Course Medical Statistics with Informatics

Part 1: Introduction and computer basics

Topics Computer fluency Computers and careers Computer functions Data vs. information Von Neumann architecture Computer hardware and software Topics include: Computer fluency Computers and careers Computer functions Data vs. information Computer hardware and software Societal challenges and computers Future technologies

What is Computer Fluency? To be computer fluent you must: Understand a computer’s capabilities and limitations Know how to use a computer The information age is upon us and every corner of our lives has been effected. Everything we do—our work, our play, the way we communicate, our commerce, and our relationships—have all been affected by computers. Becoming computer fluent—being familiar enough with computers that you understand their capabilities and limitations and know how to use them—has become a necessity to succeed. Becoming computer fluent is what this course is all about.

Being a Savvy Computer User and Consumer Make good purchase decisions Maintain your computer Keep abreast of changes in technology Understand the real risks Use the Internet wisely Avoid online annoyances Avoid hackers and viruses Protect your privacy Now that the personal computer is such a large part of our lives, knowing how to analyze, choose, purchase, and maintain your own computer system are required skills for success in the academic and business worlds. Being a savvy consumer will help you accomplish all the things on this slide. It will save you money, make you more productive, help you protect your identity, and have a working system when you need it. As technology evolves, you will also be able to keep up and adapt.

Computers in your Career? Computer careers in: Business The Arts Law Enforcement, legal fields Education The Sciences Gaming Homes The Medical Field Regardless of which profession you pursue, if computers are not already in use in that career, they most likely will be soon. The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that by 2010, 70 percent of the U.S. workforce will be using computers at work. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that employees who use a computer on the job earn about 10 percent more than those who don’t. Becoming truly computer fluent—understanding the capabilities and limitations of computers and what you can do with them—will undoubtedly help you perform your job more effectively.

Computers in Business Point of Sale Terminals Tracking merchandise Data mining Business around the world is conducted on the computer screen. Information is stored in enormous databases. To make meaning of all that data, they use a process known as data mining. Enormous leaps in business productivity are a direct result of the use of computers in all phases of business, from communications to product design. For example, the cash register is now a point of sale terminal. that connects automatically to a database, providing managers with current data on sales. This allows for better tracking of merchandise. Every segment of business has been transformed by the computer.

Computers in the Arts Virtual art Virtual dance The creative arts have been widely enhanced by computers. Artists communicate and collaborate across oceans. Writers and editors complete their work together from across the country. New forms of graphic arts and cinematography are introduced every day, all globally and immediately. Even dance has been enhanced with the computer.

Computers in Law Enforcement and Legal Fields Surveillance cameras Forensic animation Computer forensics Law enforcement uses computers to quickly find records, locate possible suspects, and investigate accounts. As the Internet and e-commerce become more and more popular, criminals stalk the wire for victims. Law enforcement officers must use computers to track and capture criminals. Computer forensics is the application of computer systems and techniques to gather potential legal evidence. Even parking enforcement uses technology today

Computers in Education Computers in the classroom Distance Education Computerized research The Internet Computers have given teachers tremendous new tools for presenting information and keeping records. Colleges offer full degree programs, totally over the Internet. Vast stores of information are available wherever there is an Internet connection. Libraries have brought the computer into their operations. Training tutorials are used to teach new tasks and research is done from the desktop. Education will never be the same as it was..

Computers and the Sciences Supercomputers Archeology Meteorology Science has used the computer to streamline studies, eliminate redundancy, test hypotheses, develop theories, and communicate findings. The computer has brought vast new levels of global collaboration, advancing fields like engineering, chemistry, physics ,and cosmology to unprecedented levels. Supercomputers crunch enormous amounts of data carrying out experiments that could not be done before. Storms are being studied through intricate application of known data to form pictures that increase understanding. 3D modeling and imagine software is helping archeologists take data and simulate ancient civilizations.

Computers in Sports Training Timing and scorekeeping Data storage and statistics Watch an auto race and look at the computers in the pits. Coaches in football use computers constantly. Officials use them to control games. Computers are used to analyze performance and optimize training. The use of computers at the Olympic Games is legendary.

