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

    Dec 22, 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 …

  2. computer - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    A computer is a device for working with information. The information can be numbers, words, pictures, movies, or sounds. Computer information is also called data. Computers…

  3. Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · The inventors who labored to bring the computer into the world had to learn that the thing they were inventing was not just a number cruncher, not merely a calculator.

  4. computer - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    Generally, a computer is any device that can perform numerical calculations—even an adding machine, an abacus, or a slide rule. Currently, however, the term usually refers to…

  5. What is a computer? | Britannica

    Oct 20, 2025 · 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 …

  6. Mouse | Definition & Facts | Britannica

    Mouse, hand-controlled electromechanical device for interacting with a digital computer that has a graphical user interface. The mouse can be moved around on a flat surface to control the …

  7. Computer - Supercomputing, Processing, Speed | Britannica

    Dec 10, 2025 · The physical elements of a computer, its hardware, are generally divided into the central processing unit (CPU), main memory (or random-access memory, RAM), and peripherals.

  8. Mainframe | Definition & Facts | Britannica

    Nov 12, 2025 · Mainframes have been used for such applications as payroll computations, accounting, business transactions, information retrieval, airline seat reservations, and scientific …

  9. Charles Babbage Facts | Britannica

    Oct 14, 2025 · Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor who is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer. He designed two calculating devices, the …

  10. Computer Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary

    COMPUTER meaning: an electronic machine that can store and work with large amounts of information often used before another noun