Related topics: operating system , laptop , windows
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.
For more information about Computer, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with computer
Apple up sharply on tablet computer reports
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Dec 24, 2009 |
3.6 / 5 (5) |
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Apple Inc. shares hit a record high on Wall Street on Thursday following reports that the California company may unveil a long-awaited portable tablet computer next month.
Court bans sale of Word; Microsoft promises fix
Dec 22, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (13) |
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(AP) -- A federal appeals court ordered Microsoft Corp. to stop selling its Word program in January and pay a Canadian software company $290 million for violating a patent, upholding the judgment of a lower ...
Understanding interaction in virtual worlds
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 23, 2009 |
2.9 / 5 (9) |
0
New cinema blockbuster, Avatar, leapt to the top of box office charts as soon as it came out — a stunning 3D realisation of an alien world. Our fascination with themes of escape to other fantastic places and the thrill of ...
Hardware-accelerated global illumination by image space photon mapping
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 22, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
0
Research presented in a paper by Morgan McGuire, assistant professor of computer science at Williams College, and co-author Dr. David Luebke of NVIDIA, introduces a new algorithm to improve computer graphics for video games.
Financial instruments could be spiked with unfindable risks
Dec 21, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (15) |
37
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a result that may have implications for financial regulation, researchers from computer science and economics have revealed potentially impenetrable problems with the pricing of financial ...
Modern tests demonstrate soundness of old iron bridge
Dec 21, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
2
An unusual bowstring truss iron bridge that carried traffic across Roaring Run in Bedford County, Va. for almost 100 years is now a picturesque footbridge at the I-81 Ironto, Va. rest stop. Built in 1878, ...
Putting the squeeze on data
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 21, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Data compression is one of the fundamental research areas in computer science, letting information systems do more with less. It’s the reason the iPod nano can hold thousands of songs instead ...
Formation of the Gulf of Corinth rift, Greece
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 22, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
A study of the structure and evolution of the Gulf of Corinth rift in central Greece will increase scientific understanding of rifted margin development and the tectonic mechanisms underlying seafloor spreading ...
A new generation of computer tablets is on its way
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Dec 17, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (7) |
2
I may have caught a glimpse of the future last week. In San Francisco, a startup company called Fusion Garage showed off the JooJoo, a touch-screen device that looks like the iPhone's big brother. The JooJoo ...
Glasgow's joking computer
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 11, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Glasgow Science Centre in Scotland is exhibiting a computer that makes up jokes using its database of simple language rules and a large vocabulary.
China's Lenovo to build research centre in Taiwan: report
Dec 22, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Chinese high-tech giant Lenovo plans to set up a research and development centre in Taiwan as the firm tries to take advantage of warming cross-strait ties, a report said Tuesday.
Computer simulation strengthens link between climate change and release of subsea methane
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (23) |
58
(PhysOrg.com) -- A first-of-its-kind computer simulation that mirrors real-world observations of methane bubbling up from a seabed in the Arctic Ocean provides further evidence that warming oceans may unleash ...
New techniques make carbon-based integrated circuits more practical
Dec 09, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (13) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- Stanford engineers have built what they believe is a chip with the most advanced computing and storage elements made of carbon nanotubes to date by devising a way to root out the stubborn ...
Analysts warn that FTC suit could damage Intel
Dec 18, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (3) |
2
The Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Intel Wednesday -- the most far-reaching in a string of recent regulatory actions -- poses a huge threat to the Santa Clara, Calif., chip giant and could reshape the semiconductor ...
How could Santa know if you've been good or bad?
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 21, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- By using technology to detect guilty expressions, of course. CSIRO is using automated expression recognition technology to tell whether someone is in pain and, according to computer scientist, ...
