2006-09-01 01:28:46 · 6 answers · asked by ziggie2 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
Originally a computer was a person who did computation. Then it was any mechanical device designed for computation or to assist in computation like an abacus. I would say a computer is now widely accepted to be an electronic device designed to compute. The distinction between computation and compute is an important one. Although everything a computer does is based on numbers it is not thought of as a mathematical device by very many people.
2006-09-01 01:37:06 · answer #1 · answered by YahooGuru2u 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions known as a program.
Computers are extremely versatile. In fact, they are universal information-processing machines. According to the Church–Turing thesis, a computer with a certain minimum threshold capability is in principle capable of performing the tasks of any other computer. Therefore, computers with capabilities ranging from those of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer may all perform the same tasks, as long as time and memory capacity are not considerations. Therefore, the same computer designs may be adapted for tasks ranging from processing company payrolls to controlling unmanned spaceflights. Due to technological advancement, modern electronic computers are exponentially more capable than those of preceding generations (a phenomenon partially described by Moore's Law).
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, while entire modern embedded computers may be smaller than a deck of playing cards. Even today, enormous computing facilities still exist for specialized scientific computation and for the transaction processing requirements of large organizations. Smaller computers designed for individual use are called personal computers. Along with their portable equivalent, the laptop computer and personal computers are ubiquitous information processing and communication tools that are usually what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is the embedded computer. Embedded computers are usually relatively simple and physically small computers used to control another device. They may control machines from fighter aircraft to industrial robots to digital cameras.
2006-09-01 08:41:14 · answer #2 · answered by Cascade Ranger 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's my wife, she never forgets anything, and reminds me a lot in a discussion.
2006-09-01 11:38:00 · answer #3 · answered by tom_casper_2000 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i can say it's a boy!
you can change the prefrences about it! but the fact is that will never change any thing.....
it is still what it was!
2006-09-01 08:38:46 · answer #4 · answered by sweetwilliam_y2k 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_system
2006-09-01 08:31:15 · answer #5 · answered by PainMaster 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
greatest question i ever heard............:D:)) and answer is i dont know,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
2006-09-01 08:31:04 · answer #6 · answered by winnner_of_heart 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