Mom said we're getting the new computer - YAY!!!
...but I really don't know what a computer is.
I can help you there Topher!
Oh! Hi Ulka!
This is my friend Ulka! Ulka, you work with computers right?
Can you tell us how computers work?
What is a computer anyway?
Well, there are all kinds of computers.
Some of them are very large...
and some are very small.
You're probably talking about a personal computer - the
kind you have at home.
This could be a desktop computer, or a laptop, or a tablet.
Even your smartphone is a computer.
Oh! Well, why do we need all these computers?
Computers ... compute! Do you know what that means?
Like adding and subtracting?
Right! Computers see the world as if it's made of numbers.
Actually, just two kinds of numbers:
ones and zeroes. By making everything very simple, adding and
subtracting ones and zeroes, computers solve problems way faster than people can!
Oh! Well, my mom says she uses a computer to do work...
but she says I'll be able to play games with it, too!
It's true!
You can use a computer to do work, but you can also use a computer to have fun!
Wow, really?!
You can use it to do your math homework, or draw a picture, or go on the Internet.
We send emails using computers. I'm talking to you right now on a computer,
using video chat!
Gosh! Computers must be very very smart!
They're only as smart as their software -
that's the instructions that tell the computer what to do.
Which part is the software? Can you point to it?
No. I can't point to the software.
All the parts you see - that's the hardware.
Hardware AND software?
Hahahahahhahahaa!
That's a good joke!
You're funny, Ulka!
I'm actually being completely serious.
Computers work by combining hardware and software.
Hardware is anything physical - anything you can see and touch.
Like the monitor, the keyboard, and all the parts inside the computer-
all those wires and circuits - that's where the real work gets done.
On this circuit board, you'll find a
computer's CPU, the Central Processing Unit.
That's like the computer's brain.
Oh! so what do you mean by software?
Software is the set of instructions that tell the computer what to do.
That's where we come in.
We do?!!
Yes your computer doesn't have
any idea what it's doing. In fact, it won't do anything at all ever -
unless you tell it to.
WOW! That's a lot of power!
YES. You need to be very careful about what kinds of instructions
you give your computer, or it won't work properly.
Oh! Well...how hard can it be?
Would you like to try to write
very careful, step-by-step instructions, like how a computer needs them?
Sure sure sure sure, I got it!
Then let's make a peanut butter sandwich!
Oh I know how to do that!
I make myself peanut butter sandwiches as a snack sometimes after school.
Good! Then this should be very easy for you, right? Right!
Pretend your computer has hands.
How would you tell it to make a peanut butter sandwich?
Well, you take some bread and some peanut butter, and you put the
peanut butter on the bread.
Like this?
No! That's silly!
Well, the computer doesn't know that. You have to tell it everything, step by step.
Try again.
Okay, okay. You take some bread.
Wait.
You OPEN the bread, and take two slices out.
Now. you take your peanut butter and
put it on the bread.
Like this?
Oh my gosh! No! Let's start again.
You open the bread. Take out two slices,
put them on a plate.
Now open the jar of peanut butter,
stick a knife in, and
use it to put the peanut butter on the bread.
Stick the two pieces of bread together.
Hmm. Looks like a pretty crunchy sandwich, there.
Oh my GOSH!!!!!
One more time!
Open the bread.
Take out two slices.
Put them on a plate.
Open the jar of peanut butter.
Stick in a knife...
Use the knife to spread peanut butter on the bread slices.
Put away the knife!
Close the two pieces of bread together.
Okay. That looks like a pretty good sandwich!
Now do you see what I mean
about having to be very careful with your instructions?
Yes!
That's what software is - the step by step instructions you give your computer.
One set of instructions is called a PROGRAM.
You just wrote a peanut butter sandwich program!
I think I could get the hang of this!
One more thing, Topher. We've been speaking English to your computer,
but computers actually speak different languages.
Like French?
Non, mon petit chou!
Computers speak computer languages.
For example: Python, Java, C...
those are all names of computer languages.
Computer programmers like me
learn these languages so we can talk to computers.
Here's an example of some computer code in Python.
Oh! I know some of those words...
Can anyone become a computer programmer?
Sure Topher! Everyone can learn how to code.
It's just like solving a puzzle.
I love puzzles!
Me too!
Hey kids! Would you would like to become a programmer?
If you have a computer you can play around and learn what happens
when you give it different instructions.
Tell us in the comments about how you use computers.
I bet you're using one right now!
Oh wow that was fun we
learned about computers, that was great!
Oh look, wow there's some more puppet
science videos here!
Hey kids wanna see some more puppet science?
Well there's some more videos for you to pick!
Like that one Oh
or this one, ooh! Come on pick!