KS4 Computing

In this lesson, we will extend our knowledge of the components that make up the CPU by introducing the fetch-decode-execute cycle (FDE). We will observe a program running and will connect the parts of the CPU to their role in executing instructions.

In this lesson, we will build on what we learnt in the previous 'Secondary Storage' lesson; this lesson involves exploring optical and magnetic storage devices. We will learn how each type of storage operates, and explain how data is written and read from each device. We will then actively rank the storage device in a number of key areas of comparison.

In this lesson, we will be introduced to the CPU and von Neumann architecture. We will learn about the individual components of the CPU and their roles in computation, along the way finding out about von Neumann and his theories that form the basis of modern computer architecture.

In this lesson, we will be introduced to main memory, RAM and ROM, as well as cache. This lesson builds on the core knowledge from the previous lesson about CPU components.

In this lesson, we will be introduced to secondary storage and take an in-depth look at solid-state storage. We will discover the need for secondary storage, through assessing the devices we have learnt about already. By the end of the lesson, we will be able to explain how solid-state storage works, and describe the advantages and disadvantages of such devices.

In this lesson, we will discover two types of computer systems: general purpose and embedded. Following this, we will explore the need for system software to facilitate communication between software and hardware in computer systems. We will explain the role of an operating system in controlling a computer while it is running.

In this lesson, we will look at character coding systems. First, we will consider character coding systems that you might have come across before, such as semaphore and Morse code, then we will be introduced to ASCII, a standard coding system for representing text. Next, we will learn about the need for Unicode to extend ASCII. Finally, we will learn how to work out the size of a plain text file.

In this lesson, we will learn how bitmap images are represented in binary. We will learn about resolution, bit depth and how to calculate the file size of a bitmap image.

In this lesson, we will look at sound and think about how it could be represented for storage or transmission. We will investigate the effect of sound waves in the air and how this relates to speakers and microphones. We will sample a short sound wave in order to understand this representation and how it can be improved on. We will also calculate representation size from sample rate, size, and duration.