A brief discussion of why it is important for students to be familiar with computers and their functions and a list of some practical applications introduce this two-part paper. Focusing on how the computer works, the first part explains the various components of the computer, different kinds of memory storage devices, disk operating systems, and the peripheral devices used to communicate with other computers or the outside world. The second part provides a brief overview of programming languages and programming procedures, which includes a review of advantages and disadvantages of the BASIC language and general guidelines for writing computer programs. Examples are given in BASIC, including programs for performing a bubble sort and a binary tree sort. Flow charts are provided for the two types of sort programs as well as explanations of some of the BASIC codes. (DJR)