What is a Computer ?
Tags: devops, computerscience
Published: 2021-04-21 20:46:30

What is a computer?
The word computer means something that computes or make sense of, which means to calculate.5 However the etymology of the French word, com (together) + putare or putus (clear, judge, reckon, trim, settle).6 So it makes sense to see the computer as a means to gather, sort, arrange and present data and then finally decide on what to do with it. Because in nature, there are no end to numbers in the universe, computers have been programmed with the capacity to hold extremely large quantities of data that the human mind and no shelves are able to due to several limiting factors. Computers compress data and save them in discrete bits which are calculated in the memory so that the data remains constant and accurate. The programmer sees to it that no bits get missing by debugging the system. The bits are immaterial and electronic in form. This is the reason why all computers require nonstop power supply to function. So a computer is an electrical or electronic machine.
The basic principle of computer operation
Every modern electronic device that can answer questions and store useful information for any application is called a computer.Every computer system or computerized device follows the same programming principles of computers.
            The invention of silicon chips and transistors, computers have become more smaller with much greater functional increase and versatility. Sitting in the audience that day was Gordon Moore, who went on to help found the Intel Corporation, the world’s largest chip maker. In 1965, Dr. Moore quantified the scaling principle and laid out what would have the impact of a computer-age Magna Carta. He predicted that the number of transistors that could be etched on a chip would double annually for at least a decade, leading to astronomical increases in computer power.
           Applications of computer
Because every modern electronic device which can store information for user dependent purposes such as ATMs, laptops, smartphones, robots, automated factory machines, drones and so on and also function based on the programming languages used for conventional computer systems, plus the mode of functioning consisting of inputing a request, which are processed in a short time, and present an expected outcome or output, they are all called computers. Xerox machines and typewriters are not computers because they don't have a databank and perform no computations. It is still in debate whether ordinary calculators should be seen as computers.They have only one function, to instantly display the result of inputed mathematical question. They follow the basic pattern for computer operation:
input(question)→central processor(calculating)→output(display result).
But calculators cannot store the data or be used in program generation. ATMs are regarded as computers because they store money in electronic format actually and like a computer connected to a printer, they produce banknotes as the outputs. Smart phones are now nearly fully capable of doing what a PC can do and numerous third party PC programmes have been made to be easily compatible their sophisticated operating systems with little changes. Smartphones lack peripherals but have become the primary computer for most people.
           Conclusion
There is no other known mode of data processing except through the manual or automatic insertion of requests into a highly complex processing machine that has been engineered or programmed to unfailingly control and preserve coded data for the purpose of presenting information or producing readable objects. Any such system is called a computer. Man and animals cannot be seen as computers because they usually operate on instincts and not computing logic. The general characteristics are electrical energy, electronic function, high speed, precise accuracy, high memory and clear output data.