Can Computers Really Think?
Computers seem smart, playing chess, writing articles, drawing pictures... but are they really thinking? This article reveals the secret of how computers "think"!
Browse every article about computers, programming, networks, and artificial intelligence.
Computers seem smart, playing chess, writing articles, drawing pictures... but are they really thinking? This article reveals the secret of how computers "think"!
Computers do not always have a keyboard, mouse, and big case. Phones, tablets, and game consoles look very different—so why are they computers too?
A computer receives information, processes it with programs, produces results, and can save data.
Build the input → process → output → storage model.
Use a sandwich-making robot to understand programs as precise instructions.
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A program is a set of instructions; software is often a complete product containing programs, data and documentation.
Programs themselves can be saved inside files.
B, KB, MB, GB and TB are common units for measuring data.
A bit is one of the smallest units of binary information and can represent 0 or 1.
A CPU quickly switches between programs, while multiple cores can process tasks at the same time.
Keyboards and mice turn presses, movement and clicks into digital signals.
To convert binary to decimal, mark the place values 1, 2, 4, 8 and add the places containing 1.
To convert a decimal number to binary, repeatedly divide by 2 and read the remainders backwards.
Binary uses only 0 and 1; its place values are 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16.
Chinese characters are represented through character encodings too.
A program eventually becomes machine instructions that a CPU can execute.
Different file formats organize data in different ways.
A byte usually contains 8 bits, a basic unit used throughout computer history.
A graphical interface lets people use icons, buttons and a mouse instead of typing every command.
Electronic circuits can reliably distinguish two stable states, such as high and low voltage.
A file extension hints at a format, such as .txt, .png or .cpp.
Photos contain many pixels, while videos contain many frames and may also include sound.
Common causes include a busy CPU, low memory, slow storage, too many programs or background tasks.
A motherboard gives the CPU, memory, storage and other parts connection points and communication paths.
SSD storage keeps data for a long time, while RAM lets the CPU read current data quickly.
Computers do much more than arithmetic. They process data, store information, communicate, control devices, and automate tasks.
A pixel is the smallest image-position unit in a digital bitmap. Each pixel records a color, and many pixels arranged in rows and columns make the photos and screenshots we see.
RGB is a common way to represent color in digital images and screens. Red, green and blue channels combine to make many colors; with 8 bits per channel, each value usually ranges from 0 to 255.