Essential Computer Hardware

Computer Fundamentals

A computer is a machine that can store and process data according to a sequence of instructions called a program.

At their most fundamental level, these machines can only process binary data: 1s and 0s.

In this chapter, we’ll take a look at using the binary code to encode data, as well as binary arithmetic and number bases.

We’ll look at using logic gates to build simple circuits and how they form the building blocks for electronic devices, before moving onto the fetch execute cycle and instruction sets.

Let’s begin by taking a look at the binary code.