Computers
originated not so much with a technology but with an idea. That idea was that it is possible to
break down complex activities, whether procedures or mathematical computations, into a series of
extremely simple steps. Thus programmers develop "algorithms" that apply a series of
simple steps to certain inputs to create outputs.
The term
"computer" originally referred not to machines but to people who did computations.
Complex calculations, such as ballistics, were broken down into long series of simpler
computations solved by large teams of "computers" (workers who performed
computations). Gradually, machines were developed that could take the place of human computers,
doing a series of very simple calculations very quickly.
Most modern
computers input, store, and output binary information, i.e. strings of 0s and 1s represented
internally as positive and negative electrical charges. Computers can perform a limited number
of Boolean operations on either individual digits (the logical operator "not" which
changes 0 to 1 or vice versa) or pairs of digits ("and" or "and not").
Computers are also capable of storing information in various forms of volatile or nonvolatile
memory (RAM, disks), fetching information into processing units (CPUs), and processing
information. Computers are also connected to input/output devices (screens, printers, keyboards,
touchscreens) so that they can accept inputs and generate outputs.
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