ARC550 Advanced Computer Applications in Architecture

Lecture Notes

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Friday January 18, 2002: Basic computing review
  • ROM
  • Byte
  • Kilobyte
  • Megabyte
  • Gigabyte
  • Opening, loading or reading a file
  • Closing, saving or writing a file
1/18/02
  • Review of last class.
  • Three types of information are stored on secondary memory:
    • Operating system (machine specific) can be thought of as basic housekeeping system.
      • Unix; many different types of this operating system.
        • Kernel (conceptual core of the operating system which is machine specific).
        • Shell (neutral) therefore no machine specific characteristics.
    • Application program; (Assist in completing a specific task). For example, Excel, Word, PhotoShop, AutoCAD, Form Z, etc.
    • Data: any digital picture, text file, mp3, 3d model, spreadsheet, etc.
  • All of the above examples are stored (represented) with the use of binary digits. The computer industry calls these binary digits or bits.
  • To reiterate previous lecture, the logic behind all forms of data storage comes down to strategies of representation.
    • Note: 8 bits = 1 byte
    • 01101110 therefore 8 1’s and or 0’s in any configuration = 1 byte.
    • Everything in binary is represented by a base two system. (2Ù x).
    • One byte has 256 possible combinations. (2Ù 8 = 256).
    • So each character and symbol of text is represented by one byte.
    • (For more information see ASCII in the class glossary).
      • "American standard code for information interchange.
      • Common to all text.
      • Documents ending in .txt are ASCII.
  • Bits vs. bytes:
    • Kilobyte » 1000 bytes = 1024 bytes…..2Ù 10
    • Megabyte » 1,000,000 bytes =1,048,567…..2Ù 20
    • Gigabyte » 1,000,000,000 bytes.
    • Terabytes
  • Files
    • Opening a file- copying from secondary memory to primary memory.
    • Reading a file- copying from secondary memory to primary memory.
    • Loading a file- copying from secondary memory to primary memory.
    • Closing a file- copying from primary memory to secondary memory.
    • Writing a file- copying from primary memory to secondary memory.
    • Saving a file- copying from primary memory to secondary memory.
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Last update: November 09, 2003. Copyright © 2003 Bruce M. Coleman
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