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Programs: - These Programs Enable Computers To

Computers are machines that can carry out arithmetic and logical operations automatically according to programmed instructions. Modern computers follow generalized programs to perform a wide variety of tasks. A computer system includes the hardware, operating system, and peripherals required for full operation. Computers are used as control systems for devices ranging from appliances to factories to personal devices and networks like the Internet that connect hundreds of millions of users worldwide. Early computers were only for calculation, but technological advancements over decades led to faster, more powerful computers driving the Digital Revolution. A modern computer typically includes a central processing unit, memory, and peripheral input/output devices.

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35 views

Programs: - These Programs Enable Computers To

Computers are machines that can carry out arithmetic and logical operations automatically according to programmed instructions. Modern computers follow generalized programs to perform a wide variety of tasks. A computer system includes the hardware, operating system, and peripherals required for full operation. Computers are used as control systems for devices ranging from appliances to factories to personal devices and networks like the Internet that connect hundreds of millions of users worldwide. Early computers were only for calculation, but technological advancements over decades led to faster, more powerful computers driving the Digital Revolution. A modern computer typically includes a central processing unit, memory, and peripheral input/output devices.

Uploaded by

Elliot
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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A computer is a machine that can be instructed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical

operations automatically via computer programming. Modern computers have the ability to
follow generalized sets of operations, called programs. These programs enable computers to
perform an extremely wide range of tasks. A "complete" computer including the hardware, the
operating system (main software), and peripheral equipment required and used for "full"
operation can be referred to as a computer system. This term may as well be used for a group of
computers that are connected and work together, in particular a computer network or computer
cluster.

Computers are used as control systems for a wide variety of industrial and consumer devices.
This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls, factory
devices such as industrial robots and computer-aided design, and also general purpose devices
like personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones. The Internet is run on
computers and it connects hundreds of millions of other computers and their users.

Early computers were only conceived as calculating devices. Since ancient times, simple manual
devices like the abacus aided people in doing calculations. Early in the Industrial Revolution,
some mechanical devices were built to automate long tedious tasks, such as guiding patterns for
looms. More sophisticated electrical machines did specialized analog calculations in the early
20th century. The first digital electronic calculating machines were developed during World War
II. The first semiconductor transistors in the late 1940s were followed by the silicon-based
MOSFET (MOS transistor) and monolithic integrated circuit (IC) chip technologies in the late
1950s, leading to the microprocessor and the microcomputer revolution in the 1970s. The speed,
power and versatility of computers have been increasing dramatically ever since then, with MOS
transistor counts increasing at a rapid pace (as predicted by Moore's law), leading to the Digital
Revolution during the late 20th to early 21st centuries.

Conventionally, a modern computer consists of at least one processing element, typically a


central processing unit (CPU) in the form of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)
microprocessor, along with some type of computer memory, typically MOS semiconductor
memory chips. The processing element carries out arithmetic and logical operations, and a
sequencing and control unit can change the order of operations in response to stored information.
Peripheral devices include input devices (keyboards, mice, joystick, etc.), output devices
(monitor screens, printers, etc.), and input/output devices that perform both functions (e.g., the
2000s-era touchscreen). Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from an external
source and they enable the result of operations to be saved and retrieved.

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