Everything stored by a computer
is stored using Binary- 0s and 1s
Floating Point
Representation
The mantissa and exponent are
stored as separate numbers. The
compute recreates the the
number for calculations when it
needs to.
The greater the number of bits sued
to store the mantissa, the more
precise the number will be.
The greater the number of bits
used to store the exponent, the
greater the range of numbers can
be represented.
The mantissa will store the precision
of the number and the exponent will
store the range of numbers.
Vector Graphics
Vector graphics store a picture by storing
each object's attributes eg. Instructions
to draw the shapes.
Rectangle
Co-ordinates: x, y
Height, Width, Fill
Colour, Line Colour
Ellipse
Co-ordinates: Cx, Cy, Rx, Ry
Fill Colour, Line Colour
Line
Co-ordinates: x1, y1, x2, y2
Line Colour
Polygon (Any shape
with 3 or more sides)
Co-ordinates: x1, y1, x2, y2, x3, y3...
Fill Colour, Line Colour
Bit-Mapped
Graphics
Computers store, in binary, each pixel in a 2d grid.
Number of bits per pixel depends on the
number of colours in the image- more
colours, more bits.
Computer
Structure
Components
All components are part of the Processor
Control Unit
Controls the sequencing of
fetching, decoding and
executing instructions.
Arithmetic & Logic Unit (ALU)
Performs all calculations and
logical operations.
Registers
Temporary memory locations within
the processor.
Memory
All memory locations within RAM (Random
Access Memory) are given a unique address
so that the computer can read and write
data to that location correctly.
Buses
Address Bus
This identifies the memory location
that is going to be read from or
written to.
Data Bus
This transfers the data between the processor
and memory, and vice versa.
Translators
They translate high-level program
code to binary.
Interpreter
Translates the program code into machine
code one line at a time and executes each
line immediately after it has translated it.
Machine code is not retained so program must be
translated each time. Therefore good for finding
errors.
Compiler
Translates the whole program and then saves the
translated machine code version. This means that
the translated code can be run again and again.
Used for programs that are
ready for release.
Environmental
Impact
Energy Use of Computer
Systems
It is estimated that there are two
billion computer systems in use
throughout the world- these all use
energy.
As users we need to
consider how to reduce
unnecessary energy use.
Methods to Reduce Energy Usage
Power Down Settings
Automatically power down after a period of inactivity.