Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites! You should be able to follow along no matter how little experience you have in this subject.

This course is designed for students with no background in Computer Science. But if you're looking for hands-on computer skills, start withComputer Skills.

Software

Software enables computer hardware to perform specific tasks. Software, commonly known as programs or applications, consists of all the electronic instructions that tell the hardware how to perform a task. The program you're using right now to view Wikiversity is a type of program called a browser. A browser contains all the instructions that tell your computer how to display a web site. Software is capable of performing many different specific tasks, as opposed to hardware which only perform mechanical tasks that they are designed for. There are three major types of software:

• Operating System software:

Helps run computer hardware and computer system. Computer software includes the operating system, device drivers, diagnostic tools and more; the stuff that makes your computer useable by most people.The most commonly used operating systems software are:
Windows
Mac OS X
Linux

Motherboard

The motherboard is hardware that makes connections between all of the other components in a computer, effectively telling data where it should go.

Example of hardware (Motherboard) in a computer is:

• 

  Motherboard

CPU

The CPU (or Central Processing Unit) performs arithmetical and logical operations of the computer system.

Examples of hardware (CPU) in a computer are:

Hardware

The term "Hardware" refers to the physical elements of a computer; the machinery or the electronics in a computer. A basic computer consists of 4 components:

1. Input device (or input unit)
2. CPU (Central Processing Unit)
3. Memory (or Memory unit)
4. Output device (Output unit)

Output

Output devices such as a monitor or printer make information you input available for you to view or use.
A monitor's front is called a screen with a cathode ray tube (CRT) attached to the screen. Portable computers use a (LCD) liquid crystal display. Today's super video graphics array (SVGA) monitors display 256 sharp and clear colors.
Printers used with computers fall into two categories, impact or nonimpact. Impact printers, such as dot matrix print by contact against a ribbon making imprint on paper. Inkjet printers print images by not touching the paper. Ink jet printers spray ink onto the page while a laser printer works like a copying machine. Laser printers print a higher quality product but cost from $500 to $10,000 whereas an ink jet produces better quality than a dot matrix and can be purchased from $150 to $300. The personal computer user most commonly purchases an ink jet printer for home use.

Processing

The central processing unit or (CPU) is the "brain" of your computer. It contains the electronic circuits that cause the computer to follow instructions from ROM (read only memory) or from a program in RAM (random access memory). By following these instructions information is processed. The CPU contains three parts.

1. Arithmetic Logic Unit - ALU is where the "intelligence" of the computer is located. It can add and compare numbers. To multiply 2 x 4 the computer would add 2 + 2 + 2 + 2. The ALU makes decisions by determining if a number is greater, less, or equal to the other number. Processing is completed in nanoseconds, which is a billionth of a second.2. Memory - Two types of memory contained on a chip are RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory). ROM memory has been installed on your computer by the manufacturer and can not be altered. ROM is the memory that determines all the basic functions of the operation of your machine, such as startup, shut down, and placing a character on the screen. RAM is temporary memory, which displays the information you are working on. RAM remembers what you see on your screen while you are working. Today's applications required large amounts of temporary memory, which may require you to upgrade and add more RAM memory.
3. Control Unit - This is the part of the unit, which directs information to the proper places in your computer, such as calculation of information by the ALU unit or to store and print material.