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

    Jun 16, 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 parts, and applications as well as about the history of computing.

  2. Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica

    Jun 16, 2025 · By the second decade of the 19th century, a number of ideas necessary for the invention of the computer were in the air. First, the potential benefits to science and industry of being able to automate routine calculations were appreciated, as they had not been a …

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

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

  4. Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

    Jun 16, 2025 · Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.”

  5. 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 gives the computer instructions for doing specific tasks, such as word processing or playing games.

  6. Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica

    4 days ago · Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information.

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

    Digital computer, any of a class of devices capable of solving problems by processing information in discrete form. It operates on data, including magnitudes, letters, and symbols, that are expressed in binary code—that is, using only the two digits 0 and 1.

  8. Computer - Memory, Storage, Processing | Britannica

    Jun 16, 2025 · Computer - Memory, Storage, Processing: The earliest forms of computer main memory were mercury delay lines, which were tubes of mercury that stored data as ultrasonic waves, and cathode-ray tubes, which stored data as charges on the tubes’ screens.

  9. URL | Meaning, Example, Definition, & Facts | Britannica

    URL, compact string of numbers, letters, and symbols that a computer uses to find a resource on a network and act upon it. URLs are often colloquially referred to as Web addresses, or simply addresses, since Web pages are the most common resources that users employ URLs to find.

  10. Microsoft Windows | History, Versions, & Facts | Britannica

    4 days ago · Microsoft Windows is a computer operating system (OS) developed by Microsoft Corporation to run personal computers (PCs). Featuring the first graphical user interface for IBM-compatible PCs, Microsoft Windows soon dominated the PC market.