SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
National Highway, Crossing Rubber, Tupi, South Cotabato
COLLEGE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
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IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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LEARNING MODULE
FOR
IT 121: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
_____________________________________________________
WEEK 4
COURSE OUTLINE
COURSE CODE : IT 121
TITLE : Introduction to Computing
TARGET POPULATION : All BS Information Technology Students
INSTRUCTOR : HERNIE B. DEDURO
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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Overview:
Computers are everywhere: at work, at school, and at home. Computers are a primary means of local and
global communications for billions of people. Through computers, society has instant access to information from
around the globe. This module presents the knowledge you need to be computer literate. The course acquaints
students to discover different and innovative ways of using various technology and learn how computing is applied
creatively to solve problems. Students will finish this course with a solid understanding of computers, how to use
computers, and how to access information on the Web.
Objectives:
General Objective
Differentiate among various styles of system units on desktop computers, notebook computers, and
mobile devices.
Describe the control unit and arithmetic logic unit components of a processor, and explain the four
steps in a machine cycle.
Define a bit and describe how a series of bits represents data.
Differentiate between a port and a connector, and explain the differences among a USB port and
other ports.
Understand how to clean a system unit on a computer or mobile device.
Instruction to the Learner
Each chapter in this module contains a major lesson involving the introduction to computers and learn
how computing is applied creatively to solve problems. The units are characterized by continuity, and are arranged
in such a manner that the present unit is related to the next unit. For this reason, you are advised to read this
module. After each unit, there are exercises to be given. Submission of task given will be submitted by the agreed
deadline.
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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The Components of the System Unit
System Unit
The system unit is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data.
Drive bay(s)
Power
supply
Sound card
Video card
Processor
Memory
• The motherboard is the main circuit board of the
system unit
– A computer chip contains integrated
circuits
• The processor, also called the central processing unit (CPU), interprets and carries out the basic
instructions that operate a computer
– Contain a control unit and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
Multi-core processor
A multi-core processor is an integrated circuit (IC) to which two or more
processors have been attached for enhanced performance, reduced power
consumption, and more efficient simultaneous processing of multiple tasks.
Dual-core processor
Dual core is a CPU that has two distinct processors that work
simultaneously in the same integrated circuit. This type of processor can function as
efficiently as a single processor but can perform operations up to twice as quickly.
Because each core has its own cache, the operating system is able to handle most
tasks in parallel.
Quad-core processor
A quad-core CPU has four processing cores in a single chip. It is
similar to a dual-core CPU, but has four separate processors (rather than
two), which can process instructions at the same time.
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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o The control unit is the component of the processor that
directs and coordinates most of the operations in the
computer
o The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) performs arithmetic,
comparison, and other operations.
(For every instruction, a processor repeats a set of four
basic operations, which comprise a machine.)
o The system clock controls the timing of all computer operations. The pace of the system clock is called
the clock speed, and is measured in gigahertz (GHz)
Data Representation - Most computers are digital and the computer can only understand machine language and
does not recognize letters as letters of the alphabet; it sees the letters as a series of 0’s and 1’s called the binary
language. A computer circuit represents the 0 or the 1 electronically by the presence or absence of an electrical
charge.
The binary system uses two unique digits (0 and 1).
o Bits and bytes - Eight bits grouped together as a unit are called a byte. A byte represents a
single character in the computer. Example is the uppercase character ‘A’ is represented in
ASCII as 0100 0001 in binary.
o ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is the most widely used
coding scheme to represent data and for converting.
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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● Memory consists of electronic components that store instructions waiting to be executed by the
processor, data needed by those instructions, and the results of processing the data.
– Stores three basic categories of items:
o The operating system and other system software
o Application programs
o Data being processed and the resulting information
– Each location in memory has an address
– Memory size is measured in kilobytes (KB or K), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), or terabytes (TB)
– The system unit contains two types of memory:
o Volatile memory: Loses its contents when power is turned off. Example includes RAM.
o Nonvolatile memory: Does not lose contents when power is removed. Examples include
ROM, flash memory, and CMOS.
– Three basic types of RAM chips exist:
o Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
o Static RAM (SRAM)
o Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM)
– RAM chips usually reside on a memory module and are inserted into memory slots.
The amount of RAM necessary in a computer often depends on the types of software
you plan to use
Memory cache – speeds the processes of the computer because it stores frequently used instructions
and data.
