Related topics: google · ipad · tablet computer · microsoft · intel

Cracking the quantum code: Simulations track entangled quarks

Today, the word "quantum" is everywhere—in company names, movie titles, even theaters. But at its core, the concept of a quantum—the tiniest, discrete amount of something—was first developed to explain the behavior ...

Projection mapping leaves the darkness behind

Images projected onto objects in the real world create impressive displays that educate and entertain. However, current projection mapping systems all have one common limitation: they only work well in the dark. In a study ...

Elegant use of noise for quantum computing

Scientists around the world work hard to rinse quantum systems for noise, which may disturb the function of tomorrow's powerful quantum computers. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute (NBI) have found a way to use noise ...

Ebola: Scientists reveal a new way it replicates

Scientists in Canada and the U.S. have discovered a new way in which Ebola—an often deadly virus affecting people mostly in sub-Saharan Africa—reproduces in the body.

A new ion trap for larger quantum computers

Researchers at ETH have managed to trap ions using static electric and magnetic fields and to perform quantum operations on them. In the future, such traps could be used to realize quantum computers with far more quantum ...

page 1 from 2

Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates data according to a set of instructions.

Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (1940–1945). These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers (PCs). Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space. Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most numerous.

The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore computers ranging from a mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA