How does a computer work? Whats the mechanics behind it?

Question

How does a computer work? Whats the mechanics behind it?

Answer 1

Although a computer *was* built with relays (more mechanical) they are mostly electrical.  

Main parts:  

Processor, Memory.

Details for a PC:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc.htm

Answer 2

Actually is quite simple:

Any computer has only four parts:

CPU ...Central proccesing unit

Program

Input / Output devices

Memory

The CPU or "brain" of a computer is where all operations are done. The CPU only can do simple things such as to sum two numbers, to read / write memory data or make logic operations in data (OR , AND operations). The important point is that it does these operations very fast, actually millions for a second, so it can do big tasks in a small amount of time by doing small tasks very fast. All operations that a computer does, no matter how complex they are, have to be decoded in these simple operations.

The program is just a set of instrucctions for the computer. It is what tells the computer what to do. Computer understand only a limited number of languages, so to comunicate with them we have to learn them.

The program is what makes different computer from other machines. Normally machines do only one thing (for instead cars, tv set...) for us while computers can do many thing for us, just we have to tell them (by means of a program) what we want them to do for us. We say computers are "programmable"

Input / Output devices are the means to "input" the data and program to the computer and the means to "output" the answers from the computer, typical input devices are: keyboard and mouse, typical output devices are monitors and printers. Memory units can be either input or output devices. A robot is a computer with sensors for input devices and motors for output devices.

The internal memory is where we store the data and program.

When you turn on a computer what the computer does is only to follow the instructions of the program it has in memory.

In general as users of computers, we dont write programs to it but rather we use programs that somebody else wrote for us, for instead, excel, word, explorer and so on, they are only programs.

Answer 3

a computer is a simple system of on, off and memory.

information is a binary (2 numbers) of 1's and 0's to show on and off.

00000001 (1 byte)

"7 off", "1 on" (letter A)

in different sequesnces that mean different things

put together in different orders to make codes

then these codes are put together to make programs.