Computer Fundamentals

At their simplest, all computers are made up of four basic building blocks: Input, Processor, Storage, and
Output. The following diagram shows the relationships of these blocks, with arrows indicating the
direction in which data can flow. If you like, you can make an analogy to humans: our senses accept Input
from the outside world, our brain is the Processor, our memory is the Storage, and our muscles Output our
intentions and actions to the world.

Computer programs can also be thought of as made up of simple operations that interact with the
computer's basic building blocks. Depending on how you count, there are eight of these:

Accept Input: allows the user to enter text via a keyboard, clicks and movements via a mouse,
digitized images via a scanner, etc.

Calculate: performs arithmetic calculations.

Sequentially Execute: processes each instruction in a program from the first to the last and then
stops.

Decide: decides which instructions to process based on some criteria.

Repeat: repeatedly processes sets of instructions over and over until some condition is met, or
maybe forever.

Store: temporarily stores values for use in subsequent instructions.

Retrieve: retrieves previously-stored values for use in the current instruction.

Emit Output: reveal the results of the program to the user via the monitor, a printer, etc.