Definition
A computer is a programmable machine designed to
perform arithmetic and logical operations automatically and sequentially on the
input given by the user and gives the desired output after processing. Computer
components are divided into two major categories namely hardware and software.
Hardware is the machine itself and its connected devices such as monitor,
keyboard, mouse etc. Software are the set of programs that make use of hardware
for performing various functions.
Definition
A computer is an electronic device, operating under
the control of instructions stored in its own memory. These instructions tell
the machine what to do. The computer is capable of accepting data (input),
processing data arithmetically and logically, producing output from the
processing, and storing the results for future use.
Definition
A computer is a general purpose device that can be
programmed to carry out a finite set of arithmetic or logical operations. Or
other words you can say Computers are machines that performs tasks or
calculations according to a set of instructions, or programs.
The word
computer is derived from the word compute.
Compute means to calculate. The
computer was originally defined as a super-fast calculator. It had the capacity
to solve complex arithmetic and scientific problems at very high speed. But
nowadays in addition to handling complex arithmetic computations, computers
perform many other tasks like accepting, sorting, selecting, moving, comparing
various types of information. They also perform arithmetic and logical
operations on alphabetic, numeric and other types of information. This
information provided by the user to the computer is data.
The
information in one form which is presented to the computer is the input
information or input data.
Information
in another form is presented by the computer after performing a process on it.
This
information is the output information or output data.
The set of
instructions given to the computer to perform various operations is called as
the computer program. The process of converting the input data into the
required output form with the help of the computer program is called as data
processing. The computers are therefore also referred to as data processors.
Therefore a computer can now be defined as a fast and accurate data processing
system that accepts data, performs various operations on the data, has the
capability to store the data and produce the results on the basis of detailed
step by step instructions given to it.
More
accurately, we can define a computer as a device that operates upon data. Data
can be anything like bio-data, hence computer is used for short listing
candidates for recruiting; marks obtained by students in when used for
preparing results; details (name, age, sex, etc.) of passengers when used for
or railway reservations: or number of different parameters when used for
solving scientific problems, etc.
Hence, data
comes in various shapes and sizes depending upon the type of computer
application. A computer can and retrieves data as and when desired. The fact
that computers process data is so fundamental that have started calling it a
data processor.
The name data
processor is more inclusive because modern computers not only compute in the
usual sense but also perform other functions with data that flows to and from
them. For example, data processors may gather data from various incoming
sources, merge (process of mixing or putting together) them all, sort (process
of arranging in some of sequence— ascending or descending) them in the desired
order, and finally print them in desired format.
Notice that
none of these operations involves arithmetic computations in the usual sense
but a computer is the most suitable device for performing them.
People
usually consider a computer to be a calculating device that can perform
arithmetic operations at high speed. It is also known as a data processor
because it not only computes in the usual sense but also performs other
functions with the data.
The activity
of processing data using a computer is called data processing. Data processing
consists of three sub-activities: capturing input data, manipulating the data,
and managing output results. As used in data processing, information is data
arranged in an order and form that is useful to people receiving it. Hence,
data is raw material used as input to data processing and information is
processed data obtained as output of data processing.
Post activity:
In
this post we covered what is computer in detail. If more detailed information
is needed please browse or search the internet for above terms.
Keywords:
Computer, Data processing.
…till next post, bye-bye and take
care.
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