The Computer: The Brain Of The Computer

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Recommended: Short note on computer history

The computer, one of man’s smartest inventions ever constructed. A device that was once a near thousands pounds, cost over a million dollars now fits into the palm of a hand and is only a fraction of the cost. Over a century ago, people had to accomplish routine tasks manually. Hand writing letters, scouring terms in the dictionary, and interacting with people face to face are functions that were once a norm for everyone but now are obsolete. In this automatonic, simplistic world we live in, objectives can be completed in fractions of the time it took over a hundred years ago, all thanks to the computer. Everyone understands what a computer is, but a majority of people do not perceive how one operates. A computer is made up of thousands distinct …show more content…

The central processing unit, more commonly referred to as the CPU, is the brain of the computer. Its job is to execute an arrangement of instructions also known as a program, all the behind the scenes calculations. There is also a GPU, or graphics processing unit. The task of the GPU is to calculate advanced algorithms which will render an image onto the screen. All video output being displayed onto a screen is being rendered by the GPU. A computer also needs to store data so it has two ways of doing that: long term storage via Hard Drive, or short term storage via RAM (Random Access Memory). The hard drive is a nonvolatile type of memory meaning that all information stored on it will be retained even after the computer has been powered off. RAM is a volatile type of memory, it loses all data once the computer has been powered down. There are two different types of memory because not everything should be stored for extended periods of time. For example, having multiple web pages open. The user should not want to keep that data forever; therefore, it is stored on RAM. Another reason why everything is not stored on a Hard Drive is because that would require it …show more content…

No one can pinpoint when the first computer was invented but it’s ascendancy can be traced throughout the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. The first programmable computer was created in 1938 by a German named Konrad Zuse (citation). The name of the computer was V1 which stands for Versuchs model l—experimental model. The name was later changed to Z1 so it would not be interpreted to be associated with military rockets (citation). The Z1 weighed 1000 kg or 2204 lbs. Compare the Z1 to today 's technology where we have phones that weigh under a pound and are thousands of times more powerful. The Z1 could only perform simple mathematical operations whereas a smartphone is able to calculate advanced trigonometric equations, connect to anyone across the globe and even play games. What was once considered to be impossible is now daily life for people living in the 21st

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