Electronic digital computers use electricity to power digital signals between components such as the processor, RAM, and hard drive. They use binary language and a CPU to perform arithmetic operations. Information is stored in cache memory, RAM, and on the hard drive.
All modern personal computers today are electronic digital computers. An electronic digital computer works by using electricity to power digital signals between a processor, random access memory (RAM), and other computer subsystem components such as the video card and hard drive. Digital computers can be contrasted with analog computers, which were early versions of what we know as computers today. An analog computer uses a physical quantity, mechanical or electronic, to perform calculations, while a digital computer uses binary digital signals.
An electronic digital computer works by channeling electric current through a power supply. This electricity is routed into the computer’s motherboard, which supplies power to the processor, random access memory, and Peripheral Connect Interface (PCI) devices connected to the system. Ancillary components, such as the DVD-ROM drive and hard drive, receive power directly from the power supply rather than from the motherboard.
The computer works using the binary language. Electronic digital computers “speak” binary as their native language, which is a language made up of just two characters: “1” and “0”. “1” represents an “on” circuit, while “0” represents an “off” circuit. Through a combination string of these characters, it is possible to represent any number, letter or other character. This type of computer is constantly translating input from the mouse, keyboard, and all other peripherals into binary.
A processor, or Central Processing Unit (CPU), is the heart and soul of a digital electronic computer. A CPU works by performing arithmetic operations; it is limited to simple multiplication, addition, subtraction and division. Its speed is measured by the number of arithmetic operations it can perform each second. This is denoted in Gigahertz (GHz) for modern processors. Processor speeds ranging from 2.0 to 3.0GHz are common for modern processors.
An electronic digital computer stores information in three general locations: within the processor’s onboard cache memory, in RAM attached to the motherboard, and on the hard drive. These options are listed in descending order of speed and cost: cache memory is faster and more expensive than RAM, which is faster and more expensive than hard disk storage, but in ascending order of stability. Cached information is typically emptied the moment the processor finishes using it, while information stored in RAM persists until it is cleared by another program or the computer is turned off. Hard disk storage is the only storage medium on this type of computer that persists after the shutdown state.
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