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AS Computer Science Hardware Notes

The document provides summarized notes on the CAIE AS Level Computer Science theory syllabus, covering essential hardware components, their operations, and types of memory. It explains various devices like printers, microphones, and storage systems, detailing their functionalities and characteristics. Additionally, it introduces logic gates and circuits, essential for understanding computer operations.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
15 views5 pages

AS Computer Science Hardware Notes

The document provides summarized notes on the CAIE AS Level Computer Science theory syllabus, covering essential hardware components, their operations, and types of memory. It explains various devices like printers, microphones, and storage systems, detailing their functionalities and characteristics. Additionally, it introduces logic gates and circuits, essential for understanding computer operations.

Uploaded by

nikita.kuydin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ZNOTES.

ORG

UPDATED TO 2024-2025 SYLLABUS

CAIE AS LEVEL
COMPUTER
SCIENCE
SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE THEORY SYLLABUS
Prepared for Vidhya Nechooli for personal use only.
CAIE AS LEVEL COMPUTER SCIENCE

Incoming sound waves enter the screen and cause


vibrations in the diaphragm
1. Hardware: Computers and Vibrations cause the coil to move past a magnetic
core
Their Components Electrical current is generated, which is then
digitized
A general-purpose computer system comprises a Speaker:
processor, memory, and I/O functionality. Takes electrical signals and translates them into
The following essential features are needed in a physical vibrations to create sound waves
computer - The electric current in the voice coil generates an
Input: Takes in data from the outside world. electromagnetic field
Output: Displays data for human understanding. Change in digital audio signal causes current
Primary Storage: Main memory storing critical direction to change, which changes field polarity
program instructions and data. Electromagnet is either attracted or repelled to a
Secondary Storage: Non-volatile storage for permanent magnet, causing a diaphragm that is
noncritical data. attached to the coil to vibrate
Removable secondary storage: Vibration transmitted to air in front of the speaker
File backup and archives The degree of vibration determines the amplitude
Portable transfer of files to a second device and frequency of the sound wave produced
Embedded systems: Magnetic Hard Disk:
Miniature computer systems such as microprocessors Hard disks have platters whose surfaces are covered
that are often a part of a more extensive system. with a magnetisable material.
Each embedded system performs a few specific Platters are mounted on a central spindle and rotated
functions, unlike general-purpose computers. at high speed
The surface of platters is divided into concentric tracks
Benefits Drawbacks & sectors, where data is encoded as magnetic
Reliable since there are no Difficult to program functions patterns
moving parts since there is no interface Each surface is accessed by read/write heads
Expensive expert help is When writing, current variation in the head causes
Require less power magnetic field variation on the disk
needed for the repair
Cheap to mass-produce When reading, magnetic field variation from the disk
produces current variation in the read head
Solid State (Flash) Memory:
Principle Operations of Hardware Devices
Most use NAND-based flash memory
Laser printer:
Consist of a grid of columns & rows that has 2
A laser beam and rotating mirrors are used to
transistors at each intersection
draw an image of the page on a photosensitive
Two transistors:
drum
Floating Gate: stores electrons, and the presence or
The image is converted into an electric charge,
absence of charge (electrons) represents either 1 or 0
which attracts charged toner such that it sticks to
Control Gate: controls charge (electrons) flow for
the image
read/write
Electrostatic-charged paper rolled against the
Optical Disc Reader/Writer:
drum
The disc surface has a reflective metal layer and is
Charge pulls toner away from drum and onto
spun
paper
The tracking mechanism moves the laser assembly
Heat applied in the fuser to fuse toner to the paper
The lens focuses laser onto the disc
The electrical charge was removed from the drum,
A laser beam shone onto a disc to read/write
and excess toner was collected
Tracks have sequences of amorphous and crystalline
3D Printer:
states on the metallic layer
The process starts with a saved digital file that
When reading, the reflected light from the different
holds the blueprint of the object to be printed
states on the track is encoded as bit patterns
The object is then built by sequentially adding
When writing, the laser changes surface to crystalline
layers of a material (e.g. polymer resin) until the
and amorphous states along the track, corresponding
object created
to 1s or 0s.
The object is then cured (e.g. resin-made objects
Touchscreen:
are hardened by UV light)
Considered as both an input & output device
Microphone:
There are two main-types:

