What is a computer?

A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data and

can store, retrieve, and process data. The capacities, physical size and
processing power varies greatly from small, embedded computers in appliances to
massive supercomputers.

Main characteristics of computers:

Speed: Computers work at a high speed and can process many instructions per
second.
Accuracy: In addition to being fast, computers are also very accurate. This is
especially useful when performing calculations or using the computer to
control a system.
Diligence: Computers are highly consistent and maintain accuracy over long
continuous run times. Computers, therefore, are better than human beings
in performing long and repetitive jobs.
Versatility: Computers can perform tasks as long as it can be broken down into a
series of logical steps. This allows them to be used in various products and
fields including transportation, business, science, military, education,
entertainments, etc
Storage Capacity: Computers can store large volumes of data. A piece of
information once recorded (or stored) in the computer, will never be
“forgotten” and can usually be retrieved almost instantaneously. An entire
library can be stored easily on a computer.
Reliability: A computer is reliable because it gives consistent results for similar
sets of data. That means when the same data is repeatedly input, the
computer produces the same result every time.
Automation: Computers can perform tasks automatically, without manual
intervention. This allows computers to be especially useful in monitoring
situations for example controlling a flood gate. It also means computers
can be used in factories to perform tasks repeatedly without the need for
direct human supervision.
Communication: computers can transfer data quickly and accurately between
systems that are physically very far apart. This means that data can be sent
over vast distances quickly and accurately.
General Purpose V.S. Special Purpose Computer Systems

General Purpose computer systems:

 General purpose computers are designed to perform a wide

variety of functions and operations.
 A general purpose computer is able to perform a wide variety
of operations because it can store and execute different
programs in its internal storage.
 General purpose computers can be large systems such as
mainframes that may support many computers and provide
many services. Smaller systems such as desktops, laptops,
mobile phones and tablets are also considered to be general
purpose systems.
 General purpose systems carry out a wide range of operations
but at a slower speed than a special purpose system. It
sacrifices speed for a wide range of functionality.
Special Purpose Computer Systems

 Special-Purpose Computers are designed to be task specific

and most of the times their job is to solve one problem.
 They are also known as dedicated computers because they are
dedicated to performing a single task repeatedly.
 a special purpose computer’s ability to perform a particular
task is due to its design rather than to a stored program.
 The instructions that control it are built directly into the
computer, which makes for a more efficient and effective
operation.
 As these computers only perform only one task they are fast .
 A drawback of its specialization is the computer’s lack of
versatility. It cannot be used to perform other operations.