Computer
hideA computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.
Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). 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 a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.
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News tagged with computer
Smartphone app illuminates power consumption
18 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new application for the Android smartphone shows users and software developers how much power their applications are consuming. PowerTutor was developed by doctoral students and professors ...
Ultra-Powerful Laser Reproduces How Star's Jets Travel through Interstellar Space
19 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A multi-trillion-watt laser at the University of Rochester has simulated a stellar jet -- an outpouring of matter from a fledgling star -- with unprecedented realism.
Cisco releases Web security app for iPhone
20 hours ago |
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Cisco on Friday announced the release of a free iPhone application for anyone who wants to stay on top of the latest trojans, worms, or other threats marauding on the Internet.
Sony hopes online service will build brand loyalty
Nov 20, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Friday.
Dell's profit, stock drop on weak quarterly report
Nov 19, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Some of the computer-industry's biggest players - such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. - have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected profits.
Google's Chrome OS to be ready for 2010 holidays (Update)
Nov 19, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Consumers will have to wait until next year's holiday shopping season to find out if Google Inc.'s new operating system can deliver on its promise to make low-cost computers run faster.
Future bright for Microsoft cloud computing, server president says
Nov 19, 2009 |
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All this week at the Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft has talked about cloud computing, what many consider the next frontier. Bob Muglia, president of the company's Server and Tools business, sat down to talk ...
Observers wary of 'truce' between Intel, AMD
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Can Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, Silicon Valley's version of the long-squabbling Hatfields and McCoys, really get along?
Technique finds gene regulatory sites without knowledge of regulators
Nov 19, 2009 |
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A new statistical technique developed by researchers at the University of Illinois allows scientists to scan a genome for specific gene-regulatory regions without requiring prior knowledge of the relevant transcription factors. ...
Stimulus grant will improve physics arXiv
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stimulus funding will enhance Cornell's e-print arXiv of scientific papers to help users identify a work's main concepts, see research reports in context and easily find related work.
UK police make 2 Trojan computer virus arrests
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A couple suspected of helping spread some of the Internet's most aggressive computer viruses has been arrested in the English city of Manchester, police said Wednesday.
Turning heat to electricity... efficiently
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric powerplants, the need to get rid of excess heat creates a major source of inefficiency. But new research points the way ...
Microsoft's cloud computing system is growing up
Nov 17, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Microsoft Corp. leads its industry in part because a vast army of outside computer programmers design software that only runs on its Windows operating system. Now, the company is fighting to keep those programmers ...
Spotting evidence of directed percolation
Nov 17, 2009 |
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A team of physicists has, for the first time, seen convincing experimental evidence for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through a population ...
Counterfeit euros are detected with an optical mouse
Nov 17, 2009 |
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The sensor of some optical mice can be used to easily and cheaply detect counterfeit euros, according to a study published by Spanish researchers of the University of Lleida (UdL) in the scientific journal ...
