Unit 1: Introduction to Computer Technology
In this unit, we will discuss various advances in technology that have led to the development of modern computers. You will begin your study with a look at the different components of a computer. We will then discuss the ways in which we measure hardware and software performance before discussing the importance of computing power and how it motivated the switch from a single-core to a multi-core processor.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 10 hours.
1.1: Introduction to Computer Processors
Explore each of posts in the Computer History collection of the Virtual Travelog site, which focus on the early history of computers. These articles will provide you with insight into the early history of computers and will introduce you to the powerful ideas that enabled computer architecture of our day and that will influence computer architecture of tomorrow.
Read this article, which serves as a continuation of the other reading in this subunit. The primary purpose of this reading is to inform you of the history of computers from the third generation computers of the 1960s to the today's technology of microcomputers, which has allowed for a computer presence in people's homes.
1.2: Components of a Computer
Read this article for a solid overview of various components of a computer, including the motherboard, power supply, removable media devices, secondary storage, sound cards, and input and output peripherals.
1.3: The Role of Processor Performance
Read these lecture notes.
Read these lecture notes.
1.4: The Power Problem
This article is about the challenges facing computer architecture in building more powerful computers for high performance applications and for faster, cheaper, more efficient computers for IT applications. Foremski responds to Irving Wladawsky-Berger's article, "Extreme Scale Computing"; you may click on the embedded link to read Wladawsky-Berger's article.
1.5: The Switch to Parallel Processing
Watch this lecture for an understanding of the reasons behind the switch to parallel computing. This lecture provides motivation, insight into thinking about computer architecture, and an explanation computing trends.
1.6: Case Study: A Recent Intel Processor
The beginning of the lecture is administrative, so you may skip to around 16:14. It introduces the concept of computational thinking. While the course is an introduction to programming, computational thinking applies to both software, i.e., programming, and to hardware, i.e., computer architecture.
Unit 1 Assessment
Please take this assessment to check your understanding of the materials presented in this unit.
Notes:
- There is no minimum required score to pass this assessment, and your score on this assessment will not factor into your overall course grade.
- This assessment is designed to prepare you for the Final Exam that will determine your course grade. Upon submission of your assessment you will be provided with the correct answers and/or other feedback meant to help in your understanding of the topics being assessed.
- You may attempt this assessment as many times as needed, whenever you would like.