This course from the National Center for Computing Education and Raspberry Pi Foundation explains the history and science behind how computers work.

When we think of computers, we often still imagine a screen and a keyboard.

But whether we realize it or not, computers are used almost everywhere in our lives, such as in cell phones, microwaves, and even traffic lights. So what really is a computer, and how does it work?

Marc Scott is Content and Curriculum Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a U.K.-based charity that works to increase access to computers around the world.

In this course offered through FutureLearn with the National Center for Computing Education, Scott brings together history, mathematics, and engineering to explain the principles behind how computers function.