Computer fundamentals & everyday technology

go when you save it "to the cloud"?

Computer Fundamentals & Everyday Technology turns those familiar experiences into questions worth exploring.

This quiz starts with the technology people interact with every day and gradually uncovers the computer concepts working underneath it. You'll encounter processors, RAM, storage, operating systems, apps, files, browsers, websites, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, smartphones, cloud services, computer networks, and digital data—but through practical situations rather than textbook definitions alone.

For example, instead of only asking "What is RAM?", a question might ask why a computer can become sluggish when many applications are open at once.

Instead of simply asking what Bluetooth means, you might need to understand why your wireless headphones can communicate with your phone over a short distance.

Some questions will be easy. Others may make you realize that something you've used for years works very differently from what you imagined.

The goal isn't to turn everyone into a computer engineer. It's to make the technology you already use less mysterious.

By the end, you should have a clearer picture of what happens when you click, type, connect, save, upload, download, stream, install, restart, or simply turn on a digital device.

You'll explore

Inside the computer: CPU, RAM, SSDs, hard drives, motherboards, ports, input and output devices.

On the screen: operating systems, applications, files, folders, extensions and software.

Getting connected: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, routers, networks, internet connections and basic IP concepts.

Using the web: browsers, websites, URLs, downloads, uploads, servers and search engines.

Everyday devices: smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, wearables, USB devices and other connected technology.

Your digital information: storage, backups, cloud services, data sizes and basic digital-data concepts.