How Computers Really Work; A Hands-On Guide to the Inner Workings of the Machine

A friendly, hands-on introduction to how computers really work—from the basics of circuits to the complexities of high-level programming and internet communication.

How Computers Really Work offers a practical, approachable journey through the entire computing ecosystem. You’ll explore everything from electrical circuits, memory, and machine code to programming languages, operating systems, and the internet—not just in theory, but through hands-on experience.

This guide doesn’t stop at explaining concepts. With 41 optional projects, you’ll actively apply what you learn: build digital circuits, develop simple games, convert numbers between formats, analyze memory usage, run a web server, and much more.

You’ll dive into key ideas such as:

• Thinking like a software engineer by modeling real-world concepts with data

• Applying Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s laws to understand electrical circuits

• Stepping through binary operations and simulating how a computer executes code

Projects help bring these lessons to life, including:

• Using a multimeter to measure resistance, current, and voltage

• Constructing a half adder to understand logic gates in action

• Writing assembly code and examining its machine-level translation

• Debugging and disassembling programs to modify their behavior without touching the source

• Scanning network ports and setting up your own web server to explore how the internet works

Packed with clear illustrations and detailed diagrams, this book breaks down technical topics into digestible, visual explanations.

What you’ll need: Hardware for the electronics projects (breadboard, power supply, circuit components) and a Raspberry Pi for the software-based ones. A full list is provided in Appendix B. Even if you skip the projects, the core concepts are thoroughly explained in the main chapters—making this book a valuable resource for curious beginners and self-taught tech enthusiasts alike.