
Computer | Definition, History, Operating Systems, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 10, 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 design, constituent …
Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica
Dec 10, 2025 · Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.”
What is a computer? | Britannica
Oct 20, 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 data, …
Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica
Dec 10, 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.
Computer - Supercomputing, Processing, Speed | Britannica
Oct 17, 2025 · The physical elements of a computer, its hardware, are generally divided into the central processing unit (CPU), main memory (or random-access memory, RAM), and peripherals.
Ada Lovelace | Biography, Computer, Day, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 6, 2025 · Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer. Even though she wrote about a computer, the Analytical Engine, that was never built, she realized that the computer could follow a …
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. Application software …
Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Dec 2, 2025 · Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information.
computer - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Generally, a computer is any device that can perform numerical calculations—even an adding machine, an abacus, or a slide rule. Currently, however, the term usually refers to…
VAX | computer line | Britannica
In 1978 Digital introduced the VAX (Virtual Address eXtension) computer, arguably the most successful minicomputer in history. The VAX line of systems ranged from low-cost desktop workstations to high …