---
marp: true
theme: default
html: true
---

# What the specs mean

Inside a computer · Specs and speed

<!-- Speaker note: Students open what each row of a spec sheet measures (processor, RAM, storage, network, graphics), compare a phone, a laptop and a server, and set a spec sheet to match an advert (AC9TDI8K01 node 1). About 35 minutes (Predict and Try 6 min · Worked example 9 min · Vary 8 min · Practise and Make 12 min). Sources: Digital Technologies Hub: Digital systems (hardware specifications; Years 7–8 sample unit Hardware, networks and cyber threats), https://www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/teach-and-assess/classroom-resources/topics/digital-systems/ (checked 12 October 2026). -->

---

## Today

**We are learning to** a spec sheet lists a computer's parts and how much of each it has: processor cores and speed, RAM, storage size and type, network bandwidth and graphics. Each one measures something different, on a phone, a laptop or a server.

- I can name the main specs on a spec sheet.
- I can say what each spec measures, in plain words.
- I can explain why a phone, a laptop and a server have different specs.

<!-- Speaker note: Before class: Try the boards yourself. The one idea: each spec measures a different thing. Lesson 2 needs this exact vocabulary to find a bottleneck, so a student who still mixes up RAM and storage at the exit ticket needs a second go before lesson 2 (this is a hinge). Hands-on: bring an old desktop or laptop to open, or show a teardown photo, and point at each part. Students can find their own device's specs under Settings › About (phones show storage clearly; RAM is often hidden). The kitchen comparison (chefs, bench, pantry, delivery van, helpers) is on the board; use it consistently. Numbers on the board are simplified and round; real prices change. Teacher: Try: ask which rows are about "how much" and which about "how fast". Teacher: Worked example: model reading each line aloud: part, number, what it measures. Teacher: Vary: ask why a server needs so much RAM if nobody sits at it. -->

---

## Why it matters

> Your phone has "256 GB" and "8 GB" on its box. Which one decides how many apps stay open?

<!-- Speaker note: Every computer, from a phone to a server, has the same main parts. A **spec sheet** (specifications) says how much of each one it has. Each spec measures something different. -->

---

<span style="background:#dbeafe; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #3b82f6; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">💬 Discussion</span>

## Predict

**A laptop slows down when you have 40 browser tabs open. Which spec is most about how much it can work on at the same time?**

- Processor speed (GHz)
- Network (Mb/s)
- RAM (GB)
- Storage size (GB)

<!-- Speaker note: What happens: RAM: it holds everything the computer is working on right now. Storage is what it keeps; the processor is how fast it works. Take two or three predictions before anyone runs it. -->

<!-- Speaker note: Teacher: students who chose storage hold Sam's misconception. -->

---

<span style="background:#fef3c7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #f59e0b; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✍️ Activity</span>

## Try it

{{embed: https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/_playground-board/index.html?id=deck%2Fsystems%2Fhardware%2Fspecs%2Fstep-2&code=widget%3A+hardware%0Adevices%3A+phone%2C+laptop%2C+server%0Adevice%3A+laptop%0Apick%3A+none%0Ajobs%3A+none%0Aexplain%3A+on%0A&fresh=1}}

[Open this step in the tutorial](https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/systems/hardware/specs/?full=step-2#step-2)

<!-- Speaker note: Was your prediction right? Try the phone and the server too. -->

<style scoped>pre, marp-pre { font-size: 0.5em; line-height: 1.25; } section { font-size: 25px; }</style>

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## What happened?

* RAM: it holds everything the computer is working on right now. Storage is what it keeps; the processor is how fast it works.

<!-- Speaker note: Reveal after running. Ask who predicted it, and what made them think so. -->

---

<span style="background:#dbeafe; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #3b82f6; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">💬 Discussion</span>

## One line at a time

Now name the spec on a phone box.

$$\text{8-core 3.0 GHz processor}$$

1) $\text{16 GB RAM}$ — The working space: running apps and open files. It empties when the power goes off.
2) $\text{512 GB SSD}$ — Storage: keeps 512 GB with the power off. SSD is the fast type; HDD is slower.
3) $\text{Wi-Fi, 300 Mb/s}$ — Network bandwidth: 300 million bits can arrive each second.
4) $\text{built-in graphics}$ — No separate graphics card: the processor's own graphics.

