The Hardware Layer

The following diagram shows some of the major components of a simple computer.

• The components—processor, memory-- and devices-- storage, monitor, keyboard, etc.—send messages to each other through the motherboard, which is essentially a path of parallel wires printed on a large circuit board.
• Components are microchips.
• Messages, data, and instructions are strings of bits.
• Memory is where running programs store their instructions and data.
• Programs are executed by the processor.
• Storage is where the programs that are not running store their instructions and data.