Computer!
October 11th, 2008
A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a list of instruction.
The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century (1940–1945), although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers.[1] Modern computers are based on tiny integrated circuits and are millions to billions of times more capable while occupying a fraction of the space.[2] Today, simple computers may be made small enough to fit into a wristwatch and be powered from a watch battery.Personal computers, in various forms, are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as “a computer”; however, the most common form of computer in use today is the embedded computer . Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are used to control other devices — for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots , digital cameras, and children toys.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called PROGRAM makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes 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 with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a super computer are all able to perform the same computational tasks given enough time and storage capacity.
Computer Parts
