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Computer | Definition, History, Operating Systems, & Facts | Britannica
A computer is a programmable device for processing, storing, and displaying information. Learn more in this article about modern digital electronic computers and their design, constituent parts, and applications as well as about the history of computing.
Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica
Computer - Technology, Invention, History: By the second decade of the 19th century, a number of ideas necessary for the invention of the computer were in the air. First, the potential benefits to science and industry of being able to automate routine calculations were appreciated, as they had not been a century earlier. Specific methods to make automated calculation more practical, such as ...
What is a computer? | Britannica
A computer is a machine that can store and process information. Most computers rely on a binary system, which uses two variables, 0 and 1, to complete tasks such as storing data, calculating algorithms, and displaying information. Computers come in many different shapes and sizes, from smartphones to supercomputers weighing more than 300 tons.
computer summary | Britannica
computer, Programmable machine that can store, retrieve, and process data. A computer consists of the central processing unit (CPU), main memory (or random-access memory, RAM), and peripherals (e.g., a keyboard, a printer, disc drives). Traditional histories of computers assign generations on the basis of technology.
Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information. The discipline of computer science includes the study of algorithms and data structures and artificial intelligence.
Personal computer (PC) | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica
Personal computer, a digital computer designed for use by only one person at a time. A typical personal computer assemblage consists of a central processing unit, which contains the computer’s arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry on an integrated circuit; computer memory; and various peripheral devices.
computer - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
A computer is a device for working with information. The information can be numbers, words, pictures, movies, or sounds. Computer information is also called data. Computers…
Computer - Networking, Digitalization, Automation | Britannica
Computer - Networking, Digitalization, Automation: The Internet grew out of funding by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), later renamed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to develop a communication system among government and academic computer-research laboratories. The first network component, ARPANET, became operational in October 1969. With only 15 ...
Computer - Output Devices | Britannica
Computer - Output Devices: Printers are a common example of output devices. New multifunction peripherals that integrate printing, scanning, and copying into a single device are also popular. Computer monitors are sometimes treated as peripherals. High-fidelity sound systems are another example of output devices often classified as computer peripherals. Manufacturers have announced devices ...
Computer - Time-sharing, Minicomputers, Multitasking | Britannica
Computer - Time-sharing, Minicomputers, Multitasking: In 1959 Christopher Strachey in the United Kingdom and John McCarthy in the United States independently described something they called time-sharing. Meanwhile, computer pioneer J.C.R. Licklider at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began to promote the idea of interactive computing as an alternative to batch processing. Batch ...
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