Digital computer, any of a class of devices capable of solving problems by processing information in discrete form. It operates on data, including magnitudes, letters, and symbols, that are expressed in binary code—that is, using only the two digits 0 and 1.
Machine language, the numeric codes for the operations that a particular computer can execute directly. The codes are strings of 0s and 1s, or binary digits (“bits”), which are frequently converted both from and to hexadecimal (base 16) for human viewing and modification. Machine language
Machine learning, in artificial intelligence (a subject within computer science), discipline concerned with the implementation of computer software that can learn autonomously. Expert systems and data mining programs are the most common applications for improving algorithms through the use of
Calculus, branch of mathematics concerned with instantaneous rates of change and the summation of infinitely many small factors.
Assembly language, type of low-level computer programming language consisting mostly of symbolic equivalents of a particular computer’s machine language. Computers produced by different manufacturers have different machine languages and require different assemblers and assembly languages. Some
Augmented reality, in computer programming, a process of combining or “augmenting” video or photographic displays by overlaying the images with useful computer-generated data. The earliest applications of augmented reality were almost certainly the “heads-up-displays” (HUDs) used in military
Bit, in communication and information theory, a unit of information equivalent to the result of a choice between only two possible alternatives, as between 1 and 0 in the binary number system generally used in digital computers. The term is shortened from the words “binary digit.” It is also
Hardware, computer machinery and equipment, including memory, cabling, power supply, peripheral devices, and circuit boards. Computer operation requires both hardware and software. Hardware design specifies a computer’s capability; software instructs the computer on what to do. The advent of
Invention, the act of bringing ideas or objects together in a novel way to create something that did not exist before. Ever since the first prehistoric stone tools, humans have lived in a world shaped by invention. Learn about the...
Computer architecture, structure of a digital computer, encompassing the design and layout of its instruction set and storage registers. The architecture of a computer is chosen with regard to the types of programs that will be run on it (business, scientific, general-purpose, etc.). Its principal