Mission 01 · Lesson 01

Inside a computer

Computers & Computational Thinking

35–50 min + optional 15 min

Work at your pace. Take a break between stages; there is no countdown.

You need: paper, a pencil and this lab. A helper is welcome for reading and discussion.

Connect to what you know

You already use a keyboard and screen. Today, follow what happens between them.

CPU at top left, RAM top right, SSD bottom left and graphics card bottom right. Generated teaching illustration. Shapes and relative sizes are simplified; this is not a construction plan.

Understand it, step by step

1
INPUT: pressing a key sends a signal. The CPU follows the program’s instructions to decide what to do with it. A CPU is a processor, not a box that stores all your photos.
2
WORK AND KEEP: RAM holds the information a running program is using. Ordinary RAM loses it when power goes off. Saving copies your work to storage, such as an SSD, which keeps it without power.
3
OUTPUT: the GPU helps calculate pictures for the screen. It is good at doing many similar calculations together. The screen shows the result; it does not decide the game’s rules. Some computers have a GPU inside another chip.

Watch a worked example

You draw a blue star: mouse input → CPU follows the drawing tool → RAM holds the open drawing → GPU helps display it. Click Save → a copy goes to the SSD. Close and reopen the saved file: storage supplies the copy.

Pause and predict

If you close an unsaved drawing, will a faster GPU bring it back? Explain before you test.