Computer
An electronic device that operates under the control of instructions stored in memory that can accept data and process them according to a set of instructions before producing results and storing them for future use.
# Components
Generally, computers have several components that play different roles within the computer:
- central processing unit (CPU) — a component that processes data according to a set of instructions;
- memory — data, instructions, and results to be used in the short-term;
- random access memory (RAM) — a component that stores data, instructions, and results for immediate use;
- read-only memory (ROM) — a component that stores data and instructions that rarely need to change or are required for start-up;
- input devices — a hardware device that allows users to enter data and instructions into a computer;
- output devices — a hardware device that is used to show processed results from a computer in a human-friendly way (i.e., can be understood by people); and
- (secondary) storage — a device that stores data, instructions, and information (often in large amounts) that will not be lost on power supply interruption