When is a computer a computer?

[Sathanel]

Hai dudes >:3!

So my friend and I are making a presentation about computers. But when is a computer a computer? A Computer is made of a motherboard, CPU etc. But a mobile phone, is also made of a motherboard, cpu, ram etc. But that is not considered a computer? Why not? Where do you draw the line between a computer and something else?

We have written that these are computers:

Desktop

Laptop

All-in-one

Tablett.

Any help? Thank you, and have a great weekend!

 

[S_I_N]

lol using the internet forums to do your homework. Classic lmao. But you do pose a good question. I will await others answers to see what they think before I chime in with the real answer

 

[Sathanel]

;/

 

[ionicle]

A computer is a static device that cannot be moved with ease, A laptop is a portable computer, And a tablet and phone are ultra portable devices

In my opinion anyway

 

[Sathanel]

So a phone is also a computer?

 

[S_I_N]

So a phone is also a computer?

yes and no

 

[ionicle]

a phone has a processor, a 'hard drive', ram, and onboard graphics

it is a computer, but it is a low powered, portable computing device..

i wouldnt want to use it to prime, or fold, or work out pi ...

 

[Matthias2437]

"com·put·er/kəmˈpyo͞otər/

Noun:

An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program."

Yes a phone is a computer.

 

[S_I_N]

a phone has a processor, a 'hard drive', ram, and onboard graphics

it is a computer, but it is a low powered, portable computing device..

i wouldnt want to use it to prime, or fold, or work out pi ...

phones do not have hard drives they use flash memory (technicality I know since SSD's are similar) which is shared with system memory

"com·put·er/kəmˈpyo͞otər/

Noun:

An electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program."

Yes a phone is a computer.

dictionary definition lol where I'm not with ya is in the use of program. While phones do have programs most of thier capabilities are from apps imho not really a program. yes they do have some programs but they are severely stripped down versions more like apps

Yes a phone is a mini computer in it can do basic computations. Where it separates from a real computer is that computers are capable of complex computations.

 

[Sathanel]

Yes a phone is a mini computer in it can do basic computations. Where it separates from a real computer is that computers are capable of complex computations.

[/quote]

Sorry to be a noob

But what does complex computations mean?

Sorry =P

 

[S_I_N]

laymans terms basic is like 100 things at once complex like 100 billion things at once

 

[Sathanel]

So a phone can only do like 100 things at once, and a pc can do 100 billion?

 

[S_I_N]

well while I dont know the exact numbers in a nutshell yes. The co-processor on a phone is way way limited in its ability to do things. Not that they are slow at anything its just a computers micro-processor is capable of a whole lot more faster.

 

[Perturabo]

Surely a computer is anything that carries out computations? The Z3 is generally accepted as the first programmable and automatic computer and that was built in 1941 with a clock of ~5 Hz and used punch cards. What people are defining a computer as; cpu, mobo etc is just the architecture of a modern computer. The fact that a desktop can calculate faster than a phone doesnt make the phone not a computer, it carries out the same basic operations. So I would say a computer is anything that can carry out a sequence of predefined operations automatically, regardless of what it is made of and how quickly it does it.

 

[S_I_N]

exactly why I said yes and no lol todays phone are fast approaching the high end of things able to carry out more and more things normal desktops can so its not a straight forward question to answer. I in no way meant or inferred that phones are not computers

 

[8bitbreed]

lets just make this as simple as it should be, lol.

A computer is: Any device that computes data, inputed by the user. wether it be an abacus, spectrum zx, a smart phone, or a personal computer. be it a laptop or desktop.

 

[Matthias2437]

phones do not have hard drives they use flash memory (technicality I know since SSD's are similar) which is shared with system memory

dictionary definition lol where I'm not with ya is in the use of program. While phones do have programs most of thier capabilities are from apps imho not really a program. yes they do have some programs but they are severely stripped down versions more like apps

Yes a phone is a mini computer in it can do basic computations. Where it separates from a real computer is that computers are capable of complex computations.

I program apps, because they are programs. I can post the definition of computer program for you if you want as well. =P

 

[S_I_N]

not saying apps arent programs actually even though it sounded like I did

lol what I mean is apps are smaller programs.

 

[malarky13]

Id say some smart phones are computers Galaxy S2 has more computing power than my laptop. You can also do pretty much everything on it too.

 

[Elky72]

Interesting Thread

The defintion of a comuter has been given here already in the above topics. But following these defintions there are more machines that can be considered a computer. We all know the electronic devices. But there are plenty more machines that are considered a computer.

The navy used in the '50s a mechanical computer that used gearing to calculate the trajectory of artillery shells by inputting over 20 parameters. For example: wind speed, target velocity, Own ships velocity, distance, ... and so on.

The First of these mechanical devices known to mankind and considered to be the first"computer" is the Antikythera Mechanism. It's a greek invention believed to been invented somewhere around 100 BC. It calculates the occurance of Eclipses exactly to the minute.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk[/media]

And there so many other devices that fall under the general term of "computer". Computer is now become a word that most of us use to describe the desktops or laptops we use in everyday life