How Computers Work: What Makes a Computer, a Computer?

Introduction

May-Li Khoe

• Designer and inventor
• Worked at Apple, designs products for kids
• Also a DJ and dancer

Nat

• One of the original designers of the Xbox
• Works on virtual reality

Ubiquity of Computers

• Computers are in pockets, cars, on wrists, in backpacks
• Key question: What makes a computer a computer?

Historical Context

• Humans build tools for solving problems (e.g., wheelbarrow, hammer)
• Shift from manual work to thinking work
• Early machines designed to manipulate information

Four Tasks of Computers

1. Input
2. Storage
3. Processing
4. Output

• All computers perform these tasks

Evolution of Computers

• Earliest computers: wood and metal, mechanical levers, gears
• 20th century: electrical components, large and slow
• Modern computers: still perform the same four tasks

Input

• Defined as actions from the world or user to the computer
• Examples: keyboard, mouse, microphone, camera, touch screen, sensors

Storage and Processing

• Inputs give information to the computer, stored in memory
• Processor manipulates information using algorithms
• Processed information sent back to memory

Output

• Depends on computer’s design
• Examples: display screens, text, photos, videos, interactive games, VR, robot control signals
• Internet: output from one computer can be input to another

Future of Computers

• Modern computers different from earliest machines
• Future design open for exploration
• Four fundamental tasks remain the same: input, storage, processing, output