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Science sequence · step 6 of 8

Computer Hardware Visual Lab

Photo of Susanto GangulyCreated by Susanto Ganguly

From Boole's logic (1854) to 2 nm chips: switch logic gates on and off, add binary numbers, store bits in flip-flops, open IC chips in 3D and take a computer apart.

  1. Step 1Logic gatesAND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR and XNOR — live circuits, truth tables, switch circuits and everyday uses.
  2. Step 2IC chips 3D7400-series chips on a breadboard in 3D. X-ray inside to the silicon die; live pinout diagrams for every gate chip.
  3. Step 3Half & full addersHow a computer adds: half adder, full adder and a 4-bit adder with the carry rippling across.
  4. Step 4Encoder · Decoder · MUXDecoders, encoders, multiplexers and demultiplexers — gate by gate, with where they are used.
  5. Step 5Flip-flops & countersSR latch, D, JK and T flip-flops with a clock and live timing diagram — then a 4-bit counter.
  6. Step 6Inside a computer 3DCPU, cooler, RAM, GPU, SSD, chipset, BIOS and power supply in 3D, with data flowing between them.
  7. Step 7Research timelineFrom Leibniz's binary and Boole's logic to the transistor, the microchip and gate-all-around transistors.
  8. Step 8Frontiers 2026Beyond 2 nm, chiplets, AI accelerators, brain-like and photonic chips, quantum hardware.