Explore how computer systems store, manipulate, and convert various data types like text, images, and videos through integrated software and hardware. Gain insights into accessible data representation.

Computer systems do not understand human instructions, nor can they perceive real-life data in its raw form. Therefore, computer systems require a way to store and represent information in an accessible way. They use software and hardware components combined to help retrieve information, store it, manipulate it, and convert it back to a human-accessible format. If you want to learn how computer systems perform complex tasks such as storing and manipulating textual data, videos, music, images of your cat, and much more, this course is meant for you.

Information Representation in Computer Systems

A **pixel** is the most basic unit in digital graphics. It is represented as a dot or a square on a monitor display screen that can represent only one solid color. A one-bit pixel, as shown in the figure, can take only two values, 0 or 1.

That is how we can assign different numbers to each color in our palette and thus, represent the dot using a number. Naturally, we’d require more bits to do that. 

The basic unit that we started with was the dot. So, if we encode a sequence of rows and columns of dots, each with its color value, we have a computer image. This implies that a **raster image** is simply a two-dimensional grid made up of tiny pixels, as shown in the image.

Learn how colors are represented in a computer system.

Computer basics

Hardware and Software Components of a Computer

Data Representation in Python

Image, Audio, and Video Representation in Python

Data Compression

Color Representation

What is a pixel?

A raster image