How They Really Work
Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Scott Badman, Instructor
Session 1: Hardware and the
Definition of "Data"
September 16,
2013
This evening we discuss the Metric prefixes, then we will disassemble a computer and discuss the components inside, followed by the definition of "Data".
Core Concepts
The isolation of complexity
Maintaining compatability whenever possible, especially backwards compatibility
The importance of standards and protocols to allow different components to work together
The six to ten components in a typical computer
Computer repair is mostly just component replacement.
Parallel data transmission versus serial data transmission
The definition of "data"
Topics
Resources
Metric Prefix Chart (Power Point)
Metric Prefix Chart (pdf file)
Metric Prefix Chart (jpeg picture)
Disassembly of Computer in Class (Power Point)
Disassembly of Computer in Class (pdf file) (Much faster download over the Internet)
Definition of Data (Power Point)
Everyconnector and socket you will ever see!) (medium resolution .png picture file)
Everyconnector and socket you will ever see!) (high resolution .png picture file)
