Understanding Hardware and Software

 

Understanding Hardware and Software

To start your computer science journey, you first need to explore some basic concepts. First, we have hardware and software. Hardware refers to the physical components of a computer, like a screen, keyboard, and mouse. Software, on the other hand, is the collection of programs and instructions that tell the computer what to do.

Imagine a computer as a brain, with hardware as the body and software as the mind. The hardware provides the structure and functionality, while the software gives the computer intelligence and the ability to perform tasks. Just like you need both a body and a mind to function, computers rely on hardware and software working together.

Operating System

An operating system is like the boss of a computer. It manages all the tasks and makes sure everything runs smoothly. It helps you to interact with the computer and use different software and tasks. It controls the screen, keyboard, and other parts of the computer.

Example: Windows, macOS, and Android are examples of operating systems that run on computers and smartphones.

The Discipline of Informatics

 

The Discipline of Informatics

Note that in Europe we tend to use the term “Informatics” to denote the subject known in the USA and elsewhere as “Computer Science” (CS) or “Computing”.

Informatics is the science whose effect can be seen in two ways. It has created the new digital world in which text, images, movies and dynamic models of the real world can be stored, retrieved and manipulated, alongside a virtual world of games and simulation. It has been a major accelerator and often a necessary tool in research and development within all of the other sciences and engineering and created new disciplines in collaboration with them by developing new models of representing domain specific data and novel ways of human interaction with those models.

Informatics has its own corpus of concepts, theories, principles, methods, body of knowledge, and open issues. Through its scientific methods and technological developments, Informatics has brought about transformational change across a range of sectors. It now plays a vital role in every aspect of society, and challenges and affects all professions, disciplines, and school subjects. Its contribution to economic development is widely recognised and it has enabled advances and novel research in many disciplines. Its social impact is apparent in the ubiquitous nature of the World Wide Web and its further exploitation in the Internet of Things. Its scientific relevance is backed up by about 2 million peer-reviewed articles (out of an estimated overall total of 70 million) published in academic journals throughout the world since its birth around 60 years ago.

The Future Is Digital

 

The Future Is Digital 

The world is becoming digital day by day. Today, every job is performed with some kind of technology involved. Be it a doctor with the most recent machines or an artist with digital art, everything has technology in it.

Today, technology is one of the fastest-growing careers. Among them, programmers, data analysts, and cybersecurity experts have become extremely in demand.

Nowadays, even jobs outside of tech—like marketing, education, and healthcare—are using computer skills. Also, quite basic coding knowledge can open doors to exciting opportunities. Not just about writing code, though, but understanding how technology shapes the world. 

Why Informatics Education

Through Informatics, the digital world is developed and that this must be safe, secure and just. Currently many developments involving Informatics are shaping medicine, education, transport, etc. and pupils need to be attuned to that and to the tremendous opportunities that exist; such potential will only increase in the future.

Informatics education is fundamental to modern education. Techniques such as interaction, simulation and modeling, algorithm development, visualization, communication, searching capabilities, remote access to web sites, machine translation, machine learning can be used to enhance learning across all disciplines leading to a deeper understanding and appreciation of all disciplines.

What is computer science?

 

What is computer science?

Generally, computer science is defined as the study of computers and computational systems. In most cases, professional computer scientists work with software and software systems, instead of physically tinkering with the machines like their electrical and computer engineering counterparts.

Essentially, this means that computer scientists are more concerned with what is happening on the screen rather than what is happening inside the computer.

There are many areas of study within the field of computer science, including and not limited to, artificial intelligence, database management, software engineering, programming languages, computer security, vision and graphics, and computer systems and networks.

When it comes to the most integral part of computer science, coding or programming is the backbone of the field, being utilized to assist scientists in solving a wide range of tasks.

Computer science can appear very confusing on the surface because it deals with various abstract topics, such as physics, mathematical equations, and computer-based theories.

However, it is primarily focused on finding what is possible and impossible to do using a computer. Commonly, computer scientists will work closely with businesses, organizations, and individuals to improve their products, projects, or websites by using coding or by operating different forms of software.

 

Earth's Edible Treasures

Spices have shaped history, influenced today’s global trade, and even sparked wars! Curious about how spices came to be? It is the hunt for spices that has led Europeans to explore oceans and lands. Today’s global trade routes were established by the search for spices. Continue reading about their history in "A Brief History of Spices"!

Spices come from plants or trees. They are usually in the dried form—they can be harvested from fruits (pepper), bark (cinnamon), roots (ginger), or seeds (coriander seeds). Spices may be whole or powdered. Spice powders may have one or more spices roasted and blended. They can be used as seasoning. You can also make spice blends and hot sauces (Curious about the chemistry of hot sauce? Continue on to "The Science of Hot Sauce: What Makes It Spicy?").

Spices make us think of the kitchen. In the kitchen, they add smell, taste, color, flavor, richness, complexity, and more to food (and drinks: read more about their use in tea and drinks in the Meg A. Mole Interview with Joseph Wiener). The properties of the spices are because of the essential oils they contain (read more in "Spice Up Your Senses: Scent-sational Essential Oils".). Herbs are also used for adding flavor. But they are the leafy portion—like cilantro (leaves) is the herb vs coriander seeds are the spice.

