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

    Dec 22, 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 …

  2. Computer - History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

    Dec 22, 2025 · The inventors who labored to bring the computer into the world had to learn that the thing they were inventing was not just a number cruncher, not merely a calculator.

  3. 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 …

  4. Computer - Technology, Invention, History | Britannica

    Dec 22, 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.

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

    Nov 27, 2025 · A small firm named MITS made the first personal computer, the Altair. This computer, which used Intel Corporation ’s 8080 microprocessor, was developed in 1974. …

  6. Douglas Engelbart | Inventor of the Computer Mouse | Britannica

    Douglas Engelbart (born January 30, 1925, Portland, Oregon, U.S.—died July 2, 2013, Atherton, California) was an American inventor whose work beginning in the 1950s led to his patent for …

  7. computer - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help

    An English inventor named Charles Babbage designed the first computer in the 1830s. It was mechanical, not electronic, because scientists did not yet know how electricity worked.

  8. Hardware | Definition, Devices, & Facts | Britannica

    Hardware, computer machinery and equipment, including memory, cabling, power supply, peripheral devices, and circuit boards. Computer operation requires both hardware and software.

  9. 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 …

  10. History, Computer, Stands For, Machine, & Facts - Britannica

    ENIAC, the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, built during World War II by the United States and completed in 1946. The project was led by John Mauchly, J. …