Teach teens computing: How computers work

Sign-ups for this course on edX are closing on the 16 February 2026 and it will be removed from edX on 31 March 2026. While we are retiring this particular course, you can continue learning about computing and computing education with us for free by visiting our new online courses platform, the Training Hub . We hope to see you on the Training Hub soon. The Raspberry Pi Foundation team --- On this course, you’ll gain an understanding of how computers work at a fundamental level. You'll explore system architecture, along with how computers use binary and logic. Once you’ve examined the von Neumann model of computer architecture and the Fetch-Execute cycle, you'll learn to build a range of simple circuits for maths, and then simulate various logic gates. Ultimately you’ll complete the course with an understanding of the processes that underpin every modern computer – from supercomputers to smartphones, and everything in between. 36:T1221

• Explain how transistors can act as digital switches and be combined to create logic gates
• Produce truth tables for AND, NOT and OR gates, individually or combined
• Explain how computers use binary arithmetic
• Describe how logic gates can be combined to produce digital circuits that can perform a calculation
• Describe Von Neuman Architecture and the Fetch-Execute cycle