All computers have microprocessors, like the popular pentium 4 in your machine.

This microprocessor
is an electronic MACHINE(some prefer calling it device).

Electronic machines differ from electrical machines like your iron or toaster.

Electric machines work when you switch them on, convert the electricity into your need. Iron heats up
when you switch it on.

Electronic machine are better off. I prefer calling them more intelligent. Though you need to switch

them on, they have something on their mind about what to do when you turn them on. This mind in the
electronic equipment is microprocessor.

Microprocessor, like mu-Pee, has language and mind of its own.

You need to communicate first. Microprocessors have relatively bigger language.

You need to send 'ELECTRIC IMPULSE' to microprocessor as alphabets of its language.

Lighthouse was built to guide the lost ships

The basic concept for microprocessors has been used for centuries to guide the ships. Lighthouse. To
warn the ships of high tides, lighthouses used to burn lamps with special colours, and the action of
ships was to stop or change their course.
We have 'ELECTRIC IMPULSE' to warn or guide the microprocessor. The basic concept about
microprocessors is, microprocessors take an action when you send a series of electric signals or
impulse to it.
Let us look at it this way. Suppose you have a box, with five bulbs fixed over it. How many combinations
do you think are possible of lightening the bulbs? Letus count

1. Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is off, Bulb 5 is off.
2. Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is off, Bulb 5 is on.
3. Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is on, Bulb 5 is off.
4. Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is on, Bulb 5 is on.
5. Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is on, Bulb 4 is off, Bulb 5 is off.

32 such combinations.

The X-Files
A secret mission used our 5-bulb box to communicate messages. They had 32 different messages, so
what they did was place the box with each of their agents and controlled the bulbs with remote
switches.

Microprocessor works with exactly the same idea. It has 32 such bulbs (actually there are 32 lines of
communication which are triggered simultaneously).
Now if you give some IMPULSE like Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is off, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is on, Bulb 5 is off,
Bulb 6 is off, Bulb 7 is off, Bulb 8 is on, ... , Bulb 32 is off
the microprocessor would COMMAND YOUR SPEAKER TO BEEP. Getting the idea? Right.
 That means for everything your computer does, microprocessor directs it to do, and you instruct
microprocessor with a command in IMPULSES. We need to represent these impulses, somehow. No one
would like telling it in the form
'Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is on, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is off' ?
We need something thats simple and short. Here we strike upon the concept of Binary Notations.
Simply, first we decide how many bulbs are on your box. Then we say Zero for off and One for on. So
0100 means
'There are 4 bulbs, Bulb 1 is off, Bulb 2 is on, Bulb 3 is off, Bulb 4 is off'.

This is how ones and zeroes become the real heroes, they are the representation of the impulses
needed to be given simultaneously to the microprocessor so that it does the right job. :) So if you want
your speaker to beep, send the impulse like 00010001 Simple.
Your own language
How do you think, are you going to send those impulses? Hammer the mu-Pee after three seconds and
then again after three seconds would make it beep? No. Neither would sparking it that way helps.
You need to write down the instructions. Place those instructions in computer's memory and ask mu-
Pee to think hard, I mean instruct it to read from the memory. Believe me, you don't need to bother
about telling mu-Pee how to read from memory. Say its already built into her system.

But then its hard for you as a human, to instruct the microprocessor in impulses. You need certain
abstraction. You need the machine to understand your language. For that you provide a cover, your
Compiler. With all the other jobs it do, it reducesyour task of instructing the mu-Pee with 0's and 1's.
With Mr. Compiler on your system, its possible for you to say
#defineBELL"\7"
printf(BELL);
And your computer would beep. (Do I see bells ringing in love?)

You need to talk to Compiler in his terms. You need to learn the language he loves to use. Its the
language very similar to English, and yet so powerful that it can make your stupid mu-Pee fall in love
with you. But its only when you agree to learn the language on which Mr. Compiler insists.

Learning the language your compiler knows well, C, isn't an easy task. Still you have to do it for loves'
sake. Believe me its not as tough as you think, Mr. Compiler understands your words, but you need to
say them in proper order. Thats all. You need to learn the order words required to be spoken.