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
Study: Slowdown in warming last year not permanent
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 04, 2009 |
3.1 / 5 (9) |
16
(AP) -- Cooler temperatures in North America last year do not mean global warming is easing, government and academic scientists said Friday.
Obama science advisers grilled over hacked e-mails
Dec 03, 2009 |
2.3 / 5 (3) |
11
(AP) -- House Republicans pointed to controversial e-mails leaked from climate scientists and said it was evidence of corruption. Top administration scientists looking at the same thing found no such sign, saying it doesn't ...
Researchers demonstrate a better way for computers to 'see' (w/ Video)
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 02, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (15) |
4
Taking inspiration from genetic screening techniques, researchers from Harvard and MIT have demonstrated a way to build better artificial visual systems with the help of low-cost, high-performance gaming hardware.
Review: Two new 3-D laptops still feel shallow
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Dec 02, 2009 |
4 / 5 (3) |
3
(AP) -- In its search for another technology to excite us, the consumer electronics industry is reaching deep - into the third dimension. The big push for 3-D TV won't happen until next year, but already ...
Microsoft unleashes lawsuits, raids in piracy crackdown
Dec 04, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (4) |
0
Microsoft Corp. said Thursday it has unleashed a series of lawsuits and is cooperating in criminal prosecutions worldwide in an effort to stem piracy of its software.
Californians -- and their cell phones -- will help computer scientists monitor air pollution
Technology / Computer Sciences
Dec 04, 2009 |
1 / 5 (2) |
0
You want to go for a run, but you don't want to run in polluted air that might aggravate your asthma. University of California, San Diego computer scientists are creating a network of environmental sensors ...
FTC expands Intel anti-competition probe, sources say
Dec 04, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
The Federal Trade Commission has broadened its investigation of Santa Clara, Calif., chipmaker Intel beyond the company's competition with Advanced Micro Devices to include at least one other Silicon Valley company, Nvidia, ...
Study helps advance heart-related research
Dec 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Using a new mathematical model of heart cells, University of Iowa investigators have shown how activation of a critical enzyme, calmodulin kinase II (CaM kinase), disrupts the electrical activity of heart cells.
iPhones are musical instruments in new course and ensemble (w/ Video)
Dec 01, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- iPhones are being used as musical instruments in a new course at the University of Michigan.
Cisco to proceed with $3.4 billion Tandberg deal
Dec 04, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- Cisco Systems Inc. says it is waiving its condition that 90 percent of shareholders of Norwegian videoconferencing equipment firm Tandberg ASA back its $3.4 billion takeover offer and will close the deal as soon ...
Gift Guide: Touch and Windows 7 in fresh PC lineup
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Dec 03, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- This holiday season is a great time to buy a PC. There's a nice new version of Windows out, and computer manufacturers are adding interesting new technologies. Here's a guide to what's fresh in PCs, ...
Nanowires key to future transistors, electronics
Nov 26, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (10) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new generation of ultrasmall transistors and more powerful computer chips using tiny structures called semiconducting nanowires are closer to reality after a key discovery by researchers ...
New computer model could lead to safer stents
Dec 02, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- After suffering heart attacks, patients often receive stents designed to hold their arteries open. Some of these stents release drugs that are meant to halt tissue growth in arteries, but ...
Selling chip makers on optical computing
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (11) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer chips that transmit data with light instead of electricity consume much less power than conventional chips, but so far, they've remained laboratory curiosities. Professors Vladimir ...
Should I buy a PC or Mac?
Nov 25, 2009 |
2.4 / 5 (21) |
35
Q. Our 6-year-old PC computer is dying a slow death and we are considering moving to a new iMac but have a few concerns. First, of all, we have several Word documents on our disk drive now that we want to keep and add to ...
