Lecture 2: How Computers Work

Flashcards covering the definitions of basic computer components, supercomputing specifications, system architectures, and core operations as detailed in Lecture 2.

Computer

A programmable electronic device that accepts raw data as input and processes it with a set of instructions (a program) to produce the result as output.

Computare

The Latin word meaning "to calculate," from which the term "computer" originates.

Analytical Engine

The first computer, invented by Charles Babbage in 1837, which utilized punch cards as read-only memory.

Input Operation

The function of handling raw data fed into the system.

Storage Operation

The function of storing data for processing and future retrieval.

Data Processing

The execution of program instructions to manipulate data.

Output Operation

The function of displaying or exporting the processed data.

Processor

The component that executes instructions from software and hardware.

Memory (RAM)

The primary memory used for data transfer between the CPU and storage.

Motherboard

The central circuit board that connects all other parts or components of a computer.

Storage Device

A hardware component, such as a hard drive, that permanently stores data.

Input Device

A component that allows a user to communicate with the computer or input data, such as a keyboard.

Output Device

A component that enables a user to see the output, such as a monitor.

FLOPS

Floating Point Operations Per Second; a measure of a computer's processing speed indicating the number of floating-point calculations it can perform in one second.

Node

In the context of supercomputers, a single computing unit containing one or more processors, memory, storage, and other necessary components.

Summit

A supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA) with a processing power of $200$ petaflops and $4608$ nodes.

Fugaku

A supercomputer at RIKEN and Fujitsu (Japan) with a processing power of $442$ petaflops used for research on COVID-19 masks and simulating natural disasters.

Tianhe-2

A supercomputer at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou (China) with a processing power of $33.86$ petaflops and $16,000$ nodes.

ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning; a software system including all tools and processes required to run a company, such as HR, manufacturing, finance, and accounting.

Cloud Services

Services that use remote servers to offer software, storage, and computing power, which the user makes use of without direct management.

CMOS

Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor; it stores system information like the clock when the PC is off.

Word size

The unit of data processing, commonly $32$-bit or $64$-bit, which determines software compatibility and architecture.

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

A type of drive used to store data when not actively in use; slower than an SSD.

SSD (Solid-State Drive)

A faster type of storage drive for operating systems and software; includes NVMe variants connected via M.2 pins.

Heat Sink

A metallic block used to draw heat away from the CPU during processing.

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)

A dedicated component that processes complex graphics data for the screen and reduces the processing load on the CPU.

VGA (Video Graphics Array)

An analog technology supporting $640 \times 480$ resolution and up to $16$ colors; currently becoming outdated.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

A digital interface supporting resolution up to $1920 \times 1080$ and bandwidth up to $10$ gigabits per second.

Peripherals

Any hardware not mounted inside a PC's case that connects externally through ports, such as monitors, mice, and webcams.

Expansion Slots

Slots on the motherboard that enable adding extra components like video cards or network cards; types include PCI, PCI Express, and M.2.

BIOS (Basic Input-Output System)

Fundamental software stored on a flash memory chip on the motherboard that controls the boot process.

POST (Power-On Self-Test)

An initial program in the BIOS that checks for hardware issues during the boot process; a single beep typically indicates no issues.

Operating System (OS)

Software that controls the PC post-boot and manages processor, memory, devices, and storage; examples include Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

A user interface using icons or audio instead of text, allowing user interaction with the computer.

Von Neumann Architecture

A modern computer architecture concept developed in the mid-$1940s$ where computer memory stores both programs and data.

ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)

A component of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logic operations through addition, subtraction, and shifting.

Control Unit (CU)

The part of the CPU that reads instructions from memory and coordinates actions of computer components using the program counter (PC).

System Clock

The component that produces timing signals on the control bus to synchronize computer operations; measured in GHz.

IAS (Immediate Access Store)

Memory that stores data and programs temporarily for quick CPU access, including RAM and Cache memory.

Address Bus

A unidirectional bus that transports memory addresses from the CPU to memory to determine the addressable memory locations.

Data Bus

A bidirectional bus that facilitates data movement between the CPU, memory, and input/output devices; its width determines the word length transported.

Control Bus

A bidirectional bus, typically $8$-bits wide, that carries signals from the Control Unit (CU) to other computer components.

Fetch-Execute Cycle

The continuous process where the CPU retrieves an instruction from memory (Fetch) and then interprets and performs the instruction (Execute).