Personal Computer Hardware
I am by no means a computer expert, but some of the components of the computer I already know (dashboard, monitor, mouse, tower.) However, there were many components of the computer I have never heard of before (internal buses, BIOS, RAM.) This article was very helpful in bringing my computer knowledge a little more up-to-date. It also helped me understand what some of the components of a computer I didn't understand do and how they work.
Moore's Law
I have never heard of Moore's Law before, and this article did help to explain what it is. Basically, it states that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every two years. I understand that this law means that the number of transistors will grow exponentially. However, I would expect that this phenomenon can not last forever. Everything must eventually end. Our capacity to produce such technologies that store more and more transistors must come to an end. Even Moore has said this.
Computer History Museum
This website was very interesting in that it showed many historical achievements within computer science history. I was particularly attracted to the "History of the Internet" exhibit, as well as the "Computer History Timeline." Both exhibits offered interesting information about both subjects, as well as images that complemented the text. It is always nice to SEE what the text is talking about.
I agree, the personal computer articles was very helpful, but some of the terms seemed like alphabet soup! I think it's a good overview for a beginner.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Computer Museum sight was a great blend of history and science. It would make a great class field trip -- for K-12 students or higher ed! You're right, the images definitely add to the text. Sometimes you don't really understand things unless you really see them. This was true with the museum site and the diagrams on the Wikipedia article.
Regarding your response to the personal computer article, I believe that the information contained within the article should be taught to high school and undergraduate college students to a greater extent. It seems that students in many high schools are taught the basic elements of computer hardware and software, although the students are not taught this information in a truly applicable form. It may be that the basic high school computer classes need to become more strenuous, and teach the students more complicated details about computer hardware and software. By being more strenuous, these classes could allow many more students to become more technologically efficient, thereby contributing to the burgeoning knowledge of technological advancement throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan,
ReplyDeleteBoth the computer hardware article and the Moore's law site were brought a lot of new information my way, too. Do you have the book, Discovering Computers? I ended up buying the 2008 version, but it is really proving to be useful.