Calculator vs Computer
This question occurred to me the other day: What is the difference between a calculator and a personal computer?
What is a computer?
I'm using one to write this, and you're looking at one as you read. Back in the day, computer was a role or job title, for one who did computations. That's because computing - v., to compute - is a function. It involves inputs, processing thereof, and outputs. In arithmetic, these inputs and outputs are numbers. In computers, I think it's code, which is built on a system of binary numbers (0 and 1). Computers come in all different sizes and configurations, depending on the use/situation (see supercomputers, microprocessors, personal computers).
Computer ?=? Calculator
When you think about it, "computer" and "calculator" are basically synonyms. Thus I have always basically understood computers to be sophisticated calculators. The elements and function seem to be the same.
- Calculators are electronic devices that somehow use electrons on a circuit board to do math. The circuit board contains transistors and processors, sensors for input (the buttons), and some means of output that renders numbers on the screen. As far as computers go, calculators are very small and basic.
- Power comes from a battery.
- They have one application, the need to do calculations one-at-a-time.
- Personal computers, meanwhile, are more complex and require more memory and processing power. Complexity comes from computers' use of a graphical user interface (on screen) instead of a simple numerical output, and a typewriter-style keyboard and point-and-click mouse and various other sensors as inputs, instead of simple numeric buttons.
- Computers run software programs for many applications (basic examples include spreadsheets, word processing, calendars, etc.).
- They are highly connectible, increasingly wirelessly, which makes them excellent devices for (instantaneous) communications.
- This complexity compared to calculators requires more memory and processing power. Memory consists of data storage (hard drive) and what you might call working memory (RAM) for doing computation.
- I am honestly not sure what a computer processor is or how it works.
Anyway, yes, it sounds like computers are basically more sophisticated calculators. They are the same kind of device which consists of hardware and software. Hardware is what I've mostly discussed here. Software is the math-based instructions that the hardware executes/performs.
