Mechanics of the computer

How does the electricity get converted to 0's and 1's and how do the 1's and 0's get converted to data signals?

 

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I only know the basics of this but the 0's and 1's aren't really 0's and 1's. 0 could be represented by voltage values in (0, .4) and 1 could be represented by voltage at 4. This depends on the transistors you are using to implement the gates.

 

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Mmm. Think of it as switches. An open switch can signify 0, a closed one 1. Imagine arrays of switches, set up to hold codes of zeroes and ones.

Now imagine circuitry that, following a fixed set of rules, can transfer the codes to a new array of switches, which will be set in a way decided by the codes in the first array.

Imagine thousands of these arrangements. Imagine some of the codes are set as programs, others come from input data.

This is basically what a computer is. The switches are transistors, millions of them made on a silicon chip. A transistor is a circuit element that can swich a current on and off, controlled by another current, from another transistor.

Before you computer can use the electricity, the 120 or 240 volt AC from you mains has to be converted to a low DC voltage, about 3.5 V. This and other DC votages needed
by the circuitry are generated in the power supply.

On your hard-disk, the ones and zeros are represented by tiny magnetized spots, and they are read and written by a pickup that is a remote cousin of a tape-recorder tone-head as the disk spins by.

On your CD, they are represented by tiny spots of different reflectivity, they are read by a pick-up that shines a laser beam at them and detects the reflected light. On a writable CD, a more powerful laser literally burns spots to have a different reflectivity.

Hope this helps

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Hans

 

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You could get a better understanding if you are to look at the development of the nowaday computer throughout history.

http://www.education.gov.lc/AGSS/Tr...formation Technology/history_of_computers.htm

My rendition (which is by no means complete or indepth):

At first you could gain a basic knowledge of a mathematical engine by looking towards the simple Abacus the first true calculator other than the Roman usage of Tally sticks

This is however sometime before the real development of computerised engines, to which we owe the use of Clockwork mechanisms for such development.

One such preposed machine was by a man called Charles Babbage who preposed and designed an "Analytical Engine".
[You can find information from here: http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/
or from a host of other sites found through the keyword search "Charles Babbage Analytical Engine"]

In short his preposed system used a number of gears and steam to generate calculated results.

There were a number of analytical engines in use at the turn of the century and even caused such books as "The Difference Engine" by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling to be written.

In the 1930's a number of different companies and research groups began designing "vacuum Tube" (glass bulb) computer designs.

In 1937 Alan Turing preposed the "Turing Machine" which consequently covered various aspects of machine design.
Between Alan Turing and John Von Neumman the modern computer architecture was developed. (Basically the Architecture of processor, RAM and storage devices etc that you'd find in your computer)

By the 1940's these designs becaming increasingly important in dealing with the upsurgence of war across Europe, North Africa and the Pacific.
The enthasis was that Analytical machines could be developed to do monotonous tasks that people would take years to do, in the particular instance of war engines to encode and decode cyphers were developed by all waring sides. (Knowledge was power)

http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encryption

Such machines as "Colossus" began to be developed to deal with the German cyphered "ENIGMA" code which was used to hide transmittions. Another machine called was created by the USA to crack "PURPLE" the Japaneses cryptology. (The Japanese were of said to have got hold of an Enigma machine in the late 1930's and developed their own version.)

To look at any of the machines used during this period, you'll find that some settings that would just be switches in the modern day processors of computers were in fact like old fashioned telephone exchanges where a wire with pins at two ends had to be fitted in the correct holes to make the "Logic Gateway".

Another thing to look at would be the Transistor, the first step towards miniturisation.
http://www.pbs.org/transistor/

[Would add more, and increase this posts size, but I think you get the jist of what to look at when understanding what a computer is about.]