New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor S Manual 19 of 19

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 19 of 19

Computer Concepts

Chapter Two: Computer Hardware

A Guide to this Instructor’s Manual:

We have designed this Instructor’s Manual to supplement and enhance your teaching experience through classroom activities and a cohesive chapter summary.

This document is organized chronologically, using the same heading in blue that you see in the textbook. Under each heading you will find (in order): Lecture Notes that summarize the section, Figures and Boxes found in the section (if any), Teacher Tips, Classroom Activities, and Lab Activities. Pay special attention to teaching tips, and activities geared towards quizzing your students, enhancing their critical thinking skills, and encouraging experimentation within the software.

In addition to this Instructor’s Manual, our Instructor’s Resources CD also contains PowerPoint Presentations, Test Banks, and other supplements to aid in your teaching experience.

For your students:

Our latest online feature, CourseCasts, is a library of weekly podcasts designed to keep your students up to date with the latest in technology news. Direct your students to http://coursecasts.course.com, where they can download the most recent CourseCast onto their mp3 player. Ken Baldauf, host of CourseCasts, is a faculty member of the Florida State University Computer Science Department, where he is responsible for teaching technology classes to thousands of FSU students each year. Ken is an expert in the latest technology and sorts through and aggregates the most pertinent news and information for CourseCasts so your students can spend their time enjoying technology, rather than trying to figure it out. Open or close your lecture with a discussion based on the latest CourseCast.

Table of Contents

Chapter Objectives

Students will have mastered the material in Chapter Two when they can answer the following questions:

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 19 of 19

·  What are the components of a typical personal computer system?

·  What is a computer form factor?

·  Is a home computer more or less desirable than a game or small business computer?

·  What’s the best way to select a computer?

·  Are PCs and Macs compatible?

·  Is it a good idea to upgrade an old computer?

·  How does a microprocessor work?

·  Why are some computers faster than others?

·  Why does a computer need memory?

·  What is the best type of storage for my data?

·  What factors affect a computer’s screen display?

·  Are ink jet printers better than laser printers?

·  What’s the best way to add devices to a computer system?

·  How can I protect my computer system from theft and damage?

·  Are there guidelines for troubleshooting hardware and software problems?

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts 2011 Instructor’s Manual 19 of 19

READING ASSIGNMENT FASTPOLL T/F QUESTIONS:

020100 A netbook is a scaled-down version of a standard notebook computer. (Answer: True) (59)

020200 Small business computers have better sound and graphics capabilities than home or game computers. (Answer: False) (61)

020300 PCs, Macs, and Linux are three computer platforms. (Answer: True) (64)

020400 Today’s Macs can be configured to run Windows. (Answer: True) (64)

020500 Pentium, Core, Atom, and Athlon are types of microprocessors. (Answer: True) (70)

020600 Today’s computers typically process 8 bits at a time. (Answer: False) (68)

020700 Serial processing is when a processor begins executing one instruction before it completes the previous instruction. (Answer: False) (69)

020800 In RAM microscopic electronic parts called capacitors hold the bits that represent data. (Answer: True) (72)

020900 ROM is a type of memory that holds the computer’s startup routine. (Answer: True) (73)

021000 Hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid state drives are random access devices. (Answer: True) (77)

021100 CD-RWs allow you to record data, but data cannot be changed once it is recorded. (Answer: False) (82)

021200 VGA, SVGA, and WUXGA are examples of screen resolutions. (Answer: True) (91)

021300 A surge strip allows you to use your desktop computer during a power outage. (Answer: False) (100)

SECTION A: PERSONAL COMPUTER BASICS

SECTION A OPENER QUESTION:

022100 In the interest of being ecological, many consumers consider upgrading their computers instead of disposing of them and buying a new one. Which one of the following upgrades is best left to professional technicians?

a.  Replacing the microprocessor with a newer model

b.  Adding an external hard drive for backup

c.  Swapping out a graphics card for a more powerful one

d.  Adding RAM

(Answer: a)

Personal Computer Systems (56)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Review the components of a PC.

·  If possible, take students on a tour of the building to look at different kinds of setups, including PCs with oversize monitors used by people with visual impairment or by graphic designers.