Computer Gaming Careers Programming 3D animation The computer and video game industry is enormous. In fact, revenues from computer gaming in the United States have surpassed revenues from Hollywood. Very intricate programming is behind these games. The animations are the result of years of research and development, with new games being developed everyday

Computers at Home Robotics Smart appliances Internet-connected refrigerator Already, robotic vacuums and lawnmowers are on the market. The home of the future promises smart appliances that connect to the Internet. The wired home will converge with the computer, television ,and telephone to totally surround us with devices programmed by our needs and desires. Robomower

Computers in the Medical Field Virtual reality in medical applications Patient simulator Da Vinci Surgical System Few fields have grown as fast and touched our lives more than modern medicine. The ability of the computer to store, process, and distribute vast amounts of information globally and immediately has led to tremendous breakthroughs in pharmaceuticals and disease prevention. People are living longer, healthier lives and computers have played a large part in this development. Medical professionals can now train on patient simulators without risking a patient’s life. In the Physiome Project bioengineers are creating realistic computer simulations of all systems and features of the human anatomy. Surgery is being performed with robotic equipment.

Becoming Computer Fluent Data processing Bits and bytes Von Neuman architecture Computer hardware Computer software Fundamental knowledge about the computer is important to becoming truly computer fluent. This knowledge includes understanding what a computer does and what its main parts are, understanding the language of bits and bytes, distinguishing between different types of computer programs, working with different platforms ,and recognizing computers other than the PC.

Data vs. Information Data vs. Information: Data is a representation of a fact or idea Number Word Picture Sound Information is data that has been organized or presented in a meaningful fashion. Strictly defined, a computer is a data processing device that performs four major functions: 1. It gathers data (or allows users to input data). 2. It processes that data into information. 3. It outputs data or information. 4. It stores data and information.

Computers are Data processing Devices Four major functions: Input data Process data Output information Store data and information Strictly defined, a computer is a data processing device that performs four major functions: 1. It gathers data (or allows users to input data). 2. It processes that data into information. 3. It outputs data or information. 4. It stores data and information. INFORMATION OUT DATA IN

Bits and Bytes: The Language of Computers Binary digit 0 or 1 Byte Eight bits ASCII Each byte represents a letter, number or special character OFF ON 1 Microchip Switch In order to process data into information, computers need to work in a language they understand. This language, called binary language, consists of just two digits: 0 and 1. Everything a computer does is broken down into a series of 0s and 1s. Each 0 and 1 is a binary digit, or bit for short. Eight binary digits (or bits) combine to create 1 byte. In computers, each letter of the alphabet, each number, and each special character (such as the @ sign) consists of a unique combination of 8 bits, or a string of eight 0s and 1s. As it turns out, if 8 bits are put together there are 256 possible combinations that they can be in. That number of combinations allows for a code that can include all the upper and lower cases of the alphabet, all 10 digits, punctuation and a number of other much-used symbols. We call these 8 bits working together a byte. Bytes are the basic measurement for storage in a computer. = 4 1 1 1 = A 1 1

How Much is a Byte? Byte B Kilobyte KB Megabyte MB Gigabyte GB NAME ABBREVIATION NUMBER OF BYTES RELATIVE SIZE Byte B 1 byte Can hold one character of data. Kilobyte KB 1,024 bytes Can hold 1,024 characters or about half of a typewritten page double-spaced. Megabyte MB 1,048,576 bytes A floppy disk holds approximately 1.4 MB of data, or approximately 768 pages of typed text. Gigabyte GB 1,073,741,824 bytes Approximately 786,432 pages of text. Since 500 sheets of paper is approximately 2 inches, this represents a stack of paper 262 feet high. Terabyte TB 1,099,511,627,776 bytes This represents a stack of typewritten pages almost 51 miles high. Petabyte PB 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes The stack of pages is now 52,000 miles high, or about one-fourth the distance from the Earth to the moon. Not only are bits and bytes used as the language that tells the computer what to do, they are also what the computer uses to represent the data and information it inputs and outputs. Kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes are therefore simply amounts of bytes. © 2007 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

The Von Neumann Architecture

Designing Computers All computers more or less based on the same basic design, the Von Neumann Architecture!

The Von Neumann Architecture Model for designing and building computers, based on the following three characteristics: The computer consists of four main sub-systems: Memory ALU (Arithmetic/Logic Unit) Control Unit Input/Output System (I/O) Program is stored in memory during execution. Program instructions are executed sequentially.