– Read-only memory (ROM) refers to memory chips storing permanent data and instructions.
– Flash memory can be erased electronically and rewritten.
– CMOS technology provides high speeds and consumes little power.
– Access time is the amount of time it takes the processor to read from memory. (Measured in
nanoseconds).
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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● Expansion Slots and Adapter Cards
o An expansion slot is a socket on the motherboard that can hold an adapter card
o An adapter card enhances functions of a component of the system unit and/or provides
connections to peripherals: Sound card and video card
o Removable flash memory is a device that you insert and remove from a slot in a personal
computer, game console, mobile devices, or card reader, it is also called thumb drive.
Removable flash memory includes:
▪ Memory cards,
▪ USB flash drives, and
▪ PC Cards/ExpressCard modules.
● Ports and Connectors
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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o A port is the point at which a peripheral attaches to or communicates with a system unit (sometimes
referred to as a jack)
o On a notebook computer, the ports are on the back, front, and/or sides:
o A connector joins a cable to a port
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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o A USB port can connect up to 127 different peripherals together with a single connector
– You can attach multiple peripherals using a single USB port with a USB hub.
▪ Other types of ports include:
o Firewire port
o eSATA port
o Bluetooth port
o IrDA port
o MIDI port
o SCSI port
▪ A port replicator is an external device that provides connections to peripherals through ports
built into the device.
▪ A docking station is an external device that attaches to a mobile computer or device.
● Buses
– How computers communicate with one another?
– The computer monitor uses a wire to connect to the computer unit while the mouse wirelessly
connects to the laptop, etc.
– A bus allows the various devices both inside and attached to the system unit to communicate
with each other.
o Data bus: can transfer data to and from the memory of a computer, or into or out of the CPU. Examples
of pieces of information that traverse the data bus include files transferred from a flash drive to the
computer’s hard drive.
o Address bus: used by the CPU to specify a physical address for instruction, files, and other devices within
the computer system. For example, in a given computer unit, there are typically 6 to 8 USB ports. The
address bus is responsible for checking which of the USB ports has a printer connected to it.
o Control bus: used by CPU’s to communicate with other devices within the computer system. The control
bus carries the commands or instructions from the CPU. Example, if one tries to save a file to a flash
drive that is already removed from a computer, the computer will notify the user with an error message
saying that the folder or drive where the file is intended to be saved is no longer existing.
– A computer can have these basic types of buses:
o System bus: A computer system
o Backside bus
o Expansion bus
● Bays
– A bay is an opening inside the system unit in which you can install additional equipment
o A drive bay typically holds disk drives.
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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● Power Supply
– The power supply converts the wall outlet AC power into DC
power
– Some external peripherals have an AC adapter, which is an
external power supply
● Keeping Your Computer or Mobile Device Clean
– Clean your computer or mobile device once or twice a year
– Turn off and unplug your computer or mobile device before cleaning it
– Use compressed air to blow away dust
– Use an antistatic wipe to clean the exterior of the case and a cleaning solution and soft cloth
to clean the screen.
(Note: For more references about system unit you can check it in YouTube address below.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf-jT6MMNyU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOnSEkrRLYs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOceoWRgcjY
Putting It All Together
Home Small Office/ Mobile
Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Home Office Intel Core 2 Extreme or AMD
Celeron Dual Core or AMD Intel Core 2 Quad or Intel Turion X2
Sempron Core 2 Extreme or AMD
Athlon FX or AMD Athlon X2
Dual-Code Minimum RAM: 2 GB
Minimum RAM: 2 GB
Minimum RAM: 4 GB
Power Enterprise
Intel Itanium 2 or AMD Intel Core 2 Quad or
Quad Core Opteron or Intel Core 2 Extreme or
Intel Quad Core Xeon or AMD Athlon FX or AMD
Sun UltraSPARC T2 Athlon X2 Dual-Core
Minimum RAM: 8 GB Minimum RAM: 4 GB
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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Challenges
Topic: About system unit you can check it in YouTube address below
They are 3 links video, you choose one video and create a reflection about the presentation
that could get more deep understanding about the video, in order to find something more
interesting while learning.
Format of reflection
From the first aspect– “how it went”:
From the second aspect—“how you feel when doing it”
From the third aspect—“other reflective thought”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf-jT6MMNyU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOnSEkrRLYs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOceoWRgcjY
IT 121: Introduction to Computing
SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.
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