Computer Hardware and Software
August 15 – August 23
Introduction to Information Technology :
oInformation technology (IT) is any computer-based tool that people use to work
with information and support the information and information-processing needs
of an organization (p. 39).
IT extends beyond the computer, but to many other tools that help you
use information more effectively. A printer, for example, helps you use
information by creating a “hard” paper copy. A local area network
allows people to share information around the world. A cell phone
allows you to communicate and even connect to the Internet. Software
such as Microsoft Word can help you create letters and memos.
oIT tools can be broken down into two broad categories: hardware and software
(p. 40).
Hardware is the physical devices that make up a computer.
Software is the set of instructions that your hardware executes to carry
out a specific task for you. Software is the “go-between” that allows you
to use the hardware.
Binary :
oA binary digit (bit) is the smallest unit of information that your computer can
process (p. 51).
oA bit can either be “on” or “off”. Numerically, an “on” bit is represented by a 1
and an “off” bit is represented by a 0 (p. 51).
o Physically, an “on” bit is typically represented by one electrical voltage and
“off” bit is typically represented by a different electrical voltage.
oThese bits are formed into a series of eight bits, known as bytes. One byte
represents one character (p. 51).
For example, c is represented by the following byte: 01100011.
oComputer storage is represented by the following terminology:
1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes (1 million characters)
1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes (1 billion characters)
