The computer: from calculating engines to modern machines
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. Modern digital electronic computers run general-purpose programs, which is why the same kind of machine can handle everything from spreadsheets and video games to industrial control and scientific simulation.
The photograph above captures a sleek black cat with bright yellow eyes and a distinctive white patch on its chest and chin, comfortably sprawled across the keyboard of an open silver laptop whose screen is tilted back; the cat’s front paws rest near the laptop’s edge while its body covers much of … Continue