A computer is a programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a computer are: The item responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner and it can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
Modern Computers Defined
Modern computers are electric powered and digital. The actual machinery - wires, transistors, and circuits - is termed hardware; the instructions and data are called software.
All general-purpose computers involve the following hardware components:
Memory: enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data in addition to programs.
Mass storage device: allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Widespread mass storage devices include solid state drives (SSDs) or disk drs and tape drives.
Input device: usually a keyboard and mouse, often the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer.
Production device: a display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the desktop computer has accomplished.
Central processing unit (CPU): the heart of the computer, this is the ingredient that actually executes instructions.
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In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic components to the office together efficiently. For example , every computer requires a bus that transmits data from a single part of the computer to another.
Computer Classification: By Size and Power
Most people link a personal computer (PC) with the phrase computer. A PC is a small and comparatively cheap computer designed for an individual use. PCs are based on the microprocessor technology that enables makers to put an entire CPU on one chip.
Personal computers at home can be used for a number of different purposes including games, word processing, accounting and other tasks.
Computers are generally classified by means of size and power as follows, although there is considerable overlap. The differences between pc classifications generally get smaller as technology advances, creating smaller and more potent and cost-friendly components.
Personal computer: a small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. Along with the microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering data, a monitor to get displaying information, and a storage device for saving data.
Workstation: a powerful, single-user personal computer. A workstation is like a personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality monitor.
Minicomputer: a multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to many users simultaneously.
Mainframe: a powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds or thousands connected with users simultaneously.
Supercomputer: an extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions of recommendations per second.