<!-- Speaker note: Model this live on the board before revealing anything: write each line and say why, pausing to ask the class what comes next. Then click to reveal the lines and compare. Script. Start: write 8-core 3.0 GHz processor and say "8 cores work on 8 things at once; each takes 3 billion steps a second." Line 1: write 16 GB RAM and say "The working space: running apps and open files. It empties when the power goes off." Line 2: write 512 GB SSD and say "Storage: keeps 512 GB with the power off. SSD is the fast type; HDD is slower." Line 3: write Wi-Fi, 300 Mb/s and say "Network bandwidth: 300 million bits can arrive each second." Line 4: write built-in graphics and say "No separate graphics card: the processor's own graphics." -->

<style scoped>pre, marp-pre { font-size: 0.5em; line-height: 1.25; } section { font-size: 23px; }</style>

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## One line at a time

**A phone box says **256 GB**. Which spec is that, most likely?**

- Storage: how much it can keep
- Network speed
- RAM: how much it can work on at once
- Processor speed

* Answer: Storage: how much it can keep

<!-- Speaker note: Storage. Phone RAM is much smaller, usually 4 to 16 GB. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Find the mistake

**Sam reads a phone's spec sheet. Click the line where it first goes wrong.**

```
 1  The phone's spec sheet says 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.
 2  RAM and storage are both memory, so the phone has 264 GB of memory.
 3  So it can have 264 GB of apps running at once.
 4  That is why it never slows down.
```

* Answer: line 2

<!-- Speaker note: Line 2: RAM and storage are different parts that measure different things. 8 GB of RAM is the working space; 256 GB of storage is what it keeps. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Units

**Which unit measures how fast data arrives over a network?**

- GHz (gigahertz)
- GB (gigabytes)
- Cores
- Mb/s (megabits a second)

* Answer: Mb/s (megabits a second)

<!-- Speaker note: Bandwidth is measured in bits a second: Mb/s or Gb/s. -->

---

<span style="background:#fef3c7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #f59e0b; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✍️ Activity</span>

## Vary: phone, laptop, server



- **The phone:** 
- **The laptop:** 
- **The server:** 
- **Graphics:** 

[Open this step](https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/systems/hardware/specs/?full=step-4#step-4)

<!-- Speaker note: What this step is for: Each task changes one thing, the device, so students see the same specs matter differently: a phone, a laptop, then a server that many people use at once. For students who need more support: A card with five rows: part, unit, what it measures, kitchen picture. For early finishers: Look up the specs of a games console and a Chromebook. Which spec is very different, and why does that suit what each is for? The hard part, on purpose: Everyday language calls both RAM and storage "memory". Hold the line: working space (RAM) versus what it keeps (storage), every time it comes up. When students get stuck: A student adds RAM and storage together (Sam's mistake). Ask: Which one empties when you switch off? Fix: RAM; they are different parts for different jobs. / A student reads GB as speed. Ask: Is a bigger pantry a faster chef? Fix: GB is an amount; GHz and Mb/s are speeds. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Sort

**Which part does each spec describe?**

Groups: Processor · RAM · Storage · Network

3.2 GHz · 6 cores · 16 GB, empties when switched off · 1 TB SSD · 2 TB hard disk (HDD) · Wi-Fi 6, up to 600 Mb/s

* Answer: 3.2 GHz → Processor; 6 cores → Processor; 16 GB, empties when switched off → RAM; 1 TB SSD → Storage; 2 TB hard disk (HDD) → Storage; Wi-Fi 6, up to 600 Mb/s → Network

<!-- Speaker note: GHz and cores: processor. Working space: RAM. SSD and HDD: storage. Mb/s: network. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Storage full

**Your phone says "Storage full". Which part has run out?**

- Storage
- RAM
- Network
- Processor

* Answer: Storage

<!-- Speaker note: Storage holds your photos and apps. Deleting things frees it. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Review: bits

**Review: how many different patterns can 8 bits make?**

- 8
- 16
- 255
- 256

* Answer: 256

<!-- Speaker note: 2⁸ = 256 patterns, 0 to 255. -->

---

<span style="background:#fef3c7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #f59e0b; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✍️ Activity</span>

## Make: build it from an advert

Then: find the spec sheet of your own phone or laptop (Settings › About). Which numbers are RAM and which are storage?

[Open this step](https://studio.learningwaypoints.com/tutorials/systems/hardware/specs/?full=step-6#step-6)

<!-- Speaker note: What this step is for: Setting the board to match an advert reverses the process: from the words on a spec sheet to the parts they describe. Hints, in order: Start with the processor row: cores, then speed. / 1 TB is 1024 GB. / 1 Gb/s is 1000 Mb/s. -->

<!-- Speaker note: Teacher: ask which line of the advert was hardest to place, and why. -->

---

<span style="background:#dcfce7; color:#1a1a1a; border:1.5px solid #22c55e; padding:6px 18px; border-radius:8px; font-size:1em; font-weight:500;">✅ Check</span>

## Exit ticket

**Name three specs and say what each one measures.**

* For example: RAM, how much it can work on at once; storage, how much it keeps with the power off; processor GHz, how fast each core works; network Mb/s, how fast data arrives.

<!-- Speaker note: Students answer on paper or a mini whiteboard before the reveal. Anyone who cannot answer needs the main idea again next lesson. Where this leads: Next: Find the bottleneck (which spec slows a job down). Links: Data representation (bits and bytes: a GB is about a billion bytes; Mb/s is millions of bits); Networks (bandwidth). -->