Let us begin with the word ‘compute’. It means ‘to calculate’. We all are familiar with calculations in our day to day life.
We apply mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc. and many other formulae for
calculations. Simpler calculations take less time. But complex calculations take much longer time. Another factor is
accuracy in calculations. So man explored with the idea to develop a machine which can perform this type of arithmetic
calculation faster and with full accuracy. This gave birth to a device or machine called ‘computer’.
The computer we see today is quite different from the one made in the beginning. The number of applications of a
computer has increased, the speed and accuracy of calculation has increased. You must appreciate the impact of
computers in our day to day life. Reservation of tickets in Air Lines and Railways, payment of telephone and electricity
bills, deposits and withdrawals of money from banks, business data processing, medical diagnosis, weather
forecasting, etc. are some of the areas where computer has become extremely useful.
However, there is one limitation of the computer. Human beings do calculations on their own. But computer is a dumb
machine and it has to be given proper instructions to carry out its calculation. This is why we should know how a
computer works.
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