Computer Science Basics: Hardware and Software covering Georgia Teaching Standards MS-CS-FCP.5Explore the relationship between computer hardware and software. MS-CS-FCP.5.1Develop a working vocabulary of embedded computing including digital, analog, events, microcontrollers, sensors, light emitting diodes (LED), switches, servos, cloud computing, and internet of things. MS-CS-FCP.5.2Investigate how software interacts with hardware in the boot process. MS-CS-FCP.5.3Analyze and explain how computers communicate information with simple hardware inputs and outputs. MS-CS-FCP.5.4Create a product that analyzes how simple computer hardware can be used to develop innovative new products that interact with the physical world. MS-CS-FCP.5.5Design a computer program that senses something in the real world and changes an output based on the input.

Discussion on how software and hardware interact during startup.
The role of firmware/BIOS in conducting a hardware check before the operating system takes over.

Exploration of microcontrollers and their role in specific-task devices.
Definitions of key components like sensors, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and servos.
Understanding the difference between analog signals (continuous) and digital signals (discrete steps).

Analyzing how computers receive real-world information via sensors (inputs) and produce physical actions (outputs).
Brief overview of cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) as a network of connected devices.

How to apply 'If-Then' logic to create interactive products.
Examples of using soil sensors and servos to solve real-world problems like plant irrigation.