Understanding a Scientist's Tools Outside the Lab (Part 1)
Abstract
While most of us working in a lab are, to a certain extent, familiar with the inner workings of our instruments, a large number of scientists do not understand the inner workings of a computer. We are not computer scientists however. The computer is not the artifact of our study, but rather just another tool. A basic understanding of it's inner working will, thus, likely benefit us in our work. It enables one to write more efficient code when they understand the functioning of the hardware. This talk introduces basic concepts of a computer - the memory and it's structure, and CPU architecture. These are the basics that enable one to study further and understand how to optimize (sometimes by orders of magnitude!) their code and use the tool more effectively.
Skill Level
Beginner
Prerequisites
Would be nice if you have coded before, but not much coding is needed to understand this talk.
Duration
30 to 45 minutes
Resources
- Slides - https://slides.com/cocoa1231/understanding-a-scientist-s-tools-outside-the-lab
- Reference for further reading - https://viralinstruction.com/posts/hardware/