·  Examine CDs and DVDs. Compare the usability of each. Talk about the differences between ROM, recordable, rerecordable CDs and DVDs. Talk about Blu-ray DVDs.

TEACHER TIP

Review ads for computers. Bring in copies of, or have students bring, computer ads from magazines or stores such as Best Buy. Review the computer components discussed in the ad. This reinforces the terminology.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-1, Figure 2-2

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Assign a Project: Have students look around the classroom and make a list of all of the peripheral devices they see.

·  Quick Quiz:

1.  The term ______designates input, output, and storage equipment that might be added to a computer system. (Answer: peripheral device)

2.  True/False: The term personal computer system has only one meaning. (Answer: False)

Desktop and Portable Computers (58)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Present students with a variety of professions or other scenarios, and ask them which computer design from Figures 2-3 and 2-4 is a good match. Discuss the role that cost plays in the selection of a type of computer.

·  Explain that tablet and handheld computers do not use the same sorts of input, processing, output, and storage components that traditional desktop computers use.

·  Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of portable components vs. their corresponding components in a desktop computer.

TEACHER TIP

Make sure students understand that notebook computers, netbooks, and tablet computers are all types of portable computers.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-3, Figure 2-4

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Class Discussion: Have students come up with scenarios for which each type of computer is best suited. Be sure to cover desktop computers, portable computers, notebook computers, netbooks, and tablet computers.

Home, Game, and Small Business Systems (60)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Review the designations for personal computer systems.

·  Describe home computer systems.

·  Describe gaming PCs.

·  Discuss the characteristics of small business computers.

TEACHER TIP

Students who are not gamers may be surprised to learn that this constituency is the target audience for some of the most cutting-edge computers made today. Discuss why that is the case.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-5, Figure 2-6, Figure 2-7

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Class Discussion: Present a listing of the categories of computers and ask students what kind(s) of system(s) they own and/or use. Tally the results and present in a table.

·  Quick Quiz:

1.  True/False: A home computer system offers a hardware platform with super-charged support for most computer applications. (Answer: False)

2.  True/False: Some of the most cutting-edge computers are designed for gaming. (Answer: True)

Buying Computer System Components (62)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Encourage students to use what they have learned when buying a computer. Point out that students should consider their budget and how they plan to use the computer.

·  Discuss upgrading a computer and the costs, difficulty, and accessibility.

·  Go over Macintosh vs. PC vs. Linux. Emphasize which system your students will use for class assignments. Be sure to mention that these product lines include similar input, output, and peripheral devices. Also add that software is often platform-specific, and while you can now install Windows on a Mac and run Windows software on it, software written for a Macintosh computer is unlikely to run on a PC.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-8, Figure 2-9, Figure 2-10, Figure 2-11

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Class Discussion: Present a version of the table in Figure 2-9 (or a similar list of usage plans) with the purchase recommendations omitted, and ask students to fill in the recommendations based on how the purchaser intends to use the computer.

·  Quick Quiz:

1.  A(n) ______is a custom, hand-built modification to a computer system component. (Answer: mod)

2.  True/False: A computer priced higher than US$2,000 is the computer equivalent of a four-door sedan because a majority of buyers select computers at this price point. (Answer: False)

3.  Which of the following is typically only seven or eight inches wide and weighs about two pounds?

a.  netbook

b.  notebook computer

c.  tablet computer

d.  gaming PC

(Answer: a)

SECTION B: MICROPROCESSORS AND MEMORY

SECTION B OPENER QUESTION:

022200 Some computers are suitable for e-mail, word processing, and similar low-key operations, whereas other computers have the power to keep up while you play complex action games, edit high-resolution videos, and prepare multi-track sound recordings. Which of the following computers is the most powerful?

a.  Intel Core 2 Quad processor; 4 GB RAM

b.  AMD Phenom Quad core processor; 3 GB RAM

c.  Intel Core 2 Quad processor; 2 GB RAM

d.  Intel Atom processor; 4 GB RAM

(Answer: a)

Microprocessor Basics (67)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Point out that this section gives students information they will need when they want to compare microprocessors.

