Supercomputer
The fastest type of computer. Supercomputers are very expensive and are employed for specialized applications that require immense amounts of mathematical calculations. For example, weather forecasting requires a supercomputer. Other uses of supercomputers include animated graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research, and petroleum exploration.
The chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a supercomputer channels all its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a mainframe uses its power to execute many programs concurrently.
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Refers to microprocessor architectures that enable more than one instruction to be executed per clock cycle. Nearly all modern microprocessors, including the Pentium, PowerPC, Alpha, and SPARC microprocessors are superscalar.
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A symbol or character that appears slightly above a line, as in this example: r2. Footnote numbers appearing in text are also superscripts. A symbol or character that appears slightly below a line is called a subscript.
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A technique for improving LCD display screens by twisting light rays. In addition to normal supertwist displays, there also exist double supertwist and triple supertwist displays. In general, the more twists, the higher the contrast. Supertwist displays are also known as supertwist nematic (STN) displays.