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Inside the Machine G3 to G5 / Week 05 / Monday
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Week 05 · How the parts connect

Monday

The motherboard
// Boards, ports, cables and radio
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: The motherboard

Rocket pins a big poster on the Fix-It Bay wall. It shows the inside of a computer. "How do all these parts talk?" he asks.

Raven traces a thin silver line with her finger. "What do you notice about these lines? They go from part to part."

Nova projects a glowing copy of the poster. "Would you like a hint? Every part sits on one big board. The board is the town, and the lines are the roads."

A picture of a motherboard hangs on the wall. Rocket lines up a cable with a port on a laptop.

One board for everything

Inside every computer is a large flat board. It is called the motherboard.

The processor sits on it. The memory chips plug into slots on it. Storage connects to it with a cable or a slot.

Thin metal lines run across the board. They carry signals from part to part. The lines are called traces.

A trace is a tiny road for electricity. Signals travel along it as on and off pulses.

PartWhere it sitsJob
ProcessorIn a socket on the boardFollows instructions
MemoryIn slots on the boardHolds work in progress
StoragePlugged in by cable or slotKeeps files
PortsAlong the edge of the boardLet cables in and out
Look, never open
This week we look at pictures and drawings only.
Nobody opens a case. Only a trained grown-up ever does that.
The parts inside are easy to harm, and some hold electricity even when off.
TOWN AND ROADS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What is the big board that every part plugs into?
What are the thin metal lines on the board called?
Who may open a computer case?

Why one board?

Putting every part on one board keeps the roads short. Short roads mean fast signals.

It also means parts can be swapped. A grown-up can pull out one memory stick and push in a bigger one.

Small devices like phones have a motherboard too. It is tiny, and the parts are soldered on so they cannot move.

StatementTrue or false?
The processor sits on the motherboard.?
Traces are tiny roads that carry signals.?
A phone has no motherboard.?
A kid may open a case to look at the board.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEEvery computer, big or small, has a board that connects the parts. Looking at pictures is how we learn it safely.
What is the name of the big board inside a computer?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe motherboard is the base that every other part plugs into. Nothing can talk without it.
FOLLOW A SIGNAL FROM THE KEYBOARD TO THE SCREEN
  • ?The letter appears on the screen
  • ?The processor reads it
  • ?It travels along traces on the motherboard
  • ?The signal enters a port
  • ?You press a key
WHY THIS EXERCISEEvery input takes this trip. The motherboard is the middle of every journey.
Try it
Lay a big sheet of paper on the floor. That is the motherboard.
Put a small box on it for the processor and two pencils for memory slots.
Use string for traces. Join the processor to each pencil and to the edge.
The big board that connects all the parts is the
The thin metal lines on the board are called
Memory chips plug into
The part that sits in a socket and follows instructions is the

Great start, Crew Technician! You met the board that holds everything together. Tomorrow you will look at the openings on the outside: the ports.