1.1 Introduction to Basic Computing
1. Introduction to Basic Computing
1.1. What is a computer?
An electronic device for collecting, processing and storing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program.
1.1.1. Analogue information
Fig 1 – Analogue signal
Definition: Analog signal is a signal that is continuous in time i.e. it varies according to the time.
Characteristics of an analogue Signal:
Amplitude: Amplitude is the property of analog signal that varies accordingly as it moves
Phase: The positive or negative cycle of a sinusoidal functions or waves.
Frequency: The number of cycles completed by wave form per unit time is defined to be frequency
1.1.2. Digital Information
Fig 2 – Analogue to Digital Signals
A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest unit of data in a computer. A bit has a single binary value, either 0 or 1.
In computer systems, there are eight bits in a byte.
Bit Rate:
In telecommunication, the bit rate is the number of bits that are transmitted in a given time period, usually a second. Eg: Internet speed
Byte Comparison Table | Power | ||
Metric | Value | Bytes |
|
Byte (B) | 8 bits | 1 | 1 |
Kilobyte (KB) | 10,241 | 1,024 | 103 |
Megabyte (MB) | 10,242 | 1,048,576 | 106 |
Gigabyte (GB) | 10,243 | 1,073,741,824 | 109 |
Terabyte (TB) | 10,244 | 1,099,511,627,776 | 1012 |
Petabyte (PB) | 10,245 | 1,125,899,906,842,620 | 1015 |
Exabyte (EB) | 10,246 | 1,152,921,504,606,840,000 | 1018 |
Zettabyte (ZB) | 10,247 | 1,180,591,620,717,410,000,000 | 1021 |
Yottabyte (YB) | 10,248 | 1,208,925,819,614,620,000,000,000 | 1024 |
4GB of RAM in 32-bit computers
32 GB of RAM for 64-bit Computers
86 bits in Work
Bit
Byte
Data Unit
