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  1. What is a computer? | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · A computer is a machine that can store and process information. Most computers rely on a binary system, which uses two variables, 0 and 1, to complete tasks such as storing …

  2. Computer | Definition, History, Operating Systems, & Facts

    Dec 22, 2025 · A computer is a programmable device for processing, storing, and displaying information. Learn more in this article about modern digital electronic computers and their …

  3. Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · It is not too great a stretch to say that, in the Jacquard loom, programming was invented before the computer. The close relationship between the device and the program …

  4. Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · Computer - Technology, Invention, History: By the second decade of the 19th century, a number of ideas necessary for the invention of the computer were in the air.

  5. computer summary | Britannica

    Computer, device for processing, storing, and displaying information. Computer once meant a person who did computations, but now the term almost universally refers to automated …

  6. Personal computer (PC) | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

    personal computer (PC), a digital computer designed for use by only one person at a time.

  7. computer - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    Computer software is divided into two basic types—the operating system and application software. The operating system controls how the different parts of hardware work together. …

  8. Computer Control, Process Automation, Robotics - Britannica

    Dec 5, 2025 · Each process computer monitors up to 2,000 parameters that are required to control the process, such as temperature, flow rate, pressure, liquid level, and chemical …

  9. Computer - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · Computer - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software: Before 1970, computers were big machines requiring thousands of separate transistors. They were operated by specialized …

  10. Digital computer | Evolution, Components, & Features | Britannica

    Since the development of the Harvard Mark I, the digital computer has evolved at a rapid pace. The succession of advances in computer equipment, principally in logic circuitry, is often …