About the computer

About the computer

by Anushka Shrestha

​Introduction

• ​Computer plays an important role in the modern world.The word "Computer" comes from the word "Computare", which means to calculate. Therefore, a computer is a calculating machine that is used to do calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and other such things. A computer, however, does more than just calculations. It works the way it is told to do.

​How a Computer Works

• ​There are so many machines and devices that you can see around you. Every machine receives an Input, carries out a process and produces an Output. The output of a computer is called result. An example is given in the right side which will help you understand the concept of Input-Process-Output.

• ​A computer is also a machine. It works with the help of electricity. We give problems to a computer and it gives us the answers. While solving a problem, the computer takes three major steps:

​Input

• ​Numbers, words or information which we give to a computer to solve a problem, are known as input. You provide an input to a computer by typing it on a keyboard. A keyboard is a common input device of a computer.

​Process

• ​Processing is the conversion of raw-data into meaningful information. This work is done in the processor. The processor is commonly known as CPU (Central Processing Unit). It is located inside a CPU cabinet. The CPU is a processing device of a computer.

​Output

• ​The result which is produced by the computer is known as an output.It appears on the screen of the monitor.

​Some Special Features of Computers

• ​Computers work at a high speed. They can do very many tasks in a second. Speed is the main advantage of computers.

• ​Computers do not make mistakes on their own. They give wrong data or instructions, otherwise they always give correct results.

• ​Computers can do the same work repeatedly. They can work continuously for a long time without resting. They never get tired.

• ​Computers can store a large amount of data and instructions in their memory that we feed into them.

• ​Computers can handle almost all types of jobs. They are being used in different places by different people. They are used in all fields of our life such as machinery, sports, science, music, etc.

​Computer Cannot do Anything by Itself

• ​A computer has a memory to store things. It has no common sense to think by itself. It does exactly as told by programmers. Someone must tell the computer what is should do.