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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 01 / Crew Quest
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Week 01 · A computer is a system

Crew Quest

Crew Quest: The Great Computer Hunt
// Hardware, software and the path from input to output
⏱ about 15 min

Crew Quest: The Great Computer Hunt

It is quiet in the Fix-It Bay. No neighbors, no cases. Rocket taps his pencil. "Can we do a quest at home?" he asks.

Raven unrolls a paper map of the station. "What do you notice? Every room has a machine in it." She marks each one with a small star.

Nova flashes her lights. "A technician knows every system in the building," she says. "Would you like a quest? Find the hidden computers, and name their input and output."

  1. A computer is a system of parts that work together.
  2. Hardware is the parts you can touch. Software is the instructions.
  3. Information goes in as input, gets processed, and comes out as output.
  4. Storage keeps files for later, even with the power off.
  5. Computers hide inside many everyday things.
◇ THE GREAT COMPUTER HUNT
You need paper, a pencil and a partner.
Walk through your home together, one room at a time.
In each room, look for things with buttons, small screens, blinking lights or beeps.
Write each one down. Next to it, write its input and its output.
Mark the ones that are clearly computers with a C.
Mark the ones with a hidden computer inside with an H.
Count your total. Then talk about which one surprised you.
Safety first
This is a looking quest. Do not press buttons on ovens, heaters or washing machines.
Do not unplug anything or touch any charger.
A grown-up handles anything hot, sharp or plugged into the wall.
For a grown-up
Help your child name input and output for each device.
Ask what the device would be like with no software at all.
If they find a device with a saved setting, point out that it uses storage.
HUNT CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
You find a clock radio with buttons and a glowing time. Does it have a computer inside?
What is the output of a doorbell camera?
A tablet remembers a drawing from last week. Which part kept it?
StatementTrue or false?
A car can have computers inside it.?
Software is a part you can hold in your hand.?
Pressing a button on a microwave is input.?
A technician opens a device to see what is wrong.?
WHY THIS EXERCISETechnicians in training find clues from the outside. Opening a device is a grown-up job.
Draw a machine in your home as a system. Label the input, the output and where the processor hides.

Quest complete, Crew Technician! You can see the hidden computers that most people walk right past. Next week the crew digs into input and output devices.

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