Computer architecture

Match each computer component with the task it performs: (a) CPU, (b) RAM, (c) hard drive or SSD, (d) motherboard. Tasks: 1. stores files in the long term, even when the computer is turned off; 2. executes program instructions, acting as the 'brain' of the computer; 3. connects all the other components to each other; 4. temporarily stores the data being worked on at any given moment.

Explain in your own words the difference between RAM and storage (hard drive or SSD). Use an everyday simile to help you, for example using kitchen or study furniture.

You close the document without saving and turn off the computer: the text you had written disappears. Explain what RAM has to do with this loss and what the 'save' button actually does to prevent it.

The diagram shows the main blocks of a computer, but one of the components connected to the CPU is covered with a question mark, as shown in the figure.

The hidden component temporarily stores the data that the CPU is working with at any given moment and is erased when the computer is turned off. Which component is it? Explain what would happen if the computer did not have it.

When you double-click a document, data travels between the computer components. Put these steps in order and explain what role RAM plays in the process: (a) the CPU processes the document data, (b) the document is copied from storage to RAM, (c) you double-click the file icon, (d) the document is displayed on the screen.

When you open a game, data travels between four computer components. The figure shows these components connected by arrows, but the order indicated by the numbers on the cards is incorrect, as shown in the diagram.

Write the correct order of the data's journey, from 1 to 4, and explain what happens in each of the four stages.

A classroom computer runs very slowly when many browser tabs are opened at the same time, even though its CPU is powerful and the drive has free space. Which component do you think is reaching its limit? Explain why and what hardware upgrade would solve it.

In a shop you compare two computers: Computer A has a CPU of $3,2\ \text{GHz}$, $8\ \text{GB}$ of RAM and an SSD of $256\ \text{GB}$; Computer B has a CPU of $2,8\ \text{GHz}$, $16\ \text{GB}$ of RAM and a hard drive of $1\ \text{TB}$. Explain what each piece of data means and reason which computer is best suited to a student who edits video with several programs open at the same time.

A computer takes three minutes to switch on because its hard drive is an older type with moving parts (HDD). Explain why replacing it with an SSD speeds up startup and the opening of programs, even if the CPU and RAM remain exactly the same.