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

    Dec 10, 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 …

  2. Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

    Dec 10, 2025 · Computer - History, Technology, Innovation: A computer might be described with deceptive simplicity as “an apparatus that performs routine calculations automatically.”

  3. Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica

    Dec 10, 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.

  4. computer summary | Britannica

    Computer, device for processing, storing, and displaying information. Computer once meant a person who did computations, but now the term almost universally refers to automated electronic machinery.

  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 data, …

  6. Computer - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software | Britannica

    Dec 10, 2025 · Computer - Home Use, Microprocessors, Software: Before 1970, computers were big machines requiring thousands of separate transistors. They were operated by specialized …

  7. Personal computer (PC) | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

    Nov 27, 2025 · personal computer (PC), a digital computer designed for use by only one person at a time.

  8. Digital computer | Evolution, Components, & Features | Britannica

    Oct 17, 2025 · Since the development of the Harvard Mark I, the digital computer has evolved at a rapid pace. The succession of advances in computer equipment, principally in logic circuitry, is often …

  9. Computer science | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica

    Dec 2, 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.

  10. Hewlett-Packard Company | History & Facts | Britannica Money

    Hewlett-Packard introduced its first desktop computer, the HP-85, in 1980. Because it was incompatible with the IBM PC, which became the industry standard, it was a failure. The company’s next major …