Code to Circuits

This episode introduces you to the process of converting code into the digital circuits of 1s and 0s that a computer needs.

Your key takeaways are:

• Instructions and code are software
• Software is converted from the human readable format to the 1s and 0s the computer circuits need
• Definition and types of “computers”
• Key attributes of a computer
• A big picture view of the computer anatomy

Study Notes

The picture above shows how software moves through a system.

The basic flow is as follows:

1. A web page request is made to the web server
2. Web server goes to the hard drive, requests the script files to run the program (WordPress, plugins, etc.)
3. The code goes through an interpreter—in this case, a PHP interpreter—and then converts into byte/machine code
4. Machine code is loaded into memory so it’s ready to be processed
   1. Anything from the database is loaded here as well
   2. Broken down into instructions and data
5. This now runs through your local CPU
6. Instructions get processed and that result is put back into memory

What is a computer?

We’ll be examining two definitions in this lesson:

Merriam-Webster:

• An electronic machine that can store and work with large amounts of information

Oxford Dictionaries:

• An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to the instructions given to it in a variable program

A computer has several key attributes:

• Electronic
• Machine or device
• Stores information
• Processes, executes, and works on information
• Binary
• Per instructions from software

A computer is a piece of machinery that we write the software for.

What do each of these attributes need?

Attribute	Need
Electronic	Electricity
Machine	Mechanical
Stores information	Retention circuits
Processes, executes, and works	Engine or brain
Binary	Digital circuitry
Per instructions from software	Software

What are some examples of computers?

• Your desktop or laptop
• Tablet or mobile phone
• Server
• Your car
• Automatic teller machine (ATM)
• Digital alarm clock
• Microwave oven

The Anatomy of a Computer

The anatomy of any computer is basically the following:

A computer needs:

• A brain (CPU)
• Memory
• External information (input via keyboard, mouse, microphone, etc.)
• Software
• Digital (not analog)
• Power (electricity)

The point of mapping out the architecture and overview of the computer components is to show  the key attributes and needs of a computer. By now, you should be starting to see an overview of what a computer looks like and the key elements within it.

These are the building blocks for this course.