used.
Who or what controls the calculation process. The calculation process, as I said at the beginning, is controlled by computer program. Programs are written in various programming languages and most often in . Main high level are: declaration of variables various types, performing arithmetic and logical operations, conditional statements and loops. A person programming in a high-level language does not need to think about how the information he processes is represented in the computer. All calculations are mainly described in the decimal number system familiar to him. The programmer defines it in the form in which it is convenient for him. He has at his disposal a serious arsenal of ready-made software components, solutions and programming technologies: organizational tools, services for working with, etc. and so on. Further, special programs, called compilers, translate program text into machine code - into a command language that is understandable central processor computer. What a program looks like in a high-level programming language can, for example, be seen on the pages of this site, and what a program looks like in a low-level language close to machine code (), see below (this program just displays the message “Hello, world”) .
386 .model flat, stdcall option casemap:none include \masm32\include\windows.inc include \masm32\include\kernel32.inc includelib \masm32\lib\kernel32.lib .data msg db "Hello, world", 13, 10 len equ $-msg .data?
written dd? .code start: push -11 call GetStdHandle push 0 push OFFSET written push len push OFFSET msg push eax call WriteFile push 0 call ExitProcess end start One statement in a high-level language is transformed into tens or even hundreds of lines of machine code, but since this happens automatically, there is no need to worry about this. At the moment the program is launched, the operating system allocates a separate one for it, loads the machine code into RAM
, initializes the registers (the address of the very first instruction is placed in the IP register), and the computing process begins. I believe that within the framework of this material the story is about how it works modern computer
