Week 8 Module

Welcome to Week 8

In this module, we will cover computer basics.  We will cover the process of how a computer takes in information through a process called input. It then processes the information, and gives an output. The output can be a report or useful information.  The final stage is storage, where the computer stores the information for later retrieval. Together, these steps are called the information processing cycle. 

 We will also explore how computers communicate. Computers have their own unique language. They communicate in Binary Code. In other words, they communicate in ones and zeros. "The building blocks of computer language are called bits." ( Pearson, 2017).  "Each bit can be either a 1 or a zero." ( Pearson, 2017).  A string of 8 bits is called a byte. (Pearson, 2017).  Numbers, letters, and symbols are coded in bytes. For example,  "the letter A is coded as 01000001" ( Pearson, 2017).  The number 2 is coded as 00000011. 

Images on the computer screen are created by a combination of 3 bytes, with each byte representing Red, Green, Blue.  This allows for any color to be produced on the screen.  The bytes are converted into a hexadecimal value, with the first two digits representing red, the next two green, and the last two blue (Pearson, 2017).

We will also discuss what coded instructions are and the speed at which computers process information.

References:  Weixel, S. (2017). Principles of Information Technology: Preparing for IC³ certification. Pearson.