What is a digital computer?

Digital computer is a machine that stores data in numerical format and performs operations on this data by mathematical manipulation. This type of computer usually contains some type of information to store information, a certain method of input and data output, and components that allow mathematical operations to be performed on stored data. Digital computers are almost always electronic, but it is not necessarily.

There are two main methods of modeling world using a computer machine. Analog computers use a certain physical phenomenon such as electrical voltage, to model another phenomenon and perform operations by direct adjustment of stored data. However, the digital computer stores all data as numbers and affects this data arithmetically. Most computers use binary numbers to store data, because those and zeros that make up these numbers are easily represented by simple on-off electric states.

Computers based on analog principles have benefits in some specialized areas, such as their ability to constantly model the equation. However, the digital computer has the advantage of being easily programmable. This means that they can process many different sets of instructions without being physically reconfigured.

The oldest digital computers date back to the 19th century. The first example is the analytical engine theorized by Charles Babbage. This machine would mechanically save and process data. However, this data would not be stored mechanically, but rather like a number of numbers represented by discrete physical states. This computer would be programmable, the first on the computer.

digital computer technology has spread during the 20th century. The pressure of the war led to great progress in the field, and electronic computers appeared from World War II. This type of digital calculations Generally used Vacuum pipe fields to store information for active use in calculation. For long -term storage were usedpaper or punch cards. The keyboard input and monitors appeared later in the century.

At the beginning of the 21st century, computers rely on integrated circuits rather than on vacuum tubes. They still use active memory, long -term storage and central processing units. The input and output devices are multiplied very much, but the same basic function still serves.

In 2011, computers are beginning to push the boundaries of conventional circuits. The district paths on a digital computer can now be printed so close to each other that the effects such as electron tunneling should be taken into account. Work on digital optical computers that process and store data using light and lenses can help overcome this restriction.

nanotechnology can lead to a completely new range of mechanical calculations. The data could be stored and processed digitally at the Single Molecules or a small groups of molecules. Amazing number of molecular computational elements would fit into a relatively small space. That wouldIt could significantly increase the speed and power of digital computers.