A computer is a machine that takes
information in, is able to manipulate it in some way, and outputs new
information. There is no single inventor of the modern computer,
although the ideas of British mathematician Alan Turing are considered
eminently influential in the field of computing. Mechanical computing
devices were in existence in the 1800s (there were even rare devices
that could be considered computers in ancient eras), but electronic
computers were invented in the 20th century.
Computers
are able to make complicated mathematical calculations at an incredible
rate of speed. When they operate under the instructions of skilled
programmers, computers can accomplish amazing feats. Some
high-performance military aircraft wouldn't be able to fly without
constant computerized adjustments to flight control surfaces. Computers
performed the sequencing of the human genome, let us put spacecraft into
orbit, control medical testing equipment, and create the complex visual
imagery used in films and video games.
If
we only examine these grandiose uses of computers, we overlook how much
we rely on them from day to day. Computers let us store vast amounts of
information and retrieve a given piece of it almost instantly. Many of
the things we take for granted in the world wouldn't function without
computers, from cars to power plants to phones.
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