Inside Computers

Inside Computers — page 1 — CHAPTER ONE

Inside Computers — page 2 — WHAT MAKES A COMPUTER Emma types away on her laptop over the internet It plays through She is writing a report Music streams speakers Emma reads her words on the screen She clicks a button on the trackpad This opens the web browser She has to do more research A message pops up on social media It is from her friend Jen Jen typed Help I don’t get the assignment Emma video chats with Jen She explains the homework Then she goes back to her report Emma works for another hour Then she saves her schoolwork She connects to her printer through Wi-Fi Powerful computers can display advanced graphics for detailed video games movies and TV shows

Inside Computers — page 3 — SUPERCOMPUTERS Processors control a computer The average laptop has one or two processors A supercomputer has millions of processors It is very powerful Many supercomputers are built for specific purposes IBM’s Watson is a supercomputer It was built to answer questions asked in human languages Watson practiced by playing the TV game show Jeopardy In 2011 Watson beat several human champions Today Watson is used in health care and many other areas and prints the report Emma checks the clock on the computer She has enough time to play a game before bedtime The laptop isn’t the only computer in Emma’s room Emma has a smartphone a tablet a fitness tracker watch and an e-reader They all use computer chips WHAT IS A COMPUTER A computer is a machine It does four basic things First it receives input Input is information that comes into a computer A keyboard mouse and touchscreen are some devices that create input Second the computer

Inside Computers — page 4 — Some computers such as laptops left can be picked up and taken other places Other computers called desktops stay in one place processes that input It can tell which key was pressed Third the computer stores this information Finally the computer outputs the result It shows a letter on the screen All of these steps happen in the blink of an eye The first functional modern computer was built in Germany between 1936 and 1938 It was called the Z1 It used electricity and mechanical parts to work The first fully electronic computers were built in the 1940s These computers were large Each computer only did one thing For example during World War II 1939 1945

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