Introduction to Digital Computers - 1

One way of viewing a computer is to imagine a gigantic railway 'switching yard' with hundreds of tracks and switches. The final destination of a train entering the yard is determined by the setting of each switch along the way.

In the case of the train, the state of each switch along the way changes the train's pathway through the yard. The situation with a computer is far more complex due to the number of 'switches' involved, but in essence it is very similar. The final destination in the computer may result in a spot on the screen, or a memory cell being changed, or one of a million other actions that occur each second. The key point is that both systems operate on switches. The modern computer is the result of millions and millions of hours of planning and design. Very few people have the mental capacity to grasp what is happening inside a computer. You should not give up just because it may appear complex. All you need to know is that a computer operates by the rapid action of millions of switches. Leave it to the experts to worry about the details.

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