Fetch Me My Order, Please

In chapter two of our Computer Science book we learned about computer architecture, machine language, program execution, and communicating with other devices. While learning this chapter, I couldn't help but realize how many different ways all these topics apply to my life.

I work in Phelps dining hall, which in many ways parallels a computer system. The architecture of Phelps dining hall is set up in different stations. Each station performs a different task for its user. The biggest way Phelps parallels a computer system is with program execution, or the fetch/execute cycle. At Phelps, a person places their order, I fetch their order, and then I give them their order. This goes on for the entire dinner shift, until every person who wanted food went through the cycle. Sometimes, when the dinner rush comes in we have to work through pipelining or multiple pipelining. One person may fetch the order and tell another person. That person places part of the order on a plate and then passes it to another person to complete the order. The last way Phelps dining hall parallels a computer is by communicating with other devices. In Phelps, one station must communicate with another station if they are out of an ingredient they need. For example, if the panini station is out of lettuce they may communicate with the salad bar station to bring them more lettuce. By reading this chapter, it only made me realize how much computer science really does apply to everyday life.