Spices are used in aromatherapy (use of smells for better health; lavender), in making perfumes (anise), medications (capsaicin), incense (cinnamon), cosmetics (turmeric), as insect or animal repellents (garlic/peppermint), home décor (scented wreaths), in religious rituals (cumin), and for their many health benefits (fennel for digestion). They are used in home remedies, too. Cloves are often used for toothaches. They contain a chemical, called eugenol, that naturally soothes pain. However, one small difference in their structure can drastically change their flavor, smell, and how they are used (perform the activity "Small Changes in Structure can Lead to Big Changes in Fragrance" to learn more).

Now you know how spices have many purposes in our everyday lives. They are treasures that also remedy some health issues. But, as always, consume them in moderation. You are now invited to explore the world of spices. You will learn where they come from, how they act, and have fun in the process of finding out all about their hidden lives!

 

A Brief History of Spices

Spices are as old as humankind itself! They have led to the creation and loss of empires. Even new continents were discovered because of spices. There are numerous spices mentioned in the Bible, such as mint, dill, and cumin. Mohammed in the Koran co-owned a shop that stocked spices. In the Hindu Vedas, chilies are spoken of as the child of the Fire God. Spices have a lot of history! But where do they come from?

Early humans accidentally discovered that food wrapped in certain leaves tasted better or even spoiled less quickly. Nuts, stems, seeds, fruits, leaves, roots, bark, etc. were used similarly. The best spices were often hard to find. The search and demand for spices often made huge changes to how people lived and did business.

Spices were highly sought after by the countries in Western Europe. Asian and Mediterranean countries were the places that grew spices at the time. Selling spices was a profitable business. The countries with the spices as well as the European merchants profited from them. Europeans took spices back with them on camels along a network of trade routes called the Silk Road. The Silk Road thus impacted many countries like China, India, Egypt, Persia (Iran today), Arabia, and Rome.

By this time, Europe was starting to use more and more spices. This created a demand, causing spices to become more costly. Spice sellers were in it for the money. The Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch all competed for spices and resources in Asia and the Middle East. Wealthy merchants looked for ways to quickly reach the regions where spices were abundant. To meet that demand, the Western Europeans sailed long distances to bring back more spices as they could become rich. Several of the trips ended up finding people, lands, and spice treasures unknown to Western Europe. Christopher Columbus on one such travel accidentally landed on an island in the Americas.

Scientific advances in growing techniques have made growing spices in other parts of the world possible. With the many routes for spice transport, spices became more common. Their prices eventually began to fall. But the complicated history and the global impact remain. The lasting flavors, colors, and scents of spices continue to find new valuable uses today in cooking, religion, medicine, perfumery, and more.

Today, we use spices in everyday things and in more interesting ways. What is your favorite spiced item? Cinnamon rolls? Wasabi ice cream or chile chocolate? Or turmeric and pepper in milk, maybe?

 

The Meaning of Force

A force is a push or pull upon an object resulting from the object's interaction with another object. Whenever there is an interaction between two objects, there is a force upon each of the objects. When the interaction ceases, the two objects no longer experience the force. Forces only exist as a result of an interaction.

Contact versus Action-at-a-Distance Forces

For simplicity sake, all forces (interactions) between objects can be placed into two broad categories:

• contact forces, and
• forces resulting from action-at-a-distance

Contact forces are those types of forces that result when the two interacting objects are perceived to be physically contacting each other. Examples of contact forces include frictional forces, tensional forces, normal forces, air resistance forces, and applied forces. These specific forces will be discussed in more detail later in Lesson 2 as well as in other lessons.

Action-at-a-distance forces are those types of forces that result even when the two interacting objects are not in physical contact with each other, yet are able to exert a push or pull despite their physical separation. Examples of action-at-a-distance forces include gravitational forces. For example, the sun and planets exert a gravitational pull on each other despite their large spatial separation. Even when your feet leave the earth and you are no longer in physical contact with the earth, there is a gravitational pull between you and the Earth. Electric forces are action-at-a-distance forces. For example, the protons in the nucleus of an atom and the electrons outside the nucleus experience an electrical pull towards each other despite their small spatial separation. And magnetic forces are action-at-a-distance forces. For example, two magnets can exert a magnetic pull on each other even when separated by a distance of a few centimeters. These specific forces will be discussed in more detail later in Lesson 2 as well as in other lessons.

Examples of contact and action-at-distance forces are listed in the table below.

Contact Forces	Action-at-a-Distance Forces
Frictional Force	Gravitational Force
Tension Force	Electrical Force
Normal Force	Magnetic Force
Air Resistance Force
Applied Force
Spring Force

 

 

The Newton

Force is a quantity that is measured using the standard metric unit known as the Newton. A Newton is abbreviated by an "N." To say "10.0 N" means 10.0 Newton of force. One Newton is the amount of force required to give a 1-kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s/s. Thus, the following unit equivalency can be stated:

1 Newton = 1 kg • m/s2