Skip to main content
O'Reilly home
    • Sign In
    • Try Now
    • Teams
    • Individuals
    • Features
      • Certifications
      • Interactive learning
      • Live online sessions
    • What’s New
    • O’Reilly for marketers

How Computers Work: The Evolution of Technology, Tenth Edition by Ron White, Timothy Edward Downs

Get How Computers Work: The Evolution of Technology, Tenth Edition now with O’Reilly online learning.

O’Reilly members experience live online training, plus books, videos, and digital content from 200+ publishers.

Start your free trial

Table of Contents

Introduction

Part 1: What Makes a Computer a Computer

Chapter 1. The Ghostly LEGOs of Computing

How Waves Take the Universe on a Joy Ride

How Information Rides the Waves

How Electromagnetism Is the Ghost in the Machine

How We Control Electricity

How Computers Create Our World Using Numbers

Chapter 2. How Computers Remember

How a Little Transistor Does Big Jobs

Writing Data to RAM

Reading Data from RAM

How Flash Memory Remembers When the Switch is Off

Chapter 3. How a Little Microprocessor Does Big Things

How a Processor Tracks Numbers

How a Processor Does Math

How a Processor Moves Data

How Multi-Core Processors Work

How Desktop CPUs Keep It Complex

How Mobile CPUs Keep It Simple

Chapter 4. How Motherboards Conduct a Symphony ...

Get How Computers Work: The Evolution of Technology, Tenth Edition now with O’Reilly online learning.

O’Reilly members experience live online training, plus books, videos, and digital content from 200+ publishers.

Start your free trial

About O’Reilly

  • Teach/write/train
  • Careers
  • Community partners
  • Affiliate program
  • Diversity

Support

  • Contact us
  • Newsletters
  • Privacy policy
facebook-logo linkedin-logo youtube-logo

Download the O’Reilly App

Apple app store Google play store

Take O’Reilly online learning with you and learn anywhere, anytime on your phone and tablet.

  • Get unlimited access to books, videos, and live training.
  • Sync all your devices and never lose your place.
  • Learn even when there’s no signal with offline access.

Do not sell my personal information

Exercise your consumer rights by contacting us at donotsell@oreilly.com.

O'Reilly home

© 2021, O’Reilly Media, Inc. All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on oreilly.com are the property of their respective owners.

Terms of service • Privacy policy • Editorial independence