
Computer | Definition, History, Operating Systems, & Facts | Britannica
Oct 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 …
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 data, …
Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica
Oct 17, 2025 · 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 - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica
Oct 17, 2025 · Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.”
Computer program | Definition & Facts | Britannica
The first digital computer designed with internal programming capacity was the “Baby,” constructed at Manchester in 1948. A program is prepared by first formulating a task and then expressing it in an …
Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Oct 17, 2025 · Computer science is the study of computers and computing, including their theoretical and algorithmic foundations, hardware and software, and their uses for processing information.
COBOL | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Sep 26, 2025 · COBOL, high-level computer programming language, one of the first widely used languages and for many years the most popular language in the business community. It developed …
list of notable computer viruses and malware - Encyclopedia Britannica
Malware (a portmanteau of the terms malicious and software) consists of computer viruses, spyware, computer worms, and other software capable of stealing devices’ data or running harmful code.
Computer security | Definition & Facts | Britannica
Oct 15, 2025 · Computer security, the protection of computer systems and information from harm, theft, and unauthorized use. Computer hardware is typically protected by serial numbers, doors and locks, …
What can computers do? | Britannica
Oct 20, 2025 · What can computers do? The most powerful computers can perform extremely complex tasks, such as simulating nuclear weapon experiments and predictin