c1L03 - Units of measurement and sizes
Units of measurement and sizes
In this exercise, the participants deal with memory sizes and the corresponding units of measurement. In doing so, they will develop a feeling for file and memory sizes.
Preparation
No special preparations necessary. .
Method / Process description
In this exercise, the participants should develop a feeling for file and memory sizes. For this purpose, individual elements are to be compared and converted in the following exercise. This exercise can be done in plenary or as group work.
Part1: Introduction to the units of measurement
In a short introduction, the most important units of measurement are introduced.
Optional: A short excursion into theory is also possible here (keyword: binary system, 1 bit as the smallest unit of information, 8 bits (with 256 values) as the basis of computer technology.
Important elements, however, are:
- File sizes in kilobits, megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes
- Data transmission based on kilobits, megabits and gigabits per second (kbit/s, Mbit/s, Gbit/s)
Part2: Memory sizes
In this part of the exercise, participants will get a relative understanding of the data involved.
Participants are asked to perform the following steps:
- Determine the file size of individual files on the PC (e.g. Word document, PDF document, Excel document).
- Determine the file size of a picture on a smartphone.
- Determining the memory required for individual programmes or apps on your own end device.
- Determining the remaining memory on your own end device.
- Calculate how many photos could theoretically still be stored on the end device.
Part 3: Storage media
In this step, individual storage media are evaluated in terms of their size relative to each other. The starting point is again the size of a photo on the smartphone.
Determine the storage size of individual storage media:
- Research the storage size of a floppy disk
- Researching the memory size of a commercially available USB stick and an SD card
- Researching the storage size of a commercially available external hard disk or the average hard disk size of a PC or laptop
- Calculate the available space: How many images can theoretically be stored on each storage medium?
- Optional: Which media is theoretically the most effective in terms of price and storage space?
Part4: Data transfer
In the last part of the exercise, the participants should now analyse the common transfer rates.
The question is: How long does it take to transfer an image at the different transfer rates?
- Research the maximum transmission rate in the mobile network (3G, 4G, 5G).
- Research the average transmission rate of an internet connection at home
- Research the maximum transmission rate of a WLAN
- Research the maximum transmission rate of a Bluetooth connection when transferring a file from one device to another.
Task: compare the time it takes to transfer one (or more) images using each transfer method.
Part5: Further understanding
Based on the first parts of this exercise, further questions can be discussed and calculated.
Some examples as a suggestion:
- How much data volume is generated when transmitting a Youtube video or streaming?
- How long can I theoretically stream videos with my own mobile phone tariff?
- How much data volume is incurred when recording a voice message?
Download material
-
References
- Deutsche Links:
- English language:
Short facts
| Target group | Adult and youg class |
|---|---|
| Setting | Individual or group work |
| Time | 45 min. |
| Material |
|