• Laying the Groundwork

  • 1 The Big Picture

• The Information Layer

  • 2 Binary Values and Number Systems

  • 3 Data Representation

• The Hardware Layer

  • 4 Gates and Circuits

  • 5 Computing Components

• The Programming Layer

  • 6 Low-Level Programming Languages and Pseudocode

  • 7 Problem Solving and Algorithms

  • 8 Abstract Data Types and Subprograms

  • 9 Object-Oriented Design and High-Level Programming Languages

• The Operating Systems Layer

  • 10 Operating Systems

  • 11 File Systems and Directories

• The Applications Layer

  • 12 Information Systems

  • 13 Artificial Intelligence

  • 14 Simulation, Graphics, Gaming, and Other Applications

• The Communications Layer

  • 15 Networks

  • 16 The World Wide Web

  • 17 Computer Security

• In Conclusion

  • 18 Limitations of Computing

When you go on a trip, you might make use of a road map—either the old-fashioned, fold-out kind or an electronic version presented by a navigation system. Whatever form it takes, the map is not the land over which you travel, but rather a representation of that land. The map has captured some of the information needed to accomplish the goal of getting from one place to another.

Likewise, the data we need to store and manage on a computer must be represented in a way that captures the essence of the information we care about, and it must do so in a form convenient for computer processing. Building on the fundamental concepts of the binary number system established in Chapter 2, this chapter explores how we represent and store the various kinds of data a computer manages.