BIG P by Pete Baker

Computer systems

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-22 09:48:26 UTC

A computer system is a collection of hardware and software capable of taking a data input, processing that input and then outputting it

Importance of computers in the modern world

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-22 09:48:56 UTC

Computer systems are very important in the modern world because they allow us to do tasks which would be too repetitive/monotonous or tedious for humans to perform.

The need for reliability in computer systems

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-22 09:50:25 UTC

Computers are relied on, on a day to day basis in the modern world. we rely on computers to look after our money, our health and our general everyday life. If computers failed, people on life support would die. money in online banks would dissapear into thin airairplanes and boats would lose course and crash . werely on computers more than we know

CPU

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-23 11:41:09 UTC

The purpose of the CPU is to carry out the computer's function and instructions - it processes the data.

Function of CPU

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-23 11:42:15 UTC

The first step the CPU does to fetch and execute instructions is to fetch some data and instructions from the main memory then store them in it's own internal memory register. It then makes sense of the instruction by decoding it. It then processes the data and stores it in another register. It then goes to fetch some more instructions and data and it carries on in this cycle.

Characteristics of a CPU and their functions

pbbaker17 — 2014-10-23 11:43:20 UTC

Some things that can affect the CPU's performance are clock speed, cache size and number of cores. The clock speed is how many instructions can be executed by the CPU in one second. A faster clock speed means that more instructions can be executed per second and it is faster making the performance faster. The CPU can get information from the cache faster than getting it from the RAM or the hard disk.

Explain the need for adherence to suitable professional standards in the development, use and maintenance of computer systems

pbbaker17 — 2014-11-06 09:16:22 UTC

The software of a computer is designed by teams of programmers who write thousands, even millions lines of code. These programmers need knowledge in programming and require organization and discipline.

Ethical concerns

pbbaker17 — 2014-11-06 09:17:53 UTC

The only ethical concern about creating computer systems is that it is reducing employment. Automated production lines for example, reduce the need for workers.

Environmental advantages

pbbaker17 — 2014-11-06 09:18:19 UTC

Modern computer systems consume less power with new, improved monitors and sleep modes.

Environmental disadvantages

pbbaker17 — 2014-11-06 09:19:38 UTC

Making the average PC requires 10 times its weight in chemicals and fossil fuels. Also discarded computer equipment is usually either dumped in landfill sites or recycled, often in poorly managed facilities in developing countries creating health risks.