Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 40 views

    A Programmable Machine

    Uploaded by

    srsubaak
    A computer requires hardware components like a central processing unit and memory to store and process data. It also needs input/output devices to receive and display information. Software contains the instructions and data that drive the hardware. Computers can be classified based on their size and power as personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, or supercomputers depending on their processing capabilities and number of supported users.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    A Programmable Machine

    Uploaded by

    srsubaak
    40 views2 pages
    A computer requires hardware components like a central processing unit and memory to store and process data. It also needs input/output devices to receive and display information. Software contains the instructions and data that drive the hardware. Computers can be classified based on their size and power as personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, or supercomputers depending on their processing capabilities and number of supported users.

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    A computer requires hardware components like a central processing unit and memory to store and process data. It also needs input/output devices to receive and display information. Software contains the instructions and data that drive the hardware. Computers can be classified based on their size and power as personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, or supercomputers depending on their processing capabilities and number of supported users.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    40 views2 pages

    A Programmable Machine

    Uploaded by

    srsubaak
    A computer requires hardware components like a central processing unit and memory to store and process data. It also needs input/output devices to receive and display information. Software contains the instructions and data that drive the hardware. Computers can be classified based on their size and power as personal computers, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes, or supercomputers depending on their processing capabilities and number of supported users.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    https://www.alertpay.com/?

    8cvvyZiszeN6B%2bkTwGRwxw%3d%3d

    A programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a computer are:


     It responds to a specific set ofinstructions in a well-defined manner.

    • It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).

    Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery -- wires, transistors,
    and circuits -- is calledhardware; the instructions and data are called software.

    All general-purpose computers require the following hardware components:

     memory : Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and


    programs.
     mass storage device : Allows a computer to permanently retain large
    amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape
    drives.
     input device : Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit
    through which data and instructions enter a computer.
     output device : A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see
    what the computer has accomplished.
     central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer, this is the
    component that actually executes instructions.

    In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic components
    to work together efficiently. For example, every computer requires a bus that transmits
    data from one part of the computer to another.

    Computers can be generally classified by size and powe

    r as follows, though there is considerable overlap:


     personal computer : A small, single-user computer based on
    a microprocessor. In addition to the microprocessor, a personal computer has a
    keyboard for entering data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage
    device for saving data.
     workstation : A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a
    personal computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-
    quality monitor.
     minicomputer : A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to
    hundreds of users simultaneously.
     mainframe : A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many
    hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously.
     supercomputer : An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds
    of millions of instructions per second.
    •E-mail this definition to a colleague•

    computer
    Last modified: Monday, June 25, 2007

    You might also like