Definition and Characteristics of computers

What is a computer - characteristics of computers

What is a computer?

The word computer comes from the word 'compute', which means to calculate.so a computer is normally consider to be a calculating device that can perform arithmetic operation at enormous speed. The original objective for inventing the computer was to create a fast calculating machine. But more than 80% of the work done by the computers today is of non mathematical nature. Computer appears differently to different peoples.The computer appears to be magic Box to a layman.it strike him simply as a calculator, which works automatically.To one with technical know-how, the computer is a sophisticated electronic device caple of solving problems or manipulating data by accepting data and instruction, performing the prescribed operation on data and supplying the results of these operations as output.
More accurately,a computer may be defined as a fast and accurate sophisticated electronic data processing device that is designed to automatically accept, store and process data and produce output results under the direction of a stored program


Characteristics of Computer

Computer have the following characteristics.

  1. speed:  A computer is very fast device. Computer makes calculation at an amazing speed without any mistakes.Even a microcomputer can make as many calculations in one minute that may take the entire life of a scientist or an engineer.A moder computer can excute several millions of instructions per second(MIPS). The speed of a computer is usually measured in microseconds ,nanoseconds and pico seconds.
  2. Accuracy:   The accuracy of a computer is consistently high and the degree of accuracy of a particular computer depends upon its design. Error can occur in a computer, but these are mainly man made, such as inaccurate data and imprecise thinking of programmers rather than technical weaknesses.

  3. Versatility:   A computer is capable of performing almost any task provided that the task can be reduced to a series of logical steps.

  4. High Storage capacity :   Computers can store large amount of data and information in very small space and any part of it can be retrieved as and when required , in a microsecond or even less.

  5. Reliability:   Computers components are designed in very high life and degree of reliability.Computer make calculations without tiring and making any mistakes due to boredom or fatigue

  6. No intelligence :   Computers have no intelligence of their own.Computer cannot make any judgment of their own,their judgment is based on the instruction given to them by the user


No comments:

Post a Comment