A5 - A Component in Depth (ICS3C only)
In this assignment, you will choose a computer component that interests you from a list, and do some more detailed research into its history and how it functions. Your findings can be submitted in a format of your choice, for example, a written document, a slide presentation, or a website. Components you can choose from are:
- Motherboard
- CPU
- RAM
- Hard Drive
- Case and Ports
- Solid State Drive
- Graphics Card
You should include the following sections:
- What it is
- History
- What's inside
- How it works
- Other interesting information
The following table contains the information you should include in each section. Of course, you can put in more information in addition to this if you'd like. You will have some flexibility to deviate from exactly what's in the chart, but the content should be along the same lines as what you see here.
| Chosen Component | What it is | History | What's Inside | How it Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motherboard | What is the general function of the motherboard? What is the form factor, and why does it matter? | Look at how motherboards have changed over the years. Specifically, describe some of the components that are now integrated into the motherboard, that used to only be available through external interface cards. | List the sockets in the motherboards, and the types of components that would plug into each one. | Explain the function of buses, and differentiate between the northbridge and southbridge. |
| CPU This one is a little more difficult, but you may enjoy it if you're interested in how the CPU works. |
What is the general function of the CPU? What does it mean when we say a CPU runs at a certain number of GHz? | Look at how CPU speed has increased over the years. When did multiple core processors begin coming out? What other technologies have been added to processors? Also, look into "Moore's Law" | Give a brief description of what the registers, ALU, and clock are for. | Give examples of some of the instructions that can be carried out by the CPU. Include both arithmetic instructions and memory access instructions. What does the program counter hold? How about the instruction register? |
| RAM | Indicate ways it differs from the hard drive. Also, mention different types of RAM. | Look at how the memory size and speed have changed over the years. | How does SRAM differ from DRAM? | Explain how data is transfered between RAM and the CPU. State the function of both the address bus and data bus. |
| Hard Drive | Indicate ways it differs from the RAM. | Look at how hard drive capacity has increased over the years. When did external hard drives start to become available? | Describe a platter, cluster, sector, and how they relate to each other. Explain the function of the arm. | Explain the method by which a hard drive stores data. How does spindle speed affect hard drive performance? How does seek time compare to data transfer rate? |
| Case and Ports | List various types of cases, and explain the role that the case plays in working the computer. | List several computer ports and their functions. Indicate which ones are commonly in use today, and which ones have become obsolete. | What components attach directly to the case, as opposed to being plugged only into the motherboard? | Explain in words or using pictures/diagrams, how to insert an interface card or a drive into the case. |
| Solid State Drive | How does it differ from a hard drive? How are they an improvement over hard drives? | When did they start replacing hard drives? How has the capacity increased and price decreased in recent years? | What is flash memory? | How is flash memory written to and read from? |
| GPU | What does a GPU do? In what way does a GPU, and specifically a good GPU, benefit the computing experience? | When did computers begin having GPUs, and how have they improved over the years? | What type of circuitry is inside a GPU? How does the GPU differ from the CPU? How many cores do GPUs typically have? | How does it work in general? What is parallel processing? |
For the "Other Interesting Information" section, it is completely open-ended. It is for you to put any information that you find, that doesn't really fit anywhere else.
Resources
You may use any resources you'd like, but you may find the following useful:
- http://www.howstuffworks.com/ - This site explains many computer concepts in a way that is easy to understand. Try searching for your chosen component.
- Wikipedia - Some of what you find will be a little too technical, but often the introductory paragraph may be useful to you.
- Generative AI - Currently, there are no generative AI applications that the SCDSB has approved for student use. If you happen to ask some of these questions to a generative AI on your own time, however, you'll probably get pretty good answers that ou could ask the AI to simplify down for you if needed.
Proper Use and Citing of Resources
- Include a list of resources you consulted.
- Avoid copy/pasting, or even referring to your resources as you are entering in your information. Instead, use the resource to help you learn, then try to summarize it in your own words.
- Don't include anything you don't understand.
- Point form is acceptable, and answers don't need to be long.
How will I know your work is not AI generated?
I won't know for sure, unless the work is clearly not yours. But, if I point out something you included and ask you, "explain what you mean by this", your answer should convince me that what was written was written by you. Furthermore, on a test, you should be able to explain back to me some of the content you included.