I've decided to create a separate thread for notes on applied ICT for AS level, where things can be a little more organized; there are roughly 3 parts: 1 for each chapter, most likely. The first chapter, hardware, will likely not come, although there will be a separate Appendix for that. Any further reading or knowledge articles or videos will be posted in the Further Reading section. This may span anywhere between 2 to 4 pages, depending on whether there are other posters in this thread prior to posting all the notes or not.
If it helps, you may want to listen to the "how it's made" theme song.
Without further ado, here's part 1:
There are 3 "rounds" (chapters) and there are 10 "parts" (sections) in this round. I'll update this later.
ROUND 1 : How do organisations use ICT for operation?
I'll update this later, probably split it into parts. Also, can anyone tell me if I need to be more concise? It takes quite a lot of time for me at this rate, but I might speed up if I explain in simpler terms.
- Gimmick
If it helps, you may want to listen to the "how it's made" theme song.
Without further ado, here's part 1:
There are 3 "rounds" (chapters) and there are 10 "parts" (sections) in this round. I'll update this later.
ROUND 1 : How do organisations use ICT for operation?
Part 1
Control Systems
There are many control systems out there. You will very well have at least 2 of them in your house right now; a control system is a system that manages an environment, or controls a specific part of an environment. An example of a control system is a refrigerator. Another example is an air conditioner. Yet another example is a central heating system.
A refrigeration unit or air conditioner works by compressing air and heat exchange. Basically, there is a central compressor, that compresses the air (see image 1 at the bottom of the post), which heats it up; this is then pumped through tubes to the outdoor unit (for air conditioners this is outside the building, for refrigerators this is the outside of the refrigerator, which is why the sides may feel warm) where the air outside comes in contact with the hot freon. The freon cools down, and then is taken to the indoor unit, which then allows it to expand.
Now, normally, if you compressed the freon (specific values for the temperatures of freon for a specific pressure are shown here, if you're interested) and expanded it again, then it would return to approximately the same temperature as it was before. However, since you compressed it, and then allowed THAT to cool, and then expanded the resulting gas, it would cool down even more. (It's more the difference in temperature rather than the actual temperatures, AFAIK) The resulting cold freon (replace "freon" with "refrigeration liquid" and it still makes sense, btw, you do not need to be specific. You gain no extra marks for saying "freon".) The resulting cool refrigeration liquid then comes into contact with air "indirectly" -- the liquid cools a panel of metal; a fan blows air over the panel, cooling the air in the process, and that air is circulated around the room. This is what allows refrigeration, air conditioning and other cooling systems to work.
Central heating systems, however, work a little differently. Rather than using a compressor to heat freon or other refrigeration liquid or whatever, it uses a boiler to heat water, which then goes into a huge cylinder, which is then pumped to radiators where the same heat-exchange process takes place. (Boilers do not boil the water.) Users can input data using a touch-screen.
But where does ICT play a role in this? It does so in the control of the temperature. Say you wanted the temperature to be a constant 20 degrees C for a comfortable room. The microprocessor accepts your input as the "preset value", and then receives the temperature data from sensors (after conversion using an ADC), and then performs a logical check: If the temperature is higher than the preset value, then it switches on the compressor for a short period of time (which is always the same); if it is lower than the preset value, it does nothing until it goes higher than it. The same goes for the heater, but in reverse: If it's lower than the preset temperature, it switches on the boiler and pump, and if it's higher, then it does nothing. Also, the microprocessor decides when the system is on, apart from the user: if the user wants the heating system on, say, 30 minutes before they come back from work, and the time they come back from work is a fixed time, then the time to switch on can be set; at that time, the microprocessor will start the system. If the system is off, the sensors still transmit data, but the microprocessor ignores it.
Car manufacture
This section basically deals with robots, more than it does with cars. Robots have different end effectors (for example, your fingers are end-effectors; these are comparable to gripper EEs on robots) which can perform different tasks, but each EE requires a different programming. (You can't replace a gripper EE with a screwdriver EE and expect it to hold anything.)
To program a robot, a programmer can do either of 2 things: The programmer can guide the robot arm through each step, by physically holding the arm, with sensors attached to the programmer's arm, or by using a remote control. However, the former method is usually used to refine the method.
Intensive care
Patients in intensive care are monitored through sensors, that is, their vital signs are monitored through sensors. This is almost like the cooling system described earlier, although in this case if the vital signs drop below the preset values, then an alarm is sounded. It's not really "control", per se.
Robotic surgery
Images for Part 1 (unfinished):I'll update this later, probably split it into parts. Also, can anyone tell me if I need to be more concise? It takes quite a lot of time for me at this rate, but I might speed up if I explain in simpler terms.
- Gimmick
