Technical Math For Dummies®

Chapter 19. Math for Computer Techs and Users

In This Chapter

• Getting a handle on some computer vocab

• Understanding important computing components

• Making smart decisions when you buy a computer

The personal computer (PC) has shaken the world. There were 1 billion PCs in the world in 2007, and Business Week reports that Bill Gates wants to see that figure double by 2015. You don't find as many PCs as you do cellphones, but PCs (with their friend, the Internet) have changed business and science completely. You may even have grown up in a world that has never not had PCs.

Although computers often get a bad rap for being nerdy when their cousins the sports car and smartphone are sexy and cool, the computer is important in your work. Few careers can operate without them; even the artist uses a computer to run his or her art gallery, and the graphic artist today is a computer artist. Not only is virtually every technical career tied in some way to the computer, but numerous technical and community colleges offer special two-year degrees in Computer Technology.

Assuming that you're going to have to live with computers, you need to understand a few things about a computer's capacity and speed, so this chapter shows you some basic computer math.

You do a quick overview of numbers and units used with computing, use math to understand the computer's parts, and prepare yourself to make smart decisions when you buy a computer.

Try a Bit of This Byte: Understanding Basic Computer Terms

No matter whether ...