ENGINEER 1D04 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Central Processing Unit

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Engineering (General)
• Course: ENGINEER 1D04
• Professor: Bokhari

Document Summary

A modern computer: a machine that stores and manipulates information under the control of a changeable program. A computer program: is a detailed, step by step set of instructions telling a computer exactly what to do. Computing: software (programs) rules the hardware (the physical machine) Computer science: is the study of what can be computed. In solving a problem three things need to be done. 1- design: which is a step by step process for achieving the desired result, computer scientists call is algorithm which means recipe . 2- analysis: failing to find a result doesn"t mean that the problem can"t be solved, analysis is the process of examining the result and the problem mathematically. 3- experimentation: when a problem is too complex or ill-defined to lend itself to analysis, computer scientists rely on experimentation. Even when analysis is done, experimentation is often needed to verify and refine the analysis.