·  Discuss the variables that differentiate performance: clock speed, word size, cache levels, and capacity, and instruction set complexity.

·  Discuss how performance is measured.

·  Review the difference between serial and parallel processing, and discuss pipelining.

·  Discuss how multi-core processors improve the performance of microprocessors.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-12, Figure 2-13, Figure 2-14

TEACHER TIP

Ask students to think of situations that illustrate serial and parallel processing. Use the pizza oven example on page 69 in the chapter to begin the discussion.

TEACHER TIP

Pass around a processor chip to allow students to gain more familiarity with it.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Assign a Project: Have students write a paragraph comparing and contrasting serial and parallel processing.

·  Classroom Discussion: Distribute three ads. Have students compare processors (clock speed, FSB speed, cache memory, number of cores).

·  Quick Quiz:

1.  Using a technology called ______, a processor can begin executing an instruction before it completes the previous instruction. (Answer: pipelining)

2.  A single microprocessor that contains circuitry for more than one processing unit is called a(n) ______. (Answer: multi-core processor)

LAB ACTIVITY

The New Perspectives Lab “Benchmarking” on page 110 deals with issues that relate to this section of the textbook. You might want to go through the lab during class time if you have a computer with a projection device. Alternatively, assign this lab for students to do on their own.

Today’s Microprocessors (70)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Review the different chipmakers and their processor families.

·  Review how to determine which microprocessor is best for one’s PC. Explain the factors that students should consider.

TEACHER TIP

Inform students of the microprocessors in classroom computers and explain why those are well-suited to the computers’ uses.

FIGURE

·  Figure 2-15

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Class Discussion: Ask students how they would determine which microprocessor is best for their PCs. What factors will they consider? What activities do they use their computers for and how will those uses affect their requirements?

· 

·  Quick Quiz:

1.  ______is a technique for increasing the speed of a computer component. (Answer: Overclocking)

2.  True/False: There is no risk involved in overclocking. (Answer: False)

Random Access Memory (71)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Use the chalkboard analogy to explain RAM.

·  Explain that the computer uses RAM as a temporary storage area. It copies things to RAM while waiting to use them. You can write a mathematical equation on the board, and solve it. Then you can erase the equation and write a poem on the chalkboard. The chalkboard holds whatever you are working on at the moment. It can be erased and used again, just as RAM is cleared and reused. You can extend this analogy by mentioning that you could also write instructions that students must follow to complete an assignment (analogous to programs in RAM).

·  Discuss the differences between RAM and hard disk storage.

·  Point out that RAM is temporary storage, and hard disk space is permanent storage. Anything stored in RAM goes away when the computer is turned off (or if you exit from a program). Anything stored on a hard disk is stored there permanently, unless you delete it.

·  Mention that RAM has less capacity, compared to hard drive capacity.

·  Discuss the role of the capacitor as it relates to a bit of RAM.

·  Discuss virtual memory as a way to artificially extend RAM.

·  Describe SDRAM.

·  Define the terms memory module and DIMM.

FIGURES

·  Figure 2-16, Figure 2-17, Figure 2-18, Figure 2-19, Figure 2-20

TEACHER TIP

Pass around a DIMM to all the students so that they can see what it looks like.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

·  Assign a Project: Have students write a paragraph comparing and contrasting RAM and hard-disk storage.

·  Classroom Demonstration: Demonstrate RAM bits and bytes with clear cups and colored water. To explain a bit, use a cup as a capacitor (bit) and illustrate a 0 and a 1: full (representing a 1) and empty (representing a 0). Group eight cups (bits) together to form a byte. Fill some and leave others empty. Discuss how the pattern relates to a character value via ASCII coding scheme.

Read-Only Memory (73)

LECTURE NOTES

·  Compare RAM and ROM.

·  Explain that RAM chips are usually configured on a small circuit board called a memory module (such as a DIMM) and hold data only when the computer is receiving power. That’s why RAM chips are considered volatile. In contrast, ROM contains “hard-wired” instructions called the ROM BIOS, which are a critical part of the boot process. Some people compare the ROM BIOS to a car’s starter motor. The computer must receive its startup instructions from somewhere—that’s the job of ROM.