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is authorised
for personal use only by Vidhya Nechooli at Windfield international school on 06/09/24.
CAIE AS LEVEL COMPUTER SCIENCE

Resistive Capacitive PROM EPROM EEPROM


Consists of two charged Made from materials that It can be It can be erased by It can be erased by
plates store electric charge programmed only UV light exposure an electrical signal
Pressure causes plates to When touched, the charge is once after it is and can then be and can then be
touch, completing the circuit transferred to the finger created reprogrammed reprogrammed
Point of contact registered Chip has to be Can update data
Data cannot be
with coordinates used to removed for without removing
erased or deleted
calculate the position reprogramming the chip.

Virtual (Reality) Headset: Monitoring and Control Systems


Virtual headsets consist of 2 lenses, (an LCD) display, Monitoring System:
a circuit board with sensors, a cover and foam Monitors some state external to the computer
padding system
The display provides a simulation of a 3D environment No changes were made to the environment by the
generated by a 3D graphics package system, and hence, no feedback
The user can ‘move’ in the virtual environment by Control System:
moving their head or using controllers Regulates the behaviour of other devices or
Buffers: systems
A queue that temporarily stores data to balance Event-driven system: the controller alters the
input/output speed of data, while the cache is the system's state in response to some event
short-term memory storage that stores frequently Time-driven system, where the controller takes
used data. action at a specific point in time
Random Access Memory vs. Read-Only Memory Hardware typically used in a system:
Sensor that measures an (analogue) property and
RAM ROM transmits it to a processing unit, generally as an
Volatile memory: loses Non-volatile memory: does electrical or optical signal
content when power is turned not lose content when power Actuators that switch on/off heavy appliances (e.g.
off is turned off heater to heat/fan to cool)
It can be read and altered It can only be read ADC that converts analogue signals to digital
signals
Used to store currently Used for storing OS kernel
Transmission cable to transfer signals
executing program and boot-up instructions
Feedback Systems:
Output from the system affects the input of
Types of RAM - Static RAM vs. Dynamic RAM sensors
Ensures the system operates within the given
SRAM DRAM
criteria
Doesn’t need to refresh; Has to be refreshed; it has Enabling the system output to affect subsequent
hence, it uses less power and slower access times and system inputs may cause a change in the actions
faster access time needs higher power taken by the system
Only a single transistor & This enables the system to adjust conditions in a
More complex circuitry, hence
capacitor, hence less continuous process automatically
more expensive
expensive to purchase
Each bit is stored in a flip-flop Each bit is stored as a charge 1.2. Logic Gates and Logic Circuits
Has lower data density Has higher data density
Used in cache memory Used in main memory Logic Gates: use one or more inputs and produce a single
logical output
Types of ROM – PROM vs. EPROM vs. EEPROM AND gate: If both inputs are high, the output is high ( A•B)

PROM EPROM EEPROM A B Output

Electrically 0 0 0
Erasable
Programmable Erasable 0 1 0
Programmable
ROM Programmable 1 0 0
ROM
ROM 1 1 1

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is authorised
for personal use only by Vidhya Nechooli at Windfield international school on 06/09/24.
CAIE AS LEVEL COMPUTER SCIENCE

\n NAND gate: (A•B) \n

A B Output A B Output
0 0 0 0 0 1
0 1 1 0 1 0
1 0 1 1 0 0
1 1 1 1 1 0

OR gate: If either input is high, the output is high ( A+B) NOR gate: (A+B) \n

A B Output
0 0 0
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0
NOT gate: an inverter (A)

XOR gate: ( A ⨁B) \n


A Output
1 0
0 1

A B Output
0 0 1
0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0

WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Copyright © 2024 ZNotes Education & Foundation. All Rights Reserved. This document is authorised
for personal use only by Vidhya Nechooli at Windfield international school on 06/09/24.
CAIE AS LEVEL
Computer Science

© ZNotes Education Ltd. & ZNotes Foundation 2024. All rights reserved.
This version was created by Vidhya Nechooli on 06/09/24 for strictly personal use only.
These notes have been created by Saketh Devareddy for the 2024-2025 syllabus
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