
Computer | Definition, History, Operating Systems, & Facts
Feb 6, 2026 · A computer is a programmable device for processing, storing, and displaying information. Learn more in this article about modern digital electronic computers and their …
What is a computer? | Britannica
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, calculating …
Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica
Feb 6, 2026 · 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 - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software | Britannica
Feb 6, 2026 · Computer - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software: Before 1970, computers were big machines requiring thousands of separate transistors. They were operated by specialized …
Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica
Feb 6, 2026 · It is not too great a stretch to say that, in the Jacquard loom, programming was invented before the computer. The close relationship between the device and the program …
computer summary | Britannica
computer, Programmable machine that can store, retrieve, and process data. A computer consists of the central processing unit (CPU), main memory (or random-access memory, RAM), and …
St. Carlo Acutis | Miracle, Death, Canonization, Patron Saint Of ...
Jan 1, 2026 · St. Carlo Acutis was an English-born Italian computer programmer who was beatified (the second of three stages in the process of canonization) by the Roman Catholic …
Computer - Time-sharing, Minicomputers, Multitasking | Britannica
Feb 6, 2026 · Computer - Time-sharing, Minicomputers, Multitasking: In 1959 Christopher Strachey in the United Kingdom and John McCarthy in the United States independently …
Computer virus | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Feb 17, 2026 · A more damaging virus can wreak havoc on an extremely large computer system within a matter of minutes or hours, causing it to crash and thereby destroy valuable data, or …
Computer chip | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Jan 7, 2026 · Computer chip, integrated circuit or small wafer of semiconductor material embedded with integrated circuitry. Chips comprise the processing and memory units of the …