Mar 17, 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.

A computer system requires both hardware and software. Hardware is the computer’s physical parts. Software is the programs, or instructions, that tell the hardware what to do.

A typical digital computer system has four basic functional elements: (1) input-output equipment, (2) main memory, (3) control unit, and (4) arithmetic-logic unit. Any of a number of devices is used to enter data and program instructions into a computer and to gain access to the results of the processing operation.

Mar 30, 2025 · operating system (OS), program that manages a computer’s resources, especially the allocation of those resources among other programs. Typical resources include the central processing unit (CPU), computer memory , file storage, input/output (I/O) devices , …

A digital computer’s hardware is a complex system of four functionally different elements—a central processing unit, input devices, memory-storage devices, and output devices—linked by a communication network, or bus. The bus is usually incorporated into the main circuit board, called the motherboard, which is plugged into all the other ...

5 days ago · System software controls a computer’s internal functioning and peripherals such as monitors, printers, and storage devices. The principal system software is the operating system. Some well-known operating systems are Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Mar 7, 2025 · Central processing unit (CPU), computer system, generally composed of the main memory, control unit, and arithmetic-logic unit. It constitutes the physical heart of the entire computer system; to it is linked various peripheral equipment, including input/output devices and auxiliary storage units.

Mar 24, 2025 · A computer network consists of two or more computers that are connected to each other to communicate data electronically. Two basic network types are local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs).

Mar 2, 2025 · Computer architecture, structure of a digital computer, encompassing the design and layout of its instruction set and storage registers. The architecture of a computer is chosen with regard to the types of programs that will be run on it …

Mar 14, 2025 · Computer science - Architecture, Organization, Algorithms: Computer architecture deals with the design of computers, data storage devices, and networking components that store and run programs, transmit data, and drive interactions between computers, across networks, and …