Computer ScienceFinding the Computers Hiding All Around Us
Byte the robot guide stands in a cozy kitchen, pointing with delight at a microwave, a washing machine, and a talking toy robot on the counter, while tiny glowing circuit lines pulse inside each object to show a hidden computer at work.
- Identify at least three everyday objects that contain a hidden computer inside.
- Explain that computers are not only laptops and tablets but also live inside many machines.
- Compare objects that have a computer inside to objects that do not.
- Predict whether a new object might have a computer by asking what job it does on its own.
Key terms
- computer
- a machine that reads instructions and does jobs for us
- embedded computer
- a tiny hidden computer built inside another machine like a microwave
- device
- a tool or machine made to do a certain job
- instructions
- the steps that tell a computer exactly what to do
Computers Come in Many Shapes
When people say the word computer, they often picture a laptop with a keyboard and a screen. But computers come in many shapes and sizes. Some are big enough to fill a room, and some are smaller than your fingernail. A computer does not need a screen or a keyboard to be a real computer. What makes it a computer is that it reads instructions and does a job, even when it is hiding inside something else.
Hidden Helpers at Home
Many machines around your home have a small computer tucked inside, called an embedded computer. Your microwave uses one to count down the timer. A dishwasher uses one to pick a washing cycle. A digital alarm clock uses one to know when to ring. These hidden helpers do the thinking so the machine can do its job by itself. The next time you press a button and a machine reacts, you have probably just talked to a tiny computer.
A Smart Question to Ask
How can you guess if something has a computer inside? Ask yourself one smart question: can this object follow steps or make a choice all on its own? A wooden spoon cannot. A plain rock cannot. But a traffic light changes its signal by itself, and a talking toy decides what to say. If an object acts on its own without a person controlling every move, a computer is most likely doing the work inside it.
Worked examples
Decide if a digital alarm clock has a computer inside.
- Ask the smart question: can it follow steps or make a choice by itself?
- Notice that the clock keeps time and rings at the exact moment you set, with no one watching it.
- Acting on its own like that needs something to do the thinking.
Answer: Yes, a digital alarm clock has a tiny computer inside that tracks the time and decides when to ring.
Decide if a wooden spoon has a computer inside.
- Ask the smart question: can it follow steps or make a choice by itself?
- Notice that a spoon only moves when a person holds it and stirs.
- It never does anything on its own and never makes a choice.
Answer: No, a wooden spoon has no computer because it cannot do any job by itself.
Activity
Sort each object into the right box: does it have a computer inside or not?
Practice
Walk through one room of your home and name two machines that probably have a hidden computer inside.
Tell a family member why a microwave has a computer but a plain rock does not.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Only laptops and tablets are computers.Computers also hide inside many machines like microwaves, traffic lights, and toys, even without a screen.
- A computer must have a keyboard and a screen.A computer just needs to read instructions and do a job; many computers have no keyboard or screen at all.
Check your understanding
Which of these objects most likely has a computer inside to help it do its job?
Byte says computers can hide inside everyday machines. Which sentence is TRUE?
A traffic light changes its signal all by itself. What does this tell us?
Recap
Computers are not only laptops and tablets. Tiny embedded computers hide inside microwaves, washing machines, traffic lights, and toys. If a machine can follow steps or make a choice all on its own, a computer is most likely doing the work inside it.
Reflect
Which hidden computer in your home surprised you the most, and why?