The Von Neumann Architecture Bus Memory Processor (CPU) Input-Output Control Unit Communicate with "outside world", e.g. Screen Keyboard Storage devices ... Store data and program Execute program ALU Do arithmetic/logic operations requested by program

Memory Subsystem Memory, also called RAM (Random Access Memory), Consists of many memory cells (storage units) of a fixed size. Each cell has an address associated with it: 0, 1, … All accesses to memory are to a specified address. A cell is the minimum unit of access (fetch/store a complete cell). The time it takes to fetch/store a cell is the same for all cells. When the computer is running, both Program Data (variables) are stored in the memory.

Input/Output Subsystem Handles devices that allow the computer system to: Communicate and interact with the outside world Screen, keyboard, printer, ... Store information (mass-storage) Hard-drives, flashes, CD, …

I/O Controllers Speed of I/O devices is slow compared to RAM RAM ~ 50 nsec. Hard-Drive ~ 10msec. = (10,000,000 nsec) Solution: I/O Controller, a special purpose processor: Has a small memory buffer, and a control logic to control I/O device (e.g. move disk arm). Sends an interrupt signal to CPU when done read/write. Data transferred between RAM and memory buffer. Processor free to do something else while I/O controller reads/writes data from/to device into I/O buffer.

Structure of the I/O Subsystem Interrupt signal (to processor) Data from/to memory I/O controller I/O Buffer Control/Logic I/O device

The ALU Subsystem The ALU (Arithmetic/Logic Unit) performs mathematical operations (+, -, x, /, …) logic operations (=, <, >, and, or, not, ...) In today's computers integrated into the CPU Consists of: Circuits to do the arithmetic/logic operations. Registers (fast storage units) to store intermediate computational results. Bus that connects the two.

The Control Unit Program is stored in memory as machine language instructions, in binary The task of the control unit is to execute programs by repeatedly: Fetch from memory the next instruction to be executed. Decode it, that is, determine what is to be done. Execute it by issuing the appropriate signals to the ALU, memory, and I/O subsystems. Continues until the HALT instruction

Structure of the Control Unit PC (Program Counter): stores the address of next instruction to fetch IR (Instruction Register): stores the instruction fetched from memory Instruction Decoder: Decodes instruction and activates necessary circuitry PC IR +1 Instruction Decoder

Computer Hardware Input devices System unit Output devices Storage devices Computer hardware consists of all the real stuff a computer is made of. If you can drop it on the floor, it is hardware. Hardware devices include input devices like keyboards, components in the system unit like microprocessors, output devices like monitors, and storage devices like a hard drive

Input Devices Enter data to be processed D C A B Keyboard Scanners Mouse Trackball Touch screen Microphone Game Controller Digital camera D C A B Input devices include keyboards and mice, but also scanners, cameras, microphones ,and even network cards and modems. Data that gets into the computer must come through an input device.. The rain in Spain

System Unit Cabinet that houses all components Motherboard CPU Memory modules System Unit CPU Once data is entered into a computer, the computer processes that data. Those components that process data are located inside the system unit. The system unit is the metal or plastic case that holds all the physical parts of the computer together. The part of the system unit that is responsible for the processing is called the CPU. Memory chips hold (or store) the instructions or data that the CPU processes. The CPU and memory are located on a special circuit board in the system unit called the motherboard Memory Module Motherboard

Output Devices Enable us to see or hear the processed information Monitor Speakers Printers In addition to input devices and the system unit, a computer includes output devices that let you see your processed information. The monitor displays information temporarily, while a printer makes the output permanent. Audio output is through speakers.

Storage Devices Enable us to store data or information to be accessed again Finally, when your data has been input, processed, and output, you may want to store the data or information so that you can access and use it again. Specialized storage devices such as hard disk drives, floppy disk drives, flash drives, and CD drives allow you to store your data and information.. Hard Disk Drive Floppy Disk CD / DVD Drive Flash Drive

Computer Software Software - programs that enable the hardware to perform different tasks Two main categories of software System software Essential for platform operation and support Application software Tools for getting things done Software is the set of computer programs that enables the hardware to perform different tasks. There are two broad categories of software: application software and system software. Application software actually performs the tasks that users desire.