Computer
A device that computes, especially a
programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or
logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise
processes information.
A computer is a general purpose device that can
be programmed to carry out a set of
arithmetic or logical operations. Since a sequence of operations can be readily
changed, the computer can solve more than one kind of problem.
Conventionally,
a computer consists of at least one processing element, typically a central
processing unit (CPU)
and some form of memory.
The processing element carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a
sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations based on
stored information. Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from
an external source, and the result of operations saved and retrieved.
The
first electronic digital computers were developed
between 1940 and 1945. Originally they were the size of a large room, consuming
as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). In this era mechanical analog computers were used for
military applications.
Modern
computers based on integrated
circuits are
millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy
a fraction of the space. Simple
computers are small enough to fit into mobile devices,
and mobile computers can be powered by
small batteries.
Personal computers in their various forms are icons of
the Information Age and are what most
people think of as “computers.” However, the embedded computers found in many devices
from MP3
players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous.
.jpg)
.jpg)
