Computer


[kuh m-pyoo-ter] /kəmˈpyu tər/

noun
1.
a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the different types of computers.
Compare , .
2.
a person who ; computist.
/kəmˈpjuːtə/
noun
1.

2.
a person who computes or calculates
n.

1640s, “one who calculates,” agent noun from compute (v.). Meaning “calculating machine” (of any type) is from 1897; in modern use, “programmable digital electronic computer” (1945 under this name; theoretical from 1937, as Turing machine). ENIAC (1946) usually is considered the first. Computer literacy is recorded from 1970; an attempt to establish computerate (adjective, on model of literate) in this sense in the early 1980s didn’t catch on. Computerese “the jargon of programmers” is from 1960, as are computerize and computerization.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A New York Congressman says the use of computers to record personal data on individuals, such as their credit background, “is just frightening to me.” [news article, March 17, 1968]

computer
(kəm-py’tər)
A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

An electronic device that stores and manipulates information. Unlike a calculator, it is able to store a program and retrieve information from its memory. Most computers today are digital, which means they perform operations with quantities represented electronically as digits.

publication
A journal of the IEEE Computer Society.
(1995-03-10)

computer
A machine that can be programmed to manipulate symbols. Computers can perform complex and repetitive procedures quickly, precisely and reliably and can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data.
The physical components from which a computer is constructed (electronic circuits and input/output devices) are known as “hardware”. Most computers have four types of hardware component: CPU, input, output and memory. The CPU (central processing unit) executes programs (“software”) which tell the computer what to do. Input and output (I/O) devices allow the computer to communicate with the user and the outside world. There are several kinds of memory – fast, expensive, short term memory (e.g. RAM) to hold intermediate results, and slower, cheaper, long-term memory (e.g. magnetic disk and magnetic tape) to hold programs and data between jobs.
See also analogue computer.
(1995-03-10)

Read Also:

  • Computer-aided engineering

    noun 1. the use of computers to automate manufacturing processes CAE

  • Computer-age

    noun 1. the period in modern history characterized by computer use and development and its effects on all aspects of life.

  • Computer-aided instruction

    application, education (CAI, or “assisted”, “learning”, CAL) The use of (personal) computers for education and training. (1995-04-13)

  • Computer-aided learning

    Computer-Aided Instruction

  • Computer-aided manufacturing

    [kuh m-pyoo-ter-ey-did] /kəmˈpyu tərˌeɪ dɪd/ noun 1. the use of specially designed computers to improve and regulate manufacturing processes; a type of automation in which computers control and monitor industrial machinery. 2. the techniques used in computer control and monitoring of industrial machinery and processes. Abbreviation: CAM.


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