Unit 3: PythonLesson 2: Hardware & Software

January 5, 2014

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Lesson 2: Hardware & Software

LoopsDesigning a Game

Working with Files

Lesson 8 Lesson 7 Lesson 6

Data Types

Lesson 5

Functions

Lesson 4

Boolean Logic

Lesson 3

Introduction to Programming

Hardware & Software

Lesson 1 Lesson 2

Putting It All Together

Lesson 12

Navigating the Web (?)

Lesson 11

Sorting and Searching

Advanced Algorithms

Lesson 9 Lesson 10

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Recap from last time

• Programming means giving instructions to a computer to do specific tasks

• Since computers do not understand English, we must learn to use programming languages to communicate with them

• As a programming language used on many top websites and with a concise syntax similar to English, Python is both powerful and easy for beginners to learn

Software and hardware exist in all the electronic devices we use

• In today’s plugged-in world, all our devices function because of hardware and software

• They are both important components in how we interact with our electronics

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Software is electronically stored data (I)

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• Software gives instructions to our devices to do specific tasks

• We cannot touch or see software directly. We can only interact with the software program through our computer devices

• We can download software from the internet or install it with a CD

Software is electronically stored data (II)

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• Software gives instructions to our devices to do specific tasks

• We cannot touch or see software directly. We can only interact with the software program through our computer devices

• We can download software from the internet or install it with a CD

• Examples of software include Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, iOS, and computer games

Software and hardware depend on each other (I)

• Without hardware, software has no physical channel to interact with us

• Without software, hardware has no instructions on what it’s used for

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Software and hardware depend on each other (II)

• Without hardware, software has no physical channel to interact with us

• Without software, hardware has no instructions on what it’s used for

How can we play Angry Birds without an iPhone?

What would our iPhone be used for if not to play Angry Birds?!?

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Both hardware and software are needed to create the final product

• You can think of software and hardware as two pieces that come together to make the finished product that we use

• For example, the keyboard is the hardware we use to type out letters, but Microsoft Word is the software that tells the computer to display what we’re typing

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Every computer needs an operating system

• One of our most commonly used hardware is ourcomputer. It comes with a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and charger

• Without software, however, none of those items would work. Every computer needs software called an Operating System to function

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Hardware and software combine to make up the computer system we use

Updating software is easier than updating hardware

• Since hardware is a physical item, it isn’t updated often. After we buy it, it stays the same until we replace it

• Since software is stored electronically, it is easy to create, change, and upgrade on our computers

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Software communicates with hardware through programming languages (I)

• So how do software and hardware actually communicate?

• We write code in programming languages such as Python to give instructions to our computers

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A Google engineer writes software in Python…

Software communicates with hardware through programming languages (II)

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A Google engineer writes software in Python…

…and the software gives our computer specific instructions…

• So how do software and hardware actually communicate?

• We write code in programming languages such as Python to give instructions to our computers

Software communicates with hardware through programming languages (III)

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A Google engineer writes software in Python…

…and the software gives our computer specific instructions…

…to display the Google homepage on our hardware so we can search for anything on the web.

• So how do software and hardware actually communicate?

• We write code in programming languages such as Python to give instructions to our computers

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Summary (I)

• Software is electronically stored data that allows us to interact with our devices

• Hardware is the physical device that we need to interact with our computer programs

• You can think of software and hardware as two pieces that come together to make the finished product that we use such as browsing Google, writing a Word document, or playing Angry Birds on our iPhone

Summary (II)

• Our computer hardware needs software called an operating system in order to function

• Updating software occurs much more frequently than updating hardware

• Software communicates with hardware through programming languages

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What to do on your own

1. Go to URL to complete the Codecademy course online

2. Do the practice set on the material learned

3. Take the follow-up quiz to test your understanding