OUR COMPUTERS:

OUR COMPUTERS

A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format. Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery -- wires, transistors, and circuits -- is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software. 1:memory : Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs. 2: central processing unit (CPU): The heart of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions. 3: input device : Usually a keyboard and mouse, the input device is the conduit through which data and instructions enter a computer. 4: output device : A display screen, printer, or other device that lets you see what the computer has accomplished. 5: mass storage device : Allows a computer to permanently retain large amounts of data. Common mass storage devices include disk drives and tape drives. A programmable machine.
The two principal characteristics of a computer are: It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner. It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).