Learn and explore computer basics, its history, hardware, software, number systems, and the anatomy of a computer.

Computer Science Bootcamp

This module covers the basics of computers and delves into software development. We’ll start by studying the essentials of computers, including their history, hardware, and software. Next, we’ll explore information representation and number systems, including the binary representation of text, colors, and images. Then, we’ll understand the anatomy of a computer, from logic gates to input/output devices, memory, and the central processing unit. Finally, we’ll dive deep into the software side of computers, including computer programming, the lifecycle of a program, and software application development. By the end of this module, we’ll have gained foundational skills to advance our careers in computer technology.

Computing Basics

## Representing text in binary
Because computers primarily deal with binary numbers, computer scientists have come up with standardized ways to map text to decimal numbers and then to binary.

### American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
One such standard is **ASCII**, which uses seven bits to map the English alphabet (upper and lower case letters), digits, and some special characters like ampersand (&) and period (.) to numbers.

> **Note:** The first thirty-two characters of the ASCII table are non-printable. They correspond to things like “start of text.”

The following table is a sneak peek of the complete ASCII table:

| **Character**   | **ASCII Code**  |
|----------|-----------|
| A   | 65     |
| B   | 66     |
| C   | 67     |
| D   | 68     |
| E   | 69     |

Enter an ASCII code between 32 and 127 (both values inclusive) below, and press “Done” to see the value’s corresponding character and binary equivalent. Click “Reset” (which will appear later) to re-enter the value.


# Representing text in binary
Because computers primarily deal with binary numbers, computer scientists have come up with standardized ways to map text to decimal numbers and then to binary.

## American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)
One such standard is **ASCII**, which uses seven bits to map the English alphabet (upper and lower case letters), digits, and some special characters like ampersand (&) and period (.) to numbers.

> **Note:** The first thirty-two characters of the ASCII table are non-printable. They correspond to things like “start of text.”

The following table is a sneak peek of the complete ASCII table:

| **Character**   | **ASCII Code**  |
|----------|-----------|
| A   | 65     |
| B   | 66     |
| C   | 67     |
| D   | 68     |
| E   | 69     |

Enter an ASCII code between 32 and 127 (both values inclusive) below, and press “Done” to see the value’s corresponding character and binary equivalent. Click “Reset” (which will appear later) to re-enter the value.


Learn how to represent text in a binary system.

Introduction

Computer Basics

Binary System

Essential Number Systems

Binary Arithmetic

Using Binary to Represent Information

Getting to Know Computers

The Software - Computer Programming

Building a Software Application

Conclusion

Text Representation

Representing text in